New State Fair foods: What to eat, what to skip

We set out on a quest to find the most intriguing and interesting of the new food offerings, judging each based on taste, price and overall messiness.

So without further ado, let's get to the good stuff ...

Candied Bacon Donut Sliders ($9) – This year's newcomer to a popular State Fair stop, the Minnesota Wine Country, starts with glazed donut holes sliced in half, stuffed with canided bacon and topped off with a chocolate red wine ganache. While you can never go wrong with candied bacon, the donuts are a little dry and it was a tad skimpy on the ganache. The combination is certainly a winning one but for the $9 price tag, I wasn't overly impressed. Located on the west side of Underwood Street between Carnes and Judson avenues

SPAM® Sushi ($6 for 3 pieces, $8 for 5) – Well, we knew it was only a matter of time until SPAM sushi found its way to the State Fair. And while it's certainly one of the buzziest of new foods, sushi connoisseurs be warned -- this roll is heavy on the SPAM. Whether you choose the 3-piece or opt for the 5-er, I'd recommend skipping the soy, there's already plenty o' salt thanks to the SPAM and the pieces are huge. This was not my favorite but then again, neither is SPAM. At Sushi Rolls, located in the Warner Coliseum, north side

Minnesota Corn Dog ($5) – This is not your traditional corn dog. Ground sausage is blended with blueberries, apples, wild rice, maple syrup and cayenne then dipped into a homemade batter and deep-fried. The maple syrup flavor definitely steals the show here, not leaving a lot of room to pick out those other ingredients -- Cayenne? Apple? Where are you? Still, for only $5, it's not a bad new breakfast option if your checklist includes food on-a-stick. At Gass Station Grill, located on the west side of Cooper Street between Dan Patch and Judson avenues on the outside southeast corner of the Food Building

Carpe Diem ($6) – Put on a bib for this one. The folks at Rabbit Hole put together an ice cream cone for the truly imaginative. They take a Taiyaki (fish-shaped) buttermilk miso waffle cone (which I could eat plain) then fill it with balsamic-roasted strawberry compote and vanilla ice cream. It's finished with a graham cracker crumble and fresh strawberries. Let's just put it out there though, this thing is a mess. Once you bite into that beautiful cone, it opens the path for a compote/ice cream waterfall. We went through a number of napkins (and wet naps) and honestly, were probably more focused on how to attack the food then how to enjoy it. I would've liked to see more of a combination of the vanilla and strawberry compote (the ice cream kind of stays on top while the compote sinks to the bottom) but all in all, the flavors are tasty. At The Rabbit Hole, located at the Midtown Global Market booth at the International Bazaar, east wall (Available Aug. 25-30 only)

Macaroni & Cheese Curds ($9) – Do you want cheese with that cheese? Holy cow. Nacho cheese-flavored mac and cheese is combined with Wisconsin cheese curds for an ooey, gooey explosion of richness. The cheese curds can be tough to pick out from the abundance of nacho cheese -- and really, they're hard to taste. The dish is begging for any other flavor -- a spice, a dash of paprika, another type of cheese, anything. But sadly, it's macho nacho. At Oodles of Noodles, located in the Food Building, east wall

Cheesy French Onion Monkey Bread ($7) – Savory monkey bread? OK, I'm listening. This generous portion starts with an artisan bread loaf, portioned into fours, filled with caramelized onions, cheese and French onion beefy flavors, topped with cheese and then baked in a wood-fired oven. When the fluffy bread loafs emerge, they're topped with a healthy pour of French onion soup. Listen, let's be honest, the reason you get French onion soup is for the crusty, cheesy bread on top, right? Well this is literally, just that. And it's delicious. At Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, located on the northeast corner of Carnes Avenue and Chambers Street

Gumbo Frites ($7) – The French fries, nothing to write home about. But when topped with a savory, rich New Orleans gumbo with andouille sausage, chicken, bell peppers, sliced green onions and sprinkled with cheese, now you've got my attention. I'll be honest, I thought this dish would be bland but that was not the case at all. It's a perfect helping to share with friends -- if you're feeling generous. At Ragin Cajun, located in The Garden, west wall

