Restaurant

[george]

I had lunch with 5 friends today at the Hilltop in Edina. First time back together at a restaurant since the shutdown started. We've had several Zoom lunches and one lunch at the park in front of US Bank stadium where we all bought from food trucks.

[The Rube]

Say goodbye to Holy Land in the Midtown Market:

https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/midtown ... ium=onsite

[Kelly Red]

We went out to dinner last night! Yippie!! Outdoor patio at Taberna Tacos. All the new precautions in place and it was fine. It was so nice to get out of our kitchen, enjoy a drink, banter with the very happy wait staff and scarf down a variety of tacos. Patio was full, although social distancing, and everyone was having a good time.

[D2D]

We went out to dinner last night! Yippie!! Outdoor patio at Taberna Tacos. All the new precautions in place and it was fine. It was so nice to get out of our kitchen, enjoy a drink, banter with the very happy wait staff and scarf down a variety of tacos. Patio was full, although social distancing, and everyone was having a good time.

Good for you! Hopefully your new dining experience will become universal, as others begin to safely take advantage of their restaurant options and eventually all unnecessary restrictions will eventually be lifted.

[Slap Shot]

Say goodbye to Holy Land in the Midtown Market:

https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/midtown ... ium=onsite

Bummer. I obviously haven't been for several years but our whole family enjoyed eating there.

[george]

Wife and I went to a little winery in WI last night to see a friend of mine from high school perform. Limited menu, just had natchos and wine. Nice to be out of the nanny state so one can dine in civilized fashion.

[Bladepuller]

Wife and I went to a little winery in WI last night to see a friend of mine from high school perform. Limited menu, just had natchos and wine. Nice to be out of the nanny state so one can dine in civilized fashion.

WHAT! No cake?
You better be careful over in Cheesehead land. For them NSF standards are a suggestion. One quick swipe with a damb bar rag that is used to clean up slopped Old Style passes for sanitizing.
You need to have been exposed to the rougher side of MN and developed some herd immunity.

[george]

Wife and I went to a little winery in WI last night to see a friend of mine from high school perform. Limited menu, just had natchos and wine. Nice to be out of the nanny state so one can dine in civilized fashion.

WHAT! No cake?
You better be careful over in Cheesehead land. For them NSF standards are a suggestion. One quick swipe with a damb bar rag that is used to clean up slopped Old Style passes for sanitizing.
You need to have been exposed to the rougher side of MN and developed some herd immunity.

This wasn't the biker bars you hang out in Blade. This was a refined winery that grows Minnesota bred grapes (literally, the wife of the couple who own is daughter if the UMN prof who bred the winter hardy wine grapes). No Old Style around, nor dirty bar rags, just craft beers and wine.

[The Rube]

Wife and I went to a little winery in WI last night to see a friend of mine from high school perform. Limited menu, just had natchos and wine. Nice to be out of the nanny state so one can dine in civilized fashion.

WHAT! No cake?
You better be careful over in Cheesehead land. For them NSF standards are a suggestion. One quick swipe with a damb bar rag that is used to clean up slopped Old Style passes for sanitizing.
You need to have been exposed to the rougher side of MN and developed some herd immunity.

This wasn't the biker bars you hang out in Blade. This was a refined winery that grows Minnesota bred grapes (literally, the wife of the couple who own is daughter if the UMN prof who bred the winter hardy wine grapes). No Old Style around, nor dirty bar rags, just craft beers and wine.

Jesus, you're beginning to sound like me. I'd be careful with that.

[Bladepuller]

Wife and I went to a little winery in WI last night to see a friend of mine from high school perform. Limited menu, just had natchos and wine. Nice to be out of the nanny state so one can dine in civilized fashion.

WHAT! No cake?
You better be careful over in Cheesehead land. For them NSF standards are a suggestion. One quick swipe with a damb bar rag that is used to clean up slopped Old Style passes for sanitizing.
You need to have been exposed to the rougher side of MN and developed some herd immunity.

