Fran 
Late but not forgotten, here at last are the 7th Annual Fran’s Fair Awards for 2024!
The day after the Fair ended, I left for a long business trip to NYC. I had great intentions of using my spare time on that trip to write this post. Alas, the sights and sounds (and tastes) of NYC were too much of a draw and I never got around to it. The day after I got back, Katie left for a trip of her own - which was the same day I tested positive for Covid. :-/ Several days of single-parenting from a distance and sleeping all day followed. Suddenly, the Fair’s been over for two weeks and this post isn’t written yet!
But here it is, finally! All of my favorite and least favorite things about this year’s Fair!
Food Categories
As is our tradition here at Fran’s Fair Awards, the bad news comes first.
Biggest Disappointment
We had a couple of really “strong” contenders for most disappointing food item this year. But there’s one that stands out above (below?) the crowd: the sadness-on-a-stick that was:
Eggroll-on-a-Stick at Que Viet
This is such a sad award to give out because I know how good this could be. It’s been amazing in the past! I looked forward to it through several visits this year before the opportunity finally presented itself. The anticipation was high! The danger of damaging my teeth on the ridiculously overfried exterior was higher.
Once I did manage to chip and gnaw my way into the middle, things didn’t get any better as I was met by a solid wall of pork sausage. Not a veggie in sight. What happened Que Viet!?!? This is a restaurant with a 40 year history in the Twin Cities and has been voted Minnesota’s best egg roll!! I can only hope this was just a bad day manning the fryer, but now I’ll wait an entire year to see if they can get their A-game back.
Dishonorable Mentions
There were of course a few more disappointments, including:
- Pretzel Factory Pretzel - My quest to replace the gone-and-much-missed Pretzel Haus pretzel continues after the Pretzel Factory’s pretzel was such a letdown. It certainly tasted like it came out of a factory, and not in a good way.
- Blue Barn’s PB Bacon Cakes - These were a hot mess of overthinking it. Shoulda just stopped at Bacon Cakes, Blue Barn.
- Blue Barn’s Breakfast Gnocchi - Blue Barn really having an off year. These were extremely meh. This had potential, but I think it sat out way too long before they served it. Gnocchi is one of my favorite foods on this planet, so this was a real letdown.
- Idahoan’s Tapatio Instant Mashed Potatoes - These were a dumpster fire, solving a problem that doesn’t exist. But they were free so they get a pass.
Most Overhyped New Food
A new category for 2024! What new food item couldn’t back up the buzz?
The early favorite for this category would have certainly been Deep Fried Ranch, but that actually had the goods to deliver! Definitely held its own in the Fair snacking pantheon. But there is a highly-touted item that fell flat for me this year. The most overhyped new food for 2024 is:
The Nordic Burger from Nordic Waffle
The carmelized onion waffle was nifty, but overall it was just uninspired. Not enough here to make it memorable, especially when your sibling is the phenomenal Waffle Dog. This one was just a miss for me.
Phew. The dirty work is done, let’s get on to the fun stuff!
Best Main Entree
When it comes to entrees, RC’s BBQ givethed and takethed away both - they took away last year’s winner in this category, the Maui-Sota Sticky Ribs. Which just goes to show you, if you want to give a new food a shot, don’t delay, because sometimes the best of ‘em are one-and-done! Luckily, this year’s winner was another new food last year which DID stick around, and let’s hope it’s around for a lonnnnnng time. This year’s winner for best main entree is:
Nordic Waffle’s Bacon Wrapped Waffle Dog
This one the “Best New Food that Didn’t Win Another Category” category last year, but this year it really proved it belonged - and not just belonged, but shined! This has everything you want for a Fair entree - novelty (waffle), guilty pleasure (bacon), pleasant surprise (pickle, onions), tons of flavor (sauce), something over the top and probably not needed (cheese), and quality (hot dog). If that line wasn’t so darn long, I’d have one of these every day at the Fair. If you haven’t had one yet - and yes, I know there is a lot of skepticism of this item out there - do yourself a favor and at least give it a try next year. Chances are you won’t regret it!
Honorable mention goes to Baba’s, who knocked it out of the park with their Ba’Bacon Sour Cream + Onion Hummus Bowl. Mmmmm, warm fluffy pita bites…
Best Snack
Last year, the best snack winner went to the newcomer Lemonade Sorbet from Quench’d. That lemon-zest-infused sorbet was so simple yet refreshing, I thought about it many times throughout the year.
This year I’m giving the award to another new item, yet also familiar…
Lemonade Sorbet Float from Quench’d
Didn’t need to stray too far from the tree for this one! They took last year’s winner, floated it in their lemonade, and served it in a cherry-sugar-rimmed cup with a cherry on top! It went from refreshing treat to fun novelty, delivering more of everything I loved about it last year. I can’t wait to get this again in 2025!
I’d also like to give an honorable mention to Duke’s Poutine. I’d never tried it before, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. So did Henry, which is why I only got a few bites before it was gone!
