On Sunday, we visited the Minnesota State Fair, lured by the promise of bacon. And the promise was fulfilled, several times over.
I carefully constructed an itinerary, mostly based on going to the State Fair’s online Food Finder and typing “bacon”.
Sadly, I didn’t have my camera out for this, but we passed a woman pushing a stroller (not an uncommon sight at the Fair). Her male companion was wearing an “I’m with the MILF” shirt (available on the internet for the cost of $19.95 and your dignity). Nominations for Father of the Year, anyone?
Our first stop was Axel’s. When I mentioned to my husband that we were heading into the Food Building, he immediately made me cross it off the list because it’s smelly and hot in there. And I had a brief flashback to last year when we stood in line for cheese curds, and I got a little queasy remembering that the curds were the fourth fried food item we’d consumed that night, and it was indeed stinky and warm inside. However, as we were walking past the building, we noticed that Axel’s had a convenient stand on the outside, so we didn’t have to endure the stench and heat to get our meaty delights. Hooray!
We ordered the Bull Bites ($7) and the Tater Tots on a stick ($4).
Bull Bites (blackened tenderloin tips with horseradish sauce)
I’ve had the Bull Bites as an appetizer at Axel’s Bonfire restaurants, and they never disappoint. Unless you’re a vegetarian.
Tater Tots on a Stick (hash browns formed with cheddar cheese, bacon, green onion, and sour cream)
The tots had an aura of comfort food (which wasn’t a bad thing at all), but the sauce had a little kick to it to make things a little more interesting.
Our next stop: Big Fat Bacon ($3)
Big Fat Bacon booth
According to the Food Finder, Big Fat Bacon is “1/3 lb slice of bacon, fried and carmelized with maple syrup, served on a stick with dipping sauces”. There were no dipping sauces that we saw, but we didn’t care.
Big Fat Bacon was crispy and sweet on the outside, but tender and salty and juicy on the inside. It was ham-like in texture, but much more savory. It was quite hot, so we let it cool off for a few seconds before diving in.
Big Fat Bacon on a Stick, and my hand model
They also had some clever signs on their booth.
Eating bacon = patriotism.
Bacon in popular culture
The Sausage Station was located next to the Big Fat Bacon booth. And yes, I have the sense of humor of a ten-year-old boy.
Insert juvenile joke here.
Our final stop in our meat trilogy was Famous Dave’s, home of the infamous Pig Lickers ($5). These alone were worth braving the crowds and the heat. They were served cold so the chocolate wouldn’t melt and make a mess, although it was hard to avoid that in 90-degree weather.
I’ve had Mo’s Bacon Bar from Vosges, which is predominantly chocolate with a few salty bacon chunks mixed in. Here, bacon is the star and chocolate is the sidekick, with a special guest appearance by some sea salt. I enjoy the bacon bar, but this is on a whole other level of bacony pleasure. I was somewhat relieved that we went to the Fair on the second-to-last day, because I might have stopped by this booth more often.
Heaven in a cup. And hand model.
Even though we’d had bacon as an appetizer, entree, and dessert, we decided to finish our culinary adventures with an old standby, malts in the Dairy Building.
On the way, we saw this Midway ride, which looked like the entrance to Harrah’s Las Vegas.
I get a little twitchy at the thought of penny slots nearby.
Even though we’d entered the Dairy Building, we couldn’t escape the pork references.
Note the bacon-like background.
We walked past the display of award-winning meat to the Butter Heads. My favorite Princess Kay memory? Back in 1999, we were bored and watching the coronation on cable access, and one of the contestants talked about bringing dairy into the next “moo-lennium”.
Yup, this is what we do for fun around here.
After hastily procuring a carmel apple malt, we headed for the exit. Thanks, State Fair, for a bacony good time!
