Taste of Minnesota in Saint Paul, MN - Part 1

Taste of Minnesota, an annual festival in Saint Paul that bring people from all around to see concerts, buy some locally made trinkets, get smacked in the face with a barrage of less than subtle advertising, and of course: get a taste of the food Minnesota has to offer.

To any potential patrons of ToM 2011, be forewarned that entry was $20 per person this year.  On top of that, food is not purchased with money, but tickets you must purchase beforehand.  The 2010 exchange rate was 8 tickets for $5, so be sure to bring plenty of cash if you want to get the full experience.  There are on-site ATMs, but who wants to deal with those charges?

To get back on topic, the food I tried this year ranged form the "Absolutely Delicious!" to the mediocre at best.  Aside from free samples, i tried to be very picky about where my food came from in order to get the most for my mon- er, tickets.  Despite their gigantic booth I avoided Famous Dave's because...well I've eaten at the restaurant enough to know what the food tastes like.  Then other booths like Joe's Crab Shack (very hard to resist) and Crave  were avoided because I would rather eat at their restaurants than eat the same things while walking around in the hot sun.

My first sampling came from the Bubba Gump Shrimp booth.  I grabbed one of their hush puppies, which I've sadly never had in the restaurant, and have to admit I was rather underwhelmed with it.  Despite the mixture of breading, fish, corn, and scallions each bite was regretfully bland.  I feel that much of the blame must be placed on it being very hot and straight from the deep fryer.  I enjoyed the taste that did get through, but too much of it was masked by the still hot oil that scalded my tongue.
Bubba Gump Shrimp - Hush Puppies: 6 / 10

Despite the lower score, I do plan on trying the hush puppies at their Mall of America restaurant location in order to determine whether this was a fluke.

The next sampling I received was the new Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (good old Blue Box) called simply: Homestyle.  I won't lie, it was good.  Darn good.  On the very first bite an image of my mom making Velveeta Shells & Cheese when I was a kid popped into my head.  The smooth creamy texture of the cheese coating perfectly textured noodles made me forget this was even Kraft brand for a moment, as their always tastes so artificial in my opinion.  Even though Jill can't eat it, I plan on getting this to have with dinner one night while she is at classes.
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - Homestyle: 8 / 10

My first "purchased" taste of the day was from the 5-8 Club: a cheeseburger called the Juicy Lucy.  For anyone that doesn't know, the Juicy Lucy is a cheeseburger with the cheese melted inside the beef patty.  This burger was a milestone for me in two ways.  First, I've never eaten a cheeseburger with the cheese on the inside.  Second, I finally bit the bullet and ate a burger with pickles after refusing for 26 years.  Anyone that knows my eating habits is undoubtedly concerned for my well being right now, but don't fret.  The pickles obviously didn't kill me like I thought they would all these years.  Truth be told, the burger was incredibly delicious!  Although the beef was cooked more than I prefer, the melted cheese was an incredible surprise that truly helps the burger live up to its name.  It would have been perfect had the beef itself just been a little less dry.  Oh and the pickles were okay too.
5-8 Club - Juicy Lucy: 9 / 10

My next taste was found and purchased by my wife at the Tea Garden booth.  She got a Kiwi Mango iced tea with the optional "bubbles".  The first thing I noticed (other than the dark bubbles sitting at the bottom of the cup) was the size of the straw.  It is made very wide to let the bubbles slide up with each drink, drastically increasing the amount of tea received at a time.  Being a fan of tea, I found the drink to be quite delicious.  Not to sweet and not bitter, the fruit flavors brewed excellently together.  The bubbles did take me by surprise however.  The taste, while not really adding anything to the drink itself, is pleasant and fruity.  Whether this varies from drink to drink I am unsure.  The strangest part of the bubbles is their texture.  The outside feels like wet (almost slimy) Jello, with the core feeling closer to warm gummy bears.  At first I didn't know what to make of it, but with each drink the image of drinking gummy bears became stronger until I fell in love with it!
Tea Garden - Kiwi Mango Iced Tea w/ Bubbles: 9 / 10

My next taste came from the Tom Thumb Donuts stand, where I got their signature (and most popular) item: Mini Donuts.  They were everything a donut lover could want.  All 16 little donuts were warm, fresh, fluffy, light, and right on the nose in sweetness.  If they kept these under a heat lamp like some places do, they sure fooled me, because they felt and tasted as if they had just been made (without the heavy grease from a deep fryer).  Then the cinnamon-sugar powder was absolutely perfect on these, covering them in a sweet almost-glaze of deliciousness that will make you feel like a kid again.  If you ever see a Tom Thumb Donuts stand, get these.  I know I will!
Tom Thumb Donuts - Mini Donuts: 9 / 10

Our next stop was the Hickory Hut, advertising their grilled Sweet Corn and their Pork Chops on a Stick (or Steeek, as I prefer to say) on big banners.  My wife decided on the corn without any butter, and skipped on the huge shakers of salt and pepper in order to get the delicious natural flavor.  Thank goodness too, because it was one of my favorite foods the entire day!  It was perfectly cooked, no burn or char marks like you would expect from a grill, and it needed no butter whatsoever with its natural sweetness.
Hickory Hut - Grilled Sweet Corn: 10 / 10

The Pork Chop on a Stick/Steek was another delicious treat from the Hickory Hut.  Cooked with the bone still inside to preserve the moisture, the chop was extremely tender - just short of falling off of the bone and/or stick if you will.  The delicious taste of hickory fresh off the grill, while delicious, was extremely salty.  Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but when you're out in the hot sun, the last thing you want is a huge bite of salt.  Truth be told that was its only real downfall, though it was a significant one.
Hickory Hut - Pork Chop on a Stick: 8 / 10

And so ends Part 1 of our visit to the Taste of Minnesota festival.  Part 2 to come very soon (much sooner than it took me to write out this first one, I guarantee).

Taste of Minnesota
http://www.tasteofmn.com/

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Mall of America
396 South Avenue-Level 3 S396
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 853-6600
http://www.bubbagump.com/

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
http://www.kraftbrands.com/macandcheese/

5-8 Club
5800 Cedar Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55417
(612) 823-5858
http://www.5-8club.com/

The Tea Garden
http://www.teagardeninc.com/

Tom Thumb Donuts
http://www.tomthumbdonuts.com/

Hickory Hut
647 University Avenue West
St Paul, MN 55104
(651) 224-9464