What are local chefs doing in Des Moines Really Remember the food at the Iowa State Fair?
To answer that question, Chris Hoffmann, chef and owner of Clyde’s Fine Diner in Des Moines’ East Village, who was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 Best Chef of the Midwest award, and Sammy Mila, owner of Crème, the bakery on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines, joined the Des Moines Register on Thursday afternoon to give fairgoers their honest opinions on some of the fair’s best and newest dishes.
Hoffmann and Mila tasted and judged one finalist and two semi-finalist dishes competing for the People’s Choice Best New Food award, which fairgoers can vote on until August 14 at 11:59 p.m., as well as three other foods: two fair classics and one new beverage. Since there were 84 new foods to taste this year in addition to the existing staples, the Registry asked Hoffmann and Mila to help select the foods to taste.
The register paid for the chefs’ food and they rated each dish using our official rating system: 1 to 4 corn dogs. One corn dog means a dish that is just OK; two means it is a good, solid example of a dish; three means an outstanding and memorable dish and something you would buy again; while four corn dogs mark an outstanding dish that serves as a local example.
(Editor’s note: Chefs’ comments have been edited for clarity and length. “Chef’s Recommendations” are marked with an *. Concession items are listed in the order they were consumed.)
Classic Corn Dog
Campbell’s Corn Dogs
Crispy on the outside, fluffy and hearty on the inside, this classic fairground fare is the most popular food at the Iowa State Fair, and at least a dozen food vendors sell their version of the corn dog. Campbell’s Corn Dogs has 10 booths on the fairgrounds—we chose the one in Walnut Square near the Anne & Bill Riley Stage. Mila topped hers with ketchup, Hoffman with mustard. This classic corn dog costs $7.
Mila: “This is the best first fair bite I could ask for. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. An easy four.”
Score: 4 corn cobs
Hoffman: “I look forward to it every year. And this one is good. It’s kind of fluffy, a little airy. I mean, it’s a perfect corn dog.”
Score: 4 corn cobs
Iowa Sm’Oak’ed Roll
What are you smoking? BBQ
We’re talking sushi, but with pork tenderloin. The new Iowa Sm’Oak’ed Roll from Whatcha Smokin’? BBQ in Luther, Iowa, is one of three finalists competing for People’s Choice Best New Food, going up against the Bacon Cheeseburger Egg Roll from Winn & Sara’s Kitchen and the Lobster Corn Dog from Destination Grill. This Iowa-esque take on a sushi roll features smoked pork tenderloin stuffed with jasmine rice, creamed corn with jalapenos, smoked poblano queso and Giddy Up Texas taco sauce. It’s topped with poblano ranch, Giddy Up, scallions and smoked sesame seeds. It’s priced at $14.
Mila: “It’s really good. There’s so much going on. But it would be super fun to have something that you can share that way. So if you’re coming with a friend or a group, I think it’s quite nice if everyone can have a piece or two and just try it out. I think the sauces definitely change the dynamic and put a little bit of a cherry on top. The corn is great, the green onions are great. Lots of smoke flavor.”
Score: 3 corn cobs
Hoffman: “For me, it could have used a little more sauce. It’s a lot of flavor. I have a lot of smoke. That’s what I notice first, and then, then it’s kind of the stuffing… I think it’s good, it’s tasty. I really, really enjoyed the smoke flavor. For me, I need a little more seasoning. I need a little more salt to come through. Some of those flavors are a little mixed together for me. But I think it’s great. And if I had a crew over, they would definitely stop by… It’s very creative.”
Score: 2 corn cobs
JR’s AE Party Balls*
Photo by: JR’s SouthPork Ranch
If you like chips and party dip, you might like this dish, which is a semifinalist for People’s Choice Best New Food. The AE Party Balls are handmade balls of shredded potatoes, cheese and bacon, filled with the Anderson Erickson Party Sour Cream Dip, enhanced with bell pepper, parsley and onion. The ingredients are rolled in potato chips and then fried until golden brown. An order of three balls costs $10. We ordered extra AE Party Dip for $1, because why not?
Mila: “Oh my gosh, it’s like a treat. You have the chips on the outside, which give it this nice texture to kind of balance out how soft the inside is. I’m not mad, actually. It has a good flavor. The party dip is like singing here, which is great. And then I think it’s very thoughtful, so that it’s like, it has the potato chips on the outside… and then kind of hash browns on the inside, which kind of give it more of that homey feel. And I’m just like, ‘I’m here for it.’ My only complaint… the chips aren’t super crispy.”
