OMC Smokehouse – Duluth, MN

I’ve heard some friends talk about OMC Smokehouse before, but no one really recommended it to me. I’m not sure if that’s because it’s not in the TC metro or some other reason, but everyone I’ve talked to about OMC has been like, “YEAH, it’s fantastic. I can’t believe you haven’t eaten there yet!”. Apparently, I’ve been missing some sort of memo, because this place is stellar. 

It surprised me how nice this place is. I’ve been to some upscale BBQ places, but maybe it just wasn’t what I expected in Duluth. But it’s nice. Yes, you can still wear shorts and a metal t-shirt (like I was), but it’s good a dark and classy vibe, and I love it. 

The menu is really advanced and the cocktails are next-level. We ended up ordering the Smoked OMC Plate (sort of a sampler with ribs, brisket, and chicken), and then some mac and cheese, hush puppies, and OMC Beans.

While you wait for your food to be prepared, they bring out a plateful of Chicharrónes and their four BBQ sauces so you can spend quality time getting to know each sauce. This is a baller move, and one I wish more places would copy. The sauces are:

• Chipotle Cilantro BBQ
• Classic Honey BBQ
• Bent Paddle 14-degree ESB BBQ
• Alabama White BBQ (with some horseradish zing)

All of these are great, so you’ll have to really experiment with which sauce you like on which food item. The best part is, there’s no wrong answer!

The food part of this review is really easy. No duds here.

OMC Beans – killer and I’m a baked bean snob. Lots of meat in these and so much flavor.

Hushpuppies – awesome and super crispy on the outside and soft and corny on the inside, served with Nashville hot honey.

Mac and Cheese – awesome and the silky cheese definitely was homemade.

Chicken – great bark on the skin and the smoke flavor got into the meat, so it was really fantastic. 

Brisket – these folks know their way around a brisket – really good texture and ratio of fat to meat. 

St. Louis-style ribs – these were spot on. Great amount of smoke flavor and the bark on these was perfect. And honestly, great with any of the sauces they provide. 

This was a great meal and I tried to keep it short, so I’m not just raving about every single item on the plate. I’m not sure why it took me so long to eat here, but I guarantee it isn’t going to be a long time before I got back and eat again…

https://omcsmokehouse.com

Hoop’s Fish & Chips Dockside – Bayfield, WI

If you’re headed to Madeline Island or just spending the day in Bayfield, it’s worth stopping at Hoop’s Fish & Chips for lunch or dinner. Their menu is “limited”, but they absolutely nail what they make for you. 

They’ve got breaded and fried Lake Superior whitefish or seasoned and grilled Lake Superior whitefish. Fries & Coleslaw. (And a new rice pilaf offering this year, as well.)

Since we hadn’t been there before, my wife and I decided to get one of each, so we could see which one we liked better. And yes, with fries and coleslaw for the fried one and rice pilaf and coleslaw for the grilled one. They’ve got a small beer menu with some decent local beers. They also have music most Mondays and Saturdays, so you might get to see a live act while you’re eating.

The food is really quick, so after we loaded up on jalapeno tartar sauce, we found a spot on their small personal dock right on the water. It’s a great place to enjoy lunch, honestly. Just beware the seagulls!

We ended up deciding that there isn’t a “better” dish – they’re both fantastic. The breaded and fried whitefish is perfectly cooked and has such good flavor without being heavy with grease. The grilled whitefish is seasoned perfectly and light and flaky. The fries were better than average and even the coleslaw had more flavor than we were expecting. 

There’s not a lot of options to choose from, but if you like fish and chips, you’re going to be very happy here. 

https://hoopsfish.weebly.com

Milan Masala Cantina – Milan, IL

I come from a small town in Illinois. It’s spelled like Milan, Italy, but it’s pronounced like MY-Lin (don’t ask, it’s an Illinois thing where they steal the name of a famous city and then mispronounce it horrible). Anyway, small towns aren’t known for their adventurous culinary palettes, most of the time. You get tons of American diner-y places, you’re allowed one Chinese restaurant, an ice cream shop, and maybe some Mexican food places if you’re lucky. So, when Milan Masala Cantina put up its sign outside on one of the main streets, it caused a stir. And I knew I had to check it out.

