2023 MN State Fair New Foods Preview Part 1- Initial Thoughts, Al Taco Baba through Bee Sting Sundae

 

Well Well Well, here we are friends, exactly 1 Month Out from the Great Minnesota Get Together!

New foods came out last week and we have some thoughts to share about them (took us awhile to get them sorted because some of us are slower to respond than others, some of us were away from home, and some of us borrowed Anne’s PC and then didn’t even use it (spoiler- none of those things were Anne)).

Anyway, we’re here now, let’s just look forward.

Read on to hear our overall thoughts, be shocked to discover for the first time EVER that we all agree on our “Most Excited For” food choice, and hear about our love for Bridgeman’s.

 

Sarah Overall Thoughts

34 new foods? Get outta here. That seems like a lot. Is it a lot? Last year was too many. But I think that was like 40 or something. Is 34 more manageable? Fuck if I know. I’m not even sure what day it is at this point. Anne or Packie will know better about if this is a lot of foods or not, though, I’m sure. Also, I hope those 7 new vendors are included in the 34 foods so it’s not like 34 + 7. Because that would be even more, as I’m sure you can tell. Just as I’m sure you can tell that I’m good at the maths.

ANYWAY.

First thoughts. Obvs the first thing I saw was that cotton candy drank so I’m excited to learn more about that. Without even looking too closely I can already tell that this is going to be the year of the pickle. And I’m willing to bet that that’s because the pickle pizza from rick’s pizza from last year (PICKLE RICK) was the clear hands down winner of the fair.

But that doesn’t mean that other pickle stuff is going to take off like it did. That pickle pizza is something special. You can’t recreate magic like that, no matter how much you want to jump on that bandwagon.

So it turns out that pickle is indeed the theme with 5 pickle items. But lemon was suuuuper close with 4 items, too. Especially since there’s like 2 pickle lemon things together. I think I’m generally excited. I’m not sure there was anything that really blew my mind where I was, like, almost crying cuz I can’t wait. But I also don’t think there were a lot that I was worried about (except one. I’m sure you can guess which onE that is. And if not, keep reading.)

Most looking forward to: Umm, I guess I’m gonna have to say that Fruity Cereal Milk biscuit. That thing looks like the bomb. But I think my second one is the lobster fries.

Least looking forward to: Come on. You know it’s that lutefisk steam bun. I’m legit a little scared to try it.

 

Patrick Overall Thoughts

IT-IS-THAT-TIME!  That time we’ve all been waiting for, literally chomping at the bit and screaming to our friends and families “why aren’t they here yet?  They should be here by now!”  New - *BOOM* - State Fair *AAAH* - Foods *WOOO*.  We made it, and our total lack of patience has paid off with an exciting, dare I say harrowing, list of new culinary ingenuity has been laid out for us to marvel and pre-judge.  Honestly, honestly, I am super excited for this year’s list.  Nothing really hit me as something I expect the worst from, and so much of it has such wonderful promise that I simply cannot wait to get down to it and start breaking it all down.  We’ve got a whopping 34 new foods this year and 7 new vendors.  That’s 4 less than last year and 1 less vendor.  It is still A LOT and I’m sure with stupid inflation I’m gonna be spending about as much as a I did last year, but I think my stomach will notice the difference, and for that I am grateful.

If I had to pick a theme this year, and I will emphasize that it felt so varied that I wasn’t sure I could even claim for there to be one, it’d be pickles.  I counted a least 5 items with pickles in it, and some of them they were the outright star.  I think after last year’s slamdunk of a Rick’s Pickle Pizza, people keyed onto the fact that pickles…they am crunchies, and they am salties, and baby they is gooood.  A pickle dessert?  A pickle drink?!  Holy cow, this should be exciting.  What are we waiting for, let’s get to it.

Most Excited For:  I feel like I always, ALWAYS pick disastrously when choosing an item for these two categories (even when I think I’m playing it safe).  So this year, I’m just gonna go with my gut, and shoot my shot.  Fruity Cereal Milk Biscuit from LuLu’s Public House.  It’s got that Betty and Earl’s biscuit which we KNOW is da bomb, and add on some cereal milk icing with more fruity cereal on top?  I feel like I’m wrong about this one, I just don’t understand food and have no business doing this every year.

Least Excited For:  There were a few I was pretty skeptical about.  Not that they’d be terrible, but that they just wouldn’t cut the mustard.  Is that a saying?  Can you cut mustard?  Anywho, I’m going with Miami Mango Pickles from Soul Bowl.  I know this is something that has been hyped a lot over the last year, brine or soak your pickles in Kool-Aid or whatever?  I even feel like we might have tried it before out of curiosity, but I’m not a hundred percent sure on that.  Either way, I just down see myself looking forward to this and I don’t think I’ll enjoy it well enough to even finish it.

