Iowa State Fair food 2022: We tried the good, bad and ugly - Axios Des Moines

2022-08-13 20:38:59 By : Ms. Hze Beneficiation

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Here's the scoop: We all know who the real queen of the Iowa State Fair is — the food.

Driving the news: With the 2022 fair just around the corner, I got the chance to judge some of the new foods on Tuesday.

This year has every type of dish, from gluttonously greasy to fresh, healthy plates.

Of note: Everything I ate was sample size, so expect way more if you buy the real thing!

This over-the-top sandwich has "OMG" in it for a reason. It's a chicken sandwich breaded and fried in Frosted Flakes and served on two Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Jaw-dropping food like this is why you go to the fair, and I appreciate the creativity and gusto.

Linh's rating: 🧈🧈🧈 (3 out of 5 butter sticks)

I don't know if "whimsical" has ever been used to describe pork, but The Pork Picnic in a Cup is just that. It takes a classic Iowa barbecue and stuffs it all into a cup.

It's filling, creative and fun. A part of me wishes it was mashed potatoes instead of coleslaw, but then that steps dangerously close to beef sundae territory.

Linh's rating: 🧈🧈🧈🧈 (4 out of 5 butter sticks)

This is where my sample size doesn't do the whole dish justice — The Finisher is a gigantic, smothered baked potato that ensures you get the best bang for your buck at the fair.

When everything is getting expensive at the fair, this is a must try not only because of the price-value ratio, but it tasted like great barbecue as well.

Linh's rating: 🧈🧈🧈🧈 (4 out of 5 butter sticks)

And special shoutout to my favorite new fair food that I tried — Egg-O-Fuego ($8) from The Cluckin' Coop. It's a spicy egg sandwich, loaded with chorizo, pepper jack cheese on a brioche bun.

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