The more I dug into it from my lair in Minnesota, the more I know I would be going there the next trip back to see Illinois family. This restaurant is covering multiple bases, and trying to both appeal to many different tastes that people are familiar with and then also offering Indian food to people who are flavor-cautious (I’m trying to be as nice as possible to citizens of small-town Illinois). Good on you, Milan Masala Cantina! This place has an awesome menu, and it’s big. Indian food options, Mexican food options, Nepaliese food options, even a couple of Chinese-ish offerings, and a very American set of options for kids. There’s even a fusion appetizer section where they combine things that may not have ever been done before. I’m not joking about this menu – it’s really worth looking at.

I wanted to try so many things, so I really had to do my best to narrow it down. I should have tried multiple ethnicities, but all I wanted when I walked through the doors was Indian food. So, I got a Chicken 65 appetizer, Chicken Saag (medium spice) and an order of Garlic Naan. 

While you wait, there’s a nice basket of both standard tortilla chips and also what I think is Papadum chips – someone correct me if I’m wrong. But, this is genius. Before people even know what they’re doing, they’re suddenly eating sneaky Indian food! It comes with three different dipping sauces that you can use like salsa. All three are wildly different and all three are great. 

While I was sitting there waiting for my food, there were two older women who were trying new foods and were raving about everything they eat. They were adorable and asking all kinds of questions to the server and she was so gracious in answering everything they asked about. Clearly, this restaurant had won over two new converts, which is awesome!

The Chicken 65 arrived and looked/smelled amazing. And honestly, it sounded amazing (which is why I took a video of this thing sizzling like a fajita). Some places have a saucy Chicken 65 and some places have a more dry Chicken 65 and they’re both good. This was not the saucy kind and the crunch on the fried pieces of chicken was really crispy. So delicious, and even had some great spice level when you got one with some chili pepper pieces on it. This was a generous portion for an appetizer, so think of these appetizers as “for the table”. 

Garlic Naan is always going to be delicious, so I won’t cover that at all. Perfectly cooked and seasoned and garlicky. Just perfect. 

The Chicken Saag was one of the better ones I’ve had. The boneless chicken pieces were super tender and tasted like real chicken, not some frozen nuggets or something. The spinach sauce was rich and buttery and flavorful. It comes with a container of rice that never seems to be depleted, as well. And again, very generous portion, and I got full quickly. 

I’ll try to get as many people as possible to go here, since if their Mexican food is half as good as their Indian food, it’s going to slay. Might even try a Chinese dish if I’m there soon! You all should give this place a shot and I really think you’ll be able to find something you like here. It’s a family-run business and they’re there to make sure you like your food, so don’t be afraid to ask questions. They’re sooooo nice.

I know they have a lunch buffet on Thursdays that I’m dying to get. It’s got both Indian and Mexican foods on it. It’s got to be good. I’ll keep my fingers crossed I’m working from the QCs soon!

https://www.milancatina.com

Big Bore BBQ Company – Hannover, MN

I had a dinner date with my fellow BBQ snob, AlDente. He asked if I knew where Hanover was and I did not. So, he told me to look it up on a map before I agreed to dinner. He knew this great spot for BBQ out in the country, and I was very willing to check it out. 

Big Bore is like 35-45 minutes northwest of the Twin Cities, so you really have to mean to go there. It’s a MASSIVE complex with multiple dining rooms, multiple outdoor spaces, its own parking lot for motorcycles, and multiple car parking lots. I was surprised the place was completely packed on the weeknight we decided to go, but I take that as a good sign.

I knew I was going to spend some dollars here because I wanted to try so many things. The me menu isn’t a standard BBQ menu, in that they have a lot of “other things” that are often made with BBQ meats. Tons of appetizers, salads, burritos/tacos, sandwiches, burgers, wraps, and some other meal-type items – and that’s besides what they already have for BBQ meats, which are sold by weight. It was very difficult to narrow it down, so I decided to get multiple things. 

Baked beans, mac and cheese, brisket, and a full slab of ribs. I figured I could bring some home for my wife, as long as I didn’t gorge myself. I also got one of their Big Bore Brew beers they have made for them, since I do enjoy a nice adult beverage while eating copious amounts of meat. 

