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Iowa State Fair 2023: Our top 10 rankings for new fair food
There’s something for everyone on this year’s list
Aug. 11, 2023 4:59 pm, Updated: Aug. 14, 2023 11:23 am
DES MOINES — We’ve all been there — staring at the menu for way too long while deciding what you want to eat.
It’s not something you want to do in crowds at the Iowa State Fair, where 64 new foods are joining hundreds of others this year, vying for your attention with flashing lights and colorful flags.
See our thoughts on this year’s Top 10 list of new foods to help make the decision easier on your brain, stomach and wallet. Online voting for the People’s Choice of the top three on the Iowa State Fair’s list — the Grinder Ball, the Iowa Twinkie and the Deep Fried Bacon Brisket Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese — closes at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14.
If you go
What: Iowa State Fair
Where: Fairgrounds, 3000 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines
When: Through Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023; grounds open 8 a.m. to midnight, buildings open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Admission: $11 ages 12 and up and $7 ages 6 to 11 in advance; $16 ages 12 and up and $10 ages 6 to 11 at the gate; ages 5 and under free
Food details: iowastatefair.org/food
Fair details: iowastatefair.org
1. Deep Fried Strawberry Shortcake on a Stick by Smith’s
As the most quintessentially “fair” food on this year’s Top 10 list, this hefty but delectable treat supported my stomach in ways unmatched by the stick that struggled to support its weight.
From the first bite, I was transported back to the bliss of a childhood fair experience.
Maya Angelou once said that people might not remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. I don’t remember everything I saw, heard, smelled or tasted at the California Mid-State Fair in my childhood. But I remember how it made me feel — and this food delivered it.
Topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of strawberry syrup, this is an embodiment of that joy you didn’t realize you were experiencing until you became an adult.
Supple, pillowy batter envelopes a strawberry shortcake snack roll like the ones you can get at the grocery store, with layers of cream and strawberry. Like fried Oreos or fried Twinkies, this strawberry shortcake is bought premade, but you wouldn’t know the difference — or care — after biting into it.
The ending is like that of a roller-coaster ride — a treat that you probably wish had lasted a little longer.
2. Iowa Twinkie by Whatcha Smokin BBQ
Unlike my top pick above, this Twinkie is not for dessert. But the surprisingly petite snack packs a big, Texas-inspired punch.
A pleasing palate of barbecue sauce, ranch and scallion adds crunch to a jalapeno wrapped in bacon and smoked over post oak wood next to the Iowa Craft Beer Tent.
This is not spicy at all — closer to a stuffed bell pepper, but with a honey sweet theme and smoky balance. The lack of spice — I felt only a slight tingle on the roof of my mouth for a second — leads me to believe that the seeds were removed from the jalapeno.
Lately, I have disliked the trend of cream cheese being used in everything. It’s overplayed and, well, cheesy. But this pairing of cream cheese filling with pulled pork and corn is delightful. The cream cheese cools the slight tingle of the jalapeno while the pepper enhances the sweet, mildly seasoned pork.
In a sea of options that are over-the-top for the sake of being over-the-top, the multiple elements of this work together into a dynamic, cohesive unit. I just wish it were a little bigger.
3. Grinder Ball by Bacon Box
This is the third variation of the bacon ball hosted at Bacon Box’s State Fair appearances. Previously, its specials included a pork belly ball and a chicken bacon ranch version.
This bacon treat puts a new spin on the classic grinder sandwich. Italian pork sausage is wrapped in bacon, stuffed with mozzarella cheese, rotisserie smoked and smothered in marinara sauce.
“It’s just a meat ball,” you might say. And you’d be wrong.
Cutting it open delivers a waft of the same kind of smell I got smelling ham balls cooking in my mother’s oven after church on Sunday. If we were Italian, perhaps this is what she would have cooked instead.
With warm meats, cheese and sauce, it’s a little bit like a pizza on a stick — kind of like the pizza sub I’d get at Subway when my mom was too tired to make dinner, but in a wholesome way you can only get from the Crock-Pot at home.
4. Deep Fried Bacon Brisket Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese by What’s Your Cheez
If nothing else, this item will win a consolation prize for longest title.
This hearty creation comes from the owners of The Finisher at Rib Shack, which won the people’s hearts and stomachs at last year’s fair. As they opened a new vendor this year, they wanted a new concoction playing on their signatures.
Owner Joni Bell wasn’t worried about too many elements overwhelming her diners.
“If you’re going for a grilled cheese, you want cheese,” she said.
A thick white, sour cream-based bread is embedded with cheddar and chunks of bacon. Inside, you get a healthy amount of meat and a playfully unhealthy amount of cheese.
