Fairly Unbalanced

Need a quick sugar hit? Kora’s Cookie Dough stand just inside the Minnesota State Fair’s Main Gate has you covered almost as soon as you step onto the Fairgrounds with an ever-expanding roster of teeth-achingly sweet confections.

Newly added for 2023 is their best flavor yet, a white chocolate cranberry version of their ready-to-eat cookie dough skewered on top of a stick, similar in size and arrangement to a cake pop. While we found their chocolate chip dough in their debut year to be painful to eat and sickening, we thought last year’s Oreo Classic version improved on the format greatly, and we’re happy to report that upward trend has continued into 2023.

While just as sugary as ever, we found the grainy cookie dough to be tempered by large and plentiful chunks of white chocolate and inviting swirls of cranberry, adding a tart contrast that finally freshens things up. We would’ve liked to see more cranberry in the mix as many bites went without, and actual berries rather than a jammy smears would’ve taken this to the next level.

Finishing the entire served portion remains daunting for just how much sugar the eater is taking in, and we were almost relieved when the last quarter of ours fell off the stick and cratered to the ground. At $8, we still consider their cookie dough to be prohibitively expensive relative to the actual quality of the product, but we’re optimistic about the continued improvement we’ve seen from this vendor.

Ratings (0-5):

• Taste: 3
• Appearance: 3
• Novelty: 3
• Value: 1

Overall Score: 10 out of 20 (Better Luck Next Year)

The biggest change to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for 2023 won’t be seen by the majority of the 2 million+ visitors expected to attend the Fair this year, but represents a lofty commitment to the Fair for many years to come. Within the ticketed Grandstand concert venue, where the Fair brings in the most marquee acts of what they’ve begun billing as “Minnesota’s Biggest Music Festival,” all of the concessions tents have been replaced by permanent structures courtesy of a new vendor taking over operations, Bandstand Concessions. The new concession stands are astonishing, with dozens of serving windows and a whopping 600 installed beer lines, second in the country to only Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to KSTP reporting. The goal is to serve food and beverages to concertgoers promptly, ridding the venue of long lines that would discourage them from grabbing consumables during the show.

The menu available for year one does little to stand out among the Fair’s more exotic offerings. On offer from Bandstand Concessions are American food staples: burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, bratwursts, nachos, and pretzel bites, all standard fare typical to any concert venue. We opted to try the Pretzel Nugs during our Grandstand concert, a rollicking rock and roll masterpiece from The Black Keys, and initially were impressed with the speed of service; we had our pick of open service windows with attentive staff ready and eager to help. However, when we were promptly handed a pre-packed plastic tub containing our pretzel bites, we had concerns about the freshness of the food served.

While we had tempered expectations given the nature of the limited menu, the pretzel bites we received were disappointing. The pretzels were soft fortunately, but most were too soft, mushy from condensation within their plastic tub. While some pieces retained salt flakes adhered to their tops, most of the salt had rubbed off and remained in the bottom of the tub. The accompanying cheese, a velvety fondue, did feel premium compared to the more typical nacho pump cheese one might expect, and paired well with the pretzel, but lacked an overpowering cheese flavor.

We love the dedication Bandstand Concessions has shown to improving the Grandstand concert experience, and the ambiance they have cultivated with their gorgeous and impressive new stands should be applauded, but the food quality seems to have been of lesser priority to beer sales and overall speed of service. Fortunately, outside food is welcomed in to the Grandstand, and with no shortage of better options throughout the Fairgrounds we anticipate that interest in the basics provided within will be minimal.

Ratings (0-5):

• Taste: 1
• Appearance: 3
• Novelty: 1
• Value: 4

Overall Score: 9 out of 20 (Better Luck Next Year)

There’s something admirable about a stead-fast commitment to providing value at the Minnesota State Fair. While prices everywhere seem to rise year over year for food items from every vendor, Mike’s Hamburgers is a rarity that should be the very first place mentioned for anyone looking to do the Fair on the cheap. You won’t get anything flashy or decadent, but they will serve you a burger for just $3, and that is a quality all on its own.

Their new menu item, a boat of Pickle Fries priced at $8, therefore stands out like lobster at a diner. For the extravagant price (by Mike’s standards), we were given a heaping boat of deep-fried pickles, cut down to approximate french fry size, smartly coated in a cornmeal and mustard batter that complimented the pickles well. The batter was flavorful, with the mustard carrying this appetizer to greatness, though it was uneven in consistency; some strips varied drastically in flavor from others, with some being excessively salty. We were impressed with how well the batter adhered to the pickle, allowing for easy dipping into the provided chipotle sauce, which was basic but a necessary addition.

Ultimately, like the rest of the Mike’s Hamburger menu, this isn’t the type of food you’ll be rushing to tell everyone about. These would not be out of place on any bar’s menu, and the execution is roughly equivalent to standard pub fare. These are perhaps the least likely to stand out among all the other pickle choices at the Fair this year, and we can’t implore you that they are a must try, but if you’re grabbing a cheap meal from Mike’s and want to add these on it will up your total but still leave you pleased.

Ratings (0-5):

• Taste: 3
• Appearance: 2
• Novelty: 1
• Value: 2

Overall Score: 8 out of 20 (Better Luck Next Year)

When it’s hot outside like it was for the first day of the 2023 Minnesota State Fair, everyone goes clamoring for their favorite cool treats, of which there is no shortage of options all over the Fairgrounds. One brand new vendor, Tasti Whip, is specializing in a very specific product that long-time Fairgoers will be familiar with: Dole Whip. This blend of fruity flavors with soft-serve ice cream is legendarily elusive, at one time only available in two places: Disney World and the Minnesota State Fair. Then the Dole Whip stand disappeared from the Fairgrounds a few years ago, saddening its dedicated fans. With the return of the product from a new trailer located near the corner of Dan Patch Avenue and Underwood Street, the Fair has not just regained a unique product, but it’s added an additional form as well.

The Dole Float is the same Dole Whip ice cream pumped over a cup full of pineapple juice, hardly a revolutionary concept but one that will delight those that can’t get enough fruity flavor. Available flavors are pineapple, mango, strawberry and lemon; we tried the strawberry and enjoyed the richness of the flavor. We did have a few issues with how overfilled the cup was, with pineapple juice spilling all over as the weight of the Dole Whip raised the liquid level up, precariously sloshing around and stickying our hands. Also, the temperature of the pineapple juice was far warmer than the Dole Whip, which led to it melting quicker than your average ice cream would. Perhaps that last point was an added benefit however, as when the ice cream fully emulsified into the juice, the ensuing mixture was more cohesive than the initial separated products.

$10 for a 12 ounce float means we’re not likely to join the Dole Whip fan club, but if you find yourself in desperate need of a cool-down in this section of the Fair they certainly should be considered one of the better options.

Ratings (0-5):

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

Overall Score: 11 out of 20 (Fairly Fresh)