Best Dessert
I did pretty well covering a lot of dessert ground, which is not my strongest category. This year I had everything from pecan tarts to multiple donuts to ice cream in many forms. A lot of tasty options, but there is one that stands out in my mind. This year’s winner for best dessert is:
Lady Slipper Marble Sundae at Bridgeman’s
Now, this wasn’t the perfect dessert, because it was too frickin’ huge. But it was too much of a very good thing! Bridgeman’s ice cream is always a good base, but I’d never had their strawberry before, so that was new for me. And with lemon being one of my favorite flavors, the lemon marshmallow cream was right up my alley. What really made it memorable though was the ladyfinger cookies - I loved the crunchy cookie to break up the texture and even the sweetness a bit. Plus, two cherries on top - something I always do when I make sundaes at home. I’m happy to have another non-chocolate ice cream go-to at the Fair, but next time I’ll be sure to get an extra spoon or two and share!
Honorable mention goes to the Honey Cream Soda Float at the Bee Stand in the Ag Building. An often overlooked place, this was an interesting twist on a float with a real honey punch to it.
Best Breakfast
What really is “breakfast” at the Fair anyway?? The two specifically breakfast items I had - the Breakfast Gnocchi and the PB Bacon Cakes - were both mentioned above in the biggest disappointments, so I’m going to have to get a little more creative with this one. And I think that’s ok, because there are no food rules at the Fair! So, my best breakfast award is going to:
The Chicken and Chorizo Paella at the Paella Depot
Spaniards eat paella any time of day, and I actually discovered paella as a breakfast food first (from Twin Cities Paella at the Kingfield Farmer’s Market nearly a decade ago). Plus, we added the fried egg on this, so it’s definitely breakfast! And it’s good breakfast. It probably makes more sense outside of the Fair, considering how filling it can be, but as long as you have a sharing partner like I did, I think you could do a lot worse than paella for breakfast at the Fair! The most memorable part of this dish was the carmelized rice, somehow both crispy and chewy at the same time. So good!
Best Drink
I did better than I usually do sampling the drink category this year, not just beers but several other drinks as well. The usual suspects were strong as always - mini donut beer, maple cream latte - but I’m going to go in a different direction for this year’s award:
Boba Tea at Chan’s Eatery
Over the last couple of years I’ve really come to appreciate a good boba tea, and this is the first of its kind at the Fair. The menu was extensive, but I gravitate towards the classics, like this Thai milk tea. You can see they didn’t skimp on the boba either! Any time your drink includes sucking up gelatinous balls through a ridiculously large straw, you’re definitely within the Fair novelty zone, so this just worked for me!
I’m also going to give an honorable mention to the Sweet Clementine beer from Giggle’s, partly because the beer itself was more than decent, and partly because Giggle’s FINALLY did a novelty beer that didn’t taste like dishwater!! Shout out to Paella Depot’s fresh-made lineup of agua fresca, too.
Best Food Value
Fair bargains are becoming harder and harder to find by the year. But there’s one thing that I get every year that is perfectly simple, perfectly refreshing, and a steal at $3:
Cider Freeze from the apple stand in the Ag Building
Nothing says Fair more than a fresh cider freeze pop on a hot day. It’s the perfect palette cleanser after all of that fried stuff, and at $3 it’s a no-brainer.
Most Unusual Thing I Ate
This year I ate something that wasn’t exactly unusual, but which is something I never, ever thought I would eat at the Fair. It’s a comfort food that makes sense to warm you up on a cold winter day, but would it be appealing at the Fair in August? The answer was a resounding YES! This year’s winner is:
The Cabbage Roll at iPierogi
I took one bite of this and couldn’t stop raving about it! Both the stuffing and the sauce were scrape-the-bowl good! They have a food truck in town and I’m gonna be checking out their socials to try to figure out how I can get more of this soon. Maybe all the Polish readers are like “duh!” right now, but I had no idea these things were so good. I think a visit to Kramarczuk’s is in order!
Biggest Regret Of Food I Didn’t Get To This Year
The Fair could be twice as long and I’d still not get to everything I want to try. This year, my biggest regret is:
The Indigenous Food Lab
I really wish I could have made it to Indigenous Food Lab - they had some truly intriguing items on their menu, including Nixtamal, Wóžapi and Bison. Plus cricket and seed mix topping as an option! I’ll make it a priority next year to give this a try!
Last year’s biggest regret was the Cinnamon Affogato at Hamline, and I’m happy to say I got it this year. Even though it was just decent, it’s always nice to cross a regret off the list.
Comeback Kid
This category is all about giving Fair classics their flowers, and so I’d like to draw your attention to a perenially undersold delicacy:
Deep Fried Pickles at The Perfect Pickle
I don’t think we’ve taken enough time to appreciate both the genius of this item and also the way that every year they perfectly execute the coating - I guess “perfect” IS in the name. These things are SO. GOOD. Turns out that warm pickle + crunch + ranch dressing is about as close to perfect snack as it gets. Just don’t take them for granted! Appreciate them for the Fair gems that they are, and eat up!
