The best, worst and weirdest new Minnesota State Fair foods

I journeyed to the state fair's opening day with a detailed map, two friends and a dream: to try 13 of the new foods and drinks.

• I succeeded, and my stomach is not happy.

Here’s some of the best, worst and weirdest things I tried this year.

Instant Classic: The cheese curd tacos from Richie’s Cheese Curd Tacos. ($12)

• Delicious, over-the-top fried food starring a Midwest fair staple. You can’t go wrong. 8/10.
• The Tot Dog ($7), a corn dog fried in tater tot batter, is a close runner-up. 7/10.

Best concept: The Sundae Sammie from Brim. ($10)

• The grilled cinnamon bread sandwich with strawberry jam and cream is creative, pretty, and easy to eat while walking. 8/10.

Biggest surprise: Lemon Cookie Tortilla Chips from Blue Moon Diner. ($10)*

• I wasn’t sure what to expect, but these hit the spot. Sweet without being overwhelming, and the dip is fantastic. 9.5/10.

Most disappointing: Sweet Potato Poutine from Blue Barn. ($14)

• Very salty, not enough sweet potato flavor and my serving only had three cheese curds! But the Beyond Meat sausage was very good. 4/10.

Grossest: Pickle Pizza from Rick’s Pizza. ($10)*

• I like pickles, but this just wasn’t good. It was a little better when I took the pickles off — the dill ranch sauce was the best part. 2/10.

Best overall: Mango Kulfi from Hot Indian. ($5)

• All three of us agreed — this creamy Indian ice cream (on a stick, with sprinkles!) was the best of the fair. We were eight foods deep and we still went back for another. 11/10.

Also: We tried the blueberry basil lemonade (10/10), concha bacon burger (6.5/10), Baklava beer (8/10), tirokroketes (7/10), vegan chicken-fried steak (7.5/10) and Blue Macaroon beer (5.5/10).

*Note: Prices with asterisks include a $1 credit card surcharge.

Check out our Instagram for all the photos and reviews.