The gates open, and the scent hits you first: a chaotic perfume of mini donuts, grilled corn, and livestock. This is it – the Great Minnesota Get-Together. For the next twelve days, this place is the culinary center of the universe, a sprawling maze of new foods to chase, old favorites to revisit, and a few inevitable duds to avoid. Our mission is to navigate it all for you. We’ll be making several visits to taste everything – sometimes more than once, because a great idea can be foiled by poor execution.
So, with our stomachs empty and our walking shoes on, here is the official dispatch from Day One.
Blue Barn
Sweet Squeakers Cheese Curds
Just how is it that these actually work? When I saw these on the new foods list, I was convinced that cheddar cheese curds in a dessert dish would be an utter flop, and yet, here we are. These were spectacularly good; if you enjoy cheesecake then these are for you as they essentially tasted like a softly deep-fried cheesecake with a berry compote and lemon zest (one of the best topping and flavor for this iconic dessert, in my opinion).
Verdict: Get
Aloha Ice
There is just something about slushies that always feels right, especially in the summer. Maybe it’s the nostalgic transport back to being a kid, but rarely does one of these frozen treats not hit the spot. And this iteration from Minneapolis’s Freehouse is no different. For such an overplayed flavor combo in the beer world – I get that it’s popular, but can we retire the POG (pineapple, orange, guava) trend now, guys? – this one felt like a revelation on the combo and was one of my favorite beverages all day.
Verdict: Get
Campfire Cold Brew Coffee (Bonus drink)
What even is breakfast if you’re not getting coffee? That little jolt of caffeine to help heighten your senses and get your sluggish body moving (okay, maybe that’s just me) is the best part of waking up – Folger’s not included. Make no buts about it, this coffee drink is sweet, but more importantly it’s also delicious. It’s reminiscent of those refrigerated Starbucks vanilla Frappuccino drinks, but better in every way.
Verdict: Get
Backyard Bloody Mary
I’ve seen Bloody beers before, but a Bloody Mary made with a seltzer base is an interesting twist. Surely, it won’t be worth remembering, right? Wrong. It had a tinge of heat, pleasant tomato flavor and enough spice to keep it interesting. Crucially, it didn’t have the off flavors that some seltzers can carry, nor was it sweet. Truthfully, if you didn’t tell me that this was a non-traditional Bloody, I don’t know that I would have noticed.
Verdict: Get
What’s Not New (Foods)
Breakfast Gnocchi
I’d bed money our breakfast dumplings were made a while ago and had been sitting in the pass for much longer than they should have been. They arrived lukewarm, at best, and a bit lifeless. Most of the gnocchi were dense to the point of being questionable, and the eggs had a certain rubberiness to them. The pork belly was tasty and provided a nice counterpoint to the aforementioned components.
This all being said, the basil pesto was lovely, and I will still be getting this dish again when I return as I think that had ours not been old it would’ve been great. We still ate the entire thing, for what that’s worth.
Verdict: Get
Nashville Hot Chicken-On-A-Stick
I’m a bit torn on this one. Much like the gnocchi, I feel like our stick-o-chick was past its prime and had been sitting in the air for a while. It was also a bit overcooked and was missing any sort of flavor that hinted that it was a Nashville hot chicken. Just like the breakfast dumplings I would wager that this is quite a bit better when it’s fresher. I won’t get it upon returning, but I could see this being a very tasty piece of chicken.
Verdict: Up to you
Best Pairings – Blue Barn Edition
Backyard Blood Mary & Breakfast Gnocchi – if you’re there early enough to warrant having breakfast then it makes sense to have the dish with eggs in it, right? The Bloody Mary brings the perfect balance this breakfast with its bright tomato, subtle spices and hints of heat – much like adding a touch of Tabasco to your eggs.
Campfire Cold Brew & Sweet Squeakers
I know what you’re thinking – sweet on sweet is a bit much, no? And normally I would agree, especially as I am not a big sweets guy. But something about these two together just works. The coffee has just enough of the coffee character to offset the sugar rush, but the squeakers bring the much-needed acid to cut through it entirely and bring the whole dish a wonderful cohesion.
Aloha Ice & Nashville Chicken-On-A-Stick
There’s a nice thing that happens when you pair a fried piece of chicken with a bright, fruity, slightly acidic slushie. It cuts through the richness and if it was there, heat, and readies your palate for another bite, another swig, repeat. If you get the chicken, get the slushie.
Lulu’s Public House
Hot Honey Cream Ale
Perhaps our take on this one was slightly influenced by the fact that we waiting for roughly 45 minutes just to get told that the majority of what we were ordering wasn’t even available in the main line (rookie mistake, but come on – if you’re going to have multiple ordering stations then make it clearer where things are actually being served), but this cream ale was in a word, underwhelming. The hot honey had no heat, and the honey brought to mind throat drops with all their fake honey character.
