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: Muscovado Sugar Vanilla Smoked Soft Serve Ice Cream from Blue Moon Dine-In Theater

    Review: Muscovado Sugar Vanilla Smoked Soft Serve Ice Cream from Blue Moon Dine-In Theater

    Blue Moon has been inventing up surprising new foods every year, lately focusing on adding sweets to their ever-expanding and diverse menu. This year’s creation is the intriguing Smoked Soft Serve Ice Cream, available in Muscovado Sugar Vanilla or Cold Brew Coffee varieties. I opted for vanilla, and sadly the smoky flavor did not translate to the ice cream. Where it was apparent was on the toasted marshmallow included and the very large and impractical candied bacon round, which winds up becoming the focal point for consumers. The bacon is good but difficult to break apart with the plastic spoon provided, and doesn’t so much compliment the ice cream as it does take it over. At $7 for a small bowl, plus a $1 upcharge for hot chocolate or bourbon cherries, this exciting dish instead left me cold.

    Ratings (0-4):

    • Taste: 2
    • Appearance: 3
    • Novelty: 3
    • Value: 0
    • Portability: 1

    Overall Score: 9/20 (Better Luck Next Year)

  • Daily Schedule Highlights — Saturday, September 1st

    Daily Schedule Highlights — Saturday, September 1st

    Good luck dodging the crowds on Saturday; today is historically the busiest day of the Fair. Last-minute Fairgoers are looking to get in as much of the Fair as they can pack in. It will feel at times like the entire state decided to go to the Fair today. However, if you can avoid feeling packed in like a tuna, there’s a lot of fun that can be had on a big Saturday at the Fair, so make the most of it, embrace your neighbors, and enjoy the Great Minnesota Get-Together!

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

    • 9:00am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm and 5:00pm: Animal Inn Junior Showmanship (Pet Pavilions) — kids aged 8-18 will compete in handling their canine companions around a show ring and through an agility course.
    • 10:30am and 11:45am: Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — early morning New Orleans-style zydeco music to get your day started right, with heavy Afro-Caribbean influences from the legendary musicians.
    • 10:45am, 12:00pm and 1:15pm: Black Market Brass (International Bazaar) — the sizable Minneapolis-based brass band will get people up and dancing early with their loud and vibrant sound.
    • 11:00am: Trivia Mafia (Star Tribune Stage) — play a game of team trivia with questions pulled from the Star Tribune’s archives for fantastic prizes.
    • 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 Band Contest (West End Market) — bands 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.
    • 12:30pm 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.
    • 2:30pm: Milk Chug-A-Lug Contest (Moo Booth) — an old-fashioned milk chugging contest will dazzle (and gross out) spectators as contestants compete in three different age divisions to see how much of the dairy product they can down quickly.
    • 3:15pm, 4:30pm and 5:45pm: The Men of New Hope (International Bazaar) — the sounds of a cappella harmony will fill the air as this talented group of singers perform their uplifting songs.
    • 3:30pm and 4:45pm: Cowboy Mouth (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — a punk rock sensibility will invade the Bandshell stage as this Louisiana band brings their raw energy up the river to the Fair.
    • 6:00pm: Minnesota Horse Show Speed Events (Coliseum) — dazzling horses and riders will amaze the crowds at the Coliseum while competing in several agility events like barrel racing and pole weaving.
    • 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.
    • 8:00pm: Chastity Brown (West End Market) — talented folk-pop singer-songwriter Chastity Brown will bring her smartly-written lyrics and melodic acoustic guitar to the Schilling Amphitheater for an intimate and powerful performance.
    • 8:00pm: Tropical Zone Orchestra (International Bazaar) — if you’re in the mood for music with some Latin flavor, this salsa fusion band will light up your evening. Bring your dancing shoes!
    • 8:30pm: Steve Augeri (Leinie Lodge Bandshell) — rock out with the former lead singer of Journey as he pulls out songs from his time with the best-selling band as well as his own original tunes for an energetic performance to close out the Bandshell stage for the evening.
    • 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: Zesty PB&J Sausage from Gass Station Grill

    Review: Zesty PB&J Sausage from Gass Station Grill

    Novelty at the Fair cuts like a double-edged sword. When done well, an interesting twist can take a good Fair food to the next level. However, in this case, the addition of peanut butter and grapes turn an otherwise top-tier sausage into a monstrosity. The base sausage is a flavorful link blended with cayenne and cilantro, with a pleasing snap of the casing with each bite. Half the bites however catch globs of the peanut butter or a whole grape and the eater is confronted with an unfortunate mixture of disparate flavors that ruin any good feelings about the bite prior. It is priced right at $6 for a plump sausage, but I’d probably gladly pay a dollar more for a version that just omits the ill-advised attempt at grabbing attention.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 10/20 (Better Luck Next Year)

  • Review: Slammin’ Salmon On-A-Stick from Nordic Waffles

    Review: Slammin’ Salmon On-A-Stick from Nordic Waffles

    OH MY! This is the new food of the year! Nordic Waffles is brand new to the Fair this year, but they’ve already made a strong impression in one week’s time. With seven delicious options, a Fairgoer might be tempted to make seven total visits, because after trying one, you will want more.

    Gotta love the goat on the roof!

    Let’s start with the common denominator across all seven options: the waffles. They are thin but perfectly crispy on the edges and soft in the middle, with a flavor on their own that renders syrup unnecessary. For my first choice, I tried one of the four savory options, a sliced and smoked salmon with cream cheese and green onion. Everything in this sandwich is wonderful. The salmon is both flavorful and plentiful, with a beautiful pink color. The cream cheese freshens the sandwich up and bonds it all together, and the green onion adds a bit of crunch and color. This sandwich is perfect, and a good value at $10 for a very good lunch-sized portion. I imagine I will be returning to try other options from Nordic Waffles before this year’s Fair is through (and maybe even come back before I leave for the day, they’re just that good).

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 17/20 (Blue Ribbon Best)

  • Review: Sweet Greek Cheese Puffs from Dino’s Gyros

    Review: Sweet Greek Cheese Puffs from Dino’s Gyros

    These aren’t dynamic enough to grab any headlines or attention-getting enough to draw long lines of people aiming to try it, but they are good enough to be worthy of merit. Ricotta cheese lovers rejoice: these flaky pastries, three to an order for $5, are completely filled up with a sweet, crumbly ricotta that is the star of this show. Less praise should be given to the honey that these puffs are covered in, which is unnecessary with the sweetness inside the puff and only serves to make your hands sticky. Because of the honey, eat these on the go at your own peril.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 9/20 (Better Luck Next Year)