• Bada Bing Sandwich

    Bada Bing Sandwich

    The Sandwich Shop
    Clough St. and Carnes Av.

    Italian-inspired warm flatbread sandwich with ham, salami, melted mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, fresh basil and a creamy balsamic vinaigrette.

  • Blueberry Key Lime Pie

    Blueberry Key Lime Pie

    Farmers Union Coffee Shop
    Dan Patch Av. and Cosgrove St.

    This collaboration with the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis is a blueberry Key lime filling in a graham cracker crust, topped with whipped cream and fresh blueberries.

  • Boozy Berries & ’Barb Trifle

    Boozy Berries & ’Barb Trifle

    The Hideaway Speakeasy
    Grandstand, upper level

    Five-layer cold trifle, made with vanilla pound cake, lemon curd, made-in-Minnesota wine, a blueberry compote and a rhubarb compote, topped with mint-infused whipped cream and a wine-blueberry coulis.

  • Breakfast Potato Skin

    Breakfast Potato Skin

    The Blue Barn
    West End Market

    Deep-fried potato skin stuffed with scrambled eggs and peppers, topped with blackened beef chislic — a South Dakota bar food staple — and drizzled with béarnaise sauce.

  • Carnitas Taco Cone

    Carnitas Taco Cone

    San Felipe Tacos
    Food Building

    Carnitas with sesame-garlic ginger sauce, cabbage, lime and queso fresco, topped with green onions and sour cream and served in a deep-fried, cone-shaped tortilla.

  • Carolina Pit-Smoked Brisket Taco

    Carolina Pit-Smoked Brisket Taco

    Shanghaied Henri’s
    International Bazaar

    Beef brisket, pit-smoked over hickory charcoal, shredded and topped with smoked Gouda cheese, a pickled kale crunch (made with kale, Brussels sprouts, Napa and red cabbage, carrots and radicchio) and served in a flour tortilla.

  • Cheesy Sriracha Funnel Cake Bites

    Cheesy Sriracha Funnel Cake Bites

    Funnel Cakes
    Dan Patch Av. and Nelson St.

    Bite-sized funnel cake pieces infused with Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella, deep-fried and finished with sharp Cheddar and chives, and served with a housemade Sriracha aioli dipping sauce.

  • Cuban Fusion Fajita

    Cuban Fusion Fajita

    Juanita’s Fajitas
    Nelson St. south of the Grandstand

    Carnitas-style roast pork, deli-sliced ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and Juanita’s Fajitas’ signature mustard, all folded into a flour tortilla.

  • Deep-Fried Dilly Dog

    Deep-Fried Dilly Dog

    Swine & Spuds
    Warner Coliseum

    The latest in the on-a-stick fair-food pantheon starts with a speared pickle that’s stuffed with bratwurst, dipped in batter and deep-fried.

  • Duck Drummies

    Duck Drummies

    Giggles’ Campfire Grill
    Lee Av. and Cooper St.

    Duck wings coated in a batter and seasoning blend, deep-fried and served with Giggles’ own tequila-lime dipping sauce.

  • Feta Bites

    Feta Bites

    Dino’s Gyros
    Carnes Av. and Nelson St.

    Deep-fried Greek pasta dough stuffed with feta cheese, cream cheese and Dino’s Greek seasoning. Served with a creamy olive tapenade.

  • Fried Tacos On-A-Stick

    Fried Tacos On-A-Stick

    Taco Cat
    International Bazaar

    Two tacos — one filled with green chorizo and potatoes, the other filled with a black bean-corn mix — deep-fried, topped with cheese and a guacamole salsa drizzle, and served on a stick. Available Aug. 28 through Sept. 2 only.

  • Grilled Sota Sandwich

    Grilled Sota Sandwich

    Brim
    North End

    Slices of warm Irish soda bread spread with cinnamon nut butter and Minnesota blueberry marmalade. Gluten-free and dairy-free.

  • Halo Cone

    Halo Cone

    Rainbow Ice Cream
    Grandstand, upper level

    A swirled blend of cotton candy and blue raspberry soft-serve ice cream in a halo of vanilla cotton candy and sprinkled with a mix of candy toppings.

  • The Hot Hen

    The Hot Hen

    RC’s BBQ
    Dan Patch Av. and Liggett St.

    Barbecue chips topped with smoked pulled Buffalo chicken, blue cheese fondue, pickled jalapeños, tomatoes, green onions and blue cheese crumbles.

  • Irish Whiskey Boneless Wings

    Irish Whiskey Boneless Wings

    O’Gara’s at the Fair
    Dan Patch Av. and Cosgrove St.

