We can’t recall a time where two new foods at the Minnesota State Fair were so identical to each other as this year’s Bee Sting Sundae and the Minnesota Honey Producers Association’s Salted Hot Honey Sundae. Both are based primarily around dumping a lot of hot honey over a bowl of ice cream, and both are competently done for those that want a little spiciness to go with their sweet ice cream. However, despite the warm feeling we got from supporting local honey producers with the Salted Hot Honey Sundae, we’re giving a slight edge to Bridgeman’s as the better of the two.

Whereas the Salted Hot Honey Sundae had just sunflower seeds as a topping, Bridgeman’s loads their sundae up as they have for decades, with spicy peanuts, whipped cream, and of course a cherry on top. They manage to provide so much more, despite coming in at 50 cents less than their cross-Fairgrounds cohorts, priced at $9.50. We thought the $10 price point was absurd, and $9.50 isn’t much better for an ice cream sundae, but comparatively this is a much better deal. The spicy peanuts added more heat on their own than the hot honey did on either sundae, adding a significant crunch and some saltiness to this treat. The ice cream is secondary here, a basic vanilla that tastes familiar but not special. Our biggest complaint here is that the hot honey pooled primarily at the bottom of the serving bowl; the Salted Hot Honey Sundae did a better job with the hot honey adhering to the ice cream like a glaze, and here we had to spoon honey from the bottom of the bowl back over the top of the ice cream manually, and still had too much honey left over at the end.

Ultimately, we thought both sundaes were a bit of a miss, as even those that adore spicy foods aren’t likely looking for it out of their desserts, and if they are neither had enough heat to impress them anyway. In lieu of having too much of a good thing, we’ve stumbled upon too much of an okay thing, cancelling each other out in mediocrity.

Ratings (0-5):

  • Taste: 2
  • Appearance: 4
  • Novelty: 3
  • Value: 2

Overall Score: 11 out of 20 (Fairly Fresh)