Verdict: Up to you
Cucumber Melon Refresher
Boy oh boy was this one not it. One taster commented that this tasted like ChapStick, while another said it tasted as though someone melted Jolly Ranchers in water. Look, I love a refreshing seltzer beverage, I truly do, but there are definitely better ways to get there than using the most intense and artificial flavors possible. Unfortunately, I feel as though this is going to be a reemerging issue today.
Verdict: Don’t get
West End Creamery
Grandma Doreen’s Dessert Dog
I love me some ice cream (I’ve got the tattoo to prove it), and I love me some ice cream sandwiches. This dish just doesn’t feel like it’s quite ready for its center stage appearance. Much like last year’s disastrous focaccia dessert, this cold dessert was very hard, very dense and near impossible to eat. The flavors, however, were quite enjoyable so with some tweaking I’d say that this dish would be quite good.
Verdict: Get
RC’s BBQ
Hula Kalua Pork
This would be another example of a dish where I’d be willing to bet that we got a poor example of what it could be. Our pork was such an incredible salt bomb that it made it tough to eat, but even tougher was the meat itself. Dried out, moderately warm and the opposite of tender, it made the dish hard to tear apart let alone chew. The flavors, though, were enjoyable and if we had received a freshly and better cooked version, I think we’d be telling a different story. The pickles, though, were a lovely, lightly and needed acidic punch – I just wish there were more of them. I still can’t figure out what those store-bought banana chips were doing on the dish, though – even a couple of pieces of deep-fried plantains or even just spiced fresh banana pieces would make more sense that those cardboard “chips”.
Verdict: Get
Aloha Lemonade
What a rollercoaster this one was. The smell was every bit of a children’s blue raspberry drink – those little plastic barrel-keg things come to mind. The taste was very sweet up front, but completely devoid of any lemonade character. Still, fine. Until that finish that made it taste like you just swallowed a glug of lemon cleaner. But, on the plus side, it makes you want to drink it again – promptly – to clear your palate.
Verdict: Don’t get
Best Pairing – RC’s BBQ Edition
Hula Kalua Pork & Kona Big Wave
I could potentially be persuaded to suggest a light beer like Hamm’s or a seltzer like the Gray Duck Bomba Juice, but for me the correct pairing here is between these two Hawaiian-influenced heavyweights. The roasted, fatty pork needs a nice partner to balance it out, and Kona’s lighter Big Wave stands up to the task beautifully with its punch of tropical fruit and citrus notes courtesy of the Galaxy and Citra hops inside.
Rooted & Wild (Snack House)
Deep-Fried Tofuego Bites
After a recent example of what tofu could be when done right, I was actually excited to seek this dish out, and I’m glad that I did. To start, of everything we had during our first day this was the only thing that truly looked like the press photo. It was beautifully plated, cooked wonderfully and had some very nice flavors going on. There was enough heat on it to keep your mouth craving more, and the tofu, deep fried to a golden brown delicious, carried none of the gross characteristics of tofu (I’ve said before how I’ve long detested this humble ingredient). The sauce was a bit like a grocery store sweet chili sauce, but hey, I’m not mad at it. The fresh veggies and pineapple chunks also just felt good to eat after putting down heavy and sweet fare all day.
Verdict: Get
Best Pairing – Rooted & Wilde Edition
TBD
Lumpia City
Ube Butter Banana French Toast Lumpia
My notes for this dish read, “No notes. Very good.” I think that sums this one up. We didn’t try the pizza version of this, as my stomach and wallet can’t handle to try literally every new food and drink so we try to be a little choosy and pick based on what the voices that we trust say, and I don’t think we made a mistake here. The French toast Lumpia are delectable, just make sure to be careful eating this one as there will be pockets of very hot frier oil that will absolutely and seriously burn you, so it’s best to let this cool slightly or try and shake out those little volcano pockets.
Verdict: Get
Café Caribe
Frozen Espresso Martini Hard Seltzer
The first half of this slushie was quite enjoyable. A bit artificial, but enjoyable, nonetheless. It was about halfway through that it got to be a bit rougher to drink. It became cloyingly sweet and had an odd flavor to it that made it drop a bit in the points for us. It really made us long for last year’s Mudslide-inspired frozen drink, and when compared to that one this one fell short.
Verdict: Up to you
Pineapple WHIPlash
I’ve tried just about everything Sociable Cider Werks has ever made, and this might be one of the best things to ever come out of their cidery. It had a great vanilla sweetness that melded perfectly with the pineapple and lactose. The butterfly pea flower gimmick is a bit tired and didn’t contribute anything here except for the color (which, if we’re being honest is just a bit of a strange color for this drink in the first place), but this is one of the few drinks so far that I would happily get again and recommend that you do the same.
