Fairly Unbalanced

Minnesota State Fair food reviews, news and more

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I am a lifelong Minnesota State Fair enthusiast from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I’ve attended over 30 years of the Great Minnesota Get-Together, trying nearly every food on offer and wearing down numerous pairs of shoes. I draw on my years of Fair experience to guide you through the hits and misses of my favorite event of the year.
  • Review: Tacos al Pastor from Manny’s Tortas

    Review: Tacos al Pastor from Manny’s Tortas

    2019 may be the Year of the Taco at the Minnesota State Fair. With a variety of preparations and styles, new taco options have sprung up all over the Fairgrounds, whether they’re in a cylindrical cone, or deep-fried on-a-stick, or even a waffle pretending to be a taco. With all these options, it’s refreshing to see one vendor keep it simple — and succeed at making one of the best options available.

    The most striking thing upon being served your paper boat containing one taco is all the pork. It is a gorgeous al pastor pork, dripping with seasoning from its chile paste base, and there is a lot of it in one taco, comprising about 80 percent of the ingredients within its tortilla shell. The tortilla itself might be the next most notable component, a beautiful deep blue-hued corn tortilla that was soft and flavorful but most importantly held up to its ingredients and did not fall apart with each bite. The large hunks of pineapple bring acidity to the taco, and serve as a nice reminder of Manny’s other big seller at the Fair: their iconic pina coladas, served in a hollowed out pineapple, which undoubtedly would pair well with this taco. Less apparent was a salsa verde, which disappeared behind the sharper flavors of the pork and pineapple combination.

    $5 is the asking price for a single taco, which felt steep for such a small offering, no matter how much pork was stuffed inside its shell. As delicious as it was, this will not fill up even the most meek appetites, so plan to grab another snack while you make your way through the crowded Food Building their stand is housed in.

    Ratings (0-5):

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

    Overall Score: 13 out of 20 (Fairly Fresh)

  • Review: Irish Whiskey Boneless Wings from O’Gara’s at the Fair

    Review: Irish Whiskey Boneless Wings from O’Gara’s at the Fair

    If you come in through the Fair’s main gate off Snelling Avenue, they’re unavoidable: O’Gara’s large outpost sits just inside the Fairgrounds, with green neon lighting and loud Irish music blaring. They have parlayed their perfect location into a booming business, and help that along by releasing a new food each year that is sure to get people talking. This year’s new addition are their take on deep-fried chicken wings, and while they are not as creative as some of their previous newcomers, they are one of their best culinary inventions in years.

    The mark of a great chicken wing, especially with boneless wings, is its size, and patrons are not shorted on their order. For $8, we received a large boat of meaty, plump breaded bites, slightly less than a full meal’s worth but more than we had expected. Of course, the sauce is of utmost importance, and while we could not quite determine what made this an Irish whiskey sauce, it was a lovely, rich BBQ sauce all the same. The sauce added a surprising amount of zing to these wings, an unadvertised spiciness that may turn off some eaters, but we personally enjoyed — we just weren’t prepared for it. Roasted red pepper flakes seem to be the culprit for the heat, flaking each wing and adding quite a bit of color as well. Chopped scallions also contributed to livening up the look of these wings, and were fresh enough to bring some extra flavor as well. In all, it made for a level of complexity we did not expect, both based on the description and on previous interactions with O’Gara’s Fair foods.

    We received eight wings in total, and one of our biggest complaints was that it was too much food for the small serving boat to handle. Sauce and very nearly wings too spilled off the sides until we could relocate to a bench to sit at, risking disaster. We wouldn’t wish for fewer of these delicious wings, so instead O’Gara’s is going to need a bigger boat. All told, this was a good value for a very tasty snack, and one that suits their primo location very well.

    Ratings (0-5):

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

    Overall Score: 12 out of 20 (Fairly Fresh)

  • Fair News Round-Up – August 30th, 2019 Edition

    Fair News Round-Up – August 30th, 2019 Edition

    Welcome to the Fairly Unbalanced Fair News Round-Up!

