Welcome back to one of the most fun things we do annually here. We're going to run through some of the most intriguing new food options at ballparks across Major League Baseball this season. There's definitely some wacky, but it's not near as off the rails as it has been the past five seasons.
Note that this is not exhaustive. Some teams haven't sent the info and I'm admittedly subjective in what I choose at times. If you work for a team that isn't included here, there's still time to send me info and pics and I'll add. Email me if you want at matt.snyder@cbsinteractive.com.
It'll be straight forward with pictures and descriptions for a bit here. I'll be adding my thoughts at the end. Brace yourselves.
Yankee Stadium
The descriptions are from the Yankees and not my own words.
Avocado Bites: Sliced avocados, deep fried and served with a habanero sauce.
New York Yankees
Crispy Maple Chicken Sandwich: Spicy maple drizzle, white cheddar cheese spread, pickle, butter-toasted bun.
Max Flatow
MQRib Sandwich: Slow-smoked baby back rib meat covered in MQ's black cherry BBQ sauce, garnished with dill pickles and white onions, served on a soft white roll.
New York Yankees
Next up, some of the new entrees from Delaware North. The descriptions are theirs and not mine.
Globe Life Park in Arlington (Rangers)
The Fowl Pole: A two-lb tender hand battered and fried to crispy perfection. Served on a bed of crisp waffle fries with Ranch and Honey Mustard dipping sauce.
Delaware North
Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox)
Covered and Smothered Fries
Buffalo Chicken: Shredded Chicken topped with crumbled blue cheese, hot buffalo sauce and creamy ranchChili & Cheese friesGreek Fries: Sliced gyro meat, crumbled feta cheese and tomatoes drizzled with tzatziki sauceIrish Fries: hot fries topped with stadium nacho cheese, crisp bacon, sour cream and chivesDessert Sweet Potato Fries: Sweet potato fries topped with powdered sugar, chopped pecans, whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce and Nutella.
Delaware North
Polish Platter: A 1/2 pound Vienna Beef Polish Kielbasa sausage and the choice of three loaded baked potato or onion pierogis, piled on top of sauerkraut, caramelized onions and served with a homemade mustard sauce.
Delaware North
Great American Ball Park (Reds)
Bulgogi Beef Egg Rolls: Carrots, Onions and Rice served with Gyochujang Sauce.
Delaware North
Comerica Park (Tigers)
Bahn Mi Dog: Thick Slab of Bacon Topped with Asian Slaw and Sriracha Aioli.
Delaware North
Coney Dog Egg roll: Crispy Egg roll Filled with Hot Dog and Chili, Drizzled with Classic Mustard and a Sprinkle of Diced Onions.
Delaware North
Al Pastor Dog: Natural Casing Hot Dog Topped with Smoked Pull Pork, Pineapple Relish, Sriracha Aioli, and Cotija Cheese.
Delaware North
Busch Stadium (Cardinals)
Twisted Topped Pretzel: Three Giant Pretzel Twists topped and baked right in front of you. Pretzels include: pepperoni and cheese, buffalo chicken and bacon & cheese. Served with choice of dipping sauce: marinara, ranch or cheese.
Delaware North
The Mega Slice: 16-inch slice of either pepperoni or cheese pizza.
Delaware North
Miller Park (Brewers)
Wisconsin Ultimate Cheese Fry: A mix of twister fries and fried Sargento cheese curds topped with Sargento cheese sauce and bacon.
Delaware North
Bernie's Liege Belgian Waffle: Crispy sweet waffle with pearl sugar, drizzled with chocolate sauce on top.
Delaware North
Target Field (Twins)
Peanut Butter and Bacon Sandwich: Jelly glazed bacon and creamy peanut butter on sourdough bread, toasted.
Delaware North
Chicken and Waffle Cone: Waffle cone filled with chicken tenders and a slab of bacon, drizzled with maple syrup.
Delaware North
SunTrust Park (Braves)
Chicken and Waffle Boat: Mango Habanero tossed boneless chicken served in a warm waffle boat drizzled with honey and topped with toasted pecans.
Delaware North
Southern Smothered Steak Sandwich: Stadium smoked brisket, smothered with peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese sauce served on a toasted hoagie.
Delaware North
Dinger Dog: Foot long all beef hot dog, stuffed with cheddar cheese and house made bacon jam wrapped in golden brown puff pastry.
Delaware North
Progressive Field (Indians)
The Fat Rooster: A spicy fried chicken breast, marinated in Franks Hot Sauce and buttermilk, then dredged in a seasoned flour blend including habanero powder, granulated garlic, Cajun seasoning, white pepper, and Lawry Seasoning. We will be serving it on a brioche bun with a vinegar-based coleslaw, house made pickle, and honey mayo.
Delaware North
Here are some of the Levy Restaurants creations. Note that the descriptions are theirs and not my words.
Dodger Stadium
Esquite: Sweet grilled corn in a mini souvenir Dodgers helmet topped with mayo, cotija, and chipotle aioli. Finished with lime juice and Tajin seasoning.
Levy
Going Yard: A 16.5-inch jalapeno cheddar sausage topped with grilled onions, roasted corn, and avocado relish, drizzled with sour cream.