Score: 3 corn cobs
Hoffman: “So, outside: nice and crispy. Inside, it’s like, you know, diner-style hash browns. There’s cheese in there. That’s a fun surprise. It’s good, I’m in. I mean, it’s almost a four. It’s like a 3.2. It’s deep-fried, but it doesn’t feel super heavy either, which is surprising. But I like all the flavors and I really like the difference in textures. And, you know, the extra party dip is nice for nostalgia.”
Score: 3 corn cobs
Hot Cheeto Float
Taylor Concessions
Has anyone ever asked for a drink with Hot Cheetos? Not sure. But Taylor Concessions of Monticello, Iowa, is bringing it fresh to the Iowa State Fair for the first time this year. This fiery red concoction mixes lemonade with Flaming Hot Cheetos. The whole thing is extravagantly topped with whipped cream and several crunchy Flaming Hot Cheetos. The chefs stopped to try this sophisticated $6 drink at Taylor’s Curious Orange Trailer near the Varied Industries Building. Mila had ordered a “less spicy” version of the drink than Hoffman.
Hoffman, initially: “I don’t hate it. I thought I would hate it. I’m not 100% sure I don’t hate it either. I mean, this is what I like: I like that it’s salty and sweet. Spicy (works) for me too. It’s cooled down by that whipped cream. That whipped cream is like marshmallow sweetness to me. I’m a little disappointed in myself for liking it.”
Initial result: 2 corn cobs
After about 3 minutes: “After it sits for a moment, I taste it again and everything just kind of mixes together. I give it a corn dog. I mean, I really like the way it looks. I think it’s really interesting. I think it’s funny, but taste-wise, sucking Cheeto dust through a straw isn’t the best experience at the fair for me.”
Final result: 1 corn cob
Mila, initially: “Taste-wise, it’s kind of a back and forth. It pulls in so many dramatic directions. It’s sweet because it’s super sweet: you have your lemonade, you have your whipped cream, and then of course the salty-spicy from the Hot Cheetos. And then it’s just like everyone’s pulling in different directions and fighting at the same time. And I’m here for it. I’m surprised by how much I like it. I think it’s definitely worth a try.”
Initial result: 3 corn cobs
After about 3 minutes: “I agree with Chris. I think initially when I had it, right off the stand, it was a solid three. But I think the longer it sits, the softer the Cheetos get, the more that corn chip flavor comes out, and that’s what makes it kind of weird. So I’d cut it down to a two.”
Final result: 2 corn cobs
Baby cake*
McConnell Concessions Inc.
Who can resist a funnel cake – especially when it’s a mini size? McConnell’s offers a fluffy little funnel cake with sugar topping at its Elephant Ear and Funnel Cake stand near the Varied Industries Building on the Grand Concourse. This bonus stop, suggested by Mila, wasn’t originally on the list but was a huge hit. These babies are $5 a piece.
Mila: “When I come to the show, it’s like running a marathon for me. I just want to make it all the way. So I want a little bite of this, a little bite of that, so I can try more because there are so many exciting things here. The mini funnel cake is exactly what I need. It’s a classic funnel cake, you can’t go wrong with that. And it’s small, so you have more room to try other things. And the key point here is that functionally there’s less center, so you get more of that crispy, crunchy funnel cake goodness throughout the whole thing, instead of it getting super mushy in the middle.”
Score: 4 corn cobs
Hoffman: “It’s great. I get nostalgic, like with the corn dogs. (It’s) a classic fairground food for a reason. I like how it’s thinner in the middle, how they pipe it so it’s more crispy than doughy, and that’s my favorite part about a funnel cake. This is a great funnel cake. If I’m ever craving a funnel cake, this is what I’m craving.”
Score: 4 corn cobs
Lemonade Donut Drops*
The snack box
Refreshing and sweet, with a tart twist. The Lemonade Donut Drops, which made it to the semifinals of People’s Choice Best New Food, are like summer in a pastry. Vendors at The Snack Box of Prairie City, Iowa’s Box Concessions, located in Pioneer Hall, say their new treat combines flavors from their lemonade shake-ups and their donut recipe, which are shaken in sugar and served warm in a plastic cup. These warm desserts — the last stop on the chefs’ culinary journey — cost $6 for a cup of about eight to 10 donut bites.
Mila: “They’re still warm. I love that. I’m surprised at how lemony they are. They’re good. They’re super tender. Usually with lemon donuts or lemon pastries you get a very subtle lemon note, but this is like, ‘I’m going to hit you in the forehead with lemon.’ And that’s in the best way. They’re so good and fresh.”
Score: 4 corn cobs
Hoffman: “They are good. It tastes like a donut and a lemon bar come together. Because the inside of it is almost, almost pudding-like to me. It looks like a ton of sugar, but the sugar really balances out the lemon flavor of the donut. I think it’s fantastic. These are a win. I would climb that hill again for this.”
Score: 4 corn cobs
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines city government reporter for the Register. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2.
