Faces of the fair: Down the Rabbit Hole
There's been cabbage at the State Fair before, but not quite like this.
The Rabbit Hole is serving up kimchee — a fermented cabbage from traditional Korean cuisine — and they're putting it on fries, with curry. It's their own fusion twist on poutine.
This is the restaurant's first showing at the fair, since it opened in Minneapolis in 2013. It's also Rabbit Hole owner Thomas Kim's first time on the fairgrounds.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kim has had the Minnesota State Fair on his bucket list for a few years.
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"They say if there's one thing you're going to do in Minnesota, you've got to go the fair," said Kim.
Kim, a second-generation Korean-American, grew up helping his mother prepare large quantities of traditional Korean foods for the family's church. That bulk experience prepared him well for opening his own restaurant — and feeding fairgoers.
"I got to experience it in large batches, 50 to 100 gallons at a time."
The kimchee and curry poutine is just one example of how the Rabbit Hole mixes modern and traditional. Kim took the Canadian dish of fries, cheese curds and gravy, and added Korean toppings instead.
Those with a — how should we say — sensitive Midwest palette shouldn't shy away from the curry dish.
"It's not spicy," Kim said. "But it has spices."