MN STATE FAIR - St Paul

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the country. This year 1,776,000+ fair-goers attended the "Great Minnesota Get-Together". The fair grounds cover 320 acres offering the usual and unusual... animals of all shapes and sizes (2 & 4 legged), crafts, wine tasting, baking contests, politicians, shopping, Midway rides/attractions and food, food and more food. On a stick or on a plate, you will find something to eat at the MN State Fair!

This year Jason and I managed to keep our "dining" to a more manageable level. Stop #1: BAYOU BOB'S GATOR SHACK for the alligator nuggets. The alligator nuggets had a light dusting of flour accented with onion powder and Cajun seasoning. The nuggets were quickly deep-fried (of course) and served in a basket accompanied by gator-shaped thinly sliced potato fries. The alligator is slightly chewy with a texture resembling chicken thigh meat. Unusually delicious!

Stop #2 was GIGGLES CAMPFIRE GRILL. This year's gastronomic surprise - Chicken Fried Bacon. The applewood smoked bacon appeared to be pare cooked and lightly rolled in a course mixed bread crumb mixture. The thick-cut bacon is then deep fried to a fantastic chew. The 6 strips of bacon are served with an amazing sour cream based dipping sauce taken to the next level with minced jalapenos, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Incredible combination... not for those watching their cholesterol intake! Our 2nd plate was the "Ron Schara's Wilderness Walleye Cakes". The bits of Canadian walleye and smoked salmon, MN wild rice, and minced onion were held together with egg and panko bread crumbs. The pair of cakes came with a zesty mayo based "Northwoods Dipping Sauce" accented with a dash of cayenne. Scrumptious!

The Roasted Corn Hut was stop #3. The huge ears of sweet corn are roasted in their husks. A simple but very satisfying snack accented with your choice of condiments - butter, salt and pepper. Rumor has it that 3,000 corn cobs are sold per hour! This is one of my favorites... & the healthiest option we had during our long day of grazing. Yumm.

Fair facts:

• 2,6 million cheese curds are sold during the run of the fair
• 35 tons of chocolate chips are used in making the famous chocolate chip cookies
• Reggie - the biggest boar weighed in at 1,450 lbs
• 22,000 rolls of toilet paper are used during the run of the fair
  

Mmm... Mmm... Mmm...

Giggles Campfire Grill

MN State Fair

$

++++

&&&

Entrée

$ 10

$$ 20

$$$ 30

$$$$ 40+

Staff

+ Stop bothering me!

++ Anyone here?

+++ Stopped when in the area.

++++ As needed and friendly.

+++++ Invisibly perfect!

Overall

& “One visit too many!”

&& “Convince me!”

&&& “I’ll be back!”

&&&& “Same table next week!”