The food came out a little faster than I would have expected with how busy they were. The place had good energy and everyone inside seemed to be seriously happy with their food and beverages. The Big Bore Brew is shipped in from Spoetzl Brewery in Texas, so there must be some connection there. The Big Bore Brew is perfectly drinkable – no complaints. They also carry other beers from Spoetzl, if you need something else. That being said, the tap list is really solid for a BBQ place in the middle of Minnesota.

Baked Beans were solid – lots of different meats included in these beans, which is always a plus in my book. Not spicy, but honestly had a good rich flavor. 

Mac and Cheese – definitely my favorite side here (and probably in general at a BBQ place). Rich and cheesy and didn’t feel like the noodles fell apart when they are made hours ago and sat in a pan. These tasted like Big Bore made them just for me. No, they’re not baked, if that’s your thing – it isn’t my thing, so I don’t care.

Brisket – I’ve eaten a lot of brisket in my day, and a lot of different preparations. This one was one I hadn’t had before. Great flavor on the rub and nice and real smoke-y. Good line of fat running down each slice, which gives it good flavor. But, somehow, the meat itself cut and chewed like it was a steak. Very unusual to me and not sure if I got a weird piece. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t at all like brisket I’ve had in other places. I brought most of this home to my wife, who doesn’t like when brisket is too fatty, and she was good with this style.

Ribs – absolute show stopper. Amazing rub on these. Perfect amount of bark and bite, as well. The photo doesn't do them justice and they're very moist. I ate more of these than I was supposed to since I was bringing some home. I’m a rib snob and these definitely exceeded expectations.

They’ve got three different sauces and they’re all pretty good – Crow River Sweet, County Road 19 (traditional), and Hanover Heat. Try all three or mix and match. I liked the heat with the sweet, personally.

AlDente had the quote of the night to sum it all up, “This place is about two sauces and three craft beers away from being at the top of the list.”

I would go back here any time. I don’t care about the 45-minute drive. I know I’m going to eat amazing food until I’m too tired to drive, and I’ll do that every time.

http://www.bigborebarbeque.com

2026 Minnesota State Fair Trip Three - Falcon Heights, MN

I think of myself as a one-and-done attendee of the Minnesota State Fair. But, this year, I went three times. Many reasons, but mainly, I wanted to make up for last year’s weak showing. I had a few things to check off my list of new foods, so I did one last pass. 

I started with the Apple Donut Ham Grinder from the Minnesota Farmer’s Union. This is a hoagie roll stacked with battered and fried apple slices tossed with cinnamon sugar, then slices of ham, arugula, hot honey, and herb-whipped ricotta.  This thing was very good, surprisingly good even. The bread was a little dry but the toppings really made up for it. I should have gotten it day one, just in case the bread was fresher. Good apple flavor. Good ham flavor. Good ricotta flavor. Even with the slightly dry bread, it was awesome.

 

I kept raving about the Crack and Cheese from Jive Turkey, and I knew I wanted to go check out the Soul Rolls. These are eggrolls stuffed with mac and cheese and collard greens – right up my alley. So good. Just a great fry on these – they know their way around a fryer, obviously. I waited in line a half hour to order then waited in line a half hour to get my rolls. But it was worth it. The mac and cheese was great. The collard greens were spot on. Plus, I watched the server shove the bottle of bbq sauce into the end of both egg rolls and squeezed a bunch of bbq sauce right into the whole thing. Genius. Best thing I ate the whole day. 

 

I also had the Korean Pickle Corndog from Chan’s Eatery on my list and it’s literally right around the corner from Jive Turkey. It’s a large pickle (top half) and a dog inside (bottom half), and it’s surrounded by mozzarella, and that whole thing is fried in corndog batter. It’s actually better than I even expected. Great crunchy fry on this thing. Lotttttts of cheese, with a surprising cheese-pull. The whole thing is topped with relish/chopped pickles, and a healthy drizzle of some sort of elevated ranch. I had high hopes for this and it delivered. 

 

The only thing I repeated on any of the three trips was the Back Channel Tropic North.  Pink guava, prickly pear, and tangerine. So good. 