    This feature will run daily during the Minnesota State Fair and feature the best of news articles, blogs, social media posts and more about the Fair from across the internet. Have an interesting item we missed? Send it to us at fairlyunbalancedmn@gmail.com

    Here’s what the web has to say about the Fair today:

    • What are the TOP TEN money making food vendors at the Fair? WCCO checks the list for the top earners based on last year’s figures, and finds that for the first time ever, five separate vendors all earned more than $1 million.
    • The Star Tribune has video from BEHIND THE SCENES at the famous llama costume contest, always one of the highlights of each year’s Fair.
    • Music critic Chris Riemenschneider has a review of Wednesday night’s GRANDSTAND SHOW featuring rappers Logic and Prof.
    • It’s going to be crowded all weekend on the Fairgrounds, so KARE 11’s list of places to find some PEACE AND QUIET at the Fair is right on time to help us all out when we just need some time to chill for a bit.
    • Sweet Martha’s … YOGURT JAR? It could have happened! The purveyor of cookies tweeted out this incredible photo of her original business, a 1970s frozen yogurt shop. Who knew?

  • Daily Schedule Highlights — Friday, August 30th, 2019

    Daily Schedule Highlights — Friday, August 30th, 2019

    The Fair enters the holiday weekend with a huge schedule of events going on! Today is MPR Day at the Fair, with lots of performances happening at Dan Patch Park near the Grandstand, but there’s lots going on all over the Fairgrounds too.

    Below is a selection of what we think is most worthy of checking out on Day Nine; for a full daily schedule, visit the Minnesota State Fair official site at http://www.mnstatefair.org:

    • 7:30am: Minnesota State Fair Horse Show: Northwoods Trail Cup Challenge, Appaloosa, Paint, Pinto, Quarter Horses, WSCA Pleasure (Warner Coliseum) — each of these breeds of horses compete by completing an obstacle course imitating Northern Minnesota scenery.
    • 9:00am: Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Ryan Sanders (Star Tribune Stage) — Star Tribune reporter Chris Hine will interview the Timberwolves’ head coach ahead of his first full season at the helm of the team.
    • 9:30am: Safe Tractor Operator’s Contest (Compeer Arena) — watch the action as tractor drivers pull off difficult maneuvers in their rigs and compete to become the best in their business.
    • 10:00-11:00am: MPR News Live: Mark Seeley Weather Quiz (Dan Patch Park) — Minnesotans love to talk about the weather, and now you can win prizes for doing so with MPR’s annual weather quiz.
    • 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm: Raptor Displays and Flying Demonstrations (DNR Building Garden Stage) — Make your way to the DNR Garden Stage for Last Chance Forever Conservancy’s raptor show, which they have presented at the Fair for many years running. Owls, falcons and hawks swoop over the crowd and the intelligent conservationists dazzle with facts about these majestic creatures.
    • 11:30am-2:15pm: Minnesota Americana-Roots Duet Contest (West End Market) — pairs of performers in the old-timey genre of roots music compete on stage for cash prizes and notoriety, providing spectators with an entertaining show of talented musicians.
    • 12:00pm: Trivia Mafia (Star Tribune Stage) — play a game of team trivia with questions pulled from the Star Tribune’s archives for fantastic prizes.
    • 12:30pm and 5:00pm: Sean Emery (Family Fair Stage) — this one is great for the kids, though usually the biggest laughs come from the adults in the audience. Sean Emery is a State Fair legend, performing his juggling act at the Family Fair Stage for decades. I can personally attest, after watching dozens of performances and doing a whole lot of growing up in the meantime, Emery’s act has never lost its luster.
    • 2:00-3:00pm: Classical MPR Activity: Bring the Sing with Cantus (Dan Patch Park) — world famous choral group Cantus conducts a special performance for the crowds gathered at the Fair, dazzling listeners with their incredible voices.
    • 3:30pm: Shredders (Dan Patch Park) — get down with this hip hop group comprised of members of the legendary Doomtree crew as they headline MPR Day.
    • 3:15pm, 4:30pm and 5:45pm: Patrick Adams (International Bazaar) — blending soul, gospel, R&B and funk, this singer-songwriter will entertain audiences with his variety of genres.
    • 3:30pm and 4:45pm: Lucky Chops (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — dance along to this high-energy brass band known for their flashy performances.
    • 6:00pm: Minnesota State Fair Amateur Talent Contest (Leinie Lodge Bandshell Stage) — watch as contestants in various age divisions compete for the opportunity to advance to the Talent Contest Finals, held Sunday, September 2nd in the Grandstand.
    • 7:30pm: Lionel Richie with special guest Lauren Jauregui (Grandstand) — Lionel Richie takes the Grandstand stage to perform selections from his lengthy career of music, from classic hits from his time with the Commodores to his timeless solo songs that will have fans singing along all night long.
    • 8:00pm: First Avenue Goes To The Fair (West End Market) — a new concept being introduced this year, the Fair has turned over programming of the Schell’s Stage over to the legendary music venue First Avenue for two separate nights of great Minnesota music, highlighting some of the best in the state. Night one includes rowdy punk group The Bad Man, up and coming hip-hop star Dwynell Roland, Twin Cities legend Har Mar Superstar and raucous performer Mark Mallman.
    • 8:00pm: Malamanya (International Bazaar) — this diverse group of musicians will bring Latin and Caribbean flair to the Bazaar stage.
    • 8:30pm: Tony! Toni! Toné (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — these 90s R&B hit-makers will delight the audience with their recognizable songs, both upbeat and soulful classics that highlight their many talents.
    • 9:15pm: Laser Encore’s Laser Hitz Show (Eco Experience) — lasers and music combine for a visual spectacle each night of the Fair, outside the Eco Experience building.
  • Review: The Wingwalker Donut Flight from The Hangar

