5 foods to try this week at the fairgrounds

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From a desert-like mix of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and corn to a fun twist on milk and cookies and fried snacks, here’s everything you need to know about five foods worth checking out at this year Visit Illinois State Fair.

Hot beef sundae

Price: $ 10

Grocery Supplier Name: Classic Kitchen

Location: On Main St. near the main gate, opposite the entrance to the Village of Cultures.

If you’re looking for something fun, tasty, and one of the more balanced meals you’ll find at the fairgrounds this week, then you should try the Hot Beef Sundae.

The mix of corn, roast beef, and mashed potatoes with beef sauce, crushed cheddar cheese, and a cherry tomato resembles an ice cream sundae.

On Friday, Dinner in a Bowl by Classic Kitchen of Austin, Minnesota won the Golden Abes Fantastic Fair Food Contest. The competition, which comprised more than 40 submissions, was ultimately judged on the basis of taste, creativity and presentation.

With the start of the family’s own food stand in 2011, the award-winning dish became the main sales item of the Haarstad family. A decade later, nothing has changed.

Fried PB&J

Price: $ 6

Grocer’s Name: Two Buds One Joint Griddle

Located on the corner of the Grandstand and Illinois Ave., across from the Apex Stage.

For a new twist on an old classic, head to Two Buds One Joint Griddle, where Chef Jacob Suter Smuckers serves peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches that are not crispy and breaded with frozen granola flakes. After a minute in the fryer, the soft crust of the PB&J forms a crispy outer layer while the cold and sticky center remains intact.

Then the cereal-crusted sandwich is topped with your choice of sauces – chocolate, caramel or raspberry – and powdered sugar.

Typically traveling to major music festivals, being at the Illinois State Fair for the first time for Two Buds One Joint Griddle and the first chance for trade show goers to try the Fried PB&J along with the all-day breakfast options and other popular sandwiches that Suter has on its menu .

Fried avocado canapes

Price: $ 8

Grocery Provider Name: Top Notch Concessions

Location: On Illinois Ave., directly opposite the entrance to the Reisch Pavilion.

If you can’t decide between a nutritious snack or a fried treat on your way around the exhibition center, Top Notch Concessions offers the best of both worlds. The Wichita, Kansas, concession cuts fresh avocados, dips them in batter and deep-fried them, combining the bite-sized goodness with a side of creamy salsa ranch.

A few minutes in the deep fryer will give the avocados a softness as they blend with the batter as it cooks.

The bite-sized snack, which is appearing for the first time at the state fair, appeals to both avocado lovers and non-avocado lovers.

SEE: Storm hits the Illinois State Fair and cancels the Ribbon Cut and Twilight Parade

Pizza filled pretzel

Price: $ 6

Grocer’s Name: Baldy’s Pretzels

Location: Opposite the grandstand, next to the auditor’s tent.

Filled with mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce, and spices, the pizza-filled pretzel combines a traditional piece of cheese pizza with the simplicity of a giant pretzel. Dipped in real butter with garlic salt and topped with Parmesan and Romano cheese, herbs and spices, the popular menu item of Baldy’s Pretzels is more filling than an average snack.

With stronger bread than pizza and more flavor than a filled crust, the pretzel offers a unique but familiar taste.

While the pizza-filled pretzel is the best-selling for the St. Paul, Minnesota-based vendor, the Sweet Cream Cheese pretzel – which combines sweet batter with cream cheese filling and a graham cracker crumb topping – is also a fan favorite.

Biscuit shot

Price: $ 5

Grocery Supplier Name: GTC “Going To College” Concessions

Location: On Tribune Ave., next to the Democrats’ tent and across from the FFA Barnyard.

If you’re looking for something sweet, but not over-the-top dessert, you’ve come to the right place at Cookie Shot by GTC Concessions. The homemade chocolate chip cookie is shaped like a glass and lined with milk chocolate. It is served with a cup of milk that can be poured into the biscuit so you can keep moving as you enjoy the cool milk and chocolatey treat.

The cookies are “Grandma-certified,” as the co-owner of the concession, Grace Mayes, says. Her grandmother Kathleen prepares them from scratch.

The family-owned concession’s creative twist on milk and biscuits is the perfect sugary snack for kids and adults alike.

MORE: With the new Mardi Gras rolling in at the Illinois State Fair, Miller’s expectations for the event are high

Contact Natalie Pierre at npierre@gannett.com or on Twitter @NataliePierre_.

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