 

I had heard good things about the Saturday Dumpling Company’s Chinese Sausage & Cheese Poppers. These had a decent crunch, but the sausage flavor wasn’t as forward as I thought it would be. I wanted these to be better. They just felt a little light. With a heavy drizzle of sweet and sour. Totally fine, but I wanted a punch in the face of flavor. 

 

The last time I was at the Fair, El Taco Torro hadn’t started their second-half-of-the-Fair residency in the Midtown Global Market spot. But, they were open today! I was very intrigued by the Birria Crunch Bomb. These are deep fried tortilla balls filled with birria beef, Oaxaca & mozzarella cheese rolled in a tortilla chip crumbs, and served with a side of consommé dip. These has a decent crunch on the outside but the inside was mush – I had heard some folks complaining about inconsistency, so I’m wondering if this is part of that comment. The birria consommé was really good and flavorful and the green salsa was good. I had my expectations set high for this one but, it was just fine. Not bad at all, but they could have been awesome.

 

I was super intrigued by the Roon’s Savories booth. I had to decide which one to get, since they all sounded good. I finally landed on the Chicken Tinga Waffle Cone. It has shredded chicken in a red chipotle sauce with cilantro rice and crema drizzle. This is a layered situation and once I figured that out, I was pretty stoked. You gotta dig deep for the rice in the cone. The flavors go well together and even mixed well with the waffle cone. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, but it honestly was better than I expected. I would recommend this one and I hope all of the other flavors are as delicious.

 

I found out that shirtless firemen from St. Paul were selling sexy firemen calendars, so I headed over and supported their fundraiser by buying a couple of calendars and taking a photo together. They did NOT, in fact, ask me to be in next year’s calendar. But still, mad respect to the firefighter wearing the Kublai Khan hat.

 

I’m a big fan of Scooby Snack shots, so I wanted to try the Scooby Slushie from the Chicago Dogs vendor in the food building. I was not a fan of this one. Just give me an actual Scooby Shot, please.

 

And, since I hadn’t caved in previous visits to the fair in 2026, I went to Mouth Trap and got the best curds at the fair. These are always good, so no review needed. 

 

It wasn’t on MY radar, but my wife wanted to check out the Dubai Whoopie Pie from Dino’s Gyros. I had a bite and that was about all I needed, but I’m not necessarily a sweets fan. It’s a Dubai chocolate-style whoopie pie made with pistachio cream between the two cookies. Then, it’s rolled in shredded filo, pistachios, honey, and brown sugar. My wife liked this one, but this is more her jam than mine. It’s a little too much like a brownie for my taste. But, I do respect the effort that goes into each of these. 

 

Remember when people complained about the crowds??? - it's very real...

Overall, the 2026 Minnesota State Fair was a success in my eyes. Not everything can be a winner, but I had some surprise winners and some that I had high expectations for that did pan out. We’ll see if I go back to the one-and-done attendance – I know my wallet will appreciate that… 

 

From today’s adventure, things I would recommend:

• Jive Turkey’s Soul Rolls
• Apple Donut Ham Grinder from the Minnesota Farmer’s Union
• Korean Pickle Corndog from Chan’s Eatery (if you like pickles)
• Chicken Tinga Waffle Cone from Roon’s Savories

 

Foods I would probably not recommend:

• Birria Crunch Bomb from El Taco Torro
• Scooby Slushie

First day at the Fair

Second day at the Fair

2026 Minnesota State Fair Trip Two – Falcon Heights, MN

I don’t always do multiple days at the Minnesota State Fair, but I had a few things I had on my list that I missed the first time around. So, I went back….

This time, I went with the Park and Ride scenario (it really is the way to go if you don’t want to get there at 7:00am. I left the park and ride at 11:27am and at 11:58, I was off the bus. At 12:02, I was in the gate – so fast, so easy.

 

I already had my bearings, so I knew where I wanted to go first. Brisket Cheese Curd Taco from Richie’s. Everything this guy does is magic. Basically, you put deep fried cheese curds into a taco shell that you’ve also deep fried, and it’s going to be good. In fact, this was very good and honestly, the brisket was really secondary to the curds and fried shell.  There isn’t a ton of brisket in the taco, but I think that’s ok. The pink sauce was good but I don’t know what it was – I looked when I got home and it’s BBQ aioli. The coleslaw is better than average, which is good, since I had it on both of the tacos I got. I’m always happy with these tacos. 

