6 Upcoming Food Events for Your Calendar

Here’s the answer to the question, “What should we do Friday night?”: Eagan’s Food Truck Festival is back at the Eagan Festival Grounds (1501 Central Pkwy.) on Friday, August 9th from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. You’ll find more than 20 food trucks offering a variety of flavors, from momos, pizzas and pierogi to spring rolls, tacos and strudel. Also on tap: beer, wine, sparkling water, mocktails, live music from the Sidekicks and the best nightcap of summer – fireworks. For more information and a full list of food trucks, visit cityofeagan.com/foodtruck.

Grab a stack of napkins and go to Famous Dave’s Second Annual All-Star BBQ Championship on Saturday, August 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Famous Dave’s (14601 Hwy. 7, Minnetonka). While local grill masters compete for a chance to compete in the World Food Championships in Indianapolis, you can sample free chicken wings and Famous Dave’s barbecue, enjoy free drinks, music, activities and more – and maybe meet Famous Dave Anderson himself. For more information, click here.

It is August, which means we are in the middle of the annual Vegan cooking competition in the Twin Citieswhere 26 local restaurants will offer brand new plant-based dishes for diners to enjoy and rate online. Here’s how it works: Eat as many dishes as you like at participating restaurants, vote online for your favorite dish, and post it on social media (voting and posting can also earn you prizes). Or just enjoy the new plant-based dishes, including a poblano tamale at AltBurger, mango spring rolls with Thai chili sauce at Duke’s on 7, karee curry at Sawatdee, kimchi mac at Tori Ramen, and many more. For a list of participating restaurants and their dishes, visit exploreveg.org. The challenge runs through August 31.

If you missed the garden party last month, The Butcher and the Boarthen you’re in luck: There’s another barbecue on Saturday, August 17, from 1 to 10 p.m. There will be live music, drinks and a menu of popular summer barbecue dishes. Specialties include bratwurst, 12-inch chicken thighs, ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, burgers, fries and cheese curds. The parking lot directly in front of the restaurant (901 N. 3rd St., Mpls., butcherandtheboarmpls.com) is the meeting point. The event is free (food is extra), open to all ages and dog-friendly.

Shakopee Amusement Park wants to introduce you to one of the best flavors of summer: candy corn. Valley Fairs The annual ode to all things corn takes place weekends from August 17th to September 2nd. Enjoy corn-themed games and activities, as well as specialty corn dishes like cheese and bacon corn short ribs, corn and white bean chili Frito pie, rainbow elote, corn ice cream funnel cakes, stuffed corn nuggets and, of course, roasted corn. For all the corn-themed details, visit valleyfair.com/events/corn-fest.

The Potluck Food Hall at Rosedale Center is once again fully geared towards the State Fair and will be offering special menu items from August 19 to September 2. This year’s specials include: five flavors of waffle bowls (including strawberry shortcake and apple strudel) at Black Coffee & Waffle Bar; Burger Dive/Smack Shack serves fried burger dive sushi (ham and cucumber rolls), fried shrimp, frozen banana foster and more; OG ZaZa There is cheese curd pizza; mini cinnamon rolls on a stick, a walking dessert board and a walking meat and cheese board at Sweet & savory by Diane; and the Tacozilla – a 12-inch tortilla with lettuce, pico, rice, beans, al pastor chicken, pulled pork, pineapple, cheddar, queso fresco, guacamole and french fries – can be had at Tio’s Tacos. Potluck is at 1595 Hwy. 36, Roseville, potluckmn.com.