If you're not going to the Great Minnesota Get-Together this year, several local restaurants can help you get a taste of it:
Curd alert: The just-opened Farmers Kitchen and Bar (750 S. 2nd St., Mpls., farmerskitchenandbar.com) has cheese curds on the menu from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. A close second: fried walleye tots.
Gigantic curd alert: Cheese curds are a specialty at Northern Taphouse in Lakeville (18404 Kenrick Av., northerntapmn.com). The taproom's signature curds are mini bricks of Cheddar, beer battered, fried and served with housemade ranch. Traditionalists can stick with the standard curds from Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, served with a sweet chili sauce.
Seven stops in one: Several restaurants at Potluck, the food hall at Rosedale Center (1595 Hwy. 36, Roseville, potluckmn.com) have fair-themed foods. Adam's Soul to Go has a deep-fried mac-and-cheese ball with smoked pork; Betty & Earl's is serving up M&M Cookie Tarts and three mini banana bread biscuits on a stick. Burger Dive is giving burgers the deep-frying-on-a-stick treatment and complementing it with its Blue Ribbon Cherry Pie Boozy Shake. Funnel cake lovers will appreciate Chickpea's Mediterranean version, while Grand Ole Creamery is highlighting its Texas Ranger Pizza (chicken, bacon, red onion and barbecue sauce) and their Farmers Union ice cream flavors. Over at Obachan, you'll find Tempura Fried Green Tea Mochi, and at Smack Shack it's Chicken Fried Seafood Basket-on-a-Stick. Whew.
Say cheese: Red Rabbit (201 Washington Av. N., Mpls., and 788 Grand Av., St. Paul, redrabbitmn.com) will have Calabrian Pimento Cheese Dip — served with crostini and rosemary flatbread — on the menu through Sept. 9.
Upscale fare: The North Loop's Smack Shack (603 Washington Av. N., Mpls., smack-shack.com) puts its own spin on classic State Fair fare with Old Bay fried pickles, lobster corn dogs and fried scallops and cheese curds.
Cookies, too: Through Sept. 11, Thr3 Jack (729 Washington Av. N., Mpls., thr3jack.com) has honey habañero fried chicken on-a-stick, lamb and beef meatball-wild rice gyro, a nonalcoholic guava cilantro limeade and a "bucket" of cookies available for dine-in and takeout.
Drink up: Missing funnel cakes? This weekend, Tattersall Distilling (1620 Central Av. NE., Mpls., tattersalldistilling.com) has a blueberry funnel cake cocktail ($8) and cocktail kit ($20, $32 with a choice of vodka, whiskey or rum).
Back, by popular demand: Last year's State Fair faves menu was so popular at Mason Jar Kitchen (1565 Cliff Rd., Eagan, masonjar.kitchen) that it's back — with additions. Get jumbo smoked turkey legs, pickle fries, Sweet Audrey's Cookies, mini donuts and more through Labor Day.
Fair changeup: If you do go the the fair, Los Ocampo is now running the Taste of Global Market in the International Bazaar for the duration. On the menu: esquites (an official State Fair new food), mango-on-a-stick, elote, Mexican tacos and horchata. Los Ocampo was last at the Minnesota State Fair in 2013.