 

I also got a Hot Chick Cheese Curd Taco. It’s just so good with the spicy buffalo sauce slathered in the whole taco with the same coleslaw as the brisket version. Again, the fried curds and fried shell made this awesome. You could put anything in it and it would be awesome. I like whatever I get from Richie’s every year.

 

I found my long-lost work friend who moved away, but came back for a visit during the fair. KZ is one of the best humans on the planet and I’m glad we had a chance to get caught up and hang with one of her top two kids and his fiancé. Just a GD amazing family, all around.

 

Next was the Hmong Corn Dog at Union Hmong Kitchen. I’ve seen a LOT of people raving about this, so I moved it up the priority list and checked it out. It was really very good. Better than I expected. It isn’t just a boring old hot dog in there. It’s a delicious sausage specially made by Kramarczuk’s (if you’re from the Twin Cities, this carries a great deal of weight) with ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chili, and lemongrass. The corn meal batter was perfectly fried. And every dipping sauce Union Hmong makes is pure magic. This was a citrus Kua Txob sauce and despite not knowing what that means, it’s so good. Just get the sauce. 

 

Since I was already in the International Bazaar, I had to try the Crispy Kubbeh Bites from Holy Land. Kubbeh Bites are bulgur and ground beef dough with onion and spices, and served with a spiced dill pickle yogurt. These were good, but just fine. The yogurt dipping sauce definitely jazzed these up. But, they were just good, not amazing or special. I’m glad I checked them out, but I don’t know that I would rave about these to friends and family.

 

I had Sligo Sliders from O’Gara’s on my list. These were Just ok. I’m still not sure what was inside or what the pink sauce I was dipping into. Again, I looked this up before publishing and the insides of the slider were a sort of cheeseburger blend with beef, cheddar, pickle, and onion. The dipping sauce is homemade thousand island. I’m hit or miss with O’Gara’s at the Fair, so I always roll the dice with them. Sometimes, I win and sometimes I loose.

 

I had to check out the Sociable Cider Pina Cider Lada. And, I’m pretty impressed with this one – it was a very refreshing drink. It’s still more cider-y than pina colada-y, but they do make a solid cider, so it was pretty awesome. 

 

Gotta get the Key Lime Pie golden ale from Lift Bridge – it was very good. It also helps that it was 200 degrees out, so it was going to be extra good, especially with the green sugar rim. 

 

I took a bit of a gamble on the Buffalo Chicken Tater Kegs from the famous guy David at Greater Tater. These were shredded chicken and shredded potato, deep fried and served with a solid variety of dipping sauces. I went with the blue cheese and it was the right decision. Super crunchy and you can taste all the flavors in these. I’m glad I checked these out. Seems like some of the other flavors offered would be delicious, as well.

I wanted to check out the Pina Colada Cream Ale from Indeed that they had at Lulu's Public House. Very good and refreshing. I've had a lot of Pina colada drinks, which is almost on the mark since it was National Mai Tai Day.

I’ve said it before, but I don’t usually go back to places unless they’re very special to me. My brother-in-law and I got hooked on the Fire Dog from Pickle Dogs, and I think about them way more than I should. A pickle dog is a pickle wrapped in a slice of pastrami with cream cheese, and a fire dog has some jalapenos thrown in. I’m not ashamed – I went and picked one up before going to watch my friend play some sweet-rockin’ bluegrass at the Schilling Amphitheater. Both the Fire Dog and Rosie Daze were top notch.

 

Since I was that close, I might as well pick up the best beer created for a previous Minnesota State Fair – Grainbelt Blu with the frozen beer topper. I’m never NOT going to like this beef, especially in the summer.

 

I gave this one a shot and I wasn’t mad that I did. There’s a Pryes Raspberry and Peach Soft Serve cone at the same place as the Grainbelt Blu. I’m not a fan of Pryes beers, but when put into a frozen soft serve format, I can get behind it, especially when it’s above 80 degrees. I’ll be honest, one of my favorite parts about this was watching all the children melt down (pun intended) that mom and dad weren’t sharing their ice cream with the kids. Hahahahaha.

