Every year, the Minnesota State Fair adds an exciting list of new foods to its already-enticing roster. New food items for the 2015 fair include items ranging from the exotic to the classic. Here are just a few examples:
Wine-Fried Kalettes
It’s practically health food! At Minnesota Wine Country, kalettes, a hybrid of kale and Brussels sprouts, are dipped in batter, fried in wine (red wine is chock-full of antioxidants, you know) and served with sweet Thai chili sauce.
Sriracha Balls
So much sriracha, so little time. At Boulevard Grill, choose from a concoction of shredded chicken, corn, tomatoes, egg and sriracha, or sriracha cream cheese with corn, tomatoes and egg, all rolled into balls and deep fried.
Sriracha Dog
Or try this kicky hot dog, served on a sriracha cream cheese–smeared bun, topped with bacon bits and drizzled with sriracha sauce at Snack House.
Tikka on a Stikka
The Taste of Midtown Global Market booth at International Bazaar will host Hot Indian, a popular food truck found around the metro, for six days. One of its offerings, Tikka on a Stikka, is a serving of chicken marinated in Indian spices and yogurt, chargrilled and smothered in tikka sauce. It will be available Aug. 27–Sept. 1.
Hot Tail
From Sept. 2 to 7, Rabbit Hole will take over the Taste of Midtown Market booth and offer what may be the most adventurous dish at the fair: roasted pig tail coated in a scallion ginger sauce. Come on, live a little.
Chilled Bread Pudding
Blue Moon Dine-In Theater is a State Fair institution and can always be counted on for unique creations. Seek refuge from the blazing sun, settle into one of their funky chairs made from old car seats, and enjoy this year’s addition to their quirky menu: chilled custard bread pudding served with a warm glaze and a wide choice of crunchy “Moon Gravel” condiments.
Sara’s Tipsy Pies
One of the new vendors for 2015, Sara’s features five varieties of hand pies, including State Fair Rhubarb Blue Hunny Do, a pie exclusively available at the State Fair. The tiny pie is filled with a blend of strawberries, rhubarb and blueberries, baked with Hunny Do Wheat Beer and topped with a Hunny Do Tipsy Topping.
Grandma Deb’s Snicker Bar Salad
The Blue Barn, located at West End Market, offered a delicious variety of dishes when it opened in 2014. New this year is this over-the-top dessert: chopped Snickers bars and Granny Smith apples, tossed in vanilla pudding with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.
Wacky Ice Cream Flavors
For at least a part of the 12-day run, chances are it will be hot and sticky. Cool off with these intriguing ice cream flavors: BBQ Pickle Ice Cream at R&R Ice Cream, Caramel Chocolate-Dipped Bacon Ice Cream Bar at Pat’s Place or Chocolate Jalapeño Ice Cream at Rainbow Ice Cream.
JonnyPops
JonnyPops was started in honor of the vendor’s friend Jonathan, who died of a drug overdose. JonnyPops donates a portion of its proceeds to the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. The newest treat is the Chocolate-Dipped Cherry-on-a-Spoon, made with fresh tart cherries and cream, dipped in dark chocolate and served on a spoon, inspired by the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture at the Walker Art Center.
