I know, I know.
EVERYBODY’S doing it.
You can’t be a TWINCY blogger, resident, passer-through, man, woman, or pet rock without having been exposed to somebody’s own personal recap of their Great Minnesota Get Together experience.
For those of you unfamiliar and/or not from this great state, this event is also more formally known as the one and only Minnesota State Fair.
Ten days of deep fried EVERYTHING-on-a-stick, I believe Minnesota boasts the second-largest state fair in the country, just behind Texas.
I did my duty as a good Minnesotan and made my appearance on State Fair Day 2, Friday, August 28.
My counterparts?
Minnesota born-and-raised, long time state fair veteran and my oldest friend, Steve (pictured above, nomming some gator).
Alissa, a Florida native marking her second ever year at the State Fair. Last year was her first, being the year she moved here and all.
And virgin fair-goer, my blog-friend-turned-lovely-girlfriend Rachel. Rachel hails from South Jersey and until a week or two ago HAD NEVER HEARD OF CHEESE CURDS (pictured – reluctantly – eating gator above).
Don’t worry, we fixed that whole cheese curds thing.
I’m pictured above too, but I’m the one happily eating her grape-leaves-on-a-stick from The Holy Land in the International Bazaar (one of my personal favorite parts of the fair!), leaving the gator sausage (ew? but yes, of course I tried it) to the others.
Anyway, we went on Friday during the late afternoon and into the evening hours and managed to try and share the following:
We ate:
- beer
- corn fritters
- CHEESE CURDS
- grape leaves on a stick
- baklava
- deep-fried alligator on a stick
- DEEP-FRIED CANDY BARS (specifically the Reese’s PB Cups and the Oreos)
- Wine flight from local Minnesota vineyards
- Australian battered potatoes
- Sweet Martha’s Cookies
What we missed that I wanted:
- Deep-fried Belgian waffle
- Summit on a Stick
- Corn on the Cob (a food fest STAPLE in the midwest)
The verdicts?
Cheese curds are a must, and get the ones in the food building (according to Steve). If the line is any indication, he’s absolutely right on (but they’re a well-oiled machine and it moves quickly).
Trying different fruit wines from all over Minnesota was fun; I tried a Rhubarb wine that was unique and fruity.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups deep fried in some beignet-type batter and sprinkled with powdered sugar is pretty much the orgasmic fried dessert I have EVER had.
Also? The crowds on Friday night seemed a little thinner than going during the day, and the lines were relatively manageable (Sweet Martha’s cookies being the longest, as per usual).
Until next year, my fairgoing friends!
2:00 am on September 4th, 2009 1
Just FYI, we call them ‘potato cakes’ here in Oz. (From an adopted Aussie-Canadian
9:26 am on September 4th, 2009 2
i got home and i googled cheese curds, that’s how life changing they were. also, i’m a little upset that we didn’t have corn on the cob and those ridiculous waffles. such an amazing place, really. i loved every minute of my minnesota state fair cherry popping.
1:53 pm on September 4th, 2009 3
I loooove Holy Land! They’re the main reason I visit Midtown Global Market every so often. YUM!
2:06 pm on September 4th, 2009 4
Ohio has a lot of fairs and festivals where food on a stick is the norm too. What exactly are cheese curds? Fried pickles are my absolute favorite.
2:43 pm on September 4th, 2009 5
On my recent trip to Wisconsin, I told my friend and driver we couldn’t leave the state without cheese curds.
And I definitely want to try the deep fried candy. When I visited my family, we went to the county fair (where my younger sisters had all their 4H stuff), and I was sad to leave without having any deep fried anythings. They even had deep fried Pepsi!
Midwestern fair food is definitely something else…. though, well, in Indiana we don’t have gator. I’ve heard it’s good though.
3:11 pm on September 4th, 2009 6
Caz – Noted! I’ll make sure they get it right next time
Rachel – ORDER YOURSELF some cheese curds. Or maybe now I know what I’m sending you as a housewarming gift!
Bri – I’ve never been to Midtown Global Market. Total Twin Cites FAIL, huh?
Mandy – CHEESE CURDS. GOOGLE that now.
Erini – You HAVE to try the deep fried candy bars. I was skeptical – not much of a sugar tooth, but WOW.
4:11 pm on September 4th, 2009 7
I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DIDN’T INCLUDE A PICTURE OF THE DEEP FRIED CANDY.
I think it deserves a post all it’s own though. Peanut butter cups dipped in funnel cake batter and deep fried?! I have never in my life seen someones eyes light up like yours did when we brought them over.
As for State Fair food? Does Jersey even HAVE a state fair? We have the 4H Fair and Chicken BBQ, but that doesn’t really count. Fair food, FAIL.
12:21 pm on September 5th, 2009 8
Blogger here, without a blog post on the Fair because I just like to be different. Here’s my take:
Summit on a Stick- a bit over-rated, but still good. It’s Summit. ‘Nuf said. You had to remove the cups from the stick to really drink or you spilled and looked like a lush. All tasty, then I went back and got a 12-oz Oktoberfest. Ok, 33 oz of Summit……*weave*
Fudge Puppies- waffle on a stick, coated with chocolate and rolled in nuts. Had one last year. Killer good and rich and fabulous.
Frozen Apple Cider Pop- from the Ag building. Incredible! Icy COLD! WOW! It had me wishing it was sultry and hot.
Honey Lemonade- a dollar for 12-oz. Sweet mellow honey flavor and tart lemonade. Best. Deal. Ever. So darn refreshing. I went back twice. Ag building in the Honey corridor.
Fruit- heck yes, I ate fruit at the fair. Colorado peach as big as my head for $2. I was a mess and in glorious food coma when I was done. Amazingly ripe, juicy, sweet…… Outside the Int’l Bazaar.
Scotch Egg- sausage wrapped hard boiled egg deep fried. Sounds horrid, but it’s incredibly good. I first had one at the age of 12 at the Renaissance Fest on a cold September morn. It was an awakening. Nom….
Basket O’ Smelt- wow. That’s all I can say. Food building. Incredible.
1919 root beer- brewed by Schell Brewery of New Ulm. Rich caramel taste, mellow and easy to drink. Knock yourself out with a float, real soft serve. A MUST each year- 12-oz cup is a buck.
Ok, there’s mine.
12:47 pm on September 6th, 2009 9
Umm, all of these sound AMAZING. And look amazing. I need something deep-fried STAT.