Restaurant Review: Take Me Out to the Ballgame!
“A hotdog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.”
Humphrey Bogart
I’m with Bogey here! As a lifelong baseball fan, I’ve lived for the experience of the game. It wasn’t just balls, strikes, and home runs… for me, it was the sizzle of grilling hot dogs, the cold, delectable sweetness of a Frosty Malt, and a prize in my Cracker Jack box! That was all I needed to be happy. A win by the team was just the icing on the cake… my fellow Cubs fans will understand!
But my memories also extend to Comiskey Park/Guaranteed Rate Field as well. I have great memories of my first-ever churro savored there. My kid’s first-ever Helmet Nachos were consumed during a White Sox game. I had my first ‘Helmet Sundae’ at ‘Wrigley Field North’-aka, American Family Field-in Milwaukee.
These days, baseball parks across the nation are microcosms of the city’s flavors, writ large. As I got older, the ‘foodie’ wave caught the ballparks as well as the restaurant industry, and baseball upped their food game as well.
Nowhere is this more apparent than at Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, whose partnerships with their communities on the North and South Sides provide endless opportunities to sample local restaurants in partnership with local ballparks.
With baseball season underway, the Cubs and White Sox both have plenty of new options to choose, especially in the “Concessions as Souvenirs,” (like Souvenir Cups and Helmet Sundaes) which get more popular every year. It’s a great benefit, and justifies, (at least for me) the price of the item.
New at Wrigley Field for 2023
Always known for their ‘staple’ menu of hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, and Cracker Jack, Wrigley’s concessions have been going upscale for about 25 years. Over a decade ago, I tried my first Bison hot dog (no ketchup!) while sitting in the bleachers.
This year, there’s a great sample of Asian, Mexican and Greek specialties for your foodie palates.
Try the Crispy Chicken Bao Bun, made with a crispy chicken thigh, Thai chili sauce, baby arugula, cucumber and carrot, and served on a bao bun. Or a new Burger Brat, which they describe as a split bratwurst, filled with brat-seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese, yellow mustard and sauerkraut, served on a brioche bun. (Take that, Milwaukee Brewers!) A Crispy Chicken Torta pairs their home-style crispy chicken, with mayo ancho cabbage and cotija cheese on a torta roll. A Wrigley Field Quesabirria has barbacoa, Spanish onions, and Chihuahua cheese on a crispy flour tortilla with ancho chili sauce.
New ‘Concessions as Souvenirