The Iowa State Fair is the stuff of legend.
The state that produces the second-highest percentage of the nation's food (only slightly behind California, which is––and this is true––MUCH larger than Iowa) should certainly put on an annual banger of a state fair, and every August it brings Iowans from Council Bluffs to Davenport to the sprawling state fairgrounds in east Des Moines.
The food is equally legendary––the standard fair fare of corn dogs and funnel cakes can be found at countless stands, but certain pioneering purveyors push the envelope every year to compete for the coveted "Top 3" new food item awards every year.
Articles from the local press and blog posts abound with recommendations for the best food at the fair every year, and after my inaugural visit this year, the Maestro is here to offer his take on some of the buzziest bites.
Mom and I selected a cloudy Tuesday for our visit, figuring the crowds would be thin. Uff da, were we wrong! After elbowing our way through crowds of people, many in mostly unnecessary motor chairs like in Wall-E, and livestock, we'd worked up a reasonable appetite, and I consulted my pre-researched list and discovered we'd exited the "Avenue of Breeds" tent right at the end of the queue for one of the contenders for the "Top 3" this year.
Now, lobster is not the first thing I'd think of chowing down on at a fair in the heartland, but Destination Grille from Grimes, IA was getting some press for their lobster corn dog. Yours truly is generally repulsed by hot dogs, so a standard-issue corn dog wasn't high on my list, but a lobster corn dog? Sign me up.
While preposterously expensive, the lobster tail had a perfect batter with a crispy golden-brown fry, made even better by a drizzle of delightfully tangy lemon aioli and crumble of parmesan. The lobster was clearly pre-frozen and cooked harder than I'd like, but was far from the rubbery catastrophe I anticipated from a fairgrounds stand 1000 miles from New England. Mom and I both got our obligatory "chowing down on fair food" picture enjoying our first snack!
After demolishing our $20 nibble, we needed something to wash it, and our forthcoming snacks, down. Fortunately, the massive dedicated Iowa craft beer tent was just steps away.
Mom snagged a killer craft root beer from Millstream Brewing in Amana, while a fabulous queer bartender recommended a flight of three of her favorite IPAs for me––"these are the beers I'm drinking at the end of my shift." Here they are:
From Flix Brewhouse in Des Moines, a hazy IPA offered a juicy, but balanced hop profile that was food-friendly and refreshing.
Twisted Vine, also from Des Moines, had multiple beers on tap, and their Westown IPA, driven by resinous, piney hops, was a delicious and classic American IPA.
From the east side of the state in the Quad Cities, Twin Span Brewing (which I've visited!) offered a delicious and distinctly west coast–style IPA called West End of the Galaxy.
We split up into two lengthy lines before traipsing over to the beer tent, and brought two snacks to the tent to enjoy with our craft beer (and root beer!)––both of which could be best described as "Iowa State Fair-Asian fusion." From Winn and Sara's Kitchen in the DSM 'burbs, Mama brought back an "egg roll" housing a decadent bacon cheeseburger filling. A touch salty, but quite tasty, and another candidate for a "Top 3" award.
One of the more decorated vendors is BBQ stalwart Whatcha Smokin' from itty-bitty Luther, IA, which quietly produces some of the best 'cue in the state. While their jalapeño stuffed with pulled pork, called an "Iowa Twinkie" and winner of last years' "Top 3" accolade, was appealing, their candidate for this year's award was a distinctly Iowa take on a sushi roll.
Pork tenderloin is a fixture of Iowa food, and Whatcha Smokin' stuffs a tenderloin with rice, jalapeño creamed corn, queso, and BBQ sauce and smoked, served sliced like a sushi roll and topped with the same sauces inside as well as sesame seeds and green onion. While broadly tasty, we found many bites under-seasoned and nondescript.
I had planned to chow down on six or seven items while visiting the fair, but Mama and I were both rather stuffed, so after dropping by the famous butter sculpture, we made one last stop at JR's SouthPork Ranch, one of the brick-and-mortar restaurants actually located in the fairgrounds for our favorite bite of the day.
Inspired by the famous "Party Dip" by Des Moines' own Anderson Erickson dairy (available at a Hy-Vee near you!), JR's "Party Balls" were essentially a loaded hash brown in a ball. Shredded potatoes, bacon, and cheese were crusted with chips and deep fried. Served topped with AE's Party Dip, it was easily our favorite.
There were countless other (mostly deep-fried) delights on offer, but we found ourselves full and weary of the crowds. In the future, my plan will be to stake out and map the best spots for the year and spread out the eatin' across the whole day. Still, we had a wonderful time exploring the fair (my first visit, and mom's first visit since she was a kid!) and sampling the distinctly midwestern bites!