5 unique foods to try at the New Mexico State Fair

Sep. 6—The New Mexico State Fair kicked off Thursday morning at the New Mexico Expo Center.

The fair, which runs until Sept. 15, is full of different food to try. Between all the delicious options, it might be hard to decide what to try. The State Fair has a list of five finalists for their 2024 Unique Food Contest and we tried them all to let you know how they were. EDIT (story was published before the winners were announced): The Unique Foods Contest ended in a tie for the first time in the competition's history. Both the Conductor's Corn Dog from Gravy Train and Rex's Belgian waffle green chile cheeseburger won the competition. 1) Street Taco Grilled CheeseVendor: Cheese Love Grill on Heritage and Main StreetPrice: $11This unique food is a blend between a classic grilled cheese sandwich and a street taco. Sourdough bread is lightly toasted and between two bread slices is hand-diced carne asada, warm Monterey jack cheese and a house-made green chili. At $11, this item was the biggest bang for your buck on the list, with large grilled cheese sandwiches loaded to the brim. Split one half of the sandwich with a loved one and enjoy the gooey goodness. 2) Belgian Waffle Green Chile CheeseburgerVendor: Rex's Hamburger's South of the Natural Resources Building and near the Food Court. Price: $12Rex's Hamburger's has been a staple in the state fair food community for several years and this year they wanted to bring something new to the table. Their answer was a classic green chile cheeseburger with Belgian waffles as the "bread" for the sandwich. The Belgian waffle is strong enough to withstand the weight of the burger without falling apart and is drizzled with a green chile syrup/jam that slowly gets absorbed. 3) Conductor's Corn DogVendor: Gravy Train at the Food CourtPrice: $16 While corndogs may not sound all that special at the state fair, this corndog takes a step above the rest in uniqueness. A classic Nathan's hot dog is dipped in a corn dog batter and fried before being drizzled with a hot cheddar cheese sauce that elevates it to the next level. The corndog also holds smoked bacon, several fried cheese curds and Hatch green chile. At $16, this item was the most expensive, but worth the price.4) Dessert ChimichangaVendor: Fried Fantasy- Food CourtTake one deep fried flour tortilla, fill it with cream cheese and wrap it in smoked bacon before deep frying it to a golden brown and you have the dessert chimichanga. The chimichanga is topped with cinnamon sugar and a sweet strawberry and chocolate sauce with small strawberries on the side. At $9 per order with three small finger sized chimichangas, this item is the cheapest of the unique foods. 5) Deep Fried Carne Asada Taco/ Deep Fried CheeseburgerVendor: Quesada's Mexican on Heritage and Main StreetUnfortunately, we didn't get to try this food item due to a mix-up, but we were able to order regular carne asada tacos. The carne asada tacos were filled with freshly grilled carne asada and came with a side of pico de gallo and salsa. Though we didn't get to enjoy the deep fried version, the tacos were delicious and refreshing. The deep fried cheeseburger wasn't on the list of unique foods but deserves a mention. With a golden brown fry and powered sugar, the cheeseburger looks similar to a large donut. However, splitting the burger in half reveals a classic cheeseburger with warm cheese spilling from the sides. The powdered sugar adds a sweet and unique taste to the classic meal.