2023 MN State Fair New Foods Preview Part 2- Birthday Cake Mini Donuts through Dill Pickle Cheese Curd Taco

 

Birthday Cake Mini Donuts by Mini Donuts and Cheese Curds

Birthday cake-flavored mini donuts coated in vanilla sugar, drizzled with icing, and dusted with sugar crystals and sprinkles.

Sarah

I don’t know. I looked at this and was already annoyed. But then I thought maybe I wasn’t being fair so let me take another, closer look. Maybe they’re just regular donuts with toppings. Oh, nope. They’re b-day cake flavored. I just… it’s super rare that I have found messing with mini donuts pays off. The only time I’ve been surprised is at the White Bear Lake Farmer’s Market, where they occasionally have apple cider mini donuts. I thought those would be crap but they were surprisingly great. But every other time I’ve tried a mini donut that’s supposed to be doing something different, it’s not been good. So I am hesitant about this. But, hey, maybe this will be another surprise. I’m not against the ATTEMPT. I’m just highly dubious it will pay off. I also have no idea if this vendor is good or not. Guess we’ll find out.

 

Patrick

Hmm, I feel like we had some flavored cheese curds from here last year, but I couldn’t find anything at a glance about it.  I also feel like they were “okay”, but again I can’t confirm.  Anyways…this just sounds kind of dumb.  First off, Birthday Cake flavored things are just for children.  I find it rather unappealing and oversweet, just my opinion.  I can’t say for sure that mini donuts couldn’t be improved on, but I definitely feel like they are perfect on their own.  Plus, sprinkles?  Sprinkles are DEFINITELY for children, because they are pretty, but taste terrible.  And hey, maybe this is just geared towards kids, but I feel like you can make something exciting for kids and still have it be good enough that adults will enjoy it too.  I don’t know, maybe I’m just crapping on birthday cake flavor.  Just seems like they were going for whimsical here, and just crash landed into childish instead.  So we’ve got sweet mini donuts and they…added sugar?  A revolution.

 

Anne

Oh jebus here we go. I have OPINIONS about mini donuts. Mostly it’s that they almost always suck. You need to find the perfect combo of fresh, FRIED (not baked), light and pillowy. And apparently that’s hard to do (which idk why- if you’re selling them then at least make them good?). But also, I want to like them so I always try them.

But here we are some sort of FANCY mini donut- do you even have the OG down?? I don’t know because I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE. And now you’ve made them b-day cake flavored (hot take- birthday cake is not a great flavor OR cake), and drizzled them with icing and sprinkles. Are you going to ice to order? Or are they going to be sitting under a heat lamp getting stale and hard?

Calling it- this is going to fail and be a D. And if they really come in a plastic tote they’re gonna be $15

 

Cheese Curd Stuffed Pizza Pretzel by Green Mill

Scratch-made jumbo pizza dough pretzel, hand-twisted and stuffed with Ellsworth cheese curds, pepperoni and a Green Mill blend of Italian spices. Brushed with garlic butter and topped with diced pepperoni, herbs and parmesan cheese. Served with green mill pizza sauce.

Sarah

Wow. There is a LOT going on with this one. Cheese curds. Pretzel. Pizza. Is it too much? Maybe. I knew it was Green Mill, though, just by looking at the picture. Green Mill generally puts out very fun and delish pizza confections (as Packie would say) but sometimes they miss, so it’s hard to know about this one. I’m just not sure we need all three. Pizza pretzel? Sure. Pizza curds? Sure. Pretzel curds? Sure. All three? IDK. But then maybe the cheese curds are really just cheese stuffed in the pretzel. I think this is going to come down to the dough and how this thing is cooked. Because a pretzel is not a pizza. So we’ll see. But I’m sure the flavors and the toppings will be good because they know how to season a pizza confection. Also, though, it’s Ellsworth curds. People lose their minds about them. I think they’re Fiiiiine. I said what I said.

 

Patrick

Green Mill’s new foods almost always slap!  I am always excited when they put out something new and while they definitely do follow a trend (pizza or Italian flavors with a twist or cross with some other genre of food), I think it is a fun trend to follow and has resulted in some very good flavors.  I kind of wish this was actually pretzel dough instead of pizza dough, but that small reservation aside, stuffing it with cheese curds and peperoni sounds delicious.  Other than being shaped like a pretzel, it seems pretty much just like a shaped slice of pizza, so I’m hoping the brushed toppings and curds stuffing sets it apart and that this is as tasty as it looks.

