State Fair, redux
I’m not sure the State Fair visit number 2 was a good idea. I left with a stomachache, probably having sampled one food too many (honey/sunflower-seed ice cream, I’m lookin’ at you.)
Unsurprisingly, the fair is much easier to manage with 2 parents to each child, rather than on mom-to-man defense. Drake had his first pronto pup, the Minnesotan version of a hot dog on a stick, dipped in batter and deep fried. Apparently, corn dogs are an Iowa thing, according to our friends. We also had fried cheese curds (I miss them already), Puff Daddy on a Stick–thai sausage wrapped in puff pastry on a stick drizzled with a peanut sauce (Sausage Sister & Me does badly named but delicious fair food. We also enjoyed their Little Sistazz, finger-food sausage slices in puff pastry), then root beer, a breakfast burrito with guac from Tejas (free coffee!), roasted sweet corn, mini-donuts, Cinnie Smith’s mini cinnamon rolls, and finished with a cider freezie for Drake and the regrettable ice cream for me, which has lost its place on the list. G. Grod got to see a butter sculpture of one of the princess candidates being carved, so he felt his mission to the fair had not been in vain. I see the butter sculptures like most regional oddities–once is perhaps more than enough. Then again, G. Grod only feels the need to go to the fair once a year, as opposed to me, who wants to go as many times as it takes to try all the food that I fancy.
My must-have fair treats list is now honed to cheese curds, Sister & Me sausage, World’s Best french fries, roast corn, Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies, mini donuts, 1919 root beer, and Cinnie Smith’s mini cinnamon rolls.
The food critic for the Star Tribune, Rick Nelson, listed these at the not-to-miss foods that debuted this year. Of them, I only tried the cinnamon rolls and Puff Daddy, but both were so excellent that I will add the other items to next year’s list to try. Of course, next year’s fair visit will be more challenging, since it’s likely I’ll be herding both Drake and his little sibling. Perhaps I’ll need to make three trips to try it all.
- Frozen Mocha on a Stick (Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, Dan Patch Avenue at Cosgrove Street).
- Mini cinnamon rolls (Cinni Smiths, Murphy Avenue at Cooper Street).
- Sorbet in hollowed-out fruit (Key Lime Pie Bar, Cooper Street at the Skyride).
- Spiral Chips (Sonny’s Spiral Chips & Sandwiches, Food Building).
- Puff Daddy on a Stick (Sausage Sister & Me, Food Building).
- Smoked salmon wrap (Giggles’ Campfire Grill, Cooper Street at Lee Avenue).
September 6th, 2005 at 4:14 pm
Of course, next year’s fair visit will be more challenging, since it’s likely I’ll be herding both Drake and his little sibling.
What? I think I’ve missed something here. But congratulations!
September 6th, 2005 at 4:25 pm
You didn’t miss anything. I snuck (sneaked?) that in to see if anyone was paying attention. More info to come.
September 6th, 2005 at 4:46 pm
Ah! I actually read back over the last month or so, thinking, “*Surely* I wouldn’t have missed that.” My total fascination with your State Fair foods pays off. That stuff sounds wicked.
September 7th, 2005 at 8:34 am
None of the fairs ’round here have my favorite fair staple of yore…..the hot scone with raspberry jam a la the Puyallup Fair of Wa. I can’t even go here in Boise; no scones, no carmelled onions and let’s face it, how many potatoes can a person eat in one day?
I about choked on my coffee with your sneaked in advice! Congrats!
September 7th, 2005 at 12:43 pm
You’ve been making me so hungry with these posts. On balance, I think I’m happy that we don’t really have an equivalent here. But I enjoyed vicariously eating all that bad stuff with you
September 8th, 2005 at 2:38 pm
We’re gearing up for the Puyallup, from the 9th to the 25th, (here in WA as elle mentioned) and while I can’t go on any rides (thank you pregnancy, they’re damned expensive anyway the rides) I have been DREAMING about Elephant ears, and monster burgers, and root beer floats, and funnel cakes, and even fresh freezing milk from the 4h barns and…well being pregnant just about everything.