× Expand Photo by Allison Hussey New foods for the 2018 North Carolina State Fair. bacon-glazed corn, an arepa burger, jerk and mango wrap, chicken hushpuppies, pork loin, crack-n-cheese waffle cone, Cinnamon Toast Crunch apple cobbler bite, chocolate chip hushpuppy, country ham and cheese hushpuppy, lamb SoJo melt, candied bacon s’more

The North Carolina State Fair starts on Friday—delayed a day by the looming Hurricane Michael—and as with every year, 2018 has a slate of new foods designed to impress eager eaters at the fair. Here’s a rundown of the best and the meh-st of some of the new foods at this year’s fair.

The Great

Of the lot, the strongest contender was the arepa burger from Arepa Loca, which pulled the brilliant trick of being a great burger packed with lots of flavor and next to no grease. Arepa Loca narrowly lost out to Cool Runnings Jamaican for best new food at the fair, but the competition was strong. Cool Runnings won for its mango jerk wrap, which balances tender pork with chunks of mango for a wrap that was satisfying and spicy.

Another surprise was the glazed bacon s’more from La Farm Bakery, which was so sophisticated that it doesn’t even feel fair to call it a s’more. Two graham crackers sandwich a marshmallow, which is lightly scorched on every side and is secretly filled with an extra daub of chocolate. Part of it is then dipped in chocolate and covered with candied bacon. And because it’s La Farm, it’s all done from scratch.

Speaking of sweet treats, the Cinnamon Toast Crunch apple cobbler bites from Chef’s D’Lites are fantastic. It’s nice to go all-in on something like a deep-fried candy bar, but these treats are a bit lighter, with fresh apple slices fried in a batter made out of crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. For a sweet that’s a little more nuanced but still checks the fried and fruity boxes, this one should be at the top of your list.

Ragin’ Cajun’s chocolate-chip hushpuppy is just inspired, and its country-ham-and-cheddar cousin is a smoky and savory complement. It’s got the spirit of a croquette in a Southern body.

Photo by Allison Hussey A candied bacon s'more from La Farm

The Good

The shrimp-and-grits egg roll from Woody’s Tavern holds up surprisingly well, and the red pepper remoulade sauce drizzled on top of it ties it together with a little spicy kick. Another pleasant surprise is the “crack-n-cheese” waffle cone from Hickory Tree BBQ (I wish it had a different name so that I could give it a full-throttle endorsement). You might not think that a stack of mac ’n’ cheese, turkey barbecue, cole slaw, and turkey cracklins would taste great in a waffle cone, but the mix of mushy and crunchy textures works nicely.

Chick-N-Que also tried its hand at the hushpuppy-with-a-twist, though its chicken-infused variety isn’t quit as flavorful as Ragin Cajun’s ham-and-cheese hushpuppy.

The Meh

Last year, we got a special corn that had been coated in powdered Hot Cheetos, but this year’s new version—roasted corn topped with doughnut glaze and bacon crumbles from Douglas Farms—was far less exciting. The concept was strong: a state-fair staple with a twist that included an extra dose of sugar and grease. But the execution was lacking, and the fault lies mostly with the glaze—it’s too liquidy, so the bacon doesn’t stick to the corn, and its appearance on the corn is, to put it politely, thoroughly unappetizing. (The unicorn bacon and jalapeño cheese bacon from Bubba’s Bacon were unavailable for sampling.)

The rolled ice cream from Black’s Concessions was delicious, but the process of making rolled ice cream is so involved that it seems like a poor contender for a fair treat, where speedy preparation is a key to success. Similarly, Neomonde’s lamb SoJo sandwich tasted great, but felt a bit too heavy, even among so many other heavy foods. Old North State Kitchen’s slow smoked bourbon brown sugar rubbed pork loin was tender and juicy, but I have no idea who goes to a state fair and decides that pork loin is what they really want to eat.

Unfortunately, the Texas Pete donut was also absent from Monday’s sample buffet, so you’ll have to wait for a field report on that one. Happy eating!