 

Anne

Ooooh Hoooo- is this from Green Mill?? Oh it IS! Welcome back to the official new foods list Green Mill! I knew something like this had to be coming from you. Let’s see what you’re working with.

Oh you scamp, this sounds excellent. Now normally I would see words like “hand-twisted”, “Ellsworth Cheese Curds”, “Brushed”, and see the $$ go up. But this is Green Mill which is always VERY affordable so I bet $5 for this bad boy.

I do worry a smidge that this will be too crusty and not pretzel-y enough, but I am ready to find out.

 

Cheesecake Curds by Lulu’s Public House

Eli’s Cheesecake pieces covered in funnel cake batter, fried and dusted with powdered sugar and salt. Served with strawberry dipping sauce.

Sarah

Whoa whoa whoa, hold up here. At first glance I was like, ARE WE GETTING SKRIMPS? But no, they are in fact CHEESECAKE CURDS. What a delightful combination of words. And, I mean, look at that picture. LOOK AT IT! It kinda looks like those bits of funnel cake that fall off (I love those bits) so I’m already excited. And it’s from LULU’s and they have been doing us a SOLID these last few years. I’m starting to get really excited about this and I haven’t even read the details yet. Okay, I have no idea who Eli is and if his cheesecake is any good. OH SHIT! It IS funnel cake batter! Oh my god this could be amazing… deep fried, powdered sugar, strawberry dipping sauce. Okayokayokay. This could be a huge winner. This… might be the one I’m most looking forward to? Wait. It’s too early for me to say that. But I know, I just KNOW, Anne is probably losing her shit over this. She loves LuLu’s and loves fruit stuff. Though I guess idk her cheesecake thoughts.

 

Patrick

Oh Lulu you marvelous scamp.  You’ve really revolutionized desserts at the fair.  These last few years you’ve skyrocketed into my heart as a place to get some amazing sweets.  I’ve seen a lot of funnel cake variations that are just over ambitious and ultimately disappointing, but here I really feel like they’ve gotten it right!  I love cheesecake, and covering it in funnel cake batter, deep frying it, and giving me some strawberry dipping sauce is just the sort of new interpretation of cheesecake/funnel cake that I didn’t know I was looking for.  I have no doubt this will be another hit, and it only failed to make my ‘most excited for’ choice by a slim margin.   This is just the sort of thing I think makes the new foods at the state fair so exciting and gives me the thrill to keep punishing myself by eating all of them in a single day.

 

Anne

…what’s going on here, Lulu?

Wooooow I am HERE for these little bites of delight! Despite her many stumbles, when Lulu does good she does REAL good. And often her sweets are pretty durn good. I mean, sign me the eff up for these. I’m not familiar with Eli’s cheesecake but it don’t matter. Get in my mouth.

 

Chicken Momo with Tomato Chutney by Midtown Global Market MomoDosa

Blend of ground chicken, cabbage, onion, ginger and other spices steamed in a dough wrapper. Served with tomato chutney (Aug 24^th-29^th only). New Vendor

Sarah

Okay so we got some dumplings (or as we call them in our house: dumps.) I’m not a huge momo fan, mostly because I think I’ve just been underwhelmed by any that I’ve tried in the past. I’m also not a huge chicken in dumps fan because, like with sausage, I tend to find that chicken can be dry which ruins things. Also, this is in the midtown global market, which I can honestly say that we have never had anything from, no matter the vendor, which was any good at all. Hmm, did we actually have a momo from them last year? Anne would know cuz she knows all that stuff. Maybe Packie, too, since he has a good memory for foodstuffs that we eat. Who the fuck knows what I’m good for.

Oh Jesus. I just read the info and it says RIGHT THERE that it’s a new vendor. So clearly, I’m not good at reading, either. But the fact that it’s a new vendor makes me slightly more optimistic. If this wasn’t midtown global market, I might be tentatively excited for them. I’d like to say how hard can it be to screw up a dump, but, well, I’ve learned my lesson on that.

 

Patrick

Hmm…ho hum hmm.  This is…a contentious offering for me.  Midtown Global Market has a spot in the Bazaar that they split between two restaurants every year.  This a frustrating arrangement that leaves our first day new foods endeavors incomplete every year as we must wait until the latter half of the fair to try the second offering.  Add onto that fact, that despite Midtown Global Market being quite popular outside of the fair, I’ve found their offerings year after year to be disappointing.  Even when it is a food item I enjoy, their attempt at it seems to always fall short.  So here we are again.  I am an avid fan of all dumplings (or dumps as we call them in our family), and I LOVE a good momo (I almost mistyped that as “a good mom” which is both embarrassing and amusing).  Hell, these even look really good and pristine, but how much can you trust a food glamor shot?  I really hope this breaks the curse, but I’ll remain skeptical until the day of.

