2024 State Fair New Foods Preview Part 3- Ham and Pickle Roll Up on a Potato Skin through Raging Ball

Let's see some food items that made the top and bottom of our lists!

 Ham and Pickle Roll Up on a Potato Skin by Route 66 Roadhouse Chicken

Three fried potato skins filled with a blend of sour cream, cream cheese chopped pickles and ham. Topped with potato chip crumbles. (Gluten-Friendly)

Sarah

So we’re trying to recreate those pickle roll ups you get at any MN gathering I see.

And maybe this might get me in trouble but I don’t like those.

I know we’ve talked about the cream cheese before and this is more of the bad category, which is why I don’t like the rolls.

Now this is served on a potato skin, something I traditionally DO like a lot. Also, this has potato chips on top of it? That sounds fantastic!

I think the potato skin will be robust enough to level out what I don’t like about the roll, so I’m tentatively optimistic about this one. 

I don’t know that we’ve ever had anything from Route 66 Roadhouse chicken (Roadhouse. Anne, put in a roadhouse gif here or so help me…) but I’m always excited to try places we haven’t before.

Patrick Swayze Roadhouse GIFfrom Patrick Swayze GIFs

Packie

This basically looks like a gussied-up potato skin appetizer, and another vendor who’s glomming on to the last vestiges of pickle excitement. Don’t get me wrong, I love a perfect potato skin with the crispy potato, and the right amount of bacon and cheese. This seems like quite a lot, and I’m a bit taken aback by the amount of cream cheese and sour cream that seems ladled onto this potato.  Maybe the one saving grace for this will be the potato chip crumbles, which would make for a nice, salty, crispy note with each bite. We’ll see, could be good, but could be too much. They better have scooped out enough potato from that skin, or it isn’t really a skin, it’s just half a potato.  And now I’ve used the word potato so much it has lost all meaning.

Anne

Another new vendor maybe? (nope) Wonder what their chicken offerings are (kind of disappointed that it’s not a chicken food tbh).

Well there’s 3 of them so that’s good for us.

I have to be honest- I am one of those rare minnesotans who just does not want a pickle rollup. I’m sorry y’all, it’s just not for me.

So I am underwhelmed by this offering even though they did a smart quintessential MN food.

Lady’s Slipper Marble Sundae by Bridgeman’s Ice Cream

Bridgeman's strawberry ice cream, lemon marshmallow cream and ladyfinger cookies layered in a cup and topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

Sarah

As soon as I saw it said marble sundae, I knew it would be Bridgeman’s. They love shaking up a marble sundae and they usually do a great job at it, too.

Let’s see what we got this time. Strawberry ice cream. Sure. Lemon marshmallow cream? Oh! That’s something surprising. Packing would sell his soul for marshmallow cream but I don’t know how he’ll feel about the lemon flavoring.

Ladyfinger cookies? Okay! It’s not Biscoff so that’s a plus. Whipped cream and then DIBS!!!! DIBS ON THE CHERRY! I CALLED IT THIS YEAR!

I think this will be good! Bridgeman’s never fucks up and sometimes they really blow it out of the park so we’ll see which way this goes when we get there.

Packie

Ooooh, Bridgeman's is back, baby.  Here again with another tasty ice cream confection.  This looks like some kind of amazing parfait, and I am all here for it.  I wanna try that strawberry ice cream, I’m losing my mind thinking about the lemon marshmallow cream, and add in some ladyfinger cookies and this sounds just right on a hot fair day.  Oh, and what’s that at the top?  Why, it’s the cherry…DIBS!  I call DIBS.  It’s me this year!  MEEEE!  I’m gonna be first and by law that makes that cherry mine.  DIBS GODDAMMIT!

(editor's note- Packie turned in his food thoughts first, so by Ahiers-Law he gets the dibs)

Stillesque GIFfrom Stillesque GIFs

Anne

God, I love a Bridgeman’s offering. Though tbh i’m not IN LOVE with the look of this right off the bat. Let’s see what we got.

LEMON MARSHMALLOW CREAM? What in the world is that? I mean besides exactly what it sounds like. Ok but wait there’s more layers in the pic than what is described? What’s the white layer? Not strawberry ice cream, not the lemonmallow (™), not the ladyfingers. It says it’s just topped with whipped cream but maybe that’s a layer too?

This sundae is going to be defined by whether or not those ladyfingers are dry or not. Bridgeman’s hasn’t let us down so i’m hopeful.

Marco’s Garden by Jammy Sammis by BRIM

Local rhubarb jam, thyme-marinated locally sourced tomatoes, farmer cheese, jalapeno and honey served with a side of grilled gluten-free flatbread. (Gluten-Free, Vegan option uses thyme tofu dip and maple syrup instead of cheese and honey.)

