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: Breakfast Potato Skin from The Blue Barn

    Review: Breakfast Potato Skin from The Blue Barn

    The Blue Barn has been churning out some of the Fair’s most inventive and delicious new menu items in their five years on the Fairgrounds. Their Pop Rocks French Toast were an instant classic, and each subsequent addition has added to their much-deserved hype as one of the premiere eateries at the Fair.

    Unfortunately, the Breakfast Potato Skin is their first real miss, at least not on par with their lofty standards. Chislic, a variety of deep fried steak tips, is layered on top of a baked potato, along with scrambled eggs, an onion and peppers blend, and bearnaise sauce. The chislic is the best element here by far, with meaty and tender hunks of beef generously portioned and well-seasoned. The eggs however are subpar, and the only part of the dish that makes this resemble its breakfast name. The baked potato is entirely too dry and disappointing. The bearnaise helps liven up the dish, but it is so unevenly applied that it entirely disappears from most bites. At a $9 price point, you would really hope for more, and this is entirely a fork at a table affair, no hope of eating this on the go.

    Ratings (0-5):

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

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

  • Fair News Round-Up – August 22nd, 2019 Edition

    Fair News Round-Up – August 22nd, 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

    Today is Day One of the 2019 Minnesota State Fair, and excitement is through the roof! Here’s what the web has to say about the Fair leading in to the gates opening today:

    • Today is opening day for the Fair, but the Star Tribune profiles some of the people behind ALL THE WORK that is done in the months prior to the gates opening to get the Fairgrounds ready for a couple million visitors.
    • One of the longest-running traditions for the Fair is crowning a new PRINCESS KAY OF THE MILKY WAY the night before the Fair begins. This year’s winner is 19 year old Amy Kyllo from Byron, Minnesota, and her first task as princess is chilling: a several hour stint in a cooler as her likeness is carved out of a block of butter. Oh, tradition!
    • Six Twin Cities chefs talk about their FAVORITE STATE FAIR FOODS, what they must try each year and what they think about the Fair’s culinary creations.
    • The iconic GIANT SLIDE is celebrating its milestone 50th birthday this year! The Pioneer Press dug into the history of the Fair’s most popular ride, and lists off 50 fascinating facts about the attraction that has entertained fairgoers for five decades.
    • Is the Minnesota State Fair the PERFECT MODEL for how to build the cities of the future? No, but Star Tribune columnist James Lileks draws some comparisons between the Fairgrounds and city building that change the way you consider both.
    • The Pioneer Press’ Jess Fleming managed to parse down the new beverage list at this year’s Fair down from a whopping 53 new drinks to highlight just the TOP TEN. There may be too many new beers (as we complained in our New Food and Beverage Preview article earlier this week), but we can’t wait to sip some of these new suds!
    • Lastly, ever wonder how they get ALL THOSE FISH into the DNR Pond? They don’t just swim on in! The Fair’s official Twitter account has the video of a very special aquatic delivery.
  • Fair Food Review Criteria

    Fair Food Review Criteria

    The food at the Minnesota State Fair is undoubtedly the star of the show, and the subject of most of the discussion that surrounds the Fair each year. With thousands of options from hundreds of vendors, wading through your choices to find the best of the best can be a daunting task. Plenty has been said about classic Fair foods like the Pronto Pup and cheese curds that are traditions for many Fairgoers, but each year brings a bumper crop of new creations vying for your money and attention.

    That’s where Fairly Unbalanced steps in to help! We will be trying as many of this year’s new foods and beverages as we can and reviewing them in real-time from the Fairgrounds. In the next 12 days, this site will feature individual posts rating each item we try as we go through the Fairgrounds consuming all the new hits (and unfortunate misses). These items will be ranked from 0-5 on four key criteria, described below, that we believe make for a great Fair food product:

    (more…)
  • The Gates Are Open!

    The Gates Are Open!

    The gates to the fairgrounds are open and the 2019 Minnesota State Fair has begun! Stay tuned all day long as we bring you the first reviews of new Fair foods and beverages in real-time as we try them out!

    Give us a follow on Facebook and Twitter to make sure you don’t miss any of the action!

