Heavy Table's 2014 Minnesota State Fair Tips

Heavy Table: 2014: We’ve had a lot of beer floats, beer shakes, and beer ice cream over the years -- the Summit Oatmeal Stout Beer Gelato tops the list. It's smooth, creamy, malty, not overly sweet -- a winner. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: Flavorful and hearty without being heavy or overwhelming, we found the Farm Handwich -- a Texas-style beef brisket and pimento cheese sauce sandwich -- to be a great all-around lunch entree. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: In a sea of mediocre fried things, Pretzel Curds stand out. The aggressively crunchy pretzel crust provides a nice counterpoint to the squeaky fried curds within. Tasty. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: Novelty, yes. But the S'more Beer (specifically with a Cygnus X-1 Porter from Flat Earth) is just what the doctor ordered: smooth, chocolatey, and jazzed up with a chocolate-graham cracker rim. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: Get the Indeed Day Tripper Onion Rings -- the beer batter here is exceptionally light with a hint of hop-driven bitterness; an Excelsior Bitteschlappe mustard provides a spicy complement. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: Izzy's Jell-O Salad ice cream brings all the best aspects of the church basement staple (in this case, marshmallows, marshmallow sauce, cranberries, lime) sans the oft-used, gross wild cards. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: Yep, we had a hard time ignoring the horrendous spelling, too. But the Chocklit Xtreme is a fudge puppy with true cocoa-y, chocolatey depth -- like a slightly undercooked old-school donut. Yum. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: Grain Belt Blu -- a Schell’s / Grain Belt blueberry beer with a frozen, floating head -- is surprisingly refreshing. No outstanding malt or hop notes here: the tart-sweet fruit steals the show. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: We loved the Deep-Fried Buckeyes, where gooey gobs of peanut butter and chocolate, battered and fried, coalesce to comprise an indulgent, heart-stopping delight. Mehr erfahren.

Heavy Table: 2014: Though it looks more like a burrito, we found the Pulled Pork Quesadilla full and mellow, the tortilla nicely toasted, and the meat tender. Go-to menu hack (per the cook on-duty): add egg. Mehr erfahren.