Sarah

I haven’t even read this one and I’m already sighing. It’s got garden in the title. I don’t go to the MN State Fair to eat a fucking salad.

Okay wait, rhubarb jam. I might have judged too soon.

Oh fuck me. Tomatoes. OOOH, they’re marinated in THYME. Now they’re SPECIAL. Get out of here with all this shit. You just grew too many tomatoes and this is the only way you can think of to get rid of them because your neighbors don’t want them.

What the fuck is farmer cheese? Looking at the picture I would guess ricotta but who the fuck knows cuz you’re just making up words now!

And right at this moment is when I realized that I bet this is at the farmer’s union.

Oh fuck! I’m wrong! It’s Brim.

What the fuck. My worldview is shifting a bit. I need to re-ground myself by continuing to read the description.

Fucking jalapenos. God dammit.

Flatbread. Fine. Brim is great in that it offers so many gluten free options, though I notice a lot more places do now, too, so that’s good for people who need that.

I don’t know.

Brim is usually decent or good. But I just don’t see anything about this I’m excited for. Like, get rid of the tomatoes and jalapenos and maybe we’d have something. But otherwise how is this just not a sort of Baba’s knock off?

I don’t think any of us are going to eat those tomatoes.

Packie

I still have a hard time understanding if BRIM and Jammy Sammies are two separate entities or one.  Looking at this ‘Marco’s Garden’ I can’t quite tell if this is supposed to be savory, sweet, or all of the above?  I mean hell, I love having a piece of bread and dipping it into stuff, and aside from the whole tomatoes, this looks like it could be a fun little appetizer to start the day off.  Again, I gotta appreciate a vendor that sources their ingredients locally, and one that offers some gluten-free and vegan options for their new foods so everyone can give it a try.  Usually BRIM does good by us, so I hope this new food is a hit.

Anne

What am I looking at? I assumed it was going to be a sammich (bc Jammy Sammies), but this looks like a piece of bread with spread/dip?

Oh- looks like that’s what it is. Huh.

Rhubarb jam would normally get me excited but I've been testing rhubarb pies and I'm over it for the summer. Ok WTF is Farmer Cheese?? Oh- apparently it’s a fresh, semi-soft unripened cheese made from pressed cheese curds. How have I never heard of this cheese? Well now I'm excited to try that cheese. But honestly- that’s about all I'm excited to try here. Bread and spread- pretty basic.

Mocha Madness Shave Ice by Minnesnowii Shave Ice

Fluffy shave ice with caffeine-free coffee flavoring and an overflowing caramel macchiato cold foam center. Drizzled with chocolate syrup and garnished with dark chocolate espresso beans. (Gluten-Free)

Sarah

What the fuck? I thought for sure this was ice cream but no! It’s shaved ice! From Minnesnowii no less! They’re the best shaved ice ever. 

How are they doing the cold foam center? Like, structurally how does that work? 

What flavor is the shaved ice, too?

I don’t know. On one hand this sounds exciting. But shaved ice is made out of water so on the other hand I worry this will be like crappy hot cocoa that’s made with water instead of milk.

Also, what’s the point of the caffeine free coffee “flavoring” (like, it’s just a flavor, we can guess it’s caffeine free since it’s not actual coffee) when you then have macchiato cold foam in it?

If this was any place other than Minnesnowiii I’d be more worried. But as it is, I’m mostly just a little confused.

Packie

Damn, Minnesnowii is really hitting a ball out into left field with this one.  Best shave ice stand at the fair, but I’m really not sure about this one.  If it was ice cream, I’d be falling face first into this beauty, but I’m struggling to decide if chocolate and coffee flavors will work with shave ice?  I mean…you’ve got ice coffee drinks galore out there, so is this really all that different from that?  Maybe?  I’ll try to keep an open mind, because the entire flavor profile of this sounds amazing!  I’m especially curious how you get a cold foam center into a pile of shaved ice.  Either way, this should be fun to try.

Anne

Ok y’all- I thought this was some sort of brownie/chocolate cake concoction and I was EXCITED. But then I found out it was shaved ice and I was less excited. Still, Minesnowii does have the best Shave Ice at the fair, and we get them at least once a year, so let’s give them a shot.

Ok so it’s coffee flavoring. And Caramel Macchiato cold foam (caramel coffee is the worst option imo).

I hope this is really good- we’ve been slowly getting into coffee drinks, so I would like to like this. I like a cold coffee drink, and I like coffee ice cream, but something about coffee ice has me squinting at it a little bit…

Probably Dole Whip will just spoof this 6 years from now

Man I’m at the Ms and I still haven’t been like completely blown away yet. Getting a little concerned…

Nixtamal & Wild Rice Bowl with Wozapi & Bison Meatballs or Sweet Potato Dumplings by Midtown Global Market's Indigenous Food Lab

Choice of bison meatballs or sweet potato dumplings, topped with mixed berry wozapi sauce, and served on a bed of nixtamal (white corn, blue corn and yellow corn) mixed with wild rice and seasoned with maple and spice. Cricket & seed mix topping optional. (Gluten-Free, Vegan option) (Aug. 28 to Sept. 2 only) (New Vendor)

Sarah

Oh!! Is this an indigenous food??

