Iowa State Fair food 2022: We tried the good, bad and ugly
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Pork belly bao buns from Saigonais Cuisine, a new food at the fair ($6). Photo: Linh Ta/Axios
Here's the scoop: We all know who the real queen of the Iowa State Fair is — the food.
Driving the news: With the 2022 fair just around the corner, I got the chance to judge some of the new foods on Tuesday.
This year has every type of dish, from gluttonously greasy to fresh, healthy plates.
- Below is a sneak peek at the judges' three favorite foods, some of which are my personal favorites.
Of note: Everything I ate was sample size, so expect way more if you buy the real thing!
"OMG Chicken Sandwich" — Chicken City
This over-the-top sandwich has "OMG" in it for a reason. It's a chicken sandwich breaded and fried in Frosted Flakes and served on two Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
- Add on some bacon and drizzle it with syrup and this takes savory and sweet to extreme levels.
Jaw-dropping food like this is why you go to the fair, and I appreciate the creativity and gusto.
- But two glazed doughnuts plus fried chicken was a tad bit too much (boo on me.)
Linh's rating: 🧈🧈🧈 (3 out of 5 butter sticks)
Pork Picnic in a Cup — Iowa Pork Tent
I don't know if "whimsical" has ever been used to describe pork, but The Pork Picnic in a Cup is just that. It takes a classic Iowa barbecue and stuffs it all into a cup.
- The cup has pulled pork and baked beans topped with creamy coleslaw. The piece de resistance is the tent's famous brown sugar pork belly.
It's filling, creative and fun. A part of me wishes it was mashed potatoes instead of coleslaw, but then that steps dangerously close to beef sundae territory.
- The pork belly on a stick is hands down my favorite fair food, so I like this twist.
Linh's rating: 🧈🧈🧈🧈 (4 out of 5 butter sticks)
The Finisher — The Rib Shack
This is where my sample size doesn't do the whole dish justice — The Finisher is a gigantic, smothered baked potato that ensures you get the best bang for your buck at the fair.
- It's an extra-large russet, topped with chopped brisket, pulled pork, mac and cheese, plus sour cream and butter.
When everything is getting expensive at the fair, this is a must try not only because of the price-value ratio, but it tasted like great barbecue as well.
Linh's rating: 🧈🧈🧈🧈 (4 out of 5 butter sticks)
And special shoutout to my favorite new fair food that I tried — Egg-O-Fuego ($8) from The Cluckin' Coop. It's a spicy egg sandwich, loaded with chorizo, pepper jack cheese on a brioche bun.
- 🧈 It gets all my butter sticks.