This wasn't the biker bars you hang out in Blade. This was a refined winery that grows Minnesota bred grapes (literally, the wife of the couple who own is daughter if the UMN prof who bred the winter hardy wine grapes). No Old Style around, nor dirty bar rags, just craft beers and wine.

Biker bars are where I've had some of the best times I can't remember.

[Steve MN]

Wife and I went to a little winery in WI last night to see a friend of mine from high school perform. Limited menu, just had natchos and wine. Nice to be out of the nanny state so one can dine in civilized fashion.

WHAT! No cake?
You better be careful over in Cheesehead land. For them NSF standards are a suggestion. One quick swipe with a damb bar rag that is used to clean up slopped Old Style passes for sanitizing.
You need to have been exposed to the rougher side of MN and developed some herd immunity.

This wasn't the biker bars you hang out in Blade. This was a refined winery that grows Minnesota bred grapes (literally, the wife of the couple who own is daughter if the UMN prof who bred the winter hardy wine grapes). No Old Style around, nor dirty bar rags, just craft beers and wine.

Biker bars are where I've had some of the best times I can't remember.

"Can't" or "Don't want to" ?

Both, is, of course a possiblity.

[Bladepuller]

Both are also true.
I like rowdy times, at times. Live is too short to live sitting on the sidelines. Engage man! Is words to live by, IMHO
I can also appreciate more esoteric cerebral times, but live 'cuz you never know when it will all end.

[frozen4champs]

[D2D]

"Structural issue"? Hmmm...

[Armadillo]

The "structural issue" is probably "being Stub and Herb's."

[Bigbeer]

The "structural issue" is probably "being Stub and Herb's."

They probably tried to clean and subverted the buildings structural integrity.

[Armadillo]

The grime is all that's holding the place together!!!

[Jupiter]

I do not believe I have ever been to Stub & Herb's.

[Bertogliat]

I do not believe I have ever been to Stub & Herb's.

That’s not funny.

[frozen4champs]

All I can say is that it has "character". Not my go to place, but I'm sure at some point it will meet its fate like the old Sally's and Campus Pizza. Too many modern places with no nostalgia around campus now.

[Norm]

Too bad they didn't have time to check it out over the last 2.5 months.

[Bonin21]

All I can say is that it has "character". Not my go to place, but I'm sure at some point it will meet its fate like the old Sally's and Campus Pizza. Too many modern places with no nostalgia around campus now.

You can have character but if your food isn't anything special you won't really be missed much. Just like Sally's.

CP on the other hand was a big loss. I put this as my second biggest hit to the Gopher hockey experience in the last ten years or so after the Big Ten as the biggest hit. (Half full student sections is up there, too.) It was so nice to eat and drink pregame down there. Now, nowhere around interests me. Blue Door's quality has gone downhill and it's not the easy walking distance.

But I am hooked on Surly's pizza now, and combine that with the beer and Taj Mahal brew hall that will probably get a number of pregame chances whenever next season is.

[Cowgirl]

"Structural issue"? Hmmm...

Well I know they’ve been unable to use the basement for quite some time due to not being up to code..., and a waitress I spoke with a couple years ago made it sound like there were no plans to fix it because the owner was probably going to sell in the near future. I don’t know if that’s still the case but that makes me doubt they’ll invest in repair if it’s anything significant.

[Bertogliat]

"Structural issue"? Hmmm...

Well I know they’ve been unable to use the basement for quite some time due to not being up to code..., and a waitress I spoke with a couple years ago made it sound like there were no plans to fix it because the owner was probably going to sell in the near future. I don’t know if that’s still the case but that makes me doubt they’ll invest in repair if it’s anything significant.

Where the bathrooms were located? That’s a problem.

That place always had starchy electrical.

[Cowgirl]

"Structural issue"? Hmmm...