It IS! How excellent! Is the Indigenous Food Lab a permanent place now? It doesn’t look like it’s part of the rotating stand so maybe!

Okay, what do we have here? 

Dammit. What if I want BOTH the bison meatball and the sweet potato dumpling?? They both sound good! But otherwise we’ve got corn and wild rice, two things I love.

Do you think the cricket topping is actual crickets? Or is that something else? Either way, I’m sure we’ll get it. 

Oh wait. Fuck, there’s the notice that it’s the rotating vendor. FUCK and it’s the later one. Oftentimes we miss that one so this makes me sad. 

Well, maybe we’ll really have to try this year to get it.

Packie

Here we go again with this split-vendor bullshit. I’d have so much less issue with this if they didn’t both always make the new foods list every year. That said…excited to see some indigenous cuisine at the fair and boy does this dish have a lot going on. Definitely think I’ll be opting for the bison meatballs, and hell yeah I’m gonna spring for that cricket and seed mix topping? Are we talking real crickets? I hope so, cuz I’m all for normalizing commonly used ingredients from other cultures that we seem to avoid here in the States. Love me some wild rice and that corn mix looks great, so I hope this packs some good flavor.

Anne

Ok the more I read this the more excited I got, and then I saw it was Midtown Global Market and all the wind in my sails deflated, because NOTHING from MGM is ever good.

OH FUCK this is also the 2nd half of the fair offering, so by the time this comes around no one is going to be excited for it anymore.

Well, what are we working with here?

Wozapi is basically a stewed fruit sauce that has a sort of pudding consistency? So that sounds excellent.

Aww there’s a cricket and seed mix optional topping too? Also I want both the bison balls and the potato dumplings.

Ugh this sounds SO COOL and I’m mad at MGM for doing them dirty with a split week. This is definitely towards the top of my list.

Patata Frita Focacciawich by West End Creamery

"Patata Frita" kettle chip-flavored ice cream created by Minnesota Dairy Lab, sandwiched between focaccia bread from Wrecktangle Pizza. Topped with a blend of Honey butter, kettle chips and herbs.

Sarah

What’s going on in this picture? Is that ice cream? But the title would not suggest that we’re dealing with a dessert.

Ohhhh it’s potato chip flavored ice cream. Okay. I’m down for that. Oh fuck, it’s got focaccia bread from Wrecktangle pizza! Wrecktangle is GREEEEEAT. I am excited to try their focaccia. Oh, it’s topped with honey butter. I love me some honey butter, and then potato chips.

I am very much excited about this mixture of salty and sweet. I hope it turns out the way I think it will. I actually am more excited about the bread and everything else than I am about the ice cream, tbh.

West End Creamery? I’m not familiar with that place. I feel like we have a lot of vendors this time around that aren’t “new” but are not usually new foods vendors.

OOH! Maybe that’s the theme! New but not new!

Packie
Doesn’t say this is a new vendor, but I’ll be damned if I’ve ever seen this place in the West End Market.  Um, what the hell is this Frankenstein’s monster of a sandwich?  Is it sweet or savory?  Kettle chip-flavored ice cream?  So, it’s salty ice cream?  Do you eat this like a sandwich?  There’s honey butter on the top, so your hands would get messy picking this up.  I just have reeeeeal reservations about eating an ice cream sandwich that has actual bread instead of some kind of cookie or at least dessert bread.  Maybe it’ll all work somehow, but this is the first thing I’ve seen so far that really has me doubting.

Anne

I can make up words too, you know. If I feel like it. Not right now obviously, because I'm busy.

Is Patata just potato chips? Oh- patata frita is Spanish for like potato chip or french fry. So chip ice cream on focaccia (from Wrecktangle). Oh how refreshing- honey that ISN’T hot.

I like Wrecktangle Pizzas- I wonder how their focaccia is? I feel like maybe we’ve had it and it’s just fine?

How are we actually supposed to eat this though? Because that scoop of ice cream doesn’t seem to want to be held like a sammich, but I doubt focaccia is a bread we can like cut through easily with a fork…. (ugh- i don’t even want to think about eating ice cream with a fork. Gross).

I mean don’t get me wrong- potato chip ice cream? Like yes please- immediately in my mouth

Am I the most excited for this? Man…like I don’t think it has done ENOUGH to get my top spot, but I guess we’ll see how the rest of the list works out.