Best New Food That Didn’t Win Another Category
The Sweet Heat Bacon Crunch at RC’s BBQ
For taste, this was near the top of the new foods this year. Smoked slab bacon, BBQ sauce, chili crunch, bed of rice - there’s a lot to like here. Well, no that’s the problem - there wasn’t enough! The portion size was way too small for the $13 price. That took it out of the running for best new entree, but the taste is good enough to give it the nod here, especially since RC now has shown that they are not shy about dropping new foods from the menu next year, so this may be the only time to give it some recognition.
Most Controversial Item
I’m about to bring two fistfuls of controversy ya’ll. My pick for this year’s winner did not get great reviews from the “professionals”. But they’re wrong. Because this item was delicious, and I will fight you. Ok, not really, but I will take yours if you don’t want to finish it! This year’s winner is:
The Turkey Kristo at The Farmer’s Union
Ok. You’re starting with an elevated grilled cheese and then you’re adding farm-fresh turkey, apple butter, spicy mustard mayo, and powdered sugar. YEAH IT TASTES AS GOOD AS IT SOUNDS!!! Mic drop.
As for that second fistful? Peachey’s Amish Donuts ain’t all that.
Now, don’t get me wrong, a warm donut is a warm donut, which is to say, delicious. But it’s an oversized Krispy Kreme, ya’ll. That’s it. Quit it with the crazy lines for this. (And that goes for the pickle pizza, too.)
Non-Food Categories
Best Music
We were rapidly approaching the end of the Fair and realized we hadn’t seen any music at all! Luckily Katie and I made up for that on our date day visit, and then some more when we went back with Henry for Labor Day. The most fun concert we saw was:
McNasty Brass Band
That makes it two years in a row the winners came to us on the International Bazaar Stage. McNasty is a local Twin Cities group that have been bouncing around for a lot of years now, but this is the first time we saw them. Hopefully not the last! Super fun mix of originals and pop covers.
Honorable mention for the 4-H Musical, Wonder Full. Great job, kids!!
Best Non-Musical Entertainment
Let’s give the nod to:
Alley-Oops Circus Comedy act on the Family Fair stage
More comedy than circus, but entertaining all around! And, I had a (very) small part in the show, I tossed a fake hand to him while he was in the air balancing.
Best Art or Craft (tie)
This was a bit of an off year for the kid’s art, if I’m being honest. Still some amazing stuff for sure, but less “I can’t believe an 8 yaer old made that!” moments for me than usual. But there were two pieces of art that I saw at the Fair that are still stuck in my brain. First, is this ridiculously good hand drawn map by Anna (Palmquist) of Stargirl Art:
And next is this classic crop art by Meredith Keller of East Bethel, MN!
Truth be told, I could have picked any number of things here - there was some amazing sculptural art too! The talent of everyday Minnesotans shines through once more.
Best Educational Exhibit
More of a performance than an exhibit, but this year for the first time in quite a while we checked out the:
MN History-on-a-Stick Performance
I learned that Paul Bunyan has a girlfriend Lucette who is impressive in her own right, and that Minnesota has a state soil! (Lester Soil)
Honorable mention to the T-Rex Cookie demonstration in the Cambria Demonstration Kitchen. I learned so much about running a small food business just in the Q&A!
Best Non-Food Value
Two years in a row, I’ve scored great merch at the
Good Things tent in the North End Marketplace
They have a great selection of stuff for being such a small store - tee shirts, hats, stickers, socks, puzzles, and more!
Biggest Regret of Activity I Didn’t Get to Do
We covered a lot of ground this year, but there are a couple of things that come to mind. For the second year in a row, I haven’t been on the Skyride or the Space Tower. No Ye Olde Mill this year, either! And I still haven’t seen the Llama Costume Contest. #lifegoals
Grand Champion Prize for Best of the Fair
Ok, the moment has finally arrived. We have crowned our category champions, but there can be only one Grand Champion. Who’s it gonna be????
The 2024 Fran’s Fair Awards Grand Champion Prize goes to….. drumroll …
HENRY CLOSING OUT THE FAIR BY WINNING OVER THE CROWD IN THE STREET!!
Our 2024 Fair closed out in a most memorable way. As we were walking towards the exit one last time, we passed by the KMOJ 89.9 FM booth, which was playing Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Henry immediately jumped onto the dance floor next to another crowdmember who was busting out the Thriller dance move for move like a pro. After Thriller, the DJ played Billie Jean, and that’s when Henry took center stage. What happened next? Well, let’s just say he had the entire Fair crowd chanting his name…
No one embodies the Fair spirit more than our Henry, and his joy was infectious to everyone around him that day! It’s a Fair memory we’ll never forget and definitely a great way to end our 2024 Fair!
Well folks, that’s a wrap for this year. What a journey! Hope you enjoyed being along for the ride. I’ll continue to post sporadically through the year to keep us going until the 2025 Fair, but first, a much needed break. I’ll be back in a couple months or so, but for now, this is your Fairly Obsessed blogger-in-chief signing off. Take care, everyone!
2024 Fair Visit #5