CROWDING THE PLATE
Here’s the lineup of new foods at PNC Park
Is there anything more exciting for baseball fans than that first electrifying crack of the bat on opening day? Maybe your first bite of a hot dog or something even wilder in the stands?
If you don’t mind a possible belly ache, you’ll find a few rookie dishes on the plate Tuesday, when the Pirates take on the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park for their first home game of the season.
Aramark, the food and beverage partner for nine Major League Baseball stadiums including PNC Park, dished up its newest offerings for the 2022 season on Wednesday. The roster includes six new food and beverage concepts throughout the Riverwalk and in the arcade under the left field bleachers. And while all have a taste of Pittsburgh, they’re relatively tame compared with big swings from past seasons. (Remember 2016’s Cracker Jack and Mac Dog?)
New for 2022
New menu items include a hot dog that pays homage to one of Pittsburgh’s favorite delis, beef nachos with a spicy sauce that combines ancho and guajillo chiles with citrus, a chicken sandwich with roots in the South, and a yinzer take on a popular Japanese comfort food.
In years past, Aramark aimed to shock and awe fans with the craziest baseball food possible. This year, the food service provider focused on food that not only people love to eat at ball games but also has a connection to Pittsburgh’s food scene.
Take the park’s Reuben Dog ($7.99), one of four new gourmet hot dogs inspired by Smallman Street Deli in the Strip District and being served at the new Deli Dogs concession stand (Section 135). It features all the flavors you’ve come to love in the classic delicatessen sammie, only instead of being sandwiched between two slices of rye,
the meat — a 7-inch Chicago Red Hots natural casing dog wrapped in thin slices of corned beef — comes stuffed in a Martin’s potato hot dog roll, with sauerkraut and a drizzle of Thousand Island dressing on top. It’s surprisingly delicious.
Other options include a Chicago dog with mustard, onion and pickle on a poppy seed bun; a classic dog with brown mustard and onions; and a dog topped with cheese sauce and the deli’s homemade chili.
“It’s comfort food that is really good and people really want to eat,” said Jeff Cohen, the deli’s owner. “You don’t have to decide if you want to try it.”
The Adobo Beef Nachos ($12.99) at the new Nachorita stand under the left field bleachers (Section 138) will appeal to Mexican food lovers. Loaded with bold, spicy flavors, the seasoned ground beef is served on a bed of corn tortilla chips topped with queso, salsa, black beans, jalapeños and chopped
scallions, with a zesty cilantro-lime cream garnish.
A fan of chicken sandwiches? Offerings at the new Chicken on the Hill stand (Section 144) re-create the flavors found at Coop de Ville in the Strip. Along with a classic fried chicken sandwich topped with pickles and shredded iceberg lettuce, you’ll find a sweet tea-brined Pimento Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13.99). Served on a Martin’s roll, it’s topped with a spicy finger-licking-good scoop of hot honey, pimento cheese and ranch slaw. An order of chicken tenders comes with crinkle-cut fries and Coop de Ville dipping sauces.
Ballpark burgers
At the new Cannonball Stand (Section 146), it’s all about custom-ground burgers inspired by the menu at Station in Bloomfield. Burgers come either as 3½-ounce singles or 7-ounce doubles (choices include plant-based mushroom or chuck-and-brisket meat patties), and are seasoned with Station’s proprietary barbecue spices and sauces. The double-patty Ranch Burger ($12.99) comes laden with pub cheese, pickles, shredded lettuce and ranchdressing, while the Smoky BBQ & Blue Cheese features the acidic bite of bright-pink pickled cabbage.
“It’s how we like to cook” at the restaurant, said executive chef Curtis Gamble. “Filling, but clean, so you don’t feel blown out.”
The past couple of years have been a real eye-opener as to where the restaurant industry as a whole is headed, Mr. Gamble said, so he figured partnering with a big company such as Aramark would be a great way to grow his brand. “It’ll get the word out to people who don’t know we exist.”
Also making its debut this year is the park’s new Burgh Katsu (Bierbauer’s, Section 213). It combines cucumber kimchi with bread-fried ham and mini pierogies on top of a toasted roll with hoisin aioli.
Fans will be able to enjoy Fat Heads craft beers at a new gathering space called the Bullpen above the center field bullpens, at a new overlook bar with 22 taps. You’ll also find new drink rails, tables and high-top seating at The Landing, another new gathering space just above the center field fence line.
Other MLB eats
And at other Major League Baseball parks? When it comes to food, some teams are trying hard to hit it out of the park.
The new food concepts and special offerings include everything from sweet potato fries topped with peanut sauce and Marshmallow Fluff being served at Fenway Park, home field for the Boston Red Sox, to a tangy riff on poutine at the Toronto Blue Jays’ Rogers Centre. Traditionally made with french fries topped with brown gravy, this culinary curve ball has fried pickle straws, cheese curds, bacon and a peanut butter gravy.
Among the more interesting dishes making their debuts this year is the (sickly) sweet Elvis Shake at Coors Field in Colorado. A drinkable version of The King’s favorite food, it’s a sugary blend of crème de banana, soft serve ice cream, peanut butter sauce, Cracker Jack and candied bacon.
Then there’s the equally gooey PBJ Burger (with jalapeño jelly) at the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, Citizens Bank Park. At the Oakland A’s Oakland Coliseum, it’s more about setting your mouth on fire with the new Flamin’ Hot Cheesesteak hoagie, made with chopped steak, onion, Cheez Whiz and, you guessed it, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
But the weirdest baseball concession might be the new pulled pork sandwich at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. This classic barbecue sandwich comes slathered in a tangy barbecue sauce (in this case, Sweet Baby Ray’s) but then adds crumbled Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and bacon bits on top.
Aramark is also adding new twists to fan favorites like wings, hot dogs and fries with innovative sauces and unexpected fixings. For example, fans at Fenway Park don’t have to settle for just nacho cheese on their Kayem beef hot dog. Why not add a crunchy mix of chopped bacon, jalapeños and semi-crushed Cheetos?
Home run or strikeout? Red Sox fans will decide.