Classics Countdown: Corn on the Cob

Day 7 of the Classics Countdown brings us:

Corn on the Cob

Location: Corn Roast Stand on Southeast corner of Dan Patch Ave. & Nelson St


Sarah: Oh man. Corn on the cob. Like, what’s the big deal, right? You can get corn on the cob whenever you want.

But no. NO! The corn on the cob at the state fair is harvested THAT MORNING from MN farms, and trucked in before the fair opens. IT IS THE MOST FRESH CORN YOU CAN GET UNLESS YOU ARE GROWING YOUR OWN.

And then it is grilled over fire, and dumped in vat of butter and passed onto you to go to town.

And then, because the MN State Fair is awesome, everything is completely recyclable.


Anne: Or as we like to call it- kern. The kern at the roasted corn stand has no equal- I don’t care what anyone else says and I’ll fight you! Seriously- they have their own specific farm that grows kern just for the MN State Fair Roasted Corn stand- that’s why it’s always good- consistency of product.

Now- roast that kern and then dip it into a giant vat of butter? I don’t care if I’m pulling kernels out of my teeth for the rest of the day- that shit is glorious.

Bonus- they recycle the cobs and the napkins too. It makes my mouth and my heart feel good at the same time :)


Patrick: Yeah, that’s right! Corn!

 How is a vegetable that your body can barely turn into nutrients a classic of the fair? Because it is so-damn-classic. And classy to boot.

When you get corn at peak ripeness (do vegetables ripen? Sure, why not.) it is so sweet and so delicious. Now dunk that bitch in a barrel of butter and salt it up!

You have to get a corn on the cob, you just have to. Everyone knows this, just like everyone knows that Pronto Pups are the devil’s dog, or that SPAM is something Cthulhu thought up.

Classics Countdown: Big Fat Bacon

We're back! For more Classic Countdowns. We're starting today off with a goody:

Big Fat Bacon

Location: The Big Fat Bacon stand on South side of Carnes Ave. between Liggett & Nelson streets, in front of the DNR Building


Sarah: The BFB stand popped up a few years before the bacon craze really took off. And ohmygod it was so, so SO good that first year.

BFB is still pretty reliable. Some years they seem to miss the mark, but most years are really good and every once in a while there’s a stellar year where the bacon is just the Most. Perfect.

BFB is exactly what it sounds like: A thick cut slice of bacon, fried on a stick, drizzled with a sweet maple sauce. It’s crispy and chewy and sweet and you could eat four or five in one sitting and not even be sorry.


Anne: I know there’s like this foody push to consider bacon like over and done with but I am here to tell you that they’re wrong- bacon is NEVER over and done with! You can never have enough bacon. Viva el Tocino!

That being said, one of the best place to get bacon is at Big Fat Bacon. Yep- a stand that only sells one thing- a large, thick-cut slice of bacon on a stick. And I know it’s just bacon, but this bacon- you guys- it has some sort of glaze on it that’s sticky and sweet? And it’s perfectly fried.

I’ll admit- some years are better than others. But I have to get one every year because when it’s good…it’s real good. Some years I get 2!


Patrick: If you’re going to get bacon at the fair (and let’s be honest, there are more opportunities to get bacon in some form or another, than there are teats on the biggest boar at the fair), then Big Fat Bacon is the way to go.

Giant, thick cut bacon on a stick. Done, that’s it. No bells or whistles, just bacon being bacon, like it should be. Crispy, fatty, greasy. Done! Sentence fragments!

Classics Countdown: Mini-Donuts

Classics Countdown Day 5 is a true classic:

Mini Donuts

Location: Tom Thumb Donuts on the west side of Cooper between Wright and Dan


Sarah: Remember when you were a kid and mini donuts were like the most spectacular treat you could ever get at any sort of carnival?

And if you were lucky, it would be a stand that had windows so you could see the donuts floating on the oil conveyor belt, with the little robut flipping them over so they didn’t get burned.

That shit is still cool.

And though mini donuts can be hit or miss (and old or cold mini-donuts are not good at all), a perfect, warm, soft mini donut is a little bite of nostalgia and heaven.


Anne: Nothing is worse than an old mini doughnut- they always smell SO GOOD but if they’re cold or stale it’s so disappointing.

That’s why it’s important to get your mini doughnuts from a stand where you can actually see them being made, and what better place to do that than at Tom Thumb Mini Donuts. They have one of those old-timey auto-donut makers that you can sit and watch squirt out the little batter rings into the hot oil, and then they flow down the oil river until they get flipped by the metal scoop, and then plop into the tray where they’re sugared and scooped into a bag for you to eat (though dear god! Give them a few minutes to rest before you burn the crap out of your mouth).

So satisfying.


Patrick: Ok, I am going to be honest here. I almost never get Mini Donuts. Finding the perfect Mini Doughnut is a battle I feel I cannot win, like trying to find the perfect cherry blossom, or a passable SPAM dish.

That said, I will always eat a tiny doughnut or two when someone else wastes the money trying to buy a good bag of these sweet rings.

When you do get them just right though, they can be pretty awesome, and I can understand why this food staple is so popular with so many people. I just don’t have the time and energy to find a stand that gets these right.

