You'd have to be some kind of off-the-grid tinfoil hat person to not know that the State Fair — and the requisite wall-to-wall coverage of everything you can shove into your maw there — has begun.
On opening day Thursday, food critics from Twin Cities news outlets fanned out across the fair to try the new foods listed on the fair website, from pepperoni chips with roasted red pepper queso to a zesty PB&J sausage (An observation: no new foods on a stick except a salmon waffle, nominally. Is that fad over?)
To save you the trouble of reading so much fair coverage, we fanned out across the Internet to bring you a meta-review based on the reviews of critics from the Star Tribune, City Pages, Mpls.St. Paul Magazine and KARE 11.
Bookmark this page for reference as you fight your way down Dan Patch Avenue looking for your next fair fare. The foods are listed from most universally popular to least.
(Note, these are MinnPosters’ interpretations of reviews, which weren’t always a straight thumbs-up or thumbs-down. When there were multiple reviewers, we tried to average their takes.)
| Food | Vendor | Star Tribune | City Pages | Mpls. St. Paul | Kare 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow cloud roll | Rainbow Ice Cream | Positive | Positive | Positive | Positive |
| Sweetie cakes | Sweetie Cakes | Positive | Positive | Positive | Positive |
| Wood-grilled elote | Tejas Express | Positive | Positive | Positive | Positive |
| Mangonada shave ice | Minnesnowii Shave Ice | Positive | Positive | Positive | |
| UpNorth puff pasty | Sausage Sister & Me | Positive | Positive | Positive | |
| General Tso chicken taco | Midtown Global Market's Taco Cat | Positive | Positive | Positive | |
| Nordic waffles | Nordic Waffles | Positive | Positive | Neutral | Positive |
| Blueberry rhubarb cobbler | Farmers Union Coffee Shop | Positive | Positive | Neutral | Positive |
| Swedish meatball smörgås | The Blue Barn | Positive | Negative | Positive | Positive |
| Bananas foster French toast | Hamline Church Dining Hall | Positive | Neutral | Positive | |
| Turducken sausage sandwich | Giggles' Campfire Grill | Positive | Neutral | Positive | Neutral |
| Earth Wings | French Meadow Bakery and Cafe | Positive | Negative | Neutral | Positive |
| Smoked soft serve ice cream | Blue Moon Dine-In Theater | Neutral | Positive | Neutral | Neutral |
| Messy Giuseppe | Mancini's al Fresco | Neutral | Negative | Positive | Neutral |
| Sweet Greek cheese puffs | Dino's Gyros | Negative | Positive | Neutral | Neutral |
| Za-waffle sticks | Green Mill | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Positive |
| Irish tater kegs | O'Gara's at the Fair | Negative | Negative | Neutral | Positive |
| Pepperoni chips with roasted red pepper queso | Lulu's Public House | Positive | Negative | Neutral | Negative |
| Slider flights | The Hangar | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Honey cream soda float | Minnesota honey producers | Neutral | Negative | Neutral | |
| Zesty PB&J sausage | Gass Station Grill | Negative | Neutral | Neutral | |
| Shrimp ceviche | Shrimp Shack | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Neutral |
| Firecracker shrimp stuffed avocado | The Hideaway Speakeasy | Neutral | Negative | Negative | |
| Moroccan sausage bowl | Sausage by Cynthia | Negative | Neutral | Negative | |
| Triple chocolate strawberry shortcake | The Strawberry Patch | Neutral | Negative | Negative | |
| Ahi tuna poke bowl | Cafe Caribe | Neutral | Negative | Negative | Negative |