    Review: The Wingwalker Donut Flight from The Hangar

    We should have known to avoid these after their auspicious debut. When the new foods for this year’s Fair were announced a few months ago, this item was the target of some controversy. Initially, these donut bites were to come with three plastic syringes pre-filled with sauces to inject into the center of the donut; environmentalists sounded the alarm over the prospect of thousands of single-use plastic syringes littering the Fair, a legitimate concern and one that The Hangar seemingly overlooked. After a few days of handwringing over the issue, the listing was quietly changed to simply serving these donut balls alongside the three sauces in dipping cups, taking away the playful concept of creating a stuffed donut but lowering their ecological footprint.

    Unfortunately, no wacky concept can save this item from itself. We’re not exactly sure how a vendor can mess up a concept as fool-proof as mini-donuts with dipping sauces, but these are atrocious. The donuts spent far too long in the fryer, giving them too crisp of an exterior and a dark coloration. The dough itself lacked any sweetness, just a greasy ball that leaves eaters concerned with their health. The biggest offenders though are the insipid dipping sauces, all three coming without merit. The best of the three, though we use that word lightly, was the Bavarian creme; it tasted suspiciously like Toaster Strudel icing, but at least was edible. The same cannot be said about its chocolate custard cousin, truly one of the worst chocolate sauces we have tried, with none of the sweet component it should have. The third in this miserable trio is a punchless lingonberry jam that offers just a mild hint of the tart berry it was intended to include. All three come in tiny serving cups, just slightly wider than the size of the donut, which either hinders your ability to dunk the donut into these sauces or saves you from their terrible quality, depending on how you look at it.

    $9 nets you a large portion of these donuts, but you won’t want as many as they serve you. We split an order among three of us, and all three were done with it long before they had all been eaten. When compared with a fresh bag of mini-donuts elsewhere on the Fair, there is no contest: the cheaper mini-donuts are fried right and taste better with a simple cinnamon sugar combo. If the dipping sauces were as good as their descriptors, these could have been salvageable, but instead they deserve the scrap heap.

    Ratings (0-5):

    • Taste: 0
    • Appearance: 2
    • Novelty: 1
    • Value: 1

    Overall Score: 4 out of 20 (Fried-Out Flop)