Fair food reviews: Food that keeps you coming back for more

Published 12:00 pm Saturday, August 6, 2022

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Owned for six years by Dweezle and Shannon Bordeaux, Burger Barn is known for its classic burgers and fries, and boy are they tasty. 

This time around we tried the Loaded Burger, which consists of a burger, cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato, and it was delicious. 

Shannon Bordeaux said  the stand’s burgers this year are all smash burgers made with fresh beef from Ruble Cattle Co. of Albert Lea. 

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The battered fries have a homemade seasoning, and while my co-workers dipped them in ketchup, I love their homemade fry sauce. That sauce is so good that after my sample of the food from their stand I used that sauce to complement the food from some of the other stands. 

This stand is usually a family favorite that keeps us coming back every year.

Loaded Burger, $11

Fries, $6

Ole & Lena’s

It’s a good thing the fair only comes around once a year because I love cheese curds and onion rings. 

When we tried the ones from Ole & Lena’s, they sure didn’t disappoint. 

Ole & Lena’s started in 2001 and is based out of Owatonna. Its menu is simple, consisting of cheese curds and onion rings — or both ­— but during the Steele County Fair and the Minnesota State Fair, it also offers hot dish on a stick. 

Cheese curds, $7

Onion Rings, $7

Cheese curds from Ole & Lena’s stand