Tasting 68 foods in one day is a tall order that leaves little room for second bites — or second chances. The Star Tribune Taste team has to make quick assessments on every new food at the State Fair to deliver our rankings into your hands as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for the vendors, that means we don’t have time to apply the same rigorous standards of criticism that we do when we evaluate a restaurant, by going back to try it again. Until now.
We gave vendors a chance to overcome first-day jitters, and returned on Tuesday to reassess some of our lowest-ranked new foods, choosing three fan favorites that visitors seemed to enjoy more than we initially had. Here’s where they stand now.

Shroomy “Calamari”
French Meadow, Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts., $14
We wrote: Battered mushrooms are a staple on plenty of restaurant menus. This shouldn’t have been an issue for the State Fair. The problem started somewhere between trying to pass them off as tentacled creatures and over-frying them into a withered, dehydrated something that was once fungi.
Original ranking: Not our favorite.
Update: Is it possible they forgot the mushrooms on the first day? Then, we had a basket of over-fried shards of breading. But today, we had chewy, tentacle-like pieces of oyster mushroom that gave the dish an entirely new character. Something like a cross between fried cauliflower and, yes, actual calamari, coated in a lightly crunchy and spicy batter, today’s version had us going back for more bites. The creamy chipotle dipping sauce paired much better, too. While it’s a solid new food, the price is still a sticking point, and we can’t overlook a lot of people’s deep dislike for mushrooms.
New ranking: It’s fine ... for some.

Blazing Greek Bites
Dino’s Gyros, Carnes Av. between Nelson and Underwood Sts., $8