Well I know they’ve been unable to use the basement for quite some time due to not being up to code..., and a waitress I spoke with a couple years ago made it sound like there were no plans to fix it because the owner was probably going to sell in the near future. I don’t know if that’s still the case but that makes me doubt they’ll invest in repair if it’s anything significant.

Where the bathrooms were located? That’s a problem.

That place always had starchy electrical.

Yeah. The last two seasons no one has been allowed to sit down there.

[Vegoe]

Well I know they’ve been unable to use the basement for quite some time due to not being up to code..., and a waitress I spoke with a couple years ago made it sound like there were no plans to fix it because the owner was probably going to sell in the near future. I don’t know if that’s still the case but that makes me doubt they’ll invest in repair if it’s anything significant.

For the immediate walking distance to the athletics facilities, it has the best beer snob offerings. The food is just okay.

They did sell to the UMN Foundation, but have a lease for the site. The University has been fairly aggressive purchasing properties around campus for future expansion. They call it the East Gateway Project and basically the high level planning was approved in February 2020: https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.u ... -final.pdf

The University has seen what has happened along Washington Aveue with the new high rise luxury student housing and would like to have control over it. 'A place defined by uncoordinated private development... a desireable location, but vulnerable to explosive growth with no green space, too much density, no connectivity and uncoordinated planning.'

They have four phases to run in years 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and 16-20 that will build out:

First Floor
• Goal of vibrant and safe ground floor with mix of student-owned businesses, retail, culture,
dining and other uses to create an active pedestrian experience
Hospitality and Event Space
• Designed to respond to University and market needs
Commercial Space
• Incubator, innovation, and research start-ups spaces
Residential Space
• Multifamily residential units with affordable housing and designed to respond to market
demands and University goals, taking into account future student housing need

[Zwak]

"Structural issue"? Hmmm...

Well I know they’ve been unable to use the basement for quite some time due to not being up to code..., and a waitress I spoke with a couple years ago made it sound like there were no plans to fix it because the owner was probably going to sell in the near future. I don’t know if that’s still the case but that makes me doubt they’ll invest in repair if it’s anything significant.

Where the bathrooms were located? That’s a problem.

That place always had starchy electrical.

Yeah. The last two seasons no one has been allowed to sit down there.

Stub & Herb's was never one of my favorite places on campus. It always seemed dirty and sticky in there. Really needed a good deep cleaning.

[Steve MN]

Stub & Herb's was never one of my favorite places on campus. It always seemed dirty and sticky in there. Really needed a good deep cleaning.

As someone else mentioned... I suspect that they gave it that deep cleaning, and some of that dirt was helping keep the place together.

[Cowgirl]

"Structural issue"? Hmmm...

Well I know they’ve been unable to use the basement for quite some time due to not being up to code..., and a waitress I spoke with a couple years ago made it sound like there were no plans to fix it because the owner was probably going to sell in the near future. I don’t know if that’s still the case but that makes me doubt they’ll invest in repair if it’s anything significant.

Where the bathrooms were located? That’s a problem.

That place always had starchy electrical.

Yeah. The last two seasons no one has been allowed to sit down there.

Stub & Herb's was never one of my favorite places on campus. It always seemed dirty and sticky in there. Really needed a good deep cleaning.

Not disagreeing, but not much left of the old campus atmosphere. It’s just stuffy apartments and trendy eateries now.

[bearpaw28]

All I can say is that it has "character". Not my go to place, but I'm sure at some point it will meet its fate like the old Sally's and Campus Pizza. Too many modern places with no nostalgia around campus now.

Exactly, the place is nostalgic...lots of great photos from Gopher Sports through the decades...It’s a dive bar with decent bar food in a GREAT location. Some people have a hard time accepting a joint like Stub $ Herbs for what it is & was...and the grime is likely from all the smoking that occurred within its confines for countless years...fortunately those days have been long gone for awhile now But if you don’t feel a tug of nostalgia within the confines of S&H, you’re pretty much a soulless automaton when it comes to Gopher Sports fandom

[Zwak]

All I can say is that it has "character". Not my go to place, but I'm sure at some point it will meet its fate like the old Sally's and Campus Pizza. Too many modern places with no nostalgia around campus now.