 

Anne

New food from a new vendor, getting the AM (beginning) half of the fair at Midtown Global Market.

You know, this seems up Packie’s alley but I am underwhelmed. Do I need more dumplings in my life? Not really. At least it sounds like this is what this restaurant specializes in, so hopefully they’ll be tasty. Looks like they come with 6, so that’s a good value at least (assuming a reasonable price point).

 

Cloud Coolers in Three Flavors by Spinning Wylde

Three choices of lemonade served with a cotton candy cloud spun onto the drinking straw: Summer Strawberry – strawberry lemonade topped with strawberry fields cotton candy; Happy Huckleberry – huckleberry lemonade topped with blackberry jam cotton candy; and Flower Power – violet lemonade topped with lavender love cotton candy.

Sarah

Oh dang! Now this is what we’re talking about! And before I even get further in this analysis, I immediately saw that this is from Spinning Wylde who just might be the BEST cotton candy vendor in the whole state so I already know this is gonna be good. Looks like we got some cotton candy on a drink? Let’s see… Oh lemonade! Excellent. Nice and refreshing. Ohhhh! I love how it’s a flavored lemonade to match a paired cotton candy! That’s super fun! I wonder how easy this is gonna be to eat. So the cotton candy is wrapped on the straw (smart) but should we try to melt the cotton candy into the drink? Or should you just drink the drink and then eat the cotton candy as a sort of flossy chaser? Unclear. But the good thing about something like this is: lemonade? Good. Cotton candy? Good. I really don’t think there’s any way to screw this up. Also, just look at it. It’s fun. It’s gonna make for a great insta pic for sure.

 

Patrick

If you’re looking for some fun and amazing flavors of cotton candy at the fair, Spinning Wylde is the place to go.  They really are a lot of fun.  Now it seems they’ve thrown their hat into the drinks ring while still keeping in step with their roots by offering three lemonade flavors and spinning cotton candy on the straw.  All of these flavors sound fun and enticing and I love that they matched each of them with complimenting cotton candy flavors.  I really want to try them all!  It is just a fun little twist added to an otherwise common and popular drink, and for that I think it works well as a new food.  I was worried it’d be hard for them to compete as a drink vendor when they are right next to Summer Lake Beverages in the North End, but according to the map they are now across the street from the 4-H building.  I hope the new locale works out, and that I don’t have to walk as far to quench my thirst.

 

Anne

Hurr you KNOW I’ve been waiting to figure out more about these since they used them as the front page pic! OMFG IT’S FROM SPINNING WYLDE SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY.

Sarah and Packie can we get the Huckleberry one??

See this is what I’m looking for- something that sounds excellent and yet is bananas enough for the state fair but is still in a consumable format. Spinning Wylde you have cracked the code with this. AND with the loss of Rainbow Cloud Roll (RIP 2021) there is a vacuum waiting to be filled.

 

Crispy Lutefisk Steam Bun by Shanghai Henri’s

Steamed lotus bun filled with a blend of cabbage, carrots, cilantro and yum sauce, plus Olsen Fish Company lutefisk brined in salt water for 12 hours, covered in sweet hoisin sauce, then baked and topped with sesame seeds.

Sarah

What the actual fuck? Is this for real? Like for real lutefisk. If it is…fuck me, I don’t want to eat lutefisk. When Anne and I were in high school, we were in orchestra and one of the older classmates was a hardcore swede and she would always bring lutefisk to try and make one of her friends eat it. And it smelled TERRIBLE. And right then and there I said, no. Never. Wtf wtf wtf. Why would I want to eat fermented fish at a state fair? Jesus. Okay, let me at least look at this.

God dammit. Okay, if you’re ignoring everything but the lutefisk, this sounds pretty good. I like me an Asian steam bun taco. But man… I don’t know. I don’t even like fish, and then fermented? I’m so so worried about the texture and flavor of that chunk of fish. Maybe because it’s baked it will be okay? Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be pleasantly surprised. But, friends, for the first time ever, I think I’m actually legit frightened to try a new food.