 

I was sitting in the Ball Park Café, enjoying the shade and the mister things they have, and needed to try the Little Thistle Jungle Bird IPA. Very good. Has some good fruit flavors, as well as some floral hints. 

 

I had a few tastes of the Lift Bridge Frozen Blueberry Lemonade Slushy that my wife got, as well. It was also super good. Can’t even taste the booze in this one.

 

And since we sat there too long, we also ended up with a basket of garlic fries. Delicious.

 

And then a Tiger’s Blood Cider. Totally drinkable.

 

And then a Frozen Mango Tango Slushy. Not as good as the blueberry lemonade slushy.

 

And then some friends brought us a doughnut from Peachey’s. Ate this one too fast, so there isn’t a photo, sorry.

 

On the way out, I had one last beer on my list to try – the Pomelo Pils from Indeed at Mancini’s. It was good, but not like recommending/impressive good. (again, my opinion)

 

Eight and a half food items and nine beers. That’s a decent showing for a second visit, I think. And once again, I forgot to turn on my step tracking app, so I couldn’t justify eating 10,000 calories by walking seven miles. Oh well.

 

From today’s adventure, things I would recommend:

• Hmong Corndog from Hmong Union Kitchen
• Brisket Cheese Curd Taco and Hot Chick Cheese Curd Taco from Richie’s Cheese Curd Tacos

Foods I would personally NOT recommend:

• Sligo Sliders
• Crispy Kubbeh Bites

We'll see if I make it another time - there's still time!!!! (Note: I did, in fact, make it a third time)

2026 Minnesota State Fair - Falcon Heights, MN

After last year’s health restrictions caused me to miss out on a bunch of delicious new foods, I was determined to make up for lost time this year. 

I always like to give people an idea of how long it takes to get to the fair. I live 8 miles from the fairgrounds. On a Tuesday night at midnight, I can get there in like 18 minutes. This year, I made a new plan on where I was going to park and it paid off. On this year’s Fair Opening day, I left my house at 6:40am. It took me 20 minutes to get within a mile of the fairgrounds and then I waited in traffic for like 23 minutes to go the last mile. Just be ready for that. It did seem like it was less busy than last year, but maybe that’s because schools are starting early and there isn’t the rush of families that normally happens.

Also, if you get here early in the morning, there's no crowd!!

I started my adventure at Lulu’s Public House, since it’s one of the early-opening establishments. I heard all about this new food item – the Pickle Pie. Pie crust filled with a blend of chopped pickles, pickle juice, and cream cheese. Then they top it with a savory whipped frosting made with ranch and Cholula hot sauce. Then they stick a gherkin on top and dust it with dill. I like pickles and I really wanted to like this item. But, it was the weirdest thing I ate all day – I changed between being disgusted and liking it at least seven times. It’s SOOOOO bizarre. The cheese flavor is so aggressive and the savory frosting is even more aggressive. It truly isn’t terrible, but I think a lot of people are going to attempt this item and very few people are actually going to recommend it. 

I went to Sausage Sister & Me next, to try the When Pigs Fly. This is a flight of pork sausages wrapped in puff pastry and each one has its own topping. Chorizo sausage with chimichurri; Texas Two-Step sausage with sweet pepper coleslaw; Oktoberfest sausage with melted cheddar and chili crunch; and Porketta Italain sausage with pickle aioli. All four of these were really good, honestly. I didn’t know it was a different sausage for each flavor before I ordered it. The chimichurri was (probably) my favorite. The Texas one, the coleslaw actually had flavor. The pickle aioli was the perfect amount of tang. Oktoberfest one was my least favorite and it was still good. I was confused if it was chili crunch or was it stone ground mustard? Doesn’t matter, this one was really good.

Peri Peri bowl from Afro Deli was next on my list. Best thing all day. Boneless chicken pieces were fantastic. The sambusas were great, especially with the spicy Somali green sauce. And then the plantains were fantastic to finish with. Everything just hit. It does have a little heat (if you’re from Minnesota), but everything in this dish is so good. 

The beer lines open at 9am, if you’re wondering. And yes, there are people waiting in line. I started with Homer Black Pepper IPA from Surly. It’s a good IPA, but I thought there would be more black pepper flavor. (I recently had a black pepper beer at Wooden Ship Brewing and that had great black pepper flavor, so I was expecting something similar to that). Still a solid beer. 

