Critic Zimmern Grades Twelve New Minnesota State Fair Foods

For the first time in 35 years, Food Critic Andrew Zimmern missed the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair.

So instead of telling you HIS top picks from the new list of Minnesota State Fair foods, he decided to do something different. Review the critics' top picks.

REVIEWING THE CRITICS' BEST LIST

This year, Zimmern is reviewing the reviewers' top picks. All of the big reviews from the cities were put together, and he created the top 12 items from their picks to see if he agreed or disagreed with the best critics in the cities. The following is how he graded the critics' top choices.

REVIEWING THE REVIEWED

He took about 10 items from Twin Cities' food critics' list and did his own review of their top picks, and we're getting a completely different view than what the other critics told us.

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1. FAIR TO GOOD

Elote Tots are deep-fried tater tots that are tossed in Tajin and topped with a sauce made with roasted corn, diced pepper, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese. Although it sounds surprisingly delicious, Andrew said these were all the other critics nunber once choice to try, and that being said, he was really disappointed.

2. GREAT!

The Peri Peri Bowl from Afro Deli is fried peri-peri hot chicken, seasoned with African Bird's Eye chili peppers, garlic, lemon, and herbs. It's then combined with mini beef sambusas and fried sweet plantains, and topped with peri-peri sauce and your choice of basbaas or spicy red chili sauce. Zimmern said that it was simply delicious and had nothing else to say.

3. GREAT

He thought what the Farmers Union was offering was wonderful this year.

4. GOOD...NOT GREAT

Hmong Corndog from Union Hmong Kitchen in collaboration with Kramarczuk's. Made with pork Hmong sausage that is infused with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, shallots, cilantro, and fish sauce.

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5. GOOD...NOT GREAT

Longanisa Cheese Curd Lumpia made with homemade Filipino longanisa pork sausage mixed with garlic and Wisconsin cheese curds, stuffed and rolled in a lumpia wrapper and deep-fried.

6. FAIR TO GOOD

Andrew had this to say about the Walking Chopped Italian Grinder:

'It's not really chopped, and it's not really a grinder...it's an Italian deli version of a taco in a bag.'

The Walking Chopped Italian Grinder features sliced salami, pepperoncinis, green olives, artichokes, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella pearls, and is then tossed in Italian dressing. Then it is layered over a bag of Dutch Crunch Parmesan & Garlic Kettle Chips, then drizzled with Calabrian Chili aioli.

7. FAIR TO GOOD

The Thanksgiving Turkey Leg from Jive Turkey comes with topping options including mac-n-cheese, stuffing, gravy, yams, collards, and cranberry sauce.

8. GREAT

The Bao Belly from RC's is smoked barbecue pork belly drizzled with RC's hot sauce and yum yum sauce. It's then topped with pickled vegetables and cilantro and served on folded, steamed bao buns. When Andrew says "No Notes..." That translates to GREAT.

9. GREAT

v shocked Andrew. He was convinced even before he tried them that they were not going to be good at all. He said they were very, very good!

10. GOOD

Roon's Chicken Salad in a Cone. He thought the chicken salad was good.

11. GREAT

The Royal Hawawshi from Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine is seasoned ground beef with Egyptian spices stuffed inside freshly baked bread and baked until crispy and then is served with a dip. He said the flattened bun was gorgeous and was offered with two different dipping sauces that included a cucumber yogurt dip or tahini dip.

12. GREAT

Lemochi Japanese Confections featured Tanghulu, described as fresh, candied fruit, which was perfect for its type...basically fruit dipped in sugar. Andrew described it as...delicious.

THE 'NEW CLASSICS'

Andrew also had a lot to say about the 'New Classics...' things that have been at the Minnesota State Fair long enough to become items that people will come back for year after year, and stand in line for.

Some of those items include:

• Nitro Ice Cream
• Pumpkin hand pie from Minneapple Pie
• The galabao from Union Hmong Kitchen
• RC's BBQ MN
• Tasti Whip
• Apple cider freezie in the AG building
• Nashville chicken on-a-stick from Blue Barn
• Pork Schnitzel sandwich from Minnesota Farmers Union
• Sweet corn ice cream from Blue Moon State Fair
• Kielbasa at iPierogi
• Peaches from The Produce Exchange

Andrew said he was sure that he was forgetting some of the 'unforgettables, but this was a great place to start if you want to be happy eating when you visit the Minnesota State Fair.