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