PB Bacon Cakes by The Blue Barn

Thick-cut bacon dipped in pancake batter, griddled and topped with peanut butter whipped cream, grape jelly and banana chips.

Sarah

So I assume these will be peanut butter and bacon pancakes.

Yes. Though, I do give them props because it’s PB whipped cream and that’s exciting! But mostly this is a PB & J and Bacon sandwich just sort of reconstructed.

I’m not against it. Not sure how I feel about the banana chips, though. Feel like it would be better with actual bananas but tevs. 

Oh, this is from Blue Barn. Huh. I don’t know how that changes my opinion. It’ll probably be fine but not blow our minds.

You can’t always tell with the BB though. Sometimes they are amazing and sometimes they really shank things. And you can never guess which one you’re going to get.

Packie

I’ll give Blue Barn one thing, I am always impressed with their creativity and willingness to shoot for the moon with their new food items.  That said…this won’t be good.  I’m calling it.  That bacon dipped in pancake will be soft bacon.  The worst kind of bacon there is.  I almost feel like this would have been fine on its own without the bacon, even with the banana chips, but nope.  Not gonna work.

Anne

I looked at this picture and a smile slowly spread across my face and I thought “...is this it? Is this the one? Like I think it's just bacon pancakes but still…”

And then Blue Barn splashed a bucket of ice water on me

Though, tbf, Blue Barn sometimes knocks it out of the park. You just gotta wade through a lot of shit usually to get there (like years and years of shit).

Yikes- 2 banana things for Packie this year. God is he extra mad because it’s Blue Barn Bananas?

Ok so this is basically what I thought it was- bacon pancakes. Peanut Butter whipped cream sounds like a fun way to add the PB.

Blue Barn has a couple (well maybe just 1) really good breakfast offerings, so maybe this will be added to that list.

Because it’s Blue Barn though, I really need to get excited for this with reservations

Raging Ball by Herbivorous Butcher

Deep-fried sesame mochi dough ball with vegan cheeseburger filling. Made with house-made vegan burger mix, vegan cheddar cheese, grilled onions and pickles. Topped with bacon-flavored powdered sugar. (Gluten-Friendly, Vegan)

Sarah

This looks a bit like a sesame ball I’d get at Chinese restaurants but I bet it disappointingly isn’t.

Wtf. Okay, we have a mochi dough ball, which why? Can vegans not eat regular bread dough? Pretty sure they can. It’s filled with vegan cheeseburger filling. Not a meat that I’m overly excited about, even if it were meat. Then vegan cheddar.

Okay, so it’s like a little compact cheeseburger in a ball. I actually like this idea a lot. Things that ruin it for me: topping it with powdered sugar. Even if that sugar is bacon flavored, why have the sugar at all?  That’s not anything I want on something that’s mostly burger flavored.

Also, this is Herbivorous Butcher and while we so so SO want to like their foods, we don’t. And it’s not an “eh, this isn’t for us” sort of dislike. It’s more of a “I need to spit this out” dislike. 

So I guess we’ll see what’s what with this one.

I wonder how big that ball is? I hope it’s smaller. And not like a million dollars.

Packie

Oh sweet Jesus that awful hits keep coming.  Herbivorous Butcher can’t make a good tasting vegan meat.  I’ve tried plant-based meat that tasted great, but HB does not have the right formula, because it always tastes sus’.  But holy shit, even if it was real hamburger in this ball of rage, this sounds horrendous.  Nothing about this sounds appetizing.  A chewy mochi ball dough?  With a fucking burger inside?  Including grilled onions and pickles?!  Oh.  OH!  And also lets add bacon flavored powdered sugar as a topping.  Of course!  Because let’s have it be a little sweet on our savory burger.  God damn, give me the Blue Barn soft bacon over this. I’m legit scared.  I had to take a minute, get up and walk around after writing this. What are you doing with your life Patrick?  Righting critiques for…for this?!  I hope Hideaway Speakeasy is on this list just so I can feel some familiar disgust again.  I misspelled ‘wrighting’ a couple of sentences back.  Didn’t even fix it.  Did you catch it?  Did you see I did it again?

Anne

Is this some sort of fancy Sesame Ball? I love me a good sesame ball.

Oh shit it’s Herbivorous Butcher. Then it has to be some sort of “meat” ball, right?

Oh it’s a sesame ball vegan cheeseburger! Huh. 

Here’s the thing- we have never once enjoyed Herbivorous Butcher, despite really, really wanting to like them. It always seems like we get the “wrong” option. But this year- they have only 1 offering to try, and for some reason a meat substitute cheeseburger seems very doable? Will this be the year we like Herbivorous Butcher? It seems promising. God, normally I’d be really excited about this because it feels really fun and unique, but I just can’t risk my heart like that.

Read part 4 tomorrow and watch Anne not be able to tell two churches apart.