State Fair, MN Cooks Day 2009, Sans Kids
Our friend Queenie and her now-husband Blogenheimer introduced us in 1999 to the wonder that is the MN State Fair. I have been every year since; this is my tenth anniversary and my 11th fair. Drake arrived about a week before the fair in 2003. My husband G. Grod didn’t think it was a good idea to take a newborn to the fair, no matter how I wheedled, so Queenie and I went for a quick trip between feedings. Drake’s first fair was 2004; Guppy’s was 2006. This year, G. and I attended the State Fair on our own, without kids, just like in the old days.
To begin, we checked out the demonstration for the MN Cooks panel that hour, sampled some lamb, then had roast corn for breakfast, quickly followed by a root beer and one of my favorite fair treats, a chocolate-covered mocha on a stick from J & S Coffee (available year round at The Bean Factory in St. Paul!)
We had to ask directions to the new Spam stand, but the breakfast sandwich was worth it. I am not generally a fan of Spam, but something about the soft white bun, oozy orange cheese, a slab of salty Spam and a fried egg created a perfect storm–an utterly crave-able breakfast item. We devoured it.
Next were fried green tomatoes dipped in ranch sauce with a bit of Tabasco mixed in, suggested at Heavy Table. Unfortunately, the Tabasco bottle was set on full-throttle, so our sauce was more spicy than we liked, but tomatoes and sauce were still good. I got the combo plate with corn fritters. I enjoyed them and their accompanying honey butter; G. Grod was less impressed.
G. got his annual fried cheese curd fix while I tried one of the new items recommended at Heavy Table. The cheese curds were as good as always. The $3 Lefse Delight was not. The idea of it–soft thin potato bread wrapped around tart lingonberries and topped with whipped cream and crunchy almonds–was good. In reality, though, the lingonberries were sour, the whipped cream was wet and overly sweet, and the almonds weren’t crunchy. Instead, I’d opt for a more traditional lefse offering, like butter and brown sugar.
Outside the Eco experience, we stopped for a local Minne-soda. I wanted to try both flavors, but at $4 each, I picked the maple over the chokecherry. It was flavorful but way too sweet for our tastes. Next year, the other flavor. On the way back we looked around the Fine Arts and Creative Activities displays, something not possible with the kids.
In a lame attempt at more substantive food, I got one of my favorite items from last year, Axel’s tater tots on a stick–fried potatoes, cheese, bacon, and a sour cream/chili powder dipping sauce. I liked them well enough, but G. didn’t care for them.
A cider freezie hit the spot while I tracked down the Salty Tart outpost, which I eventually found in the Produce Exchange across from the International Bazaar. $5 seemed steep for 3 macaroons, but their compact sweet insides and dense outer crusts made me understand why these are named “Crack-aroons.”
G took the opportunity to check out the butter sculptures of the fair royalty candidates,
and got a chocolate malt in the Dairy Building, then we made our way back to the food demonstrations to see Judi Barsness of Chez Jude (where we celebrated out 10th anniversary on a weekend getaway to the North Shore last fall) and J.D. Fratzke of St. Paul’s Strip Club (where my friend K8 and I recently attended the wonderful Simple Good and Tasty August supper).
Local farmers attended from Pastures Aplenty, whose bratwurst and sausage are regular items in our family, and Hidden Stream Farm, whose cheddar bratwurst we enjoyed last summer. We were able to sample Fratzke’s dish, which he called a PPLT: pork, pancetta, lettuce and tomato, on focaccia with seasoned mayo. It was an upscale sandwich to die for.
For “dessert,” I got a cone of Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies and glass of milk, then we wondered if we should stay or go. We let a street-blocking parade help us decide, and had a lemonade on the way to the exit, where we passed K8 and her family coming out of the Miracle of Birth barn, having just seen a calf born.
G. and I didn’t stay much longer than I had with the kids and didn’t spend much more either. It was a good day, with beautiful weather and not too crowded. Like my trip with the kids, it would be nice to make this an annual tradition.