Fairly Unbalanced

The trendy Tennessee import finally makes its Fair debut, and does it with style! After a disappointment with The Blue Barn’s other new item this year, the confusing Breakfast Potato Skin, this is a much-needed return to this vendor’s typical stellar form. Elegant in its simplicity, patrons are served two pieces of red-tinted chicken strips on a skewer, with a single slice of white bread and pickle chips underneath. The chicken was wonderfully juicy, and gave a delightful crunch with its brilliant corn flake coating. Any attempt at Nashville hot chicken is going to be judged on its sauce and flavoring, and while this falls well short on the Scoville scale of spiciness, thankfully it’s a delicious mix of a buttery honey glaze that completely drenches the chicken and bread. Creating a makeshift sandwich bite with the bread and pickle is the route to take, with the soaked in sauce from the bread augmenting what is layered on the chicken, and the sharp acidity of the pickle playing along.

For $10, it’s a little overpriced for a snack-sized portion, but not completely out of line with other protein-heavy choices available across the Fairgrounds. Undoubtedly, this will taint your fingers, so napkins are required, and eating it on the go is difficult though not impossible.

Ratings (0-5):

• Taste: 5
• Appearance: 4
• Novelty: 3
• Value: 2

Overall Score: 13 out of 20 (Fairly Fresh)

Full disclosure: we already loved Taco Cat for their outstanding year-round outpost in South Minneapolis. They consistently serve up some of the city’s most inventive tacos and burritos, so we couldn’t help but be excited for whatever they would bring to their return to the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Fortunately, they did not disappoint with these stunning deep-fried tacos.

Calling these tacos is a bit of a misnomer: these are truly closer to an empanada, filled with chorizo and potatoes (or black beans and corn if you opt for the two dollars cheaper vegetarian option), and drizzled with a guacamole salsa and crumbled cheese. This is a modern take on classic Fair food, dunked in frying oil and skewered for portability. The on-a-stick feature is mostly for show; they come served on a necessary boat as well, and the stick got in the way more than it was practical to eat from. Luckily, these avoid the pratfall of being too greasy that some foods that touch the deep fryer experience. The crust that surrounds the fillings was flaky and flavorful, and played well with the bright green guacamole. As for what resides inside the empanada, we were met by a peppery chorizo that was not overly spicy and diced potatoes that were well above your standard diner fare. All of this combines into a truly wonderful experience that we would happily order in a restaurant in addition to while on the Fairgrounds.

Less wonderful was the $12 price, among the more expensive options at the Fair and an outsized price for two medium sized tacos. One gets the sense that you’re paying a premium for the novelty this item provides, which unfortunately will drive some away from trying what is otherwise a superlative new food.

Ratings (0-5):

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

Overall Score: 13 out of 20 (Fairly Fresh)

This is precisely the return to form we hoped to see from the superlative Farmers Union Coffee Shop! After a total miss with last year’s Blueberry Rhubarb Cobbler, now vanished from the menu, we pondered if this vendor could return to its previous form of serving outstanding treats alongside their always excellent coffee products. We’re happy to report that this outstanding tort-sized pie is not just good, it might be their best offering to date.

The premise behind this pie could not be simpler: blueberries are infused into a key lime pie custard, placed atop a graham cracker crust, and served with whipped cream and more fresh blueberries. Fortunately, each component is done right, and all of it looks lovely enough to have won a Blue Ribbon a few yards away in the Creative Activities baking showcase. So rarely does the actual product served up to fairgoers match the promotional shot in the new foods press release a few months prior, but this one is a close match. It’s not all looks though: this pie packs some serious taste too! Despite the deep blue color, the key lime takes the forefront here, with the blueberry only providing accent flavors. The whipped cream is real and and thick, a cooling compliment to each bite. The crust is crumbly enough to break apart easily with the plastic fork, but holds together well enough to make its way to your mouth in one piece.

The one nagging issue held over from last year’s disappointing cobbler is the price: $8 is too much for such a small baked good like this, and it’s too good and too diminutive to split the cost with another. Fortunately, unlike last year, this high price point comes with a quality product attached, and we could not be more excited that the recent woes were merely a hiccup.

Ratings (0-5):

• Taste: 5
• Appearance: 5
• Novelty: 2
• Value: 1

Overall Score: 13 out of 20 (Fairly Fresh)