Taste of Minnesota in Saint Paul, MN - Part 2

Welcome back to my review of the Taste of Minnesota! Last time, we left off with a very salty yet delicious hickory grilled pork chop on a stick. And now...the rest of the story!

At this point in the day we started getting a craving for some fries, and stopped at the first booth we came across with them on the menu. The Northwoods Steak Buffet prepared their fries fresh from whole potatoes they cut and fried right in front of us. They were fairly average taste-wise, and not crunchy at all. Being fresh from the fryer, I expected the ones on the bottom to be soggy, but the entire cup basically felt and tasted like hot and soggy potatoes. These are fries, not soup potatoes. I expect better if they're going to charge me $3.00 worth of tickets.
Northwoods Steak Buffet - Small Fries: 5 / 10

My next stop was the Cheese Comet booth, where they were selling cream cheese-filled pastries that had a deep fried crust. There were two flavor choices: strawberry and cinnamon-sugar. Expecting a taste that might rival the mini donuts from earlier that day, I picked the cinnamon-sugar Cream Cheese Comet. I was disappointed to say the least...not that the comet was bad, but it didn't taste anything like what I expected. The sweetness of the cream cheese was completely masked by the cinnamon-sugar filling, which was filled with sugar beyond the point of enjoyment. The crust's texture was fair, crunchy on the outside and moist (almost cake like) on the inside, but lacked any taste beyond the cinnamon-sugar goop cooked inside. Perhaps the strawberry flavor would have been better, but I opted to not give them any more of my tickets.
Cheese Comet - Cinnamon-Sugar Comet: 4 / 10

Feeling the need to get the cream cheese comet's taste out of my mouth, we got a lemonade from the Gass Station booth. There's not much to say really. It was sugar water with a lemon in the cup. A simple lemonade stir-in mix would have been just as good, if not better. It would have been more worth the money too.
Gass Station - Lemonade: 4 / 10

My next taste came from a booth that had called my name every time we passed it that day: the Cheese Curd Factory. Refusing to be content with the regular cheese curds, I purchased the Cajun deep fried style. That was my first time trying a deep fried curd, and expected somewhat of a mozzarella stick-like texture. I was quite surprised when my first bite was into a very solid piece of curd instead of a melted hunk of cheese inside the fried breading. Though I was admittedly disappointed at first because of my expectations, I really did enjoy the cheese curds. They had a very nice taste that was accented by the infused Cajun spice, and even the saltiness was at a tolerable level. My only critique is that I wish it had been a little spicier. When I hear the word “Cajun” I expect them to bring on the heat!
Cheese Curd Factory – Cajun Deep Fried Curds: 7 / 10

My last stop of the day was Safari Kenya, and was a style of food that I have never actually tried before. I tried two of their items, the Meat Sambosa and Mango Juice. The sambosa was undoubtedly the best thing I had all day, rivaled only by the sweet corn from Hickory Hut. It contained savory meat, onions, chilies, red & green peppers, etc. all cooked within a fried dough that accumulated in a dish of amazing flavor and heat. Their mango juice was also excellent. It tasted very fresh and didn’t seem like there was any sugar added at all, instead relying upon the natural sweet flavor of the mango. I was sad to learn that it was actually from concentrate with a small amount of sugar added, but I wouldn’t have known the difference had I not asked. Although Safari Kenya is not an established restaurant at this time, they apparently do have plans to give it a try if demand is high enough. Based on the taste of their sambosas alone, I believe they would have no problem getting lots of business. In fact, I will be there on opening day when and if they establish a restaurant in the Twin Cities. Come on Safari Kenya, do it! You know you want to!
Safari Kenya – Meat Sambosa: 10 / 10
Safari Kenya – Mango Juice: 9 / 10

Despite my desire to continue sampling foods around the festival, my stomach was filled with [mostly] fried food, my feet were in pain from walking around for hours in sandals, and the heat was becoming exhausting. So I bid it farewell until next year when I will once again sample new foods, retry some of my favorites (I’m looking at you Safari Kenya and Hickory Hut!), and risk dehydration by over-salted meats.

Until next time, this Picky Eater needs to jump on a treadmill for a few hours...

Northwoods Steak Buffet
2085 Northdale Blvd NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433

Cheese Comet
No Info Available

Gass Station
No Info Available

Cheese Curd Factory
No Info Available

Safari Kenya
No Info Available