 

Patrick

Bah haahaha!  What?  What?!  First, news flash, I have never partaken in lutefisk.  Yes, I know, revoke my Minnesotan card.  But I mean, come on.  If we’re being honest, the ONLY place you’ll ever get to try lutefisk is in some church basement potluck, which I don’t go to, or some backwoods restaurant offering it on their menu.  I don’t want to make my whole meal something I might find out I hate, I just want to try it, that’s all.  Well, my chance has come at last!  Albeit, not in the format I expected it to.  Lutefisk aside, this bao bun sandwich sounds tasty, with some sweet and crunchy elements.  Looking at the photo, the lutefisk actually appears…good?  Looks like it could be sticky sweet and crispy, though I’m not sure how strong those lutefisk flavors will come through.  That could be good or bad, if I try it and find the lutefisk to be palatable.  I really hope they do come through though, because I want to be able to say I tried lutefisk at last, and not left wondering “did I really, though?  Did this actually count?”  We’ll see.

 

Anne

LUTEFISK??!!! Woooooow take your shot I GUESS.

Is this…was this always going to eventually happen? Lutefisk at the MNSF? Seems both inevitable and yet surprising that it hasn’t happened before now? Did not see it coming from Shanghai Henri’s though- def feels like a Giggle’s idea tbf.

Ok real talk. I have never tried lutefisk, which seems shameful as a Minnesotan, I know. In my defense I don’t like fish, and I don’t like fermented foods or pickled foods, or their contemporaries (despite my best effort there). But also I have also always sort of wanted to try it- feels like a lapse as a Minnesotan.

For those of you not from around here, lutefisk is Nordic in origin. Fish that is cured in lye and then is rehydrated causing it to become gelatinous. It is reportedly quite mild in flavor, taking on the sauce it’s served in, with a bit of a chemical undertone. And that there’s “no need to chew as the fish slides down on its own account of its texture and toppings”…

Ok well, here we go I guess. Overall looks like a fancy fish taco and sounds great if you can get past the LUTEFISK part. I am cautiously curious.

 

Crunchy Balboa by Herbivorous Butcher

Deep-fried tortilla filled with vegan roast beef, bacon and cheese sauce, plus peppers, onions, and a hashbrown patty. Served with vegan Follow Your Heart seasoned sour cream. (Vegan)

Sarah

Okay. In theory this sounds good?  I mean, except for the peppers. Fuck them. This whole thing will just end up tasting like dumb peppers instead of anything good. But I digress. I like that it sounds crunchy. I like the hashbrown patty. Onions are good. And then we’re vegan roast beef, bacon, and cheese sauce. IDK on all of these. I mean, I hope they’re good? I want to really like this. But we have never had any luck with herbivorous butcher. I know we’re also in the minority in this as generally most people really like their food. Last year they had two new foods and we got one and it was just terrible. Really bad. But then most everyone else got the OTHER food and said it was good! So maybe we just got a bad roll of the dice? Also, though, what the heck is “follow your heart seasoned sour cream?” Is that a brand of vegan foods I’m unaware of? Or did they just decide to, like, give their dip a pretentious name or title or something? I’m in a hotel and I’m too tired to google it so I guess I’ll have to wait to see if Anne or Packie looked it up (who am I kidding? It’ll be Anne. Packie’s useless.) I guess all I can say about this one is that I really want it to be good. It’s exactly like something I’d like to eat. So just do me a favor and be good, okay?

 

Patrick

Sigh, here we go again.  I think I’ve had food from this vendor on two prior occasions (maybe three), and I have never liked it.  Their vegan meat has a funny taste to it and a strange texture.  I’ve had good plant-based meat, so don’t think that I’m just hating on this.  I just feel like the Herbivorous Butcher just doesn’t quite have their formula right.  Just my opinion, of course.  I wish I liked them, because I’d like to support this kind of effort, but I just haven’t been able to justify it.  As for this…crunch wrap?  Breakfast wrap?...it sounds fine.  All the components sound alright to me and I do like a seasoned sour cream to dip things into (assuming they were able to get their vegan sour cream to taste right).  Anyways, I’m expecting to be disappointed again, especially after I had such high hopes last year.  Until they put something out I like, they are synonymous with disappointment for me.

 

Anne

Ok what’s going on here? Oh damn- it’s from Herbivorous Butcher. UGGGGHHHHH. You know, we want to like HB but every dang time we try it we are not impressed. Last year they earned a D for Steakxorcist and yes we heard the chicken option was better but we tried what we tried and we didn’t like it. And we’ve tried it elsewhere before and didn’t like it then either.

This looks good, but I am tempering my expectations hard.