  • Daily Schedule Highlights – Thursday, August 22nd, 2019

    Daily Schedule Highlights – Thursday, August 22nd, 2019

    The 2019 Minnesota State Fair is here! Thursday, August 22nd is Opening Day for this year’s edition of the Fair, and the festivities get off to a fast start with a ton of great concerts, exhibitions and more crammed into the schedule. It’s also Thrifty Thursday at the Fair, with discounted admission and deals on food, rides and products throughout the Fairgrounds. Day One is also STEM Day at Dan Patch Park, a celebration of science, technology, engineering and math education; be sure to check out some cool Science Fair-style projects on display near the Grandstand. Below is a selection of what we think is most worthy of checking out on Day One; for a full daily schedule, visit the Minnesota State Fair official site at http://www.mnstatefair.org:

    • 8:00am and 1:00pm: Minnesota Horse Show Hunter Performance (Warner Coliseum) — the action begins early in the morning as the Minnesota Horse Show conducts equestrian horse jumping inside the Coliseum. The Fair’s agricultural roots are still on display in the Barns area of the Fairgrounds, and checking out this exciting competition will elicit a connection to the past while combining the excitement and speed of present-day.
    • 8:00am-5:00pm: STEM Day at the Fair (Dan Patch Park) — over 40 different organizations provide presentations related to the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, including an earthquake simulator and model rocket building to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
    • 8:45am: North End Event Center Ribbon-Cutting (North End Event Center) — celebrate the grand opening of the Fairgrounds’ newest building, the 12,000 square foot North End Event Center. The exhibit hall will host travelling exhibits that change each year, in addition to hosting other events year-round.
    • 9:00am-9:00pm: African Violet Society (Agriculture-Horticulture Building) — the flower shows in two of the exhibition halls inside the Agriculture-Horticulture Building rotate classes of flowers every two days of the Fair. The first two days of the Fair feature one of my favorites, the African Violet. Come see the stunning creations of Minnesotan horticulturalists arranging these flowers in accordance with judging criteria and check out who took home the coveted Blue Ribbons!
    • 9:15am and 12:15pm: University of Minnesota Raptor Center (Dan Patch Park) — birds of prey will be on display as the incomparable Raptor Center puts on a show of birds in their care.
    • 9:30am: Cornbread Harris (AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion) — Harris is a Twin Cities music legend, with a history of playing his blues music in various venues all over town.
    • 10:15am and 1:15pm: University of Minnesota Physics Force (Dan Patch Park) — this high-energy crew put on an explosive, kid-friendly exhibition of science experiments to kick the Fair off with a bang!
    • 10:30am and 11:45am: Dawson Hollow (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — Indie-folk music from the Ozark Mountains, played by five siblings that cover their bluegrass roots.
    • 11:00am-12:00pm: Classical MPR: Border CrosSing (MPR Booth) — join MPR for a special Fair performance by choral ensemble Border CrosSing.
    • 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm: Raptor Displays and Flying Demonstrations (DNR Building Garden Stage) — if you didn’t get enough of the birds of prey during the Raptor Center’s event earlier, cross the street 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, 12:30pm and 1:30pm: Sarah Morris (West End Market) — Twin Cities singer-songwriter who brings a Nashville sound to Minnesota with her authentic and heart-wrenching songs.
    • 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.
    • 3:00pm, 4:00pm and 5:00pm: Joyann Parker (West End Market) — Minneapolis-based blues singer, pianist, and guitarist Joyann Parker will showcase her many talents with a powerful and soulful performance.
    • 3:15pm, 4:30pm and 5:45pm: Intoxicats (International Bazaar) — With band members from both Hawaii and Minnesota, this band blends Hawaiian music and alt-rock to cover some favorite songs by familiar classic bands.
    • 3:30pm and 4:45pm: Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — enjoy the sounds of the deep south as this band brings the sound of Louisiana up the Mississippi River to our backyards, with their blend of blues, rock and roll and classic zydeco music.
    • 4:30pm: Davina and the Vagabonds (MPR Booth) — MPR’s The Current presents a live performance and interview with local jazz blues band Davina and the Vagabonds (who are no strangers to performing at the Fair).
    • 6:00pm: Minnesota Horse Show Jumper Speed (Warner Coliseum) — fast-paced and technical horse jumping over brightly-colored obstacles will excite the Coliseum.
    • 7:30pm: Hootie & the Blowfish with special guest Barenaked Ladies (Grandstand) — all the hits of the 1990s will come alive as these two marquee bands kick off the Grandstand’s twelve nights of shows with these two Grammy-winning artists.
    • 8:00pm: Nooky Jones (West End Market) — the Fair gets off to a funky start with this spectacular local band. Horns, bass, drums and keyboards combine for a modern take on classic soul music, led by the incomparable frontman Cameron Kinghorn. This band is tight, fun, and seriously talented. Arrive early as they are likely to draw a crowd bigger than what this amphitheater can hold, and get ready to dance along!
    • 8:30pm: Belinda Carlisle (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — The Bandshell Stage is the Fair’s largest stage, and draws some of the biggest crowds for it’s free entertainment each night of the Fair, and they are sure to pack them in for this talented former member of the hit 80s group The Go-Gos. Her set is sure to include numerous hits, both from her time with the Go-Gos as well as from her illustrious solo career. 1980s outfits not required, but highly encouraged!
    • 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.