Exactly, the place is nostalgic...lots of great photos from Gopher Sports through the decades...It’s a dive bar with decent bar food in a GREAT location. Some people have a hard time accepting a joint like Stub $ Herbs for what it is & was...and the grime is likely from all the smoking that occurred within its confines for countless years...fortunately those days have been long gone for awhile now But if you don’t feel a tug of nostalgia within the confines of S&H, you’re pretty much a soulless automaton when it comes to Gopher Sports fandom

I hear what you’re saying but I just don’t have a lot of nostalgia about the place to begin with. In the mid to late 80’s when I went to the U the stadium village bars we went to were Birds (eventually became Sally’s) and Station 19. Those were our go-to places.

[Armadillo]

I do not believe I have ever been to Stub & Herb's.

Yes you have; you were at that Evening w/Glen Sonmor where you told me and pregnant La Dilla that we were "done."

[Bertogliat]

I do not believe I have ever been to Stub & Herb's.

Yes you have; you were at that Evening w/Glen Sonmor where you told me and pregnant La Dilla that we were "done."

He wasn’t wrong.

[Jupiter]

I do not believe I have ever been to Stub & Herb's.

Yes you have; you were at that Evening w/Glen Sonmor where you told me and pregnant La Dilla that we were "done."

I had no idea that was S&H

[Bladepuller]

I do not believe I have ever been to Stub & Herb's.

Yes you have; you were at that Evening w/Glen Sonmor where you told me and pregnant La Dilla that we were "done."

I had no idea that was S&H

I've had nights like that too.

[Greyeagle]

The long suffering Mrs. GE and I went to Chianti Grill last night for dinner, it was really nice to get out and we did not feel at all nervous about how they managed spacing.

[Zwak]

If you are on Facebook (sorry @Cowgirl ) there is a group called Minnesota State Fair Food Finder. In there you kind find pop up stands selling State Fair food.

[Cowgirl]

If you are on Facebook (sorry @Cowgirl ) there is a group called Minnesota State Fair Food Finder. In there you kind find pop up stands selling State Fair food.

It appears to be a public group...so the non-conformers such as I can still find out where to find a few thousand extra calories.

[Bertogliat]

If you are on Facebook (sorry @Cowgirl ) there is a group called Minnesota State Fair Food Finder. In there you kind find pop up stands selling State Fair food.

It appears to be a public group...so the non-conformers such as I can still find out where to find a few thousand extra calories.

Stay strong, sister!

[Karlsson]

I do not believe I have ever been to Stub & Herb's.

Yes you have; you were at that Evening w/Glen Sonmor where you told me and pregnant La Dilla that we were "done."

I had no idea that was S&H

I've had nights like that too.

Same. Went into BlackStack Brewing last spring and said, "Wow. I really like this place, really neat space and good beers! We should definitely cone back." My wife along with Neat Hat and his significant other said, "Dude, this is the fourth time we've been here."

Oops.

[Bertogliat]

Who's been to the Milwaukee Burger Company? This menu looks as ridiculously unhealthy as you would imagine a Wisconsin bar to be, but gluttony is my sin of choice.

https://milwaukeeburgercompany.com/

[frozen4champs]

Blarney's by the U is still closed. According to their Facebook/Instagram they hope to open around the 4th of July. They are doing some remodeling during the time they are closed. Here is part of their post.

Knowing how difficult this would be, I have to make the decision that your well-being is our first priority and we will remain closed for a while longer. Currently we are doing some projects and remodeling that should open up the space some more. I am hopeful that we will be ready to open after the 4th of July and will keep updates coming. Looking forward to seeing all of our friends again soon.