With that said, here is this year’s new foods roll call.  Oh…one last thing.  Gonna look again real quick, just to double check, aaaaaand…yup, they didn’t make the list.  Hideaway Speakeasy FINALLY did not make the list.  I was getting real f****ing tired of spending stupid amounts of cash to try their garbage each year, so I’m so damn thankful I don’t have to do it this year, and hopefully ever again. 

 

Anne Overall Thoughts

Is early July the new “new foods” timeframe? On one hand we don’t have to wait as long to eat them, but on the other I get impatient and am ready in June.

At first glance it didn’t seem like a big list, but then upon counting I see that we’re just going all-in again. I guess now that we’ve experienced 41 new foods it no longer seems like “too many” lol.

34 new food items, plus 7 vendors. Realistically we’re not gonna get the fudge or the concert concessions (maybe?), so we’re looking at probably 39 new foods- just 2 shy of the all-time record of 41 new foods in 2022.

Overall this looks like a good mix. I am mostly excited, and nothing looks terrible. Gonna be hard to pick my least favorite I think.

BUT ALSO

Some regular new-food vendors are AWOL this year, including Mancini’s al Fresco, O’Gara’s, Dino’s, Sausage Sister & Me, and most shockingly HIDEAWAY SPEAKEASY! Hideaway Speakeasy has had a food (or two) on the New Food List every year since it made its debut in 2017. I wonder what their deal is this year…
On one hand, I’m glad we don’t have to walk up those stairs to pay a million dollars to get mediocre (at best) food. On the other hand, hating on them is a little fun, and now we can’t predict how overpriced their food item is going to be this year. Womp.

Looks like a fair number of sweets this year (lucky me!) Apparently some sort of charcuterie (shark coochie) board. Couple bevs, but not too many.

Ok, the theme is 100% Pickle this year. Everyone trying to ride Pickle Rick’s pizza coattails from last year (pretty sure that’s not how it works, everyone!). There’s like 6 pickle offerings- that’s like 15% of the entire list, not including items that have pickles in them. But another theme I noticed- going Off-Brand. Like 5 new food items surprised me in regard to their vendor (none more so than Oodles of Noodles)

 

Most excited for: Fruity Cereal Milk Biscuit

Least excited for: Paletas (BOTH OF EM)

 

Al Taco Baba from Baba’s

Traditional hummus, harissa barbacoa, corn, queso fresco, chili dust, shatta (hot sauce), crema, cilantro and pita puffs

Sarah

At first glance I was like, “no.” But I think that’s just because the pita looks dry. Which, duh, it IS dry. That’s the point. So my first glance response in this one is just being a dick, I think. I like hummus okay. It can be nice. But also, I just don’t think I’m ever going to really be excited about hummus at a state fair. I’m not a harissa fan. And I’m obvs not a Mexican food fan, though I’m not overly worried about this. I wonder how hot that hot sauce is going to taste? I have a baby palate. Idk. The more I look at this the more underwhelmed I remain. Maybe dare I say a little irritated too? It’s also early in the morning and I haven’t eaten anything yet. Maybe I should go have some brekkie first and then come back to this so I’m not so out of control.

 

Patrick

The first year they arrived on the new foods list, Baba’s came in with a splash, and for something as humdrum as hummus, they actually make me pretty excited to try what they’re whipping up.  Last year’s new item, some kind of chocolate hummus, really missed the mark with me, but I’m hoping this new one will pack in some more flavor punch and bring me back in.  Could be a little too spicy for Sarah, but I like a bit of heat and along with the barbacoa and other toppings, it sounds like a winning combination.  I wish them luck.

 

Anne

Starting us off with Baba’s, which I recognized immediately obvs. Baba’s did us dirty last year, earning a D on their coco nuts bowl. But they did us clean 2 years ago, knocking it out in their debut year. So I’m thinking this will probably be good, but this is also something that’s not really for ME- there is a lot of hot sauce/spicy elements in this- 3 with the harissa, chili dust, and shatta. Plus cilantro (boo). So my bet would be this will be good but that I won’t be a fan

 

Ba-Sants in Two Varieties- Everything Cream Cheese and Sweet Corn from French Meadow Bakery and Café

A buttery, crisp and caramelized pastry- a combination of a bagel and a croissant: Everything Cream Cheese Ba-Sant is rolled in poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion flakes, garlic flakes, black pepper and sea salt with a scallion cream cheese filling; Sweet Corn Ba-Sant is filled  with fresh sweet corn custard and garnished with crunchy caramel corn.

Sarah

Holy what the shit is this?  Is this a brand-new invention? I’ve never heard of it. But I’m gonna tell you right now that I am down with mixing other pastries and croissants together to make delicious amalgamations (RIP Doughsant!) I like the picture. Look at those layers and stuff. Looks like delicious. And there’s two flavors to choose from. I mean, who doesn’t love an everything bagel? But as I was reading it, I was thinking about how I tend to like sweet croissant, and it’s clear they’re trying to do something with the sweet corn. So, yeah. I think this one is looking pretty great and I am excited to try it. If the mouth feel is great, this could be something spectacular. Wait, where’s it from? Oh! French Meadow! That checks out. Though, honestly, just bring back the doughsant. But they’ll probably do all right by this.

 

Patrick

Oh hell yeah!  So thrilled to see French Meadow getting back to what I think they are really good at.  Baking.  I still miss the dough-sant, and while this isn’t quite the same appeal, it does sound and look like delicious fun.  I love a good everything bagel and I’m super stoked to see how it turns out when blended with a croissant.  From the sweet and savory cream cheese fillings to the mystery texture of a bagel-croissant, I’m as giddy as a young schoolboy with a new wooden top, or one of those wheels you push with a stick.  Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.

 

Anne

Were they always “and café”? Did they change their name? Tryin to be fancy or sumthin?

Idk. Anyway, 2 options under one header per usual from this place. At least this time it seems like just 2 flavor profiles of the same item, unlike last year with their earth sliders and meatless marinara options. So let’s see what we’ve got this year.

Ok was I the only one who though this was going to be some sort of Bahn-Mi because of the “Ba” in the name? But apparently it’s a Bagel x Croissant combo instead. Also BRING BACK THE DOUGH-SANT!

Well they’ve had huge success in the past with a croissant/donut combo (which they then squandered and sent packing in 2017 RIP) so I’m feeling like they could maybe pull this off? Though bagels are dense and chewy and croissants are light and airy so is this a combo we WANT? I like that there’s a savory and sweet option (though I prefer my everything bagels with a sweet cream cheese so then you get the best of both worlds). Looking at the pics I think the Everything Bagel one looks a little better, but I am excited to try both

 

Bacon-Wrapped Waffle Dog from Nordic Waffles

Griddled bacon-wrapped Kramarczuk hot dog served on a Nordic Waffle with cheddar cheese, pickle slices and crispy onions and drizzled with burger sauce.

Sarah

I mean, it’s obvious where this is from. Last year’s Nordic waffles was a pretty large let down. Nothing has really captured the magic of the pebbles and bambam waffle from a few years ago and I still don’t understand why that isn’t a standard on their menu. Everyone loved it and it was great. So now we’ve got a hotdog (I mistyped this as hotgod and I’m not gonna lie, that’s a pretty cool name for a hotdog and someone should use it) waffle. I’m not against this. But IDK. First, I don’t like how that bacon in the pic looks soggy. I’m a crispy bacon girl so if it’s flopping around, we’re gonna have problems. Onion straws are great. There’s nothing on this that makes me think I won’t like it (though, wtf is burger sauce? They list that like it’s some sort of expected ingredient. Like we’re over here being like “I’ll take one burger with burger sauce please.” Are they talking about ketchup? Mustard? BBQ? Something else? Now I’m kinda irritated to be honest) but also nothing on this list that makes me excited. Maybe it will turn out great. Last year one of our surprise favs was just a chicken sausage in a bun so this could be something like that. But I doubt it.

 

Patrick

Now I might be seen as a hater here, but I think I’m kind of over Nordic Waffles at this point.  The last couple of years have been a wee bit disappointing, such that I’m just not really into them anymore.  I’m hoping this new concoction might bring me back, but I’m skeptical.  The contents of the waffle sammich all sound like a winning combo, especially with that bacon-wrapped Kramarczuk hot dog.  I’ll remain guardedly hopeful about this one, but I won’t say I’m surprised if it fails to impress or even satisfy.

 

Anne

Obviously from Nordic Waffles. They’ve been sliding in the rankings ever since their first 2 years, with execution issues (entire bone-in chicken leg in a waffle) and flavor/texture issues. Plus they got rid of the Pebbles and Bam (RIP 2021) and I’m still angry. So let’s see what they’re trying this year.

So like a fancy Weiner Wink? (OK! I know not every elementary school called them wiener winks (also known as Toasty Dogs), but that’s what our school did so deal with it) (ok wait- is it Weiner or Wiener?? Word thinks both spellings are acceptable?? Ok after some research the term Wiener comes from the German Weinerwurst. So I guess you do you). Or like a pseudo-Chicago dog? Bringing out the big guns with that Kramarczuk sausage- gonna charge a bucket for that I bet. Also like that they specified it’s GRIDDLE cooked, not grilled.

