The 15 Craziest Foods At The 2016 Minnesota State Fair
The Texas Tater Dog may freak you out—and make you want to book a trip, ASAP.
The Texas Tater Dog may freak you out—and make you want to book a trip, ASAP.
Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Bacon-Caramel Sauce
This frozen treat combines two Minnesota staples—corn and dairy—in a sweet new way. The bacon adds a smoky touch to the topping, making the syrup taste like salted caramel on crack. Crisped corn pieces are optional, but given the caramel corn-like flavor they add (not to mention crunch!), you'd be crazy to decline a sprinkle or two.
Where to Find It: Blue Moon Dine-In Theater
Wine-Fried Brie
Imagine cheese curds for the Napa Valley crowd. This is it. Mintahoe Catering takes gooey brie, deep fries it, infusing the crispy tempura batter with a light wine flavor, and serves the cubes on a stick with a sweet-yet-spicy raspberry sauce. Talk about a happy hour.
Where to Find It: Minnesota Wine Country
Deep-Fried Ribs
At first, the name alone sounded blasphemous: Deep-frying is for corn dogs and Oreos, not pricier dishes like ribs! But these are surprisingly light, as far as batter-dipped meats go—it's more like a crispy panko breading that locks in juicy flavor. It also happens to look a lot like the epic meal that tipped Fred Flintstone's car in the old theme song, in case eating a massive turkey leg doesn't make you feel prehistoric enough.
Where to Find It: Ball Park Café
Reuben Pickle Dog
Those cold cut-wrapped pickles your grandma used to snack on have been revamped for 2016, getting supersized and loaded with flavor. Pickle Dogs quarters a jumbo pickle, then wraps it in a hearty layer of cream cheese, Thousand Island, sauerkraut and pastrami for a low-carb take on a Reuben.
Where to Find It: Pickle Dogs
Cheesy French Onion Monkey Bread
This combination of doughy biscuits, salty onion soup and a liberal layer of cheese might just make you angry. Beyond angry—it could infuriate you. Because it's so decadent (yet straightforward) you'll wonder why you didn't think of it first.
Where to Find It: Blue Moon Dine-In Theater
Deep-Fried Baklava on a Stick
This may make people angry, but we'll go right out and declare it: This may be the best way to eat baklava. The crispy layers of Phyllo dough turn soft when fried, and the honey and nuts seem to only intensify in their sweet, toasty flavor. It's nothing like Yia Yia used to make, and we aren't mad about it.
Where to Find It: Dino's Gyros
Carpe Diem Ice Cream
This eye-catching dish will make total strangers barrage you with questions: What is that you're eating? Does it taste like fish, because it's shaped like one? What's in it? Your mouth will be too full from voraciously devouring Thomas Kim's signature treat, so direct them to this message: It's the Carpe Diem, which features a carp-shaped, miso waffle cone that's drizzled with a balsamic-strawberry compote, stuffed with vanilla bean ice cream and topped with crushed graham crackers and a strawberry slice.
Where to Find It: The Rabbit Hole at The International Bazaar
Deep-Fried Kale
When Minnesota Wine Country introduced this very State Fair take on the superfood, they expected the dish to be more of a gimmick than anything else. They just ordered a case of kale—then wound up having to order 56 more to keep up with demand. It's so popular it's making a repeat performance this year.
Where to Find It: Minnesota Wine Country
Maple Bacon Irish Apple Pie
Out of every dish we sampled—and our cholesterol levels can attest we tried a ton—no food received as many "Hey, where'd you get that?" questions from strangers quite like this boozy mini pie. The sweet-tart apples are infused with 2GINGERS Irish Whiskey and Morley's maple syrup, both from nearby Luck, Wisconsin.
Where to Find It: Sara's Tipsy Pies
Texas Tater Dog
Proving that everything's bigger (and flashier) in Texas, this dish essentially takes pigs in a blanket to twisted new heights. After spiralizing a potato, the team at Texas Steak Out puts a hole in the center and wraps the spud around a sausage on a stick. The whole thing can then be seasoned a variety of ways, but we like it best with a hearty coating of garlic-parmesan topping.
Where to Find It: Texas Steak Out
SnoRibbons
Steph and Mike Olson, owners of Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, first stumbled upon this Taiwanese dessert while traveling in San Francisco and decided to bring it to the Midwest. The shaving process makes this treat every bit as light and airy as cotton candy, with the smoothness of an ice cream or sorbet.
Where to Find It: Blue Moon Dine-In Theater
Fried Gator Nuggets
That whole "tastes like chicken" cliché actually applies here. These salty, savory nuggets come in such small, bite-sized pieces you'll snack on them like popcorn. And walk away ready to argue with anyone that alligator truly is the chicken of the swamp.
Where to Find It: Bayou Bob's
The "Call It Breakfast" Sundae
Ice cream for breakfast?! Though the name comes from it's brunch-worthy ingredients (namely, crumbled doughnuts and a latte-flavored syrup), that hasn't stopped several people interviewed from starting the day off with this malt-based sundae. Rainbow sprinkles = breakfast of champions.
Where to Find It: The Dairy Goodness Bar
Hot Dish on a Stick
Reinterpretations of iconic Midwestern foods are huge at the Minnesota State Fair, and Ole & Lena's doesn't disappoint. The company threads meatballs and tater tots onto a skewer, dips it in batter and fries it, then serves it with a cup of peppery sawmill gravy. It's carbs on protein on carbs, AKA nirvana.
Where to Find It: Ole & Lena's
Candied Bacon Donut Sliders
The Luther burger—a beef patty sandwiched between two full-sized donuts (or one cut in half)—has been a fair mainstay for years. This take is far daintier, using cloudlike mini donut holes and replacing a greasy burger with candied bacon. The whole thing's topped with a wine-based drizzle and some powdered sugar, creating a sweet, smoky, salty combination that's best served with a glass of sparkling apple wine from Northern Vineyards.
Where to Find It: Minnesota Wine Country
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