Sticks and the State Fair share a proud history. Teddy Roosevelt delivered his famous "Speak softly and carry a big stick" speech at the fairgrounds in 1901, and the Pronto Pup, a batter-dipped and deep-fried hot dog on a stick (today sold at seven State Fair stands), has exemplified quintessential fairgrounds fare since 1947.
This year's get-together boasts 56 speared taste sensations. Standouts include Mocha on a Stick (Minnesota Farmers Union Coffee Shop, Dan Patch Av. and Cosgrove St.), a Ph.D-level Fudgsicle that blends ice cream, chocolate and espresso, crafted especially for the fair by St. Paul's Grand Ole Creamery; the hugely popular Pork Chop on a Stick, a sizzling, smoky hunk of meat (Carousel BBQ, Liggett St. and Dan Patch Av. and Peterson's Chicken and Chops, Underwood St. and Judson Av.), and the self-explanatory Key Lime Pie on a Stick, which doesn't sound terribly Minnesotan, except that it's frozen. And chocolate-covered. And fabulous. (Original Key Lime Pie Bar, Carnes Av. and Underwood St.)
- Nitro Ice Cream
Don't hold their Iowa roots against chemical engineers Will Schroeder and T.J. Paskach. Their patented flash-freeze process -- which doubles as a trippy "Young Frankenstein"-ish side show -- transforms milk into rich, silky vanilla ice cream in a split-second. (Food Building) - The Mouth Trap
Xenophobic fairgoers will swallow their feelings for Wisconsin, America's Dairyland, for a shot at its unofficial dish: the cheese curd, a top-selling food at the fair. It's a Cheetos-size hunk of squeaky, rubbery Cheddar battered and deep-fried. (Food Building) - My Sausage Sister and Me
Whether they're wrapping zesty chorizo or twirling puff pastry around soy- and ginger-laced pork sausages, siblings Cherie Peterson and Merry Barry playfully ramp up the fair's Pronto Pup quotient. (Food Building) - Lynn's Potato Lefse
Most Norwegian-Americans probably only encounter lefse at holidays, but fairgoers owe it to themselves to try this grilled potato flatbread made in Blair, Wis. (Food Building) - Granny's Apples
Its screaming chartreuse color and fizzy Granny Smith apple flavor make Batch No. 6 soda a welcome alternative to the fair's relentless cola and lemon-lime landscape. (Food Building) - Minnesota Apples
Stop by for cool, sweetly refreshing cider, pressed from Beacons, Paula Reds and other poetically named Gopher State apples. Then stay for a Cider Freeze, an icy cider shard squeezed into a plastic sleeve. (Agriculture-Horticulture Building) - Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar
Silver-dollar-size chocolate-chip cookies, warm from the oven; what's not to like? (Clough St. and Judson Av. and Dan Patch Av. and Chambers St.) - All You Can Drink Milk
The fairgrounds' busiest bar has been serving milk -- almost 300,000 glasses of Minnesota-made 2 percent (and 1 percent chocolate) annually -- since 1955. It's all you can drink, for a buck. Most visitors average three 12-ounce chugs. (Judson Av. and Clough St.) - Tom Thumb Donuts
Sure, a small bag of mini-doughnuts is a diet-busting 500 calories, but these bite-size, melt-in-your-mouth, sugar-coated carb bombs are pure, unadulterated joy. (Underwood St. and Carnes Av.; Cooper St. and Dan Patch Av.) - Giggles' Campfire Grill
Co-owners Doug Holter and Tim Weiss, the fair's leading culinary innovators, offer a lengthy (and delicious) wild game-focused menu: elk-wild rice meatballs, pan-fried walleye-trout-wild rice cakes, a venison-boar-elk bratwurst and more. (Cooper St. and Lee Av.) - Lingonberry Ice Ccream
The sign says it all: "You don't have to be Scandinavian to love lingonberries." Indeed, especially when the tangy taste of this far-northern cousin to the cranberry is blended into a locally made small-batch ice cream. (Underwood St. and Carnes Av.) - Corn Roast
Celebrate Minnesota's status as the nation's second-largest corn-producing state by standing in line at this perennially popular stand, where sweet corn is roasted in the husk before being shucked and then dunked in butter. (Dan Patch Av. and Nelson St.) - Minnesota Honey Producers/b>
Nothing quenches a hot August thirst quite like honey-laced lemonade, and honey-sunflower and honey-nut-fudge ice creams. (Agriculture-Horticulture Building)
New foods
Some of the more intriguing entries this year include apple fries at Coaster's (Liggett St. and Carnes Av.), Sloppy Joes on a Stick (Axel's, southeast exterior corner of Food Building), Spam Burgers (Carousel Park) and the BeerGarita, a margarita made with beer (Tejas, the Garden).
The Minnesota State Fair:
Foods on a stick | Alexis on the ... State Fair | vita.mn user tips