*** side note--- still no word from Stub & Herbs about how long their " structural" issues will take to resolve.

[Norm]

Blarney's by the U is still closed. According to their Facebook/Instagram they hope to open around the 4th of July. They are doing some remodeling during the time they are closed.

Where do the hockey players go for a beer?

[Bigbeer]

Who's been to the Milwaukee Burger Company? This menu looks as ridiculously unhealthy as you would imagine a Wisconsin bar to be, but gluttony is my sin of choice.

https://milwaukeeburgercompany.com/

Yeah it’s pretty good. We go to the Hudson one all the time, I have a BIL from MN who insists we go there every time he comes to town. Spectacular beer selection too. Plus no restrictions over here.

[Zwak]

State Fair restaurant The Blue Barn is making some of their State Fair menu items available at their restaurants on 4th of July. Also having a food truck.

https://www.startribune.com/the-iconic- ... 571367592/

p.s. Full disclosure...I have worked for the Blue Barn. I highly recommend their food as it is 90% made from scratch.

[Karlsson]

Tori 44 (formerly Victory 44) hit by a car speeding down Osseo again. I've lost track of how many times that's happened in the five years I've lived around here.

[Zwak]

Tori 44 (formerly Victory 44) hit by a car speeding down Osseo again. I've lost track of how many times that's happened in the five years I've lived around here.

That used to happen to the old Savoy Pizza in St. Paul. Before the redesign of the Lafayatte Bridge, Highway 52 aimed right at Savoy's. There were many instances of cars and motorcycles that lost control and crashed into Savoys. They ended up putting in a concrete barrier in front to help absorb any future crashes. It's a moot point now as Savoys is closed and Highway 52 has been re-routed.

Mama's Pizza on the East side had that problem too. Unfortunately for them their as their gas main/meter was towards the front of the building. Last time a car crashed into the building it JUST missed the gas main/meter which would have been a disaster. After that crash they had the gas main/meter moved to the back in a more protected area.

[frozen4champs]

The 508 bar in Minneapolis is closing as is Bellecour in Wayzata.

[davescharf]

Bellecour is Gavin Kaysen’s place isn’t it?

[frozen4champs]

Bellecour is Gavin Kaysen’s place isn’t it?

Yep

[Gopherguy05]

The 508 bar in Minneapolis is closing as is Bellecour in Wayzata.

508 is a big Badger Bar if you want to find any small iota of positivity in a restaurant closing.

[Gopherguy05]

Not sure if anyone is a French Meadow Bakery fan....but I'd think hard about it if I was after reading the linked post in this tweet. Oof.

[The Rube]

Gonna wait to see the response. There's always another side, as we've seen in the craft beer world lately (and in fact, that other side didn't do anything to dispel the ex-worker's side). BUT it was good to know that the consumers' decisions on boycotts and such were justified.

[frozen4champs]

It is the power of social media. Obviously don't know what the real story is, but now a disgruntled employee or customer can go on social media and say what ever they wish, true or not. I'm always skeptical of former employees who take to social media to air their dirty laundry. It is a bad look for French Meadow for sure and I'm guessing there is truth in some of those remarks. But it does work both ways. If I was in a hiring position these days, I would use social media to check out potential employees and posting things like that on her acct would make me really think twice about hiring her. I would also wonder if she would do this to me if things didn't work out.

[Zwak]

It is the power of social media. Obviously don't know what the real story is, but now a disgruntled employee or customer can go on social media and say what ever they wish, true or not. I'm always skeptical of former employees who take to social media to air their dirty laundry. It is a bad look for French Meadow for sure and I'm guessing there is truth in some of those remarks. But it does work both ways. If I was in a hiring position these days, I would use social media to check out potential employees and posting things like that on her acct would make me really think twice about hiring her. I would also wonder if she would do this to me if things didn't work out.