Classics Countdown: Dough-sant

Classics Countdown Day 4 is a newer food:

The Dough-Sant

 

 

Location: French Meadow Bakery on North side of Carnes Ave. between Nelson & Underwood streets

Sarah: Dough-sant is a new staple. Introduced in 2013, the dough-sant is the MN State Fair version of the Cronut found on the east coast.

It is so, so, SO good. Take the buttery, flakey layers of a croissant and turn it into a glazed donut. It’s warm, and sweet and wonderful and I could cram an entire one in my mouth right now.

But I will be more reserved when at the fair, because I need to save tummy space for all the other foods I will need to eat.


Anne: The Dough-sant is MN’s take on the Croughnut (NY doesn’t get all the nice pastries!)- a croissant style doughnut. I love me a good pastry, and who doesn’t love the combination of flaky, layered (the technical term is laminated- you’re welcome) croissant with a puffy, sweet doughnut?

When you get a fresh Dough-sant- you guys, it is SO. FREAKING. GOOD. Light, sweet, chewy…I just…my mouth is legit watering thinking about sinking my teeth into one of these treats


Patrick: Possibly the greatest thing to come out of the French Meadow Bakery, and they have made some delicious shit!

The perfect chimera blend of a croissant and a doughnut, this baked confection is my jam. It is light, airy, and a perfect sized delight. Imagine a flaky, buttery, doughnut and you are almost there.

I try to get this each time, because I can polish off one by myself and not ruin my appetite

Classics Countdown: Cheese Curds

Day 3 of the Classics Countdown, and today is a MN favorite:

Deep Fried Cheese Curds

Location: Mouth Trap Cheese Curds is in the Food building on Dan Patch


Sarah: Once upon a time, long, long ago in the Great Minnesota Get-Together past, deep friend cheese curds were born.

And Minnesotans were never the same.

I have friends in other parts of the country who have never eaten a deep fried cheese curd. And I weep for them. WEEP!

The MN State Fair cheese curds are literally the best in the world. I’m not even joking. Even though we can now get decent cheese curds year round at food venues, none of them even come close to the amazing-ness of the MN State Fair cheese curds.

There is some strong argument about which cheese curds at the fair are the best. I’m not really a part of this long-standing argument. I think the cheese curds at the Mouth Trap are amazing, as are the ones at elsewhere, too.

Whatever makes you happy, friends!


Anne: Well this is a no brainer. Finding the perfect cheese curd at the State Fair has long been a favorite past time for Minnesotans, which is why it’s a State Fair classic. For those of you not from the Upper Midwest, let me explain cheese curds for you. Curds are a product of cheese making- basically during pasteurization milk is clotted and the result are curds (solid) and whey (liquid). The curds are cooked and pressed to release any lingering whey and voila- cheese curds!

You can tell a quality/fresh curd because they squeak when you chew them. You can eat curds ‘raw’ or for the purposes of State Fair (and other festivals) you batter and then deep fry them. And then sometimes eat them on poutine or a burger or some other crazy concoction.

The perfect cheese curd has 3 components- quality (squeaky) curd, tasty batter, crispy fry job.

Overall there is general consensus on where to find the best curds at the MN State Fair- the Mouth Trap in the Food Building, or the Original Cheese Curds outside the Food Building We have taste tested both products (what a burden) and found them to be pretty comparable, though with Mouth Trap being slightly better (and usually less busy. And maybe cheaper? Not sure).

Although, I will say my absolute favorite cheese curds are actually found at the MN Renaissance Festival


Patrick: I don’t think I need to toot Cheese Curds’ horn. Everyone knows Cheese Curds are the salty, crispy, cheesy ambrosia handed down by Husky Jesus himself, and slam dunked into your mouth. Amen!

There are probably hundreds of stands that offer this immensely satisfying and greasy confection throughout the fair, but there are two locations that I have found (through years of sampling and listening to people say “don’t get those cheese curds, get these cheese curds”) surpass all the wannabe’s and are consistently great. That is the Mouth Trap Cheese Curds and Original Cheese Curds.

 I love both of these vendors and I always have to have my curds every time I visit the fair (sometimes more than once in a day). They may be little fat cholesterol bullets straight to your heart and your hips, but damn if they aren’t great!

Classics Countdown: Spiral Potatoes

Day 2 of our MN State Fair Classics Countdown. Today we're talking about:

Spiral Potatoes

Location: Sonny's Fair Food in the Food Building on Dan Patch


Sarah: Even though Spiral Potatoes have been around for years, every time we get them, we are inevitably met by people’s exclamations of delight and questions of where we purchased such a wonderland of potatoey goodness.

And of course we tell them. Because this is the Great Minnesota Get-Together!

Spiral potatoes are made when an entire potato is drilled through a mandolin, creating one, continues thin spiral of potato that is then fried.

No seasonings. Just taters, precious.

My favorite bits are the parts that are just a touch undercooked, the inner spirals where the potato is still a little soft.

Even with multiple people munching, we rarely finish this beast of goodness.