Eh, this looks fine. I’m sure it will be tasty. I bet it lands in B-ville. Maybe C-zone.

 

Basil Hummus with Spicy Walnut Topping from Holy Land

Holy Land hummus blended with fresh basil and topped with a mix of crushed walnuts, crushed red chili pepper, garlic and olive oil. Served with homemade garlic parmesan chips. (Hummus is vegan and GF; chips are vegetarian friendly with GF option available)

Sarah

More hummus I see. I’d start to think this was the theme if I hadn’t already seen like a gazillion pickles on the list. IDK. Am I excited for this? No. The garlic parmesan crisps look good, though. And Holy Land can be a bit of a hit or miss so that doesn’t really weigh in. I love basil and I love nuts, so that’s all good. Though there’s a chance it could be too spicy? But I’m not overly worried about that. So this is not very exciting, but maybe it will be fresh and clean and light and sometimes that’s exactly what you need at the fair. Time will tell, I suppose.

 

Patrick

Um…yeah, I don’t know about this one.  First off, that is a stupidly small amount of chips to go with this.  Who gives you all this hummus or any dip for that matter and is like, ‘yup, four chips should do it.  You’re gonna know you’re eating hummus then’.  That, and…I don’t know it’s mostly just hummus.  Sure you’ve got a little bit of a topping on it with the crushed walnuts, chili pepper (too spicy for Sarah’s sweet sensibilities…gonna really harp on Sarah’s weakness against heat this year.  Don’t know why, just feels right.), garlic, and olive oil, but otherwise it is just basil hummus.  Look at everything Baba’s puts on theirs?  I like Holy Land’s gyro meat, hands down, but I think this just looks boring.

 

Anne

Just ASSUMED Baba’s had a 2^nd entry and was irritated, and then saw it was from Holy Land. My B!

But also….like do we need 2 new Hummuses (Hummi? Hummus? Idk what the plural is)? Like I know they didn’t talk before hand, but c’mon Holy Land- you KNOW Baba’s is also doing Hummus bc THAT IS ALL THEY DO.

This looks fine. Probably will be tasty. I wonder why the chips are vegetarian but not vegan? (also why “vegetarian-friendly” and not just “vegetarian”? Feels like you’re trying to trick us somehow)

 

Bee Sting Sundae by Bridgeman’s Ice Cream

Bridgeman’s vanilla ice cream topped with hot honey, spicy peanuts, whipped cream and a cherry (Vegetarian, GF)

Sarah

ICE CREAAAAAAAM!!!! And from Bridgeman’s!!!! I know this is going to be good. And fuck I love ice cream so much. Holy shit, hot honey and spicy peanuts? I fucking love peanuts on ice cream sundaes. I’m already sad thinking there might not be enough because I like a LOT of them on my ice cream. But I’m still sure this will be great. Only problem is we’ll have to fight over who gets the cherry (again.) We might need to look up to see who got it last time. Anyway, I wish I had this right now because it’s already ice cream o’clock. I think even Packie, who’s generally not an ice cream fan, won’t be upset about this. Especially after they knocked it out of the park last year with a black licorice sundae (and we all hate black licorice!)

 

Patrick

You guys, you guys…if you didn’t know already, Bridgeman’s makes great ice cream.  This is coming from the guy who frequently says ‘no thanks’ when ice cream is offered.  They even added black licorice, which I very much do not care for, to their ice cream last year and it was still fantastic.  Now this year they are adding some heat to sweet, which is just a fun combination.  I’m assuming ‘hot’ honey is spicy honey, and not just heated up like hot fudge, and with the spicy peanuts included I think that is a safe assumption.  I think it looks good, and I’m eager to try it.  I do have to laugh, though, that Sarah LOVES ice cream, and LOVES nuts on her ice cream, and Bridgeman’s has perverted that love by making it spicy.

 

Anne

Please be Bridgeman’s. Please be Bridgeman’s. IT IS! Bee Sting huh? Some sort of honey concoction?

I DIBS THE CHERRY!! You hear that Sarah and Packie??! I DIBBSED IT.

Ok so it’s a spicy sundae- hence the Sting part of the name. Clever. You know…I’m not sure I would normally want this, but it does seem sort of clever and fun- spicy ice cream. I don’t really like too much spice but I do like ice cream. And I do LOVE Bridgeman’s bc they are solid B zone. And I like that this seems clever enough to lure me in with its siren song. I am excited.

Come back tomorrow for lots of divisive opinions about Mini Donuts and Lutefisk