 

Dill Pickle Cheese Curd Taco by Richie’s Cheese Curd Tacos

Fried white cheddar cheese curds, sandwich stacker dill pickles, cream cheese, lettuce and raspberry chipotle sauce in a fried flour tortilla

Sarah

And we come to our first pickle selection! Cheese curd tacos FTW! Listen, I’m gonna be all hipster and tell you that we knew Cheese Curd Taco from before they were at the fair. Do not cite the deep magic to us. We were there when it was written. But anyway, cheese curd tacos are great so I’m glad they’re still at the fair doing cool stuff. Like this little scrumpsh. I like almost all of this. I am not sure about the cream cheese. That is a bit of a turn off for me. But I’m surprised by the raspberry chipotle sauce and interested to see how that ties it all together. So, I’m excited to try this and I think it will be good.

 

Patrick

YES!  They did it!  They did it you guys.  Ever since we first tried cheese curd tacos on that dark, dark year we had to forage for fair food outside the shuttered gates of the State Fair because of the dumb-demic, we’ve been saying these amazing tacos should hit the new foods list.  Well, they finally made it!  These cheese curd tacos are da bomb, and if you haven’t had them before you GOT to try them this year.  This new iteration of the classic looks like it will include some pickles, some cream cheese, and even some raspberry chipotle sauce (spicy?  Sarah, whatcha think?)  I’d try almost anything they’d throw together.  A little sketch about the cream cheese, but I’ll trust they know what they’re doing.  Them made the list, dammit!  You friggin’ did it!  I feel like we all won.

 

Anne

Well- a new cheese curd taco you say? I ain’t had a cheese curd taco I didn’t like. You know, I am hungry and this sounds great and I wish I had it in my mouth right now. Also was it always “Richie’s” cheese curd tacos? That seems new. Are we all rebranding for 2023? Or am I just not observant?

Day 3 brings us more Mini Donuts, Packie not understanding what is a fruit, and Anne having a malfunction on whether "pasta" counts "noodles".

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

2022 Final Thoughts

Well it definitely felt like back to normal for State Fair. And it was a pretty good year, all things considered. We did not, in fact, die from the amount of new foods we had to try this year (41!!). In order to fit them all in we arrived right when the Fair opens at 6am, and discovered a whole new parking area and entrance gate that we had never seen before- and we LOVED IT. So that's our new thing, I guess.

Other notable moments:

Pickle Rick Pizza absolutely CRUSHED MNSF 2022- after probably the 2nd day there was non-stop lines around the block for it. And it continued into 2023 with the kickoff to the fair being the same. I'm glad we got it twice (thrice? Who can remember), because we'll probably never get to get it again lol.

Another top contender was the Pork Schnitzel Sammich coming out of Farmer's Union- people raved about it (despite us giving it only a B). Still- a good showing for them.

In other news, after a banner couple years pre-pandy, Blue Barn continues their descent into madness, earning themselves a D and an F this year.

Sarah had a full-on meltdown having to try Chili Dogs, and also threw some food on the ground.

Some lady straight up lied to our faces about how an item was good.

RIP to some absolute classic favorites:

• Dole Whip
• S'Mores Stand
• Hot Apple Dumplings
• Elephant Ears (the good ones)
• Rainbow Cloud Roll (technically RIP last year, but gave them a grace year due to pandy)

Finally, here are some stats:

There were 41 Official New Foods this year, costing us a whopping $402.50 which is an average of $9.81. It took us 9.75 hours and we walked 6.7 miles on the first day.

Last year there were only 27 New Foods at $264.75, so a huge increase, and the cost reflects that. But the average is exactly the same surprisingly.

However, when we factor in the Unofficial New Foods we tried, along with the New To Us Food recs from friends, we sampled a total of 58 New Foods over the entire fair, at $547.50 (an avg of $9.44).

We ended up with 9 As, 19 Bs, 23 Cs, 5 Ds, and 2 Fs.

So let's get to it.

Now We’re Talkin- Grade A Foods

Chick N Swiss Sausage- $8 at Gass Station Grill

A!! Oh man! We LOVED this sausage! Moist, slight zip from the jalapenos, slightly sweet from the pineapple. Wish we could regularly fire these up on our grill. Also a good size dog.

 

Queen B Lemonade- $5 at Soul Bowl

A- A blueberry lavender lemonade that is so damn good! Sweet, tangy, fresh, you really need to try it. Comes in a resealable pouch which is so convenient.

 

Pickle Pizza- $9 at Rick’s Pizza

A- holy cow, what a surprise! You guys, this was so good. Very pickle forward, salty, a great cheese and flavorful crust. The dill was really slammin. Sarah can’t get enough of it, she is crying.

 

Cotton Candy Float- $6 at German Root Beet and Popcorn

A- wow, this was as great as we had hoped. The soda tastes like liquid cotton candy and when you mix in the ice cream it becomes oh so creamy and delicious. Seriously, give this a try, a lovely, sweet treat!