Anne: Ok citizens! This is one of those foods that people ask us about every year- both online and in-person at the fair. And you should ask, because it is a treat.

An entire potato spiral cut wafer thin, and then deep fried to leave you a giant mass of pull-and-eat potato chips. They’re not even salted (though I think there are some flavored dust you can add, or even ranch dipping sauce, but it’s totes not necessary), just a little greasy but crispy and light and great.

It’s a snack to share- even with three of us we don’t finish it (apparently one potatoes makes a crap ton of chips).

And because it’s so light you don’t even feel full after partaking- just ready to go on to your next food


Patrick: A simple, fun, and satisfying snack, this single potato chip is carved from one whole potato and spiraled into a soccer ball sized mound of airy, salty greatness.

 You’d think it would be easy to polish off one of these spiral potatoes, but it is surprisingly filling even when tackled by three consumers.

 Who can say no to fresh made potato chips? Probably the same people who want to bore their taste buds with a Pronto Pup.

 This is always a must have, even if we can’t finish an entire pile.

Classics Coundown: Corn Dogs

Here we are, only 18 days until The Great Minnesota Get-Together! And we cannot wait!

To start revving up to the awesome, we are going to do a post a day, highlighting some of our all-time favorite "classic" foods we get at the MN State Fair.

Our classics may differ from yours, so if you disagree, let us know in the comments!

All right! Today we're starting with a favorite:

Poncho Dog Corn Dogs

Location: Poncho Dogs are found throughout the fair, though the one we frequent is right inside the main entrance, in front of O’Gara’s


Sarah: Oh Poncho Dog corn dog! How I love thee! Let me count the ways:

But actually, I cannot. Because I would never stop counting. My love for you is infinite. INFINITE!

I mean, let’s get serious here. A corn dog is a pretty rad food. No matter where you get it, it’s pretty decent even if it’s not, you know, the BEST corn dog ever.

But the corn dogs at the MN State Fair, the ones from the Poncho Dog stand, are hands down the absolute best. I like ketchup on mine, and no mustard, but I will not begrudge mustard lovers their yellow condiment on a Poncho Dog corn dog. Poncho Dog corn dogs are love. There is room for all of us in their sweet, warm embrace.

EVEN if you get a stellar corn dog elsewhere (say, Como Town, with their all beef corn dogs) and you’re thinking, this was a really stellar corn dog, and I don’t really know how Poncho Dog will hold up because it’s been an entire year since the last MN State Fair, as soon as you bite into that delicious Poncho Dog corn dog, you realize how utterly wrong you were.

No other corn dog can compare. NO OTHER. And no, pronto pups are not better. Corn dogs are made with corn meal, so the breading is slightly sweet, juxtaposing with the meaty goodness of the hot dog. Pronto pups are made with flour. Booooo. Why don’t you just take a piece of white bread and wrap it around your hotdog and pretend it’s almost as good as a bun?

Because that’s pretty much what you’re doing and we all know you’re not fooling anyone.


Anne: Let’s start this countdown right, with the supreme, most delicious and perfect fair food- the corn dog

Oh, delicious dog
Wrapped in nummy corn batter
State fair perfection

That’s right! I wrote a freaking haiku about corn dogs- that’s how fantastic they are. If you’re one of those people that prefers pronto pups to corn dogs, let me tell you why you’re wrong.

Pronto pups are made with flour. Corn dogs are made with cornmeal. Cornmeal is sweet- flour is blah. I mean- a pronto pup is basically just a hotdog with a deep fried bun. Better than a regular hotdog? Maybe. But nothing special and DEFINITELY not as sweet, crispy and lovely as the corndog. Also- did you know flour can give you E. Coli? Yep. Contrary to popular belief, raw flour, not raw eggs, is why we shouldn’t eat raw cookie dough (I could do a whole food rant about water waste and egg safety, but we’re here to talk about corn dogs). I’m not saying that a Pronto Pup will give you E. Coli…but it MIGHT.

Just picture it- strolling through the main entrance of the fair first thing in the morning and lo- there she is- the Poncho Dog corn dog stand. There are a lot of corn dog stops at the State Fair, but none as delicious as Poncho Dog. You stop in, pay up a couple bucks, slather on that ketchup and/or mustard (there is no wrong way to enjoy a corn dog) and take a bite- your State Fair feasting has begun.

Bliss.


Patrick: Let’s be clear right up front. There are really two staples when it comes to battered hot dogs on a stick. There is the Corn Dog; a hot dog dipped in sweet corn batter. Then there is the Pronto Pup; a hot dog shoved into bland flour sludge.

Pronto Pups are a joke. The Corn Dog is king! Never let anyone tell you otherwise, because they just don’t know better. They are ignorant, and should have your pity, if not all out scorn.

Corn Dogs should be a little sweet and crispy on the outside, with a soft sweet corn flavor on the inside, around a juicy, meaty hot dog. Perfection! Possibly the best place to get a Corn Dog at the MN State Fair is at Poncho Dog. They have more than one stand and they always do it right.

 I recommend getting one first thing when you set foot on the fairgrounds, to set yourself up for a delicious successful day. It is how I do it, and I never break tradition!