Count 2011 as the year when deep-fried novelties finally took a back seat among new foods at the Minnesota State Fair. Instead, seasonal and local flavors -- and fresh, on-the-spot cooking, minus the grease -- are finally grabbing the spotlight.

Food-loving fairgoers know to visit the five-year-old Blue Moon Dine-In Theater for fabulous wood-fired pizzas and jazzy Korean tacos. Now they'll also be lining up for the sweet corn ice cream (★★★★out of four stars, $5 and $6). Co-owners Stephanie and Mike Olson make it fresh on the premises -- the effort definitely shows -- and douse three scoops of the gently flavored frozen stuff with a trio of tasty toppings. It's tough to pick a favorite, they're all that good: a warm cinnamon-scented blueberry compote, a bacon-flecked butter sauce and crunchy spiced candied peanuts.

The fair fare innovators at Giggles' Campfire Grill -- owner Tim "Giggles" Weiss and chef Alex Sadowsky -- have conjured up yet another reason to trek up to the fairgrounds' northern quadrant. This time, it's a Caprese salad -- on a stick, naturally -- that's drizzled with a rich balsamic and laid out in a banana boat filled with field greens (yes, field greens at the fair) and a wild rice-cranberry-citrus salad. They call it Northwoods Salad on a Stick (★★★★, $5.50), and this tasty exercise in fresh flavors is not just for vegetarians.

Just when it appeared as if San Felipe Tacos couldn't get any better, co-owners Sarah and Michael Wentzien come out with an Asian-accented pulled pork burrito (★★★★, $8), wrapped in a spinach tortilla and stuffed with cabbage, a cucumber-red pepper-jalapeño salsa and sesame and wasabi dressings. It has crunch, color and a flurry of complementary flavors -- terrific.

Hand the State Fair a blue ribbon for showcasing quality Minnesota-made products. Two exceptional newcomers: the eight varieties of brightly flavored sodas (★★★★, $3) made by century-old Spring Grove Soda Pop in the state's southeastern corner. Goodbye, Coca-Cola, hello, lemon sour! And the Ball Park Cafe is wisely featuring a handful of fabulous Gopher State craft beers on tap (★★★★, $4.50 and $7.50), including three by Surly, two by Lift Bridge and one by Schell's; check them out in a handy three-pour sampler.

Headlining the Simple Pleasures department, a 75-cent investment in a tart Viking apple (★★★★) yields a million-dollar taste. They're raised by the Jacobson family at Pine Tree Orchard in White Bear Lake and available at the ever-popular Minnesota Grown Apples. The supply probably won't last through Labor Day, so hurry in.

Star Tribune, Star Tribune
Sweet corn ice cream from the Blue Moon.

Several sandwiches make positive impressions. Best is the superb turkey Reuben (★★★★, $7) at the French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, which boasts a tangy sauerkraut, a house-made Thousand Island dressing and excellent rye bread. Vegetarians will enjoy what Meadow co-owners Debbie and Chris Gleize have rightly billed as an "Incredible" grilled cheese (★★★, $5), a lightly browned mouthful of white Cheddar, Swiss and tomato on sourdough white.

Der Pretzel Haus reinvents the hot dog by wrapping an all-beef-er with spirals of -- what else? -- salt-flecked pretzel dough. Because Pretzel Dogs (★★★ 1/2, $5) are baked rather than fried, it's a much lighter alternative to the Pronto Pup. Love the three mustards, too.

At Turkey to Go, the addictive pulled turkey sandwiches -- mildly seasoned, wonderfully juicy and made using Minnesota-raised birds -- just got better with a half-pound version (★★★, $8.50). Across the street, T-Bonz Grill specializes in a pair of these-could-easily-feed-two sandwiches: a pita stuffed with grilled chicken, tomatoes and shredded lettuce (★★, $8), and a jumbo Italian sausage, smothered in grilled onions (★★, $7).

Jerk seasoning, used sparingly, adds a welcome dash of spice to a generous basket of crispy, skin-on French fries (★★★, $4) at Harry Singh's Original Caribbean Restaurant; a vinegar-mustard sauce -- served on the side for heat-cautious Minnesotans -- adds plenty of extra kick.

The hefty portion sizes are major selling points for the headliner at Chan's Chicken on a Stick (★★ 1/2, $6), notable for its mix of dark and white meat and a sweet -- maybe too sweet -- teriyaki glaze. Also neat but too sweet: the Breakfast Lollypop (★★ 1/2, $3) at Axel's Bull Bites, a kind of breakfast sausage-meets-corn dog -- a savvy idea -- soaking in a gusher of fake maple syrup. The Green Mill is making pizza on the go easier with its Pizza Ka Bob (★★, $5), a trio of semi-puffy mini-calzones (in cheese, sausage and pepperoni versions) skewered on chopsticks.

Minne's Diner in Rogers, Minn., has a new fair outpost, hawking its Original Minneapple Pie (★★★, $5). The crescent-shaped deep-fried apple pies, served a la mode, are head-and-shoulders above the ones once sold at McDonald's, with a surprisingly tender crust, plenty of firm apples and tons of cinnamon.

For something cool, check out the frozen cup of chai on a stick (★★★, $3.25) at Farmers Union, with its mellow pumpkin undertones, a nice riff on the stand's can't-miss Mocha on a Stick; both are made by St. Paul's Grand Ole Creamery. Another sweet worth sampling is the light and portable fresh fruit wrap (★★ 1/2, $4.50) at Fried Fruit on a Stick, which is exactly as advertised: a flour tortilla rolled with a freshly chopped fruit cocktail, a swipe of cream cheese and a cinnamon-sugar dusting. Nice. Ditto the cute Dirt Dessert (★★, $3) at Spaghetti Eddie's, a parfait-esque blend of crushed Oreos and luscious cannoli cream with a Gummi Worms garnish.

Sadly, even a fancy-schmancy name -- Grilled Yankee Apple Pie and Chocolate Sandwich (★ 1/2, $4.50) at Moe & Joe's -- can't make up for the fact that the results are a too-sugary, too-sloppy mess. The same can be said for the enough-already blur of white chocolate, chocolate, whipping cream and raspberry sauce that Granny's Kitchen dubs the White Razzie Puppies on a Stick (★, $5). Holy Land is putting out kushari (★ $6), a sort of Middle Eastern-goes-Midwestern hot dish, but it's more of a dull carb-fest than a passport to culinary adventure.

Two made-from-concentrate beverages disappointed: a thin, Wyler's-like lemonade smoothie (★, $4 and $4.50) at Moe & Joe's, and a coolly refreshing but aftertaste-plagued horchata (★, $2) -- a cinnamon- and vanilla-laced rice milk -- from El Sol Mexican Foods.

There's a barely any discernible crab flavor lurking inside the doughy, overfried marquee goodie at Ollie's Crab Fritters (★ 1/2, $5.50). Andres Watermelon has a fairgrounds talker in the form of milk chocolate-covered jalapeño peppers on a stick (no stars, $6.50) and it's a cool idea, but raw-- and incendiary -- jalapeños are not exactly noshing fare.

The year's other hyper-Twitter-ed entry, Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough on a Stick (no stars, $4.50) at Sonny's Spiral Chips, is one of those deep-fried disasters that get fairgoers talking, but the greasy, gloppy and toothache-inducing results don't match the hype. Instead, opt for the stand's four-star stack of fresh-fried potato chips. Trust me.