    All-natural white chicken chunks, breaded, deep-fried, tossed in an Irish whiskey barbecue sauce and garnished with chopped green onions. Gluten-free.

  • Jamm’in Brisket Grilled Cheese

    Jamm’in Brisket Grilled Cheese

    RC’s BBQ
    Dan Patch Av. and Liggett St.

    A sandwich made with slow-smoked brisket, red onion jam, Cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese and RC’s hot barbecue sauce.

  • Joey Mary

    Joey Mary

    Brim
    North End

    An iced coffee slushie topped with a skewer of gluten-free baked goods, including a chocolate bite, honey toffee crunch and an almond cookie.

  • Lamb T-Bone Chops

    Lamb T-Bone Chops

    Holy Land
    International Bazaar

    From the Holy Land folks in northeast Minneapolis, all-natural 100% grass-fed lamb loins, seasoned with Mama Fatima’s Holy Land marinade.

  • Lavender Lemonade

    Lavender Lemonade

    Farmers Union Coffee Shop
    Dan Patch Av. and Cosgrove St.

    Pink lemonade made with fresh lavender leaves, another entry from the collaboration with the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis.

  • Mini Donut Latte

    Mini Donut Latte

    Anchor Coffee House
    Underwood St. and Carnes Av.

    A traditional latte with housemade mini doughnut flavoring, whole milk and espresso, topped with a dusting of cinnamon and sugar.

  • No Bologna Coney

    No Bologna Coney

    Mancini’s al Fresco
    Carnes Av. and Nelson St.

    Italian mortadella pork sausage flavored with pistachios and Mancini’s pepper blend, served on a toasted bun and topped with a mild muffuletta olive and pepper salad.

  • New Waffle Wraps

    New Waffle Wraps

    Nordic Waffles
    West End Market

    A pair of fresh-made waffle wraps: a fruit-flavored breakfast cereal with warm Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups; and Waffle al Pastor, made with Mexican-style marinated pork, pineapple, onions, cilantro and salsa verde.

  • Peaches n’ Cream Nachos

    Peaches n’ Cream Nachos

    Bridgeman’s Ice Cream
    Judson Av. and Liggett St.

    A bed of cinnamon-sugar pita chips with Bridgeman’s Peaches n’ Cream ice cream, peach topping, a drizzle of honey and crushed pecans, finished with whipped cream, a cherry and a dusting of cinnamon sugar.

  • Shrimp & Grits Fritters

    Shrimp & Grits Fritters

    Funky Grits
    Food Building

    A new vendor serving aged Cheddar grits, Gulf shrimp, onions and Creole seasoning (gluten-free), deep-fried and served with an aioli dipping sauce, in the booth formerly occupied by the Lamb Shoppe.

  • Snow Cap Mini Waffle Sundae

    Snow Cap Mini Waffle Sundae

    Hamline Church Dining Hall
    Dan Patch Av. and Underwood St.

    A longtime partnership with Izzy’s Ice Cream has yielded a mini waffle topped with a scoop of cream cheese ice cream, warm maple syrup and a maraschino cherry.

  • Stuffed Cabbage Roll

    Stuffed Cabbage Roll

    iPierogi
    Food Building

    A new vendor serving cabbage leaves wrapped around seasoned ground pork and rice, prepared with tomato sauce and served with a dinner roll, in the booth formerly occupied by Sassy Pecan.

  • Tipsy Pecan Tart

    Tipsy Pecan Tart

    Sara’s Tipsy Pie
    Food Building

    A single-serving pecan pie, infused with Dubliner Irish whiskey and baked in a buttery (and gluten-free) shortbread shell.

  • Turkish Pizza

    Turkish Pizza

    Blue Moon Dine-in Theater
    Carnes Av. and Chambers St.

    A Turkish-style cracker-thin flatbread (authentically named Lahmacun), topped with spicy minced beef, onion, tomato, lettuce, cucumber salad, parsley, fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon and garlic sauce, then rolled or folded.

  • Warm Cheesecake Tart

    Warm Cheesecake Tart

    LuLu’s Public House
    West End Market

    Cheesecake prepared in a tart crust served warm with a choice of chocolate, salted caramel or strawberry glaze, or without topping.

  • Wingwalker Donut Flight

    Wingwalker Donut Flight

    The Hangar
    North End

    An assortment of hot, deep-fried cake doughnut holes and three syringes with do-it-yourself fillings: Bavarian cream, chocolate custard and Minnesota lingonberry jam.

Rick Nelson joined the staff of the Star Tribune in 1998. He is a Twin Cities native, a University of Minnesota graduate and a James Beard Award winner. 

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