 

Vegan Corn Dog- $7 from Daryl’s Dog House

A! Holy shit y’all. If someone handed us this corndog and we didn’t know it was Vegan WE WOULD HAVE NO IDEA. The ONLY criticism is that the hotdog lacks the slight snap of a real dog, but we only noticed because we were looking for differences. The batter is the bomb. This is the 3^rd best corndog at the fair (after Poncho Dog and Big Dog Corndogs).

 

Orange Treet- $5 with BRBB from Orange Treet

A! Ok, to be clear, this was recommended to us last year but we forgot to take a pic bc we’re basic bitches (also THANK YOU to whomever rec’d this to us- we can’t remember but we love you). Anyway this is like the most amazing, fresh-squeezed Orange Julius you’ll ever have. ALSO the strawberry is just as baller. Everyone get this.

 

Deli Sandwich- $12 at Steichen’s Market

A- heard this little market on the fairgrounds made a good deli sandwich, and hooo boy was that spot on. Ingredients were so fresh and it was just a great deli sandwich that you could customize to your liking. Made for a great dinner to bring home and eat later. Think we might do this again in the future, or hell, do it every time. Refreshing after a long day of crazy foods.

Lobster Roll- $20 at Scenic 61

A! Yoooooooooooo. This lobster roll is bangin! Unofficial new food- $20 might seem steep but it’s pretty much the going rate for lobster rolls nowadays, and honestly it’s not much more expensive than other fair foods.
The bread was buttery and toasty, the corn was a nice addition. Plus food slide!

Minty Magic Tart- $5.50 with BRBB at Sara’s Tipsy Pies

A- holy cow this was so good. Cold mint pie with a creamy whip on top and a flaky crust. So tasty and the cold dessert was nice for a hot day. Get this!

You’re on the Cusp of Greatness- Grade B Foods

Sundae Sammie- $10 from Jammy Sammies by Brim

B! Boy howdy was this a A with all that topping- sweet and salty, warm and cool, crunchy and soft. Y’all it was a great start to the day (and we were the VERY FIRST SUNDAE SAMMIE!). The only reason it’s not an A overall is once the topping is gone it’s not as special.

 

Pork Schnitzel Sandwich- $14 at Farmer’s Union

B! Great breading. Meaty and crispy with a nice sweet tang from the coleslaw. Little pricey.

 

Pistachio Paleta- $6 at Hamline Church Dining Hall

B- this dessert had a nice sweet flavor that really packed in the pistachio goodness and little pistachio pieces. The creamy texture was delightful. Would love trying the other flavors.

 

Minne Hot Hot- $12 from RC BBQ

B. These were great but OH GOD OUR MOUTHS ARE ON FIRE!! Also a bit of a mess to eat, but flavorful and tender.

 

Vanilla Dream- $10 at Nordic Waffles

B, though we were split with a C. Could’ve used something crunchy for texture, but flavors were good.

 

New Mexico Chile Dog Sliders 2 Ways- $10 from Blue Moon Dine-In-Theater

B. Obvs this is pretty divisive. We all agree that the shooter gets an A- it’s a delight. Those of us who like chili or those types of flavors enjoyed these. All agreed that the hotdogs were great. Those of us who like red onions enjoyed them but others thought they were too much.
Idk- there’s a lot going on so we’re all over the place. Good price for the amount of food.

 

Tot Dog- $7 at Lulu’s

B. Actually felt the beef hot dog was too big. Might’ve been better with a normal dog. But it was nice and crispy and a good size for the money.

 

Gray Duck Sundae- $9 at Bridgeman’s

B! Delightful! The marbits really make this sundae and they don’t skimp on them. The black licorice flavor was subtle and nice.

 

Minneblueberry Pie- $10 at Mineapple Pie

B! Solid Blueberry pie! Good ice cream, good filling, good crust. Wish we weren’t so hot and full so we could eat more of it.

 

Dej Qab Zib (sweet refreshment)- $7.50 at Union Hmong Kitchen

B! Coconut, lychee, and herbal flavors make this nice and refreshing. Just what we need in this sun.

 

Mov + Nqaij (Rice + Meat)- $14 at Union Hmong Kitchen

B- we got the chicken and lemongrass scallion dipping sauce. The chicken had a really great char on it, tender and flavorful. The sauce was very subtle, the sticky rice was great and the pickles make for a nice tart finish. Really enjoyed.

