Fairly Unbalanced

Minnesota State Fair food reviews, news and more

recent posts

about

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.
  • A Farewell to the Fair — and What to Expect from Fairly Unbalanced in Coming Months

    A Farewell to the Fair — and What to Expect from Fairly Unbalanced in Coming Months

    Labor Day has come and gone, and the 2018 Minnesota State Fair has come to an end. This year’s Fair was the biggest and best edition yet, with a new overall record attendance that finally eclipsed the 2 million visitors mark, and a lot of big smiles on the faces of that record crowd. The end of each Fair is expected and marks the passing of the unofficial end of summer, and leaves many devotees with a melancholy feeling. I truly believe our state fair would not be as well-attended if Minnesotans were not keenly aware of the privilege of our summers compared with the darker winters. We make the most of each passing moment of summer, and the Fair is somewhat of a last hurrah that we can count on to squeeze out every last morsel of summer.

    On a personal level, 2018 has been my favorite Fair to date, in large part because of this very website. I’ve been reviewing new foods and posting obsessively about the Fair on my personal social media accounts for several years now, with many of my friends pushing me to do “something more;” this website was my answer to those calls, and my only regret is that I did not do it sooner. To create something that could go beyond a status update about one of my greatest passions in life kept me very busy over the last 12 days, but also filled me with a lot of joy and made me look at the Fair in ways that I never had before. I’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response this site has received, and I am astonished by and truly grateful for the over 1,000 unique visitors who came by the site and read what I had to offer. I never dreamed of more than a hundred or so of my closest friends checking the site out; so many of you did an incredible job spreading the word to your friends and family, and I am in debt to you all for endorsing what I’m doing here and passing it along.

    The end of the Fair does not mean this site will lay dormant until next August! As any Fair die-hard knows, there is news that breaks about the Fair year-round, and we hope to cover it all as we begin preparations for the 2019 Fair. We also will be continuing our seven-part Reinventing the Fairgrounds series and posting other features throughout the year that dive deep into the varied facets that all come together to make the Fair what it is. We also will highlight other non-Fair events that pop up on the calendar in the Twin Cities throughout the year that are similar to the Fair, and inform visitors about events held at the Fairgrounds during the rest of the year as well. Look for a cut back from daily posts to a few entries a week throughout the whole year, but generally more in-depth content contained within those articles. We’re really excited to see what the off-season will bring to this site, and we hope all of you are too; next year’s Fair is a long time away, but hopefully what we have planned will make it feel so much shorter!

    If you haven’t already, please follow Fairly Unbalanced on Facebook and Twitter to stay on top of what we have to offer each week leading up to the 2019 Minnesota State Fair!

    img_20180831_221746

  • Review: Cinna-Sugar Butter Waffle from Nordic Waffles

    Review: Cinna-Sugar Butter Waffle from Nordic Waffles

    My first contact with Nordic Waffles a few days ago was a love-at-first-bite experience with their salmon offering that had me vowing to return to try more. Truthfully, if I had tried Nordic Waffles on day one of the Fair, I might have worked my way through all seven varieties of their waffle sandwiches on offer, especially if I had gotten there early before the crowds made their stand one of the busiest at the Fair. Instead, I had to settle for merely trying one from each category of their waffles: the savory salmon, and the sweet Cinna-Sugar Butter. Unequivocally, the cinnamon-heavy option is not as good as the salmon was, but still a stand-out in a surprisingly thin field of breakfast options at the Fair. Anyone who is a fan of the nordic specialty of lefse brushed with cinnamon, sugar and butter will find this flavor profile as warmly familiar. I could have used more of each spread across the waffle however; most of it sunk to the bottom of the folded-over waffle, and some even passed through cracks in the waffle and collected at the bottom of the paper wrapper the waffle is served in, leading to uneven bites that occasionally only consisted of waffle. This minor gripe should not dissuade consumers from trying this, though maybe venture for one of the other varieties at the stand first.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 13/20 (Fairly Fresh)

  • Review: Bacon-Stuffed Tots from The Blue Barn

    Review: Bacon-Stuffed Tots from The Blue Barn

    I’ve made mention of it over and over again, but it bears repeating: by and large, the vendor of a new food is as much of an indicator of its quality than any promises made by its description. The Blue Barn has placed itself firmly into the upper echelon of Fair stands, with nearly as many excellent discontinued items as some stands have currently on offer. A constant reinvention of their menu has led them to being a leader in innovation, bringing us the Bacon-Stuffed Tots this year. These are not your typical diner-style tater tots; these come four very large tots to an order, plump with potato and bacon, and dressed with a bacon-infused sour cream and green onion. While not finger food due to the messy sour cream and how overfilled the breading is, these will fill you up with a warming, comfort food feeling. The bacon in the sour cream did not really come through to my taste, but it was a completely necessary inclusion to keep the tots from being too dry. Not my favorite offering ever from Blue Barn, and a little expensive at $9, but a utilitarian appetizer that helped warm me up on a cold rainy morning, and kept me from needing another food item to stave off hunger for quite a while.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 11/20 (Fairly Fresh)

  • Review: BBQ Split from Midtown Global Market’s Mama D’s

    Review: BBQ Split from Midtown Global Market’s Mama D’s

    Now that Taco Cat’s six days managing the Midtown Global Market’s space inside the International Bazaar is through, Mama D’s takes over offering their own limited menu of new food items. The only foods on offer here are the eminently-photographable BBQ Split, and a pulled pork sandwich that merely takes the pulled pork used in the BBQ Split and places it on a bun. Meant to evoke a classic banana split, the BBQ Split is a plastic boat filled up with a creamy coleslaw, pulled pork slathered with barbeque sauce, mac and cheese, and a pickle standing in for the banana. The clever idea doesn’t quite translate in practice, making this a confusing item that isn’t sure what it wants to be. Each element is good but nothing here is outstanding. The coleslaw is very heavy on cilantro; personally, I love cilantro and thought it added a lot of flavor to the coleslaw, but those who are not a fan of the divisive herb will likely leave the coleslaw untouched. The pulled pork was average at best, and for what should be the key element of the pint-sized barbeque meal, one would hope for a better impact. The mac and cheese was easily the best portion of the three, a very cheesy blend utilizing wider noodles that were cooked perfectly al dente; individual sides of the mac and cheese were available at a lower price, and may be the right direction to go with this stand. The pickle had a good crunch to it, but was an afterthought that is included mostly to sell the BBQ Split as a concept. Picky eaters who don’t like their foods touching each other are highly advised to avoid this.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 13/20 (Fairly Fresh)

  • Review: Lingonberry Saft Lemonade from Nordic Waffles

    Review: Lingonberry Saft Lemonade from Nordic Waffles

    This year’s hottest new food vendor is not just all about their superlative waffles that built up a strong reputation early in the Fair and led to lines around the block by the final days; Nordic Waffles also offers two colorful lemonades that make a perfect pairing for either their sweet or savory waffle sandwiches. These lemonades are vibrant, both in appearance and in flavor. The Lingonberry option (Blueberry is also available) is a sweet sipper that matches the northerly themes that Nordic Waffles has carefully curated. The drink, priced correctly at $4 for a 12 ounce glass, avoids the common mistake of being too sweet, but also does not venture into being too sour as lemonades often do. The lingonberry flavor pulls away from the tartness of the lemon, making this an incredibly refreshing and tasty drink that makes the long wait times well worth it.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 17/20 (Blue Ribbon Best)