Commentary: An Opening Day menu

Today is Opening Day of the 2012 Major League baseball season, and after weeks of pink slime scandals and death by red meat research, it’s a relief to finally focus once again on the national pastime.

By which I mean: ballpark food and drink.

After all, who can sit still for hours at a time, no matter how exciting the game, and not get hungry and thirsty? Part of the pleasure of watching baseball is wolfing down the ballpark food—which, like the teams themselves, varies greatly depending on where you live.

Even better if you show up on the DiamondVision screen with half a hot dog stuffed in your grill.

Having visited every MLB stadium over the years, with the exception of the Astros’ ballpark, new Yankee Stadium and of course the not-yet-christened home of the Miami Marlins, I feel qualified to weigh in on which ones lead their leagues, if not in the standings, certainly in the quality of their culinary concoctions.

On my list, the ballpark itself also has to be something beyond ordinary. Given that requirement, here are my top five Major League ballpark food destinations (with the emphasis on center-of-the-plate proteins, naturally):

  5). Progressive Field. Not until the Phillies replaced the horror that was Veterans’ Stadium was there as significant an upgrade for a baseball team as the Cleveland Indians’ downtown ballpark when it opened in 1994. The triple deck design along the first base line evokes such classics as old Yankee Stadium, and along with plenty of sausage and hot dog selections, the glassed-in Terrace Club restaurant overhanging the third base corner offers fans a fantastic view, if not quite as spectacular a menu. But the soft pretzels shaped like the Indians’ script “I” and paired with Ballpark Mustard—the same spicy condiment used by Indians’ concessionaires since Tris Speaker and Nap Lajoie roamed the diamond at old League Park back in Babe Ruth’s heyday—are well worth the price of admission.

  4). Camden Yards. The Baltimore Orioles’ stadium, with its “retro” design that spawned an entire era of new fan-friendly ballparks, is now celebrating its 20^th anniversary. Fans probably won’t witness a whole lot of winning baseball there this season, but the food selections—always superb—have expanded to include not only the city’s signature crab cakes and Boog’s Barbecue, made famous by former Oriole All-Star Boog Powell, but also a new Gino’s Burgers and Chicken (named after Baltimore Colts legend Gino Marchetti), a Stuggy’s specialty sausage concession and the new Dempsey’s Brew Pub and Restaurant, owned by former Orioles catcher and 1983 World Series MVP Rick Dempsey and featuring such ballpark beverages as Pine Tar Stout, Rick’s Red Ale and Rain Delay IPA.

  3). Dodger Stadium. Seeing as how the Los Angeles Dodgers were recently sold to a group headed by Magic Johnson for a record $2 billion, you’d expect top-notch cuisine at LA’s venerable Chavez Ravine—and you won’t be disappointed. Along with the park’s renowned Dodger Dogs, the eclectic, California-style menu selections include pastrami sandwiches, spiced pork, pabelloncriollo (shredded beef and black beans served over rice), teriyaki chicken, Korean style BBQ, spicy “picante dogs,”Cuban sandwiches and carne asada “Camacho Nachos” topped with guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream.

  2). Chase Field. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ home, the site of this year’s All Star Game, not only boasts the Majors’ only in-park swimming pool in right-center field—plus a retractable roof that closes not when it rains, but on sunny days when game-time temperatures can hit 110° F—it offers a line of Oscar Meyer all-beef Extreme Wieners, including The Heater, with buffalo sauce and blue cheese coleslaw; The Taco Dog, topped with spicy ground beef, pico de gallo, cheese and sour cream; and the Kim Chi Dog, which is loaded with spicy Korean pickled cabbage.

And the No. 1 best ballpark for food and fun—gotta support the home team—is the Seattle Mariners’ downtown playpen.

 1). Safeco Field.The home of the Seattle Mariners features a view from the upper deck of both the downtown skyline and majestic, snow-capped Mt. Rainier, as well as the sounds of an active passenger train station over which the park is built. Along with the usual ballpark fare—hot dogs, pizza, cold beer—the concession stands offer everything from sushi (including the “Ichiroll” in honor of superstar Ichiro Suzuki), burritos, teriyaki, stir fries and pad thai to an assortment of seafood and barbecue. Plus, fans can enjoy dozens of locally brewed boutique beersand an astoundingselection of lattes, cappuccinos, espressos, frappuccinos, macchiatos—even a hot cup of plain, black coffee for the truly uninitiated.

Just don’t be seen bringing it back to your seat, okay?

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dan Murphy, a veteran food-industry journalist and commentator.

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