Ballpark food 2023 – A big step up from peanuts and Crackerjack

Opening Day of the baseball season arrives this Thursday, March 30, signaling the official beginning of spring as well as the start of some pretty fine dining at ballparks across the countr y. For the discriminating foodie who is planning on attending a game, they’ll find a veritable cornucopia of dining options, ranging from lobster rolls, filet mignon sliders and sushi to more traditional fare like hot dogs, burgers and pizza. And many parks have added new eateries, dishes and drinks for this year so if you can’t find anything to your liking, you’re just not tr ying. Certainly Minute Maid Park, where the Houston Astros will open their 2023 campaign against the Chicago White Sox in a game airing on ESPN, has a few unusual items. One newcomer is the Grande Papas Nachos fries, which are topped with beef carnitas, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, crema and elote, which is grilled Mexican street corn. Delicioso

If you’re in Los Angeles for the Dodgers’ home opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, tr y Dodger Stadium’s new marriage of the classic helmet bowl to the California roll called – wait for it – the California Roll Bowl. This consists of imitation crab, sriracha aioli, edamame, carrots and cucumbers all ser ved up over a bed of sushi rice, and is certainly not your father’s ballpark food.

Also for the health-conscious is the Bowl at Oakland Coliseum, where the the season against the L.A. Angels. This inspired creation is a tasty mix of grilled bell peppers and egg noodles that has reviews from those who have previewed you might want to tr y it, too.

Conversely, on the more caloric side Big Red Machine Burger at Cincinnati American Ballpark, where the Reds Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s a beef patty and sausage topped with sauerkraut, beer crushed potato chips and ser ved on bun. Pace yourself for this is one big

Meat lovers will also go in for the Bowl at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, where the Tampa Bay Rays get going against the Detroit Tigers. It’s a slow-roasted brisket paired with white rice, plantains, peppers and onions. What’s not to like?

And if you’re at Seattle’s Safeco Field, the Mariners open ‘23 against the Cleveland Guardians, why not quench your thirst an adult beverage? One is the unquestionably unusual Buzz Margarita, a concoction szechuan buttons and edible flowers toasted grasshoppers. If you’re tr ying on your arthropod intake, you can opt Magenta Mojo cocktail, a mix of grapefruit, wine and hibiscus. Or you can just