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.
  • Daily Schedule Highlights – Friday, August 24th

    Daily Schedule Highlights – Friday, August 24th

    After a wild opening to the Minnesota State Fair that saw very large crowds out enjoying perfect Fair weather on Day One, it’s time to shift our focus to Day Two and what’s on tap for the Fair’s first Friday! Friday, August 24th is Governor’s Fire Prevention Day, which frankly is one of the worst theme days of the Fair, but don’t let that detract you from what should be another gorgeous and fun-filled day at the Fair! Below is a selection of what we think is most worthy of checking out on Day Two; for a full daily schedule, visit the Minnesota State Fair official site at http://www.mnstatefair.org:

    • 9:00am-9:00pm: African Violet Society (Agriculture-Horticulture) — 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!
    • 11:00am-12:00pm: Twin Cities PBS Almanac with Host Cathy Wurzer (MPR Booth) — Almanac is the state’s pre-eminent public affairs program, airing on public television across the state since the mid-1980s. Their annual Fair broadcast may not weigh as heavily on the current events the show is known for covering, but this live taping is a lot of fun to watch, and they’ve been known to hand out prizes to attentive and smart audience members.
    • 11:00am and 1:00pm: University of Minnesota Raptor Center (AFL-CIO Labor Pavilion) — birds of prey will be on display as the incomparable Raptor Center puts on a show of birds in their care.
    • 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, 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: Star Tribune Baseball Writer La Velle E. Neal Interviews Minnesota Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey (Star Tribune Booth) — one of the country’s top baseball writers conducts a live interview with the head of the Twins front office at a critical point for the team that should be of great interest to baseball fans wanting to know what’s going on with the local team.
    • 11:30am, 12:30pm and 1:30pm: Miss Myra and the Moonshiners (West End Market) — 1920s style swing music on one of the Fair’s newest (and nicest) stages from a tight five-piece band performing standards and originals.
    • 12:00pm and 3:30pm: Mock Car Crash Scene Demonstration (Dan Patch Park) — public safety officials will show off the tools used to save lives in critical car crash situations in what promises to be an educational and suspenseful demonstration.
    • 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.
    • 1:00pm: Chanhassen Dinner Theatre’s “Newsies” Cast Performance (Star Tribune Booth) — hear a selection of songs from the upcoming production of “Newsies” performed live, likely as confused on-lookers pass by the tiny Star Tribune Stage.
    • 2:00-3:00pm: MPR News Live Broadcast: Political Discussion & Debate (MPR Booth) — watch a live radio political discussion with US Senator Amy Klobuchar and State Representative Jim Newberger as they are interviewed about current events, and probably some lighter Fair-related subjects too.
    • 2:30pm: Agrilympics: Celebrity Milking Contest (Moo Booth at the Cattle Barn) — local celebrities compete to find out who can hand milk the most from their cow in a bizarre but fun competition.
    • 3:00pm, 4:00pm and 5:00pm: Lisa Wenger Band (West End Market) — Soul, blues and rockabilly American roots music from a full band on the Schilling Amphitheater stage.
    • 3:15pm, 4:30pm and 5:45pm: Cafe Accordion Orchestra (International Bazaar) — check out how good a whole team of accordions can sound in tandem, even if the sound of one on its own can be cloying.
    • 4:00-8:00pm: The Current Live Broadcast with Special Guest Har Mar Superstar (MPR Booth) — Minneapolis’ dynamic music legend Har Mar Superstar will join The Current for their live broadcast, performing his unique style of sexy soul hits.
    • 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: The Last Revel (West End Market) — Bluegrass pickin’ and strummin’ meets gorgeous harmonies with this wonderful local up and coming band who recently opened for Trampled By Turtles for their July homecoming show in Duluth.
    • 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: Brisket Slider Flight from The Hangar

    Review: Brisket Slider Flight from The Hangar

    This one is so very disappointing. After seeing how incredible the new Hangar space looked, I couldn’t wait to come back around once they opened and try their reasonably priced slider flights. $10 for three well-sized sliders is definitely a good deal at the Fair, especially when in desire of a more substantial meal. Three slider options are available: pulled pork, cheeseburger, and the variety I chose, brisket.

    Perhaps the other meats are worthwhile, but I doubt I will give The Hangar another chance to find out. My brisket on all three sliders was fatty to the point of inedibility. Furthermore, one slider was slated to have pickles and onions, but completely lacked onions; another was to include crispy fried onions, but instead was just a poor-quality BBQ sauce sans onions. The one with coleslaw did indeed have the coleslaw, but was nothing special and could not mask the horrendous slice of brisket.

    I am not a picky eater, but a combination of terrible quality and missing ingredients meant this trio was trash. The rest of the Hangar’s menu shows promise (they were out of some menu items, perhaps due to sheer inexperience as a Fair vendor); view our review of their better bacon-wrapped pork belly as an example of where The Hangar gets things right. However, I do not recommend their sliders whatsoever; they were hands down one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten at the Fair.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 2/20 (Fried-Out Flop)

  • Review: Bacon-Wrapped Pork Belly from The Hangar

    Review: Bacon-Wrapped Pork Belly from The Hangar

    I was dubious of this item from the start, as I generally don’t like pork belly, and have run into some poor versions of it at Fairs past. However, this version stood clearly above the rest, due in large part to the generous and thick slabs of bacon that encase this girthy piece of pork belly. This is not to say the pork belly is incapable of standing out on its own; the piece I had was flavorful, juicy and cooked to the proper amount of crispness. It is rather one-note in flavor though, especially as you work your way through to the end of the slab. Some sort of accompanying sauce would benefit this item greatly, and at a $12 price point, a supporting sauce would add needed value. This is also not a pretty item: a dark slab of meat, skewered on a stick, what you see is what you get. If you’re in desperate need for a protein-heavy meal, the Hangar has your back.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 8 (Better Luck Next Year)

  • Review: Cake’d Up Celebration from Mankato Brewery at The Hangar

    Review: Cake’d Up Celebration from Mankato Brewery at The Hangar

    This is easily one of the better beers I’ve ever had at the Fair, this is an awesome Fair day sipper, and a stellar example of how to execute a novel idea without going over the top. The first thing you notice, even before your first sip, is a strong aroma of birthday cake. The beer is sweet but not cloying, with a faint birthday cake aftertaste to follow up the aroma. This beer is well worth coming all the way north up Machinery Hill for.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 17/20 (Blue Ribbon Best)

  • Review: Za-Waffle Sticks from Green Mill

    Review: Za-Waffle Sticks from Green Mill

    Green Mill always has a new food to offer to go along with their rather pedestrian pizza, and usually their new food items are easy skips. If only this one were that simple. Despite being another zany combination of pizza with a thing that is not pizza, the combination of pizza meets waffle kind of works. Are they more waffle, with hints of pepperoni? Are they more like pizza-infused breadsticks shaped into a waffle? Should you take the marinara or the maple syrup? It may be up to the individual eater to decide. No matter your answer, the end result is relatively mediocre. And despite the novel concept, the final product is actually pretty boring. Better than other recent Green Mill disasters, but not by much.

    Ratings (0-4):

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

    Overall Score: 12 (Fairly Fresh)