 

Pink Guava Slushie- $6 from Holy Land

B. Hey who doesn’t like a slushie on a hot day? No one, that’s who. Sweet and slightly tart, the guava is a fun flavor.

 

Molotes- 2 for $10 at Midtown Global Market- Andy’s Garage

B- the elote filling was good corn flavor and they didn’t skimp on the toppings.
C- the chipotle chicken filling was king of dry and the toppings didn’t help.
This was mostly Anne’s call on these, since elote makes Sarah and Packie cry.

 

Earth Sliders- $14 at French Meadow Bakery & Café

B- the best vegan thing we have had all day so far. Wouldn’t even know it wasn’t real chicken. I will tell you what it was though, a damn fine chicken sammich! Crispy, meaty (but not really), and good flavors. Only criticism was that it didn’t fit well on the bun.

 

Cheese on a Stick- $3 with BRBB at Netterfields

B- new to us, great, sweet batter, tasty cheese filling, would get again. Sarah liked it so much she threw the last bite on the ground so Packie couldn’t have it.

Deep Fried Olives on a Stick- $10 at Deep Fried Olives on a Stick

B. These were new to us and something we’ve always wanted to try. The breading/batter was bomb- crispy and perfectly fried. The olives were salty and had a good olive flavor. Would recommend for olive fans.

Corn Fritters- $8 at the Fried Green Tomato Stand

B- new to us, these had a very nice flavor, sweet with a crispy outside and a soft inside batter. Needed more honey butter and it was a small portion for the price.

Southern Chicken Biscuit- $8 at Lulu’s

B! Good amount of chicken. That biscuit is fire. A great way to start the day

Campfire Marble Sundae- $9.50 from Bridgeman’s

B. Bridgeman’s sure knows how to use a marbit to good effect. This is a surprising amount of ice cream. Basically a s’mores sundae. Wish the graham crackers were bits rather than dust.

Hey, Better Luck Next Time- Grade C Foods

Chilaquiles- $10 from Tejas Express

C. You know- this was actually not bad- even Sarah enjoyed it some. Flavors were good- has a kick. Where they earn a C is execution. They were pre-assembled so the chips were already soggy. If we’d had chips on the side then it’d be a different story.

 

Sweet Cheese Blintz- $5 at iPierogi

C- this had a great cream cheese flavor, and the crepe was soft, smooth and wonderful. We just wished it had been a little sweeter.

 

Buzz’n…Hot Honey Chicken Sausage Kebob- $11 at Sausage Sister & Me

C- perfectly serviceable, no real criticisms but nothing in particular stands out about the food. Good flavors, nice with the honey drizzle, and the coleslaw was actually pretty nice.

 

Kulfi (PBK flavor)- $5 at Hot Indian

C. First- unimpressed that it’s prepackaged and purchased from a wholesaler. This was…interesting? We liked the nuts and creaminess, but there was a flavor (the saffron?) that was interesting and kind of weird. We would like to try a different flavor maybe.

 

Reuben Roll- $10 at O’Garas

C. Chewy as opposed to crispy. Wrapper was a bit too thick. But flavors were not bad, even though we don’t like reubens. Packie is mad at them because he hit his knee on the barrel table.

 

All Quacked Up- $12 from Hideaway Speakeasy

C. You know, it’s not bad. The ham’s good, the egg is perfectly basted. But it def feels like something we could make at home, and an open-faced runny egg sammich is not something we come to the fair for.

 

Fruity Fruity Pebbles- $9.50 at the Hideaway Speakeasy

C. Perfectly Serviceable. Sort of like a Grape Ape

Belly Full Nordic Waffle- $12 at Nordic Waffles

C- rather bland, not much flavor to the pork belly and the jelly didn’t come through at all. Mostly just tasted the slaw. Meh.

 

Lemon Cookie Tortilla Chips- $9 at Blue Moon Dine-In Theater

C- we wished the chips were thinner and crispy, more chip/cracker than cookie. The cream dip with the lemon curd was great, though.

 

Turmeric Ginger Lemon Surprise- $6 at West Indies Soul Food

C- refreshing and sweet, the ginger and turmeric make for some interesting flavors. A fun drink to try. Pretty ginger forward.

 

Tandoor-fired Jerk Chicken Mini’zza- $7 from West Indies Soul Food

C. We liked the thinness and crispness of crust. Had a slight kick. A little small for the price. Ultimately it just felt like nbd.

 

Chicken Tandoori Rolls- $12 at Holy Land

C. First, could we just have one for six dollars? We liked the wrap, but filling was a little dry.

 

Molotes- 2 for $10 at Midtown Global Market- Andy’s Garage

B- the elote filling was good corn flavor and they didn’t skimp on the toppings.
C- the chipotle chicken filling was king of dry and the toppings didn’t help.
This was mostly Anne’s call on these, since elote makes Sarah and Packie cry.