But they do answer the question posed by their new stand’s name — this is now your cheese. Macaroni and cheese dominates some bites under the slight crunch of a fried shell that adds a little bit of pepper and a hint of grease.
The raspberry chipotle dip is sweet and syrup-like, with a domineering sense of cinnamon.
5. Iowa Sweet Corn Ice Cream Sundae by Over the Top
Inspired by a relative’s travels to Mexico, owner Natalie Carroll has been serving sweet corn ice cream in her Des Moines shop down the street from the fairgrounds for some time.
If Mexico can do a sweet corn treat justice, why can’t Iowa?
But this year, it’s being turned into a sundae for the first time with butterscotch, chocolate candy melts that look like green corn husks, and corn kernel topping.
On a hot day, it’s a sight for sore eyes, even if it’s unfamiliar territory. Before it’s even in my mouth, luscious ribbons of butterscotch caress my nostrils.
The ice cream is thick and extra creamy, with tiny bits of corn throughout. There’s more flavor from the corn ice cream itself — reminiscent of a good cream soda — than the kernels, which are more of a bit player for looks and texture.
This ice cream’s corn, however, won’t get stuck in your teeth.
If you’re on the search for a cool treat, this well edited sundae is well worth your time any day of the week.
6. A-Hootenanny by the Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association
This second ice cream treat on the Top 10 list is a byproduct of years of research for jam recipes, and took three years to perfect.
Imagine every summer fruit you can think of thrown into a sundae with rhubarb and an oatmeal cookie. The Hootenanny jam throwing this party has it all: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, rhubarb and cherries.
A chipper, creamy flavor opens the show with bites of rhubarb and crumble from the chewy cookie, which has been gently softened by the vanilla ice cream in the dog days of summer.
The texture holds together a symphony of berries underscored with an apple juice finish.
7. Dough Crazy Sweet Stick by Dough Crazy
This stick combined eight of the flavors available at the vendor’s Des Moines store year-round, with a chocolate drizzle on top. Here, you can sample them all at once: chocolate chip, cake batter, brownie batter, brookie, cookie dough, monster cookie, cherry chocolate chip, and cookies and cream.
I endearingly refer to the combination as the cookie dough version of a suicide soda. The stick can be enjoyed in bites of one or in combination bites of thick, sticky and rich dough.
This is for a sugar tooth’s sugar tooth — I could feel the granulated sugar rubbing its hands together thinking about its new renovation plans for my teeth. Approach with caution after a full day of fair food.
Each flavor was thoroughly enjoyable and is a great, one-handed alternative to ice cream.
8. Dill Pickle Flavored Cheese Curds by Brad & Harry’s Cheese Curds
This new flavor from Brad & Harry’s comes after past novelty flavors like Cajun, garlic and jalapeno.
A noticeable dill flavor complements the cheese well, but without overwhelming the cheddar. Appropriately chewy, too.
They didn’t overdo the breading. After a year living in Wisconsin, I’ve learned that’s a common mistake outside of America’s Dairyland.
My curds were a tad dry, though — like they’d been in a fryer a little too long. The dill flavor was also inconsistent from curd to curd.
9. Crunchy Cool Ranch Pickle on a Stick by Grater Taters
This thing is heavy. If you like pickles, you’ll get your money’s worth here.
Usually, this vendor does other versions of hollowed-out pickles filled with cream cheese and other ingredients.
This year’s novelty is a spiral-cut pickle coated in Cool Ranch Doritos, fried, and served with a drizzle of ranch. Your server will ask how much ranch you’d like — a Midwestern attention to detail I appreciate. I opted for a heavy drizzle.
The pickle, still warm inside, loses its crunch with the heat of frying it. But the flavor is great. The brine goes well with the Doritos.
The ranch dressing ties it all together the way a good rug finishes a decorated room.
10. Shrimp Poke Bowl by Shrimp Shack
This rice bowl with a soy sauce base at the bottom of the bowl is topped with shrimp, a spicy aioli, edamame, green onion, carrots, pineapple and jalapenos.
These are all great ingredients to have on a poke bowl, but the presentation comes out very beige with the color of the sauce, the topping and the shrimp on a dish that should be popping with color.
The pleasant, mildly peppery aioli goes perfectly with the shrimp. It’s all brightened by fresh carrots and edamame, which make up for a hesitant first impression.
A dusting of salt comes in with the crunchy topping to liven up the room.
Overall, the bowl delivers sweet, savory, salty and spicy in a relatively healthy option at the fair. But if you’re a poke connoisseur, I’d recommend getting your fix outside the fair.
Comments: (319) 398-8340; elijah.decious@thegazette.com
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