All Things Fried: The Great Minnesota Get-Together
The last time I went to the Minnesota State Fair was over ten years ago, while in high school. I certainly wasn't there for the food; more likely a concert and the potential to hang out with friends during the last week of summer. Minnesota's State Fair is the largest in the country by average daily attendance. It gets beat by Texas in overall attendance, but apparently Texas's fair runs almost twice as long. Psssh.
This year's visit would be solely dictated by food. It warmed my heart to see an email from my sister prior to our trip with a detailed list of all the foodie hot spots, complete with specific dishes to try and location on the fairgrounds. If there's anything I enjoy as much as food, it's a well-thought-out plan and organized list. Oh, and a spreadsheet? That's icing on the cake.
Anyway, despite this organization and excitement over delicious-fried-goodness, my eyes certainly turned out to be larger than my stomach. How does one successfully sample so many scrumptious Minnesota delicacies in one trip?! The answer is, you can't. So, I can sadly say, I barely scratched the surface. Rookie mistake. Next year, I'll plan multiple trips. In the meantime, I'll salivate thinking about this year's awesome State Fair finds.
Blue Cheese & Sweet Corn Fritters with Chimichurri from The Blue Barn
These were probably my favorite from the day. Salty, somewhat sweet, tangy, creamy. It's all there!
Hot Toasted Waffle Ice Cream Sandwich from West End Creamery
It's literally a toasted waffle stuffed with a block of vailla ice cream. Can't really go wrong, but I left wondering why I'd never thought of this before.
Pretzel-crusted Cheese Curds from O'Garas
I suppose when you're talking about fried cheese curds, concerns about "excess grease" seem a little prudish, but the pretzel crust on these cheese curds made them seem less greasy and added a lot of flavor! Loved the crunchy texture. Our whole group hoped that O'Gara's would start serving these regularly just in case a future craving struck.
Tom Thumb Mini Donuts
Last, but not least, this State Fair staple is an oldie but a goodie. They truly were "light as a feather". So light, I probably could've eaten the entire bag...luckily, I had five other people with me to help with this task.
While we didn't make it on any rides this year (who has time when you're doing all of the eating?!), it was a beautiful night to fly through the Minnesota sky.