 

Tirrokroketes- $7 at Dino’s Gyros

C. Texture was amazing! Filling was a bit intense. Wish it had a dipping sauce to ease that down a bit.

 

“Meat” and Balls Marinara- $12 from French Meadow Bakery

C. Eh. The marinara was good- especially liked that piece of garlic bread. The vegan Meatballs had a good meat texture- Anne was not a fan of the flavor (and Sarah was not a fan of the red sauce). Smelled great.

 

Celebration Cake-on-a-Stick- $6 or $7 at Mancini’s

C. It was light, but really dry. Needed more frosting to offset it. Kids might like it, can be personalized.

 

Red Velvet Funnel Cake- $12 from Salem Concessions

C. New to us (thanks Lauren and Michelle!) Yeah it was fine but ours was clearly overdone- crunchy through and through. Also wanted some more drizzle for sweetness. Would’ve prob rated a B if better cooked. Pricey like all of Salem’s stuff

Mini Deep Dish Pizza- $7 at Green Mill

C. Unofficial new food. This was fine. It maybe sat under the heat lamp too long so the crust dried out a bit too much. But Green Mill is good at making that pizza flavors pop.

Banana Nutella Crepes- $10 at the Crepes Stand

C. A new to us food. The Crepe itself was really good. Packie hates bananas and Sarah really only likes ripe bananas, so it tasted “too green” to her. Also expected it to be warm. Would definitely try a different crepe in the future.

Jumbo Tater Kegs- $10 at Sonny’s

We were split between a B and a C. B peeps thought they were just great. C people thought they were dry and needed the sour cream.

Chocolate Ice Cream Soda- $9 at Bridgeman’s

C- this was fine. Nice and smooth when mixed together and the soda made for an interesting buzz, but the flavor was kind of mild.

The Queen Arepa- $12 at Arepa Bar

C- really fresh, flavor was not bad, the arepa was crispy. Was surprised it came cold. Kind of on the fence for this one between a C and a B.

Papalon con Limon (limeade with cane sugar)- $7 at Arepa Bar

C. We were pretty split on this. The sourness is great and refreshing but it has an odd finish that we didn’t overly like and reminded us of applesauce. But we drank it all.

C’mon, What Are We DOING Here- Grade D Foods

Steakxorcist- $14 at Herbivorous Butcher

D. Okay. Listen. It eats like meat. And at first we were like, yeah! This is good! But then this unidentifiable flavor took over and, well, we did NOT enjoy the flavor at all.

 

Soulsicle- $9 from Soul Bowl

D. Listen. Some things are OK under a heat lamp. Toppings and sauces are not those things. Like leave the chicken in the heat lamp and then top to order? The breading was soggy as a result. Also flavors were not great- very hot sauce forward. Really wanted to like this, pretty disappointed.

 

Breakfast Gnocchi- $11.75 at the Blue Barn

D- so damn disappointing. The gnocchi were chewy and dense, not like a gnocchi at all. Eggs and pesto are OK, but the gnocchi ruins it.

 

Concha Bacon Burger- $12 at Aldo’s

D- the texture of the concha bun came off grainy or powdery and was really off-putting. Didn’t really get any heat despite the pepper jack cheese and jalapenos, and the bacon was a bit overpowering. The burger itself was good.

 

Coco Nuts Bowl- $12 at Baba’s

D- this hovered between a C and D for us. No real chocolate flavor in the hummus at all, and virtually no sweetness in the bowl except maybe with the bananas. Toppings were nice and so were the pita puffs.

NO!- Grade F Foods

Sweet Potato Poutine- $13.75 at Blue Barn

F. Blue Barn- what are we doing here? Why you back sliding?
I’m not even sure what to say. Def under the heat lamp too long. Doesn’t look like, taste like, or really even reference poutine? Beyond Chorizo? Chorizo is already the worst and plant versions do not redeem it.

 

Deep Fried Ice Cream- $8 from Snack House

F. Cmon. Wtf. This batter was so effing grainy. How does that happen with fried ice cream? IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE FLAKY.
There’s no redeeming qualities. Some lady told us it was “good” and she’s an effing liar.

So there we go! A Good 2022. We're in the New Food Announcement Season for 2023, so we'll be seeing you again soon, and THEN we'll see you at the Fair in about 50 days :-)

(our very first Trolley Ride- would recommend, when Pickle Rick Pizza line isn't shutting them down (true story)).