8/13/14– The Great Minnesota Get-Together otherwise known as the Minnesota State Fair is a little more than 8 days away and I can’t be more excited! I usually don’t post local events on my main page but this is one thing I want to brag about to my National and International readers. Why? Because the Minnesota State Fair is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance boasting upwards of 200,00 attendees a day! The State Fair of Texas beats us out by overall attendance but they run longer than we do. The Minnesota State Fair is 320 acres and 12 days of pure fun and food (definitely food, and on a stick!).
I was lucky enough to join 11 other Minnesota bloggers for a sneak preview of some of the new food and fun at the 2014 State Fair. One thing I learned…I need to broaden my horizons! We usually do the same things and eat the same foods each year we go. There is SO much I didn’t know! This year will be an entirely new experience!
New Foods…
We’ll start with the one I was most looking forward to–the PB&J French Toast from The Robbinsdale OES Dining Hall. This did not disappoint! A PB&J sandwich dipped in french toast batter then fried. Delicious! I did, however, like it better without the syrup.
Iron Range Pierogies from The Blue Barn. I love me some pierogies and these deep fried ones hit the spot. The only thing that would make them better is if they were served on a stick! The Blue Barn will also have Chicken in the Waffle and Blue Cheese & Corn Fritz as new foods.
Pizza Tots from Green Mill Restaurant. Pizza deep fried in a tater tot crust? Yes please! I have nothing bad to say about these tasty bites.
Deep Fried Lobster On A Stick from Lulu’s Public House. I’ll admit, I’m not a seafood fan so these didn’t do much for me. I was happy to see that they were on a stick in true MN State Fair fashion though. I can’t wait to try Lulu’s new Breakfast Juicy Lulu (like a Juicy Lucy but with breakfast sausage) and Prime Rib Tacos!
Rustic Stuffed Scones from French Meadow Bakery. Parmesan-crusted, baked butter scone stuffed with all natural ham, Swiss, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and a creamy house-made béchamel sauce. Savory and oh so good. Get these if you want the taste of country cooking in the middle of a large city fair.
Caribbean Style Lobster Roll from Cafe Caribe. These were my second favorite of all the foods I tasted. Wait, didn’t I just say I wasn’t a sea food fan? Something about all these ingredients (chilled lobster salad in a citrus chipotle mayo seasoned with Caribbean flavors including cayenne pepper, allspice and nutmeg) together made it taste not so fishy/sea foody. The buttered toast it is served on adds an extra special touch of flavor too.
Jello Salad Ice Cream from Hamline Church Dining Hall. They’ve combined with Izzy’s Ice Cream to create a church inspired ice cream flavor. What’s more churchy than Jello salad? This ice cream made from a sweet cream base flavored with fresh lime juice, then swirled with whole cranberry sauce and blended with marshmallows dipped in marshmallow crème, tastes JUST like Jello salad even though it has no Jello in it! Unfortunately, I’m a texture eater so the bits of cranberry in the ice cream didn’t go well with me even thought the taste of it did.
These are just 7 of the 28 new foods that will be at the 2014 Minnesota State Fair. Other foods I’m looking forward to trying include the Beer Gelato, Chocolate Dessert Salami, and the Hot Toasted Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich.
Come back tomorrow for part 2 where you’ll see some of the new FUN at the State Fair this year!
What new food do you most want to try?
[…] I did a post about 7 of the 28 new foods at the 2014 Minnesota State Fair. Today I’m going to to talk about the new fun stuff you’ll see this […]