Verdict: Get
Minnesota Wine Country
Blackberry Lemonade Wine Slushie
This was just a nice, refreshing blackberry wine and lemonade slushie. Tart, tannic and a bit acidic it’s a perfect palate cleanser. It’s also low enough in alcohol to make it drinkable without putting you out like a full glass of wine may.
Verdict: Get
O’ Garas At The Fair
Pot of Gold Potato Dumplings
A potato dumpling that carries the Saturday Morning Dumpling Co. has any of us into the world of all things food excited. Sadly, these resembled a freezer aisle mass-market SKU than something that you’d see Saturday’s name alongside. These dumplings were served cool and were some of the densest potatoes I’ve had. The flavor was intensely of garlic powder, and for someone that routinely makes boxed mashed potatoes instead of fresh (don’t @ me; I’ve converted many a foodie to this method), these dumplings tasted every bit of the bad side of boxed potatoes that give them a bad name. Bright note: Top The Tater is served with them, so even though the dumplings weren’t great, the dip is always fantastic.
Verdict: Don’t get
Irish Sticky Toffee Pudding
You know that feeling you get when you have excitement for something, only to find out that the reality of it falls way short of expectations? That was this beer. Yet another beer that is carried by flavor extracts, this one was missing the character of the beer itself and instead was inundated by punchy, fake flavors. I know that the adage tends to be that a lot of the flavored beers at the fair are more geared towards non-beer drinkers, but man. On the plus side, the flavor in this beer tastes a bit like a more intense mini donut beer, so if you like that offering then you should definitely try this one. It’s not for me, but it may absolutely be for you.
Verdict: Up to you
Shamrock Slushie:
This drink completely made up for the beer’s shortcomings. This was every bit of it’s namesake shake, but lighter and easier to drink without all the ice cream and milk. This was one of my favorites of the day. Mix that whipped cream in for just a hint of the sweet creaminess and it’s the Shamrock shake that I actually want.
Verdict: Get
Best Pairings – O’Gara’s At The Fair Edition
TBD
Shanghai Henri’s
Pimento Cheese Puffs
Look, deep fried cheese anything is everything that I want. Were these the best or my favorite molten cheese that I’ve had? No, it wasn’t. But it works. It had a nice flavor, the puff pastry was an excellent twist on the typical breading, and they were enjoyable. I think it could be reworked ever so slightly, but realistically, these were still tasty, even if half of my blood is molten cheese that came from a deep-fried wrapper.
Verdict: Get
Best Pairings – Shanghai Henri’s Edition
TBD
Urban Glow by Urban Growler
Mocktails
I’ve long been a fan of Urban Growler’s seltzers and mocktails (pro tip: you can have them add alcohol to the non-alcoholic mocktails, and they’re great!), so it was such an exciting development when they told us months ago that they were going to have an entire booth for just these at the fair. We went with the Grilled Peach No Fashioned, The Bonspiel Blue, and the Autumn Mule (we’ve had the pineapple upside down cake one several times and it’s a bit sweet, but still quite enjoyable). Of the three the Autumn Mule was the clear winner and one that I would get again and again. The Grilled Peach No Fashioned was in second place, and brought such a pleasant smoky, grilled character to this drink that perfectly pairs with the grilled peach sweetness. The Bonspiel Blue was totally fine, but when compared to the others just didn’t stand up.
Verdict: Get
Cheweenies
Guys, these are worth trekking to the area for by themselves. Picture tiny cocktail wienies from Kramarczuk’s pushed through a Hawaiian sweet roll and topped with mustard that is made with the flavors of the mocktails. Perfection. The pineapple mustard one was a revelation, and I will now look for any mustard that has pineapple in it, the grilled peach mustard was intriguing, delicious and another standout. The lemon and dill mustard is delicious, but dill mustard seems to be having its moment in the sun lately and is virtually everywhere – for good reason, mind you – so even though this one is tasty, it just isn’t as novel or new as the other two. But get any of them and you’ll be happy.
Verdict: Get
Best Pairings – Urban Glow Edition
The mocktails & cheweenies with corresponding flavors. They made the pairings easy at this one, and they make sense.
And so, Day One comes to a close. It was a day of surprising triumphs (cheese curds in a dessert!) and a few frustrating misses where great ideas were let down by tired execution. While this list isn’t exhaustive, it’s your battle plan for a successful first trip. Don’t forget to honor the classics, but be sure to chase down a few of these new contenders.
We’re already planning our route for Round Two. Stay tuned for more dispatches from the deep fryer.
What do you think of this year’s fair so far? Did you have a different take on one of these? Let us know in the comments!
