Beyond peanuts and Cracker Jacks
From fish tacos to clam chowder, culinary treats tempt fans at major league ballparks
Ya gotta eat, but you don't gotta eat the usual baseball stadium stuff. More ballparks are becoming culinary specialty shops, offering local delicacies, trendy gourmet delights and even low-fat and vegetarian fare.
San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium specializes in fish tacos. In Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium features fast-food Japanese at the Yoshinoya Beef Bowl and vegetarian pizza. As for the famed Dodger Dog, Bruce Adams and Margaret Engel say in Fodor's "Ballpark Vacations" (Fodor's Travel Publications, 1997) that the frank is pretty ordinary, but the fans say otherwise. The grilled specialty is longer than the buns it's served on.
Up the coast at San Francisco's 3Com Park, steak taco salads, pizza, tofu hot dogs, tortellini, seafood and the amazing 40-clove garlic chicken sandwich are just part of a varied menu. In Seattle's KingDome, the nachos are tops.
Across the Rockies at Denver's Coors Field, beer's the thing with an in-house brew pub to accompany brisket of buffalo sandwiches. Down in Texas, the Astrodome serves up foot-long jalapeno sausages on a stick.
In the Midwest, Sports Illustrated says the best food comes from Wiener Circle outside Wrigley Field, and Comiskey Park's claim to fame is -- get this -- the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Minnesota's MetroDome offers the game's biggest hot dog, aptly called the Jumbo Dog.
In the Northeast, sausages top Yankee Stadium's menu, and clam chowder is king at Boston's Fenway Park. Further down the coast, try Oriole Park's Maryland crab cake sandwiches. Three Rivers Stadium has a Pittsburgh-style cheesesteak that rivals cross-state Philadelphia, where mascot Phillie Phanatic launches hot dogs into the stands.
Barbecue is all over the nation's ballparks -- even on the Canadian side of the border, where the stuff is served up at Rusty 10, named for former Montreal Expos player Rusty Staub. Tiger Stadium, Shea Stadium, Oakland Coliseum, and the Texas Rangers' Ballpark in Arlington boast top-notch barbecue.
Ted's stadium, Turner Field -- serving up Georgia barbecue as well -- does 'em all one better. At "Taste of the Major Leagues" in the Plaza, the visiting team's specialty is on the menu for Southern samplers.
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Wrigley Field | Fenway Park & Yankee Stadium | The Astrodome
SkyDome & Le Stade Olympique
Turner Field, Oriole Park & Comiskey Park
Crosley Field & Forbes Field | Ebbets Field
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