Chef rolls out new dishes for fans
The food at Minute Maid Park is taking a major leap forward as the World Series action moves to Houston this weekend.
Ahead of the third game of the 2017 World Series at the downtown ballpark, Aramark invited the media to come and see what’s on the menu for fans cheering on the hometown squad.
The Astros’ home already has some of the best food in league, from Torchy’s and Shake Shack in the outfield concourse to the hearty, meatier fare on the main drag. Having a Saint Arnold beer garden overlooking left field has been a big help during the team’s more stressful moments on the journey to the World Series.
New concession items for the Series include the #EarnHistory Burger, a double-stacked bacon cheeseburger with brisket sausage on a challah bun, kicked up a notch with jalapeño strips.
Dominic Soucie, Aramark’s executive chef at Minute Maid Park, has added two different kinds of fried dishes at the Budweiser Brew House: The Houston Green Chili Chicken Stak and the LA Queso Stak, made to cater to Dodgers fans rooting on their team in blue and white on the road.
Soucie also has introduced new street tacos and salsas, along with a special brisket taco that sports an addictive chipotle aioli.
Find this food on the club level and in the center field area.
Mat Drain, district manager for Aramark at Minute Maid Park, says that the playoff items were born as the team’s postseason fortunes began to solidify.
“We really tried to find ways to enhance the dining experience because you get a different baseball fan during the playoffs,” Drain said Thursday.
While Drain’s favorite item is the reliable, simple ballpark hot dog, he says that during the playoffs he notices a marked increase in peanut sales. Stressed out fans with an oral fixation must need something to fidget with.
“Our peanut sales double,” Drain says. “I was fortunate enough to go to the game on Tuesday in Los Angeles. I ate two bags of peanuts myself.”
How does our Aramark man think the home team will fare?
“Astros in six,” Drain predicts.
Soucie, a native of Massachusetts, watched his hometown Boston Red Sox lose to the Astros earlier this postseason but it didn’t bother him much.
“(The Astros) are my former favorite team now,” he says, laughing.
“There is something about this organization and this team that just makes you want to jump on board and be a part of this group,” Soucie says. “There is something special.”
He’s been a chef at Minute Maid Park for nearly five seasons, meaning he’s seen the low tide of wins and has watched the team blossom into the mammoth machine it is now.
The chef recommends the new Savory Waffle Cone, filled with macaroni and cheese, braised brisket, even more cheese, green onions and sriracha aioli.
“You can walk around with it, put a spoon in it, and its not so messy that you will stain that new jersey you just bought,” Soucie says.
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