Sheep Dog ($8) -- If you're tired of the footlong hot dogs and corn dogs on every corner, this is the perfect dish to hit your craving and pack a punch. The Lamb Shoppe's grass-fed lamb dog shines with the addition of garlic sauteed kale, raw fermented (and much crisper and lighter) sauerkraut, a healthy portion of quinoa then drizzled in a honey (from local Beez Kneez) mustard (which I could've bathed in). The finished product is delightfully delicious. At Lamb Shoppe, in the Food Building

Candied Bacon BLT ($8) -- I'm a sucker for a good BLT and this is a good BLT. Thick, candied bacon plus a nice slaw and a green tomato spread on a sweet egg bun -- it's dreamy. Is it worth $8 for only two pieces of bacon? Maybe not. At The Blue Barn, at the West End Market

Spicy Pork Bowl ($9) -- A healthy serving of adobo pulled pork meets black beans, sauteed spinach, charred salsa and is topped with fried onion strings -- yes, yes, yes. I could eat this all day. And because of the good sized portion, I nearly did. The pulled pork is perfect and when mixed with all the offerings in the bowl, it's a super tasty combination of earthy, spicy, sweet goodness. At the Blue Barn, at the West End Market

Deep-Fried Grilled Cheese Bites ($8) -- Grilled cheese cut into bite-sized pieces and then thrown in a deep fryer? What's not to like? That said these are exactly what you'd think they'd be. Greasy and cheesy but the added "Bloody Mary-nara" sauce does add a bit more flavor. Such a typical fair food, I'm surprised it hasn't been done yet. At O'Gara's at the Fair

Barbecued Shrimp Tacos ($10) -- If you're familiar with Tejas Express, this dish goes back to its original recipe. Good-sized shrimp lathered in a spicy, tangy sauce and thrown on a bed of jicama slaw before being wrapped up in a traditional flour tortilla. Plenty of flavor, nice crunch but talk about juicy. We had the chipotle-flavored sauce running down our chins and arms, so proceed with caution. Grab napkins. I wanted the shrimp to taste a bit more "barbecued" but $10 for two fully packed shrimp tacos? Not bad. At Tejas Express, located in The Garden

Oof Da Tacos ($7.75) -- A newcomer to the State Fair this year is so perfectly Minnesotan, you can't even say the name without sounding like a local. Oof Da Tacos are bringing their open-faced tacos to the masses -- a nice, soft, fried bread shell topped with your typical taco fixings. The fixings were nothing special but that fried bread had me coming back for more. At Oof Da Tacos, on the northeast corner of Cooper and Dan Patch

Iron Range Meat and Potatoes ($8) -- If your appetite matches that of the great Paul Bunyan, than this is your new fair food for 2016. A thick, dense helping of meatloaf-esque ground beef mixed with sweet corn, then layered with a slab of creamy mashed potatoes and topped off with a healthy serving of gravy? Uh, hello food coma! This has Midwestern written all over it and judging by the long lines at Giggles, it's apparently what's for dinner. At Giggles Campfire Grill, at the North Woods

Call It Breakfast ($6 for malt, $5 for sundae) -- You can call it breakfast -- hey, eating ice cream for your first meal is something I admire -- but really, it's mostly plain ice cream topped with stale donuts. The concept is great, and honestly perhaps it makes a better sundae than the malt I had but the donuts were just so-so and when they're gone, you've just got a vanilla malt and some chocolate sauce. At the Dairy Goodness Bar, inside the Dairy Building

Izzy's Chocolate Agate Crunch ($5 for single, $7 for double) -- I've truly saved the best for last. Oh Izzy's, you just never do wrong. I would gladly bathe in this chocolate concoction. The smooth, creamy base of Caramelia ice cream is only highlighted by cookie crunch, chocolate "rocks" and a salty caramel swirl that is absolutely divine. This is one treat that I would go back for again and again. At Hamline Dining Hall