Then, I had to try Back Channel’s Tropic North. Made with pink guava, prickly pear, and tangerine. Tastes like a melted popsicle with just a tiny hint of sour. Great beer. 

Went to a new vendor this year – Jive Turkey. The Crack and Cheese was surprisingly good. Generous helping of mac and cheese plenty of smoked turkey on top and some deep fried turkey cracklins. The BBQ sauce you add yourself is good. Worth getting even if it wasn’t a new booth. Also, it should also be mentioned that every human working this new booth was LOVELY. I’m very tempted to go back for the Soul Rolls – mac and cheese with collard greens deep fried in an egg roll. 

Next was the Aurora Tropical Drift beer from Castle Danger. Good. Not a “five”, but a pretty good IPA. This one has passion fruit, pineapple, and mango, but I wanted more of those.

I had to get the Elote Tots from Tot Boss. They have the best tots in the business. Always incredibly crunchy and cooked exactly how a tot should be. The elote topping – corn, diced peppers, cheddar cheese, crema, and cream cheese – was a B+ and good, but not mind blowing. I feel like some of their other flavors pop a little more than this. Not sure if more topping or better topping is the answer. I’m glad I tried this one – I just had my expectations set way to high based on previous dishes from them.

I had to try the Pink Lemonade Lager from Indeed (at Dino’s), and I’m glad I did – it was delightful on a hot summer day! Would recommend!

Next was the Bao Belly from RC’s BBQ. This was much much better than I expected. The initial view of this wasn’t even impressive (look at the photo), but I changed my mind very quickly. The bao bun was light and not sticky and the pork belly fell apart nicely and wasn’t stringy or tough or greasy. People all around were talking about how surprised they were that this was a good showing from RC’s. That’s always a good sign.

I had to go check out Lumpia City. I got in line at 11:00, and had my food at 11:30 (one of the longer lines I encountered today). These were good. Maybe not worth the wait, but they’re good. Honestly, the fried part is perfection. I wished I tasted more filling – I know it’s hard when you get melty cheese curds. The first bite is just shell. The second bite is better. But, when you get to the “full” end, it’s really good. Still good, though. 

I wanted to try the Huckleberry Haze IPA from Lift Bridge (at the Frontier Bar). Sadly, it was just ok to me. I thought it would either have more IPA flavor or more huckleberry flavor, but it was a little weak on both of those. I still drank it though, didn’t I? 

Since I was right there next to it, I had to go to Andy’s Grill. The Pineapple Upside Down Cake Slushy is good but not incredible. Great on a hot summer day though. And I can’t taste any alcohol which is fun/dangerous. Also, it isn’t a cherry on the top like I expected. It’s a Cherry Chan candy, which I looooove! Well done. 

I knew I needed to try the Royal Hawawshi from Kosharina. It’s very good, just like everything I’ve had from this awesome Egyptian place. The seasoned meat is ground but then pressed together like a hamburger patty – and the seasonings are fantastic in this. The flaky fresh bread that it’s stuffed into is also wonderful. The sauce is great with it, which they say is tahini dip, but I know it’s something more than tahini. Not the best thing at the fair, but it’s really really good. 

At this point in the day, I walked past the grilled corn vendor – which is always mobbed. As I walked past, I watched a guy throw his cell phone into the corncob compost bin instead of his corn cob. This was a first for me. I hope he got it out of there…

Then, a repeat vendor for me pretty much every year – a root beer float from 1919 (not the year). Always delicious. No frills, just refreshing.

I am a cookie dough fiend ever since I was a kid. In fact, one of my top 10 nephews made me some cookie dough the last time I was in Illinois, so it’s very top of mind for me. I wanted to try the Brandy Old Fashioned Cookie Dough on a Stick at Kora and Mila’s Cookie Dough. The dough has orange zest, brandy flavoring, cinnamon, dark chocolate, and tart dried cherries in it. I still think it’s weird that it has that much chocolate and then they dip it in brandy flavored bittersweet chocolate, and then sprinkle Biscoff cookie crumbs on it. But it’s ok. The dough is a little dry for my taste. Probably because they can’t put eggs in the dough and still safely sell it. It wouldn’t stop me for a second if it had raw eggs in it.