Levy
Dodger Sausage: Stadium exclusive al pastor seasoned sausage stuffed with pineapple chunks, grilled to perfection. Topped with pineapple salsa and cilantro-lime crema.
Levy
Wrigley Field (Cubs)
Chick-Ago Sandwich: Back this season by popular demand, Wrigley Field's new take on the traditional Chicago Dog. Pickle brined breaded chicken thighs, tempura sport peppers, vine ripe tomatoes, dill aioli, onion roll, and celery salt.
Levy
Nationals Park
House smoked BBQ, including Bone-In Smoked Beef Short Rib at the Old Hickory BBQ stand.
Levy
DC favorites like the Crab Cake Sandwich.
Levy
MLB has also collaborated with some local beer companies to come up with a few fun team-oriented brews. Here they are along with their provided descriptions.
Devils Backbone Earned Run Ale "This is the third year Devils Backbone is working with the Nationals, but 2019 will welcome a brand new look for ERA. ERA is an easy-drinking session American Pale Ale that's relatively low alcohol so you can cool off with a few. This golden pale ale was brewed to be enjoyed during those lazy Sunday evenings at the park. The finest pale ale malts allow the bright and citrusy Amarillo and Citra hops to shine. New packaging debuts on March, 21 for The Nationals Media Day; available in 16 oz cans and on draft. "
Devils Backbone
Karbach's Crawford Bock
"Crawford Bock is a 4.5 percent ABV traditional Bock-style beer with 15 IBU The result is a deliciously smooth, malty beer. The beer, named after Minute Maid Park's iconic "Crawford Box" seating section and designed after the Astros old rainbow uniforms, is a deliciously smooth, easy-drinking bock that fans will be able to enjoy all year round.""The best part? A portion from every Crawford Bock sold will go to support the Astros Foundation, whose initiatives include youth baseball and softball, military support, childhood cancer awareness and efforts to reduce homelessness. Crawford Bock is currently on shelves in 12oz cans and available on draft."
Karbach
Blue Point's Pinstripe Pilsner
The NY Pinstripe Pilsner was brewed with a generous amount of Pilsner malt and Motueka hops resulting in a crisp, clean and balanced Pilsner with a hint of lime aroma. It's the perfect beer to pair with peanuts and cracker jack, enjoy during the 7th inning stretch or best of all, celebrate a Yankees win. Starting on March 28th, Blue Point's Pinstripe Pilsner will be available all-year at Yankee Stadium at the Bleachers Bar.
Blue Point
Finally, Questlove from "The Roots" is bringing "Questlove's Cheesesteak to Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. Vegan fans rejoice, as it is plant-based. From the release:
Re-imagining this Philadelphia tradition back home, "Questlove's Cheesesteak™" will launch at Citizens Bank Park on opening day March 28 at two locations on the main concourse (behind Sections 108 & 120). "Questlove's Cheesesteak™" will be sold at all 81 home games for The Phillies. The Cheesesteak starts a new chapter this spring in Philly and is in line with the Phillies efforts to make the world a cleaner place with their "Red Goes Green" campaign, focused on sustainability.
OK, that's a lot to process. Five things I absolutely want to try and can't wait to devour, not necessarily in order:
MQRib (Yankee Stadium): C'mon. Like McDonald's McRib but sit-down restaurant rib quality and much bigger? Bring that to me immediately. Smoked short rib (Nationals Park). Something seems wrong about holding a slab of meat on a bone at a baseball game ... WAIT. What am I talking about? If that's wrong, I don't wanna be right. Dinger Dog (SunTrust Park). I love the idea of a hot dog with cheese stuffed in a puff pasty and how could anything with bacon jam be bad? And it's a foot long! Fat Rooster (Progressive Field). I've met the chef at Progressive and I know just how much care is put into every single step of the process. Reading the description of the Fat Rooster, I have no doubt it's going to be perfection. Wisconsin Ultimate Cheese Fry (Miller Park). It's spot-on Milwaukee. Just look at it! Salivating over here.I'm also intrigued by ...
The egg rolls. I've always dug the idea of putting something non-traditional in egg rolls (such as Chilis southwest egg rolls, to name an example from a chain). I especially want to grab Detroit's coney dog egg roll. Coney dogs are so good, but the annoying part is the mess. This appears to be taking that part away. Hopefully it's executed well. Going yard dog. It's a huge hot dog with tons of stuff on it. Say no more. In fact, everything that fits that description should be listed here. The chicken and waffle stuff: The crispy maple chicken sandwich at Yankee Stadium, the chicken and waffle cone in Minnesota and those boats in Atlanta. All of it. They are all at least somewhat creative ways to transform the chicken and waffle thing into an acceptable ballpark form. The polish platter the White Sox have. Looks pretty good and pierogis are generally underrated.Acceptably large: The pizza in St. Louis. It's huge but workable at a game.
Unacceptably large: A single, two-pound chicken finger? Get outta here.
Random thought: Why have I never tried peanut butter and bacon before? Seems like it could work.
I should also note that I like how the ballparks are still coming up with creative new things but appear to have stopped with some of the nonsensical stuff that gets a lot of social media reaction and probably doesn't really sell much (putting fruity pebbles on a hot dog, for example). This year's offering is much more sensible while being able to attract attention.
Now let us attack the ballpark concessions with purpose this season.
