Pre Visit plan for the 2010 State Fair

I just completed my visit to the 2010 State Fair with Metromix.com and have to say that the detailed planning ahead of time really saved on time and confusion with a group of people. We had a map on one side with large numbers (1-10) and on the back a list of what each of those numbers were. Planing out what food you are going to eat and where it is located on the map by number really allowed us to make the most of our time while covering the shortest distance possible on our food journey. With this in mind, I just completed my own map and list of everything I plan to cover while attending the Fair for my second visit.

More on my visit with Metromix.com tomorrow once the article is posted, but here is my line-up for my second visit to the The Great Minnesota Get-Together with my wife and kids.

1. Chicken Fried Bacon @ Giggles
2. Deep Fried Cheddar Mashed Potatoes @ Potato Man
3. Fruit Salsa @ Fried Fruit
4. Grilled Marshmallow, chocolate & Banana Sandwich @ Moe & Joe's
5. Sausage and Cheese Jalapeno @ Sausage Sisters
6. Deep Fried Cheeseburger @ Axles
7. Milk Shake @ Dairy Barn
8. Fudge Puppies (BR) @ Outside Food Building
9. Pot Roast Sundae (BR) @ Butcher Block
10. Onion Rings (BR) @ Outside Food Building
11. Sausage, Gravy & Biscuits (BR) @ Sausage Sisters
12. Pronto Pup
13. Sweet Potato Tator Tots @ O’Gara’s
14. Cheese on-a-stick (Must be the one by the Kare Barn)
15. Deep Fried Candy Bar
16. Turkey Tenderloin Sandwich @ Turkey to Go
17. Sweet Martha Cookies
18. Tiny Tim’s Mini Doughnuts
19. Korean Moon BBQ Tacos @ Blue Moon Dine-in
20. Summit on-a-stick @ International Bazaar

Wish me luck as I attempt to complete my list is 10-12 hours of time while still doing what the kids want to do and what my wife wants to eat.

5-8 Club: Free the Cheese Challenge - Juicy Luigi

JUICY LUIGI - Lucy's Italian cousin, This Italian version is a half-pound burger stuffed with mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Served with a side of our homemade marinara sauce. Luigi says, "Go Italy, or Go home!"

Wasn't my first choice on the new line-up, but probably the best thus far. The pepperoni along with the 5-8 clubs marinara sauce made this burger among my top 5 all time favorite Lucy's to date. Pepperoni is kind of like bacon, you just can't go wrong. This particular visit happened to be my 31st birthday as well. When asked by the family where I wanted to go, I immediately decided that the 5-8 club was just as good as any to celebrate my birthday and knock-off #3 of the 5 new Lucy's on the list.

How pathetic is it that my 5 year old daughter is playing in her toy room, singing made-up songs about the 5-8 Club? Just one day prior to this visit, my daughter was playing with some tunnels and pop-up forts singing "I wana go to the 5 (iv) 8 (888) Club (bbb)" over and over. I happened to walk in on her singing and called the wife to come and listen before she noticed we were spying on her. It probably was one of those proud days for me as a father and one of the most pathetic days for my wife (she thinks I influence the girls too much). Although, my decision was made days prior about where to visit, this just sealed the deal on where to go.



The burgers on this visit were exceptionally good, not just the Lucy Luigi, but everything we ate tasted better than the last few times for some reason. Not sure if the cook makes a difference or the fact that we went a little earlier than the regular dinner rush?

The Luigi had tons and tons of melted Mozzarella and more pepperoni than I would have expected and was more than present in every single bite. The home-made marinara was a very good addition and I go on the record as say, "as to this day, I think the 5-8 clubs cheese curds are some of the best out there and it is due to the fresh marinara they serve along with these fried balls of "better than the State Fair" greasy goodness". I know that the Pig-Pen is still the most popular and fan favorite among the new Lucy's, but I for one hope that this one is still around come September and well into the new year.

You're going to eat like crazy at the State Fair this year!

This was the subject of a very exciting email I received a few days ago from http://twincities.metromix.com/. A few weeks prior I was playing around on the internet and came across an article about the new foods this year at the "Great Minnesota get-together" and stumbled across a contest of some sorts to have an all expenses paid trip to the fair and be prepared to eat anything and everything it has to offer. The theme was to tell them what the most unappreciated food at the fair was and why. For me, that was simple...The Deep Fried Candy Bar.

Every year for the past three years I have gone to the fair with a group of friends and co-workers. And every year they all are amused with my fascination for the deep fried Snickers on-a-stick. The one thing I have going for me is that the Gelato stand is right there so I can always talk them into going. Then it turned into, "Do you think we can get him to eat 4 of those things?" and I was more than willing. Then the next year it was 5 and then 6 last year.

So what am I to expect from this "All Exclusive" visit to the fair this year that I am still giggling like a little school girl about? I have absolutely no idea except the fact that I should be prepared to eat anything and everything the fair has to offer and have a blast while I'm at it. The details that I know are the following:

1. Meet at the fair promptly at 2:00 PM this Friday (Good, the grease will still be fresh)
2. Bring my appetite
3. A list does exist with exactly what food myself and the other two lucky "Guinea Pigs" are to try
4. A Kare11 camera crew may or may-not follow us around for an on-air segment TBD
5. All I have to do is get to the fair and the rest is on Metromix
6. I may bring a friend along for this once in a lifetime experience (Etta, you up for an experience?)
7. I will be walking around in a stylish Metromix T-shirt
8. Photographs will be taken while I stuff my face full of deep -fried goodness
9. My reaction will be recorded of each different food I try
10. You can follow us this Friday via Twitter @MMXStateFair
11. Final product with the full experence will be published at twincities.metromix.com

Only if I could see the list ahead of time to better prepare myself? Well, that might take the element of surprise out I guess. The one thing I hope is on this list is everything at Axel's along with the newly (IMO) highly anticipated new food this year, the deep-fried slidders.

After telling the group I typically attend the fair with each year what I was about to do, the reaction was exactly what I expected. "I could not imagine anyone better for this task." and "We call you Fry-Basket for a reason and it looks like the work has finally gotten out."

Stay-tuned for a full update along with a link to the full article from Metromix.com.