Wisconsin State Fair

A few 2018 take-aways

If you're looking for a Wisconsin State Fair expert, I'll be the first to admit that you've come to the wrong place. Last Friday, however, I did spend a good six-ish hours eating my way through the fair with a couple of near-experts, so today I can speak from pretty solid experience. In brief: Hope you like fried cheese!





Top Specialty Eats 
Deep fried spinach lasagna from Albanese's Roadhouse. Deep fried French onion soup on a stick (yup) from Slim's PBR Park. The deep fried double stuffed s'mOreo sundae from Saz's Taste of Wisconsin. My cohorts also loved the cheese curd taco from Poncho Dog. I personally prefer my curds the old-fashioned way (read on!). 

Top Tried & True Eats 
Cheese curds from Hot Wisconsin Cheese. The pro tip? It has got to be the booth plastered with those glorious words: "Hot Wisconsin Cheese." And you gotta get the jalapeño ranch. These are hands down the meltiest cheese curds I've ever had the pleasure to binge. They actually outdid the specialty eats for me.

Feelin' Thirsty
Beer lovers, go to the craft beer garden at The Micro. The offerings are easily the best on the fair grounds. To the types of people who usually buy wine based on the label and sometimes choose beer based on the name, please note that the Milwaukee Brewing Company Cream Puff Ale is delicious and refreshing, but nothing like a cream puff. Kudos to the marketing team — you got me. The beer here is about $8. The everyman's beer elsewhere on the grounds is $6. You do you. 

Livin' for the Livestock 
Saw my first pig race! It's three super-fast rounds of adorableness, plus the inevitable pig puns. (Pigs with names like Ham-ah Montana and Notorious P.I.G.) If you're a real animal lover, take note of when certain livestock buildings close. The rabbits and chickens have a 4pm curfew, or at least they did last Friday. 

Flavored Milk: Meh 
Would it be a trip to the Wisconsin State Fair without some 50-cent flavored milk? Some people are all about it as a once-a-year must. I think that chocolate milk has survived the mainstream for a reason, and I don't feel any great loss by not having other flavors in my life. But it's probably one of the best deals at the fair, kiddos will love it, and it is a real Wisconsin novelty. So what da heck — if you're into it, get yourself some flavored milk der.