26 new Minnesota State Fair foods: A bevy of delights

The 2016 roster of new State Fair foods is the usual collection of on-a-stick goodies, deep-fried delicacies and attention-grabbing novelties. Sometimes all three in a single item.

If history is any guide, a few will emerge as instant classics, destined to return for years to come. Which will wear the crown? Which will belly flop? Pass the Pepto-Bismol, and let's get through this.

On the hot dogs/brats spectrum, the Lamb Shoppe (Food Building) is introducing a — surprise — lamb dog (with a clever name: the Sheep Dog), topped with sauerkraut, quinoa and garlic-sauteed kale. Another quality-minded Food Building vendor, Sausage Sister & Me will offer a sauerkraut-buried beer brat in a pretzel bun.

For its Minnesota Corn Dog, the Gass Station Grill (Cooper St./Judson Av.) is calling upon a custom-made sausage created from Gopher State culinary icons: apples, wild rice, blueberries and maple syrup, as well as decidedly un-Minnesotan cayenne, followed by the batter-and-deep-fried thing.

Continuing with the deep-fried motif, O'Gara's at the Fair (Dan Patch Av./Cosgrove St.) is aiming at the glory that is the grilled cheese sandwich with beer-battered cubes of white Cheddar cheese.

LuLu's Public House (West End Market) will feature lightly breaded chicken tenderloins, Ragin' Cajun (the Garden) will serve a gumbo-inspired poutine and Texas Steak Out (Underwood St./Lee Av.) will take tortilla chip- and nacho cheese-covered Pepper Jack cubes to a deep-fried extreme.

The award for Best Use of a Minnesota-made Supermarket Product might belong to Sushi Rolls (Warner Coliseum), which is rolling nori around rice, fried egg and, yes, fried Spam. Another Spam taste treat? Cubes of cheese-flavored Spam, battered and deep-fried, at the Spam booth (Chambers St. near the Grandstand).

Catchiest name? Carpe Diem, a fish-shaped buttermilk-miso waffle cone filled with balsamic-roasted strawberry compote and vanilla ice cream, from the Rabbit Hole (International Bazaar).

Hot Indian Foods will time-share the same stand, hawking deep-fried, Indian-seasoned paneer cheese that's coated with beer (from Eastlake Craft Brewery) and served with a tomato-garlic chutney; they're calling it Paneer on a Spear. (Note: The Rabbit Hole will be at the fair Aug. 25-30, and Hot Indian Foods will pick up the slack starting on Aug. 31).

Mac-and-cheese will get even cheesier with fresh cheese curds at Oodles of Noodles (Food Building). Carb loaders should also note the cheese-caramelized onion monkey bread, baked in the wood-fired oven at Blue Moon Dine-In Theater (Carnes Av./Chambers St.) as well as the buttery pastry filled with spinach and Moroccan-spiced beef from French Meadow (Carnes Av./Nelson St.).

Fair food innovator Giggles' Campfire Grill (Lee Av./Cooper St.) is covering beef, Cheddar and mashed potatoes in a wild rice gravy, and the Blue Barn (West End Market) will introduce both a candied bacon sandwich and a rice bowl topped with pulled pork, black beans and charred salsa.

Tacos are trendy. Green Mill (Cooper St./Randall Av.) will fill baked tortillas with a kitchen-sink list that includes Italian sausage and Caesar dressing. Tejas Express (the Garden) will stuff flour tortillas with barbecued shrimp and a jicama slaw.

Nostalgia-minded Minnesota ice cream lovers will recall Bridgeman's (Judson Av./Liggett St.) spectacular La La Palooza sundae, made with four ice creams, three sauces and various nut and fruit embellishments; it's making its comeback at the fair.

In other ice cream news, Dairy Goodness Bar (Dairy Building) will garnish vanilla malts and sundaes with doughnuts, R&R Ice Cream (Randall Av./Underwood St.) will crank out banana ice cream swirled with peanut butter, and Goertze's Dairy Kone (Cooper St./Dan Patch Av.) will scoop up sundaes topped with caramel sauce, chocolate candies, hot fudge and Cracker Jack popcorn.

Finally, JonnyPops (West End Market) is keeping the on-the-stick motif alive by enriching a frozen banana with cinnamon and cream, dipping it in dark chocolate and accentuating its portability by spearing it on a stick.

Nothing here tickles your appetite? Not to worry. The Great Minnesota Pig-Out boasts nearly 500 foods, sold at 300 locations.

Rick Nelson • 612-673-4757