I totally agree with this. There is a local pizza place that had an employee who on their own personal page (not company page) posted some very controversial memes of BLM protesters. People found out that this person worked at this pizza place and started a boycott and social media tirade about this company. The pizza place ended up taking down their Facebook page. I totally felt bad for the business owner. Not sure what he was supposed to do. I'm sure his business was already down considerably because of COVID and now he has to deal with the fallout of an employee who posted something controversial on his own personal page (while he was laid off from pizza place).

[Bladepuller]

And this just reinforces my personal opinion that social media will be the ruin of society.
Is GPL social media?

[MATT]

It is the power of social media. Obviously don't know what the real story is, but now a disgruntled employee or customer can go on social media and say what ever they wish, true or not. I'm always skeptical of former employees who take to social media to air their dirty laundry. It is a bad look for French Meadow for sure and I'm guessing there is truth in some of those remarks. But it does work both ways. If I was in a hiring position these days, I would use social media to check out potential employees and posting things like that on her acct would make me really think twice about hiring her. I would also wonder if she would do this to me if things didn't work out.

FWIW, in the comments on her post, there were at least a dozen other former employees saying similar things. That seems like a lot of disgruntled employees.

[The Rube]

And this just reinforces my personal opinion that social media will be the ruin of society.
Is GPL social media?

It is by definition. However, I like to think we are a more educated, responsible bunch, who don't immediately resort to becoming Pitchfork Nation (c) Dan Barreiro. We weigh the facts, then form our opinions.

[Zwak]

State Fair to host Food Parade 2020 on Aug 20-23, 27 - 30, and Sept. 3-7.

More information here:

https://www.mnstatefair.org/food-parade-2020/

Here are the participating vendors (sorry for the length)

Participating Vendors

Turkey to Go (credit card only)
Turkey Sandwich
Giant Juicy (1/3 pound): $9
Half-Pound Giant Juicy: $11
Turkey Legs (gluten-friendly): $10
Turkey Sandwich Meat by the Pound (gluten-friendly)
One Pound: $17
Five Pounds: $80
Bottled beverages (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Mountain Dew, Sprite, Fanta): $2.50

Tom Thumb Donuts (cash/credit)
Mini Donuts: $6
Bottled beverages (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, water): $3

Fresh French Fries (cash/credit)
32 oz.: $8
88 oz.: $14
Bottled beverages (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, lemonade, water): $2.50

Sweets & Treats (cash/credit)
Jumbo Cotton Candy: $8
Caramel & Candy Apples: $5
Popcorn: $5
Caramel Corn: $5
Sno Cone: $4
Water: $3

Mouth Trap Cheese Curds (cash/credit)
Bucket: $17

Que Viet (cash/credit)
Giant Egg Roll On-a-Stick: $8
Garlic Cream Cheese Wontons: $8

Pronto Pups (cash only)
Regular Pronto Pup: $5
Bottled beverages (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, water): $3

Pitchfork Sausage/Butcher Boys London Broil (cash/credit)
London Broil Steak on a Roll with onions, peppers and cheese (gluten-friendly without bun): $10
Italian Sausage Sandwich with onions and peppers (gluten-friendly without bun): $10
Italian Sausage On-a-Fork: $8
Bottled beverages (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, water): $3

Dairy Goodness Bar by Midwest Dairy (cash/credit)
Malts (12 oz.): $5
Chocolate
Vanilla
Vanilla with Caramel Sauce

West Indies Soul Food (cash/credit)
Jamaican Patties: $6
Chicken
Beef
Jumbo Jerk Chicken Wings (2): $7
Bottled beverages (Pepsi, Mountain Dew): $5; Water: $4

Foot Long Hot Dogs & Corn Dogs (cash/credit)
Foot Long Hot Dog: $7
Foot Long Corn Dog: $8
Regular Corn Dog: $5
Bottled water: $2

Giggles’ Campfire Grill (cash/credit)
Walleye Fries: $9.50
Walleye Cakes: $9.50
Duck Bacon Wontons: $9.50
Duck Drummies: $9.50
Beverages (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite, Mountain Dew): $2.50; Water: $2 or 3 for $5