I was close-ish to the Luther Pit beer counter, so I checked out the Castle Danger Hazy Pineapple Whip. Great IPA flavor, but could have been stronger on the pineapple (and the whip). Again, it didn't really stop me from drinking it...

I’ve always been a fan of Babas and I knew they had a new menu item - Al Elotay (basically, their take on Mexican Elotes. It was honestly great, as usual. Made with corn hummus (which I didn’t even know was a thing), Arabic chorizo, pecorino romano, harissa oil, microgreens, and cilantro. It had great corn/elote flavor. And the harissa oil really made it pop. Also, as per usual, the pita puffs were warm and delicious. 

Had to hit another new vendor - Summer Lakes Boat House. They’ve got this thing called Dockside Poppers. It’s seasoned cream cheese, bacon, artichoke hearts, and jalapenos, breaded and fried; served with a side of tomato chili jam. These are actually good. Really good. Just a perfect fry on the outside, without ruining how fluffy they are. Also, you can actually taste the artichoke in these – in a good way. The tomato chili dip is really complimentary, as well. I’m glad I tried these even though they were on my maybe list. Sadly, the number of times I heard grown-ass adults say “What even is an artichoke heart? Never heard of it.” while I was in line was embarrassing. COME ON!

My work colleague, Hattie, told me I needed to try the First Place Peach, which is made by Pen Name Fermentation Project. What Hattie doesn’t know is that Pen Name Fermentation Project (up until very recently) was based out of the Haggard Barrel Brewery in St. Louis Park. They have recently switched over to Wandering Leaf Brewing in St. Paul. Just wanted you to know, Hattie. This was a pretty good sour, thankfully. This one had peach pie, cinnamon, vanilla, and some hints of ice cream, so it’s pretty adventurous.

Since I was already at Lulu’s buying the First Place Peach, I also decided to try the Candyman Blue Raspberry lager from Bent Paddle. It didn’t have as much blue raspberry flavor in it, despite the blue sugar rim they serve it with. I thought it would be ore fun-tasting, but it was a very drinkable lager. Decent.

While I was at the Fair, a friend tagged me in a video of a lifestyle reporter tasting an … adventurous beer on video. I watched it and based on his reaction “I did not care for that”, I knew I had to at least try it. It’s called Old Ranch Hand and it’s from Dual Citizen Brewing. It is literally a ranch dressing flavored cream ale. “smooth malt with hints of buttermilk, herbs, and spices”. It was a gamble … that I lost. The herb dusted rim did not help. As the expert reporter said earlier, “I did not care for that”.

My stomach was full at this point, and there was only enough room for one last small thing – Chorizo Manchego Croquettes from Paella Depot. This place has always treated me well – they make killer paella, especially considering it’s out of a giant food truck and not a brick and mortar restaurant. These croquettes are filled with manchego cheese and Spanish chorizo and drizzled with lemon garlic aioli. I had high hopes for these, but these croquettes were not crispy at all and when you pick up one, it seemed like a mushy mess. Normally they knock it out of the park, but this one was a bummer. The seasoning of the filling is really quite good, though, so the flavor was there, but not crispy enough to even pick up – it just fell apart. 

And here is the scene when I left the Fair - these are the crowds that folks complain about...

I feel like I let down my Strava friends because I forgot to turn on my step tracker. But I’d guess I walked four or five miles today, based on previous years. I think 13 food items and 10 beers was a pretty good showing. Yes, I lumped the root beer float into the food category.

 

I know people ask what to try and what to avoid, so this is my own list from my own unprofessional opinion...

Things I would recommend:

• Peri Peri Bowl from Afro Deli
• Crack and Cheese from Jive Turkey
• Dockside Poppers from Summer Lakes Boat House
• Al Elotay from Babas
• Bao Belly from RC’s BBQ
• Pink Lemonade Lager from Indeed

Foods I would personally NOT recommend:

• Pickle Pie
• Brandy Old Fashioned Cookie Dough
• Old Ranch Hand Beer

We'll see if I end up going back for another visit this year. I'm usually a one-and-done guy with the Minnesota State Fair. IF I do, there will be more posts! (NOTE: I did go back a second day!) (And, a third day!)