Cheese On-A-Stick and Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade (cash/credit)
Cheese On-A-Stick: $5
American
Jalapeño
Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade
Sealed Bottle (16 oz.): $5
State Fair Souvenir Bottle (28 oz.): $8
1-gallon jug: $20

The Hangar (cash/credit)
Tater Twister (Sausage wrapped in a whole spiral-sliced potato and fried): $6
Fried Oreos: $7
Funnel Cake: $8
Bottled beverages (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite): $4; Water: $3

El Sol Mexican Foods (cash/credit)
Tacos: $5
Fried Flour Shell
Hard Corn Shell
Burritos
Beef and Bean: $9
Jumbo Beef: $8
Bean: $6
Taco Salad: $8
Bottled beverages (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, water): $2

Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar (cash only)
Pail of Cookies: $17 (limit 6 pails per vehicle)
Bottled beverages (water, milk): $3
Subject to change. Sales tax included.

Food Parade Tickets
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. July 31. When you purchase your ticket, select a date and time to attend (see Etix for current availability):

Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 20-23 and 27-30 (arrival times each hour at 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m.)
Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 3-6 (arrival times each hour at 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m.)
Monday, Sept. 7 (arrival times each hour at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

[Bertogliat]

Honestly it might be fun to pull up a chair on the side of the road to watch carloads of people stuffing their faces to make space before they get to the next booth.

That said, it seems like a bad idea. Even if most will be in cars, I'll be curious to see how packed together everyone is if they expect the parade to take a few hours. You might have to bring a pee bucket with you. I enjoy my State Fair food as much as the next guy, but I can wait a year. Maybe I'll go to Que Viet next week (their eggrolls are ridiculous) and make a batch of Tollhouse cookies and save myself the spectacle.

Interesting times we live in.

[Zwak]

Honestly it might be fun to pull up a chair on the side of the road to watch carloads of people stuffing their faces to make space before they get to the next booth.

That said, it seems like a bad idea. Even if most will be in cars, I'll be curious to see how packed together everyone is if they expect the parade to take a few hours. You might have to bring a pee bucket with you. I enjoy my State Fair food as much as the next guy, but I can wait a year. Maybe I'll go to Que Viet next week (their eggrolls are ridiculous) and make a batch of Tollhouse cookies and save myself the spectacle.

Interesting times we live in.

Personally I think it will be a total cluster(you know what). I admire their attempts to give people a taste of the fair but I have to imagine that the parade line will be VERY slow. People will be ordering lots of food for up to five people. There will be special orders. Some people may not want to stop at every booth but will have to wait for those ahead of them who are.

To each their own but definitely not for me.

[HockeyBum]

I love Fair food while walking around at the Fair, but I have zero interest in getting it as drive-thru.

Side note... has the Turkey To Go sandwich always been that expensive? I haven't been to the Fair in a few years, but I seem to remember it being around $6-ish. As good as it is, $9.00 seems a little absurd. I expect to overpay at the Fair, but that's embarrassing even by State Fair standards.

[Zwak]

I love Fair food while walking around at the Fair, but I have zero interest in getting it as drive-thru.

Side note... has the Turkey To Go sandwich always been that expensive? I haven't been to the Fair in a few years, but I seem to remember it being around $6-ish. As good as it is, $9.00 seems a little absurd. I expect to overpay at the Fair, but that's embarrassing even by State Fair standards.

As an FYI, State Fair food vendors pay 15% of food and non-alcoholic beverage sales to Fair. 18% for alcohol sales. Vendors are VERY closely audited.

p.s. I joked on Twitter that if they really want to make this parade be a true State Fair experience they should have couples with double wide strollers walking very slowly in front of random cars.

[davescharf]

I love Fair food while walking around at the Fair, but I have zero interest in getting it as drive-thru.

Side note... has the Turkey To Go sandwich always been that expensive? I haven't been to the Fair in a few years, but I seem to remember it being around $6-ish. As good as it is, $9.00 seems a little absurd. I expect to overpay at the Fair, but that's embarrassing even by State Fair standards.

As an FYI, State Fair food vendors pay 15% of food and non-alcoholic beverage sales to Fair. 18% for alcohol sales. Vendors are VERY closely audited.

p.s. I joked on Twitter that if they really want to make this parade be a true State Fair experience they should have couples with double wide strollers walking very slowly in front of random cars.

And the people should be wearing half the clothing they would otherwise normally wear in a public space.

[Bonin21]

Why would you pay like 100 bucks for two people to slowly drive through and eat overpriced fair food when you could have two solid meals for two (or one very high end meal in MN) with that price elsewhere...

[fightclub30]

Why would you pay like 100 bucks for two people to slowly drive through and eat overpriced fair food when you could have two solid meals for two (or one very high end meal in MN) with that price elsewhere...

I don't know. We paid $50 to drive through the MN Zoo, and look at about 12 animals with our Toddler. We wanted an excuse to go do something that still felt safe to us, and we wanted to support the zoo so it will still be there in the future when we can go back.

People want to support the things they love. I'm buying crowlers at $12/can, and normally I wouldn't do that as it's a pretty poor $/oz proposition for buying beer.

[Bonin21]

Why would you pay like 100 bucks for two people to slowly drive through and eat overpriced fair food when you could have two solid meals for two (or one very high end meal in MN) with that price elsewhere...

I don't know. We paid $50 to drive through the MN Zoo, and look at about 12 animals with our Toddler. We wanted an excuse to go do something that still felt safe to us, and we wanted to support the zoo so it will still be there in the future when we can go back.

People want to support the things they love. I'm buying crowlers at $12/can, and normally I wouldn't do that as it's a pretty poor $/oz proposition for buying beer.

The more people you have going into this fair thing, the more appealing it is because the car is a fixed price and a lot of the food is being sold in family sized portion sizes.

For two or a solo trip, though, I just don't really see it.

[Bertogliat]

$80 for 5 lbs of turkey. Is it just roasted turkey or is it deep fried or smoked or something? I don't get how 5 lbs of turkey is $80. Even at State Fair pricing. Wow.

[Lancaster]

Why would you pay like 100 bucks for two people to slowly drive through and eat overpriced fair food when you could have two solid meals for two (or one very high end meal in MN) with that price elsewhere...

I don't know. We paid $50 to drive through the MN Zoo, and look at about 12 animals with our Toddler. We wanted an excuse to go do something that still felt safe to us, and we wanted to support the zoo so it will still be there in the future when we can go back.

People want to support the things they love. I'm buying crowlers at $12/can, and normally I wouldn't do that as it's a pretty poor $/oz proposition for buying beer.

Thank you for supporting the zoo

[davescharf]

Why would you pay like 100 bucks for two people to slowly drive through and eat overpriced fair food when you could have two solid meals for two (or one very high end meal in MN) with that price elsewhere...

2,000,000 people do this every August and early September anyways. It’s really no different other than to support the Fair

We may actually go to this even if it’s a total sh!tshow.

[Cowgirl]

So you pay for the food and still have to pay for a ticket just to get in?

[Norm]

So you pay for the food and still have to pay for a ticket just to get in?

Well yeah! What did you think? That you could just go buy the food without first paying for the privilege of buying said food?

[Snowcool08]

Watching the Twins game and a Pizza Ranch commercial says the buffet is now open. That was extremely low on the list of places to eat before there was a pandemic.

[Bonin21]

Is the Ox Cart Rooftop in STP open for drinks? Their websites are brutal as far as up to date information...

[Bertogliat]

Is the Ox Cart Rooftop in STP open for drinks? Their websites are brutal as far as up to date information...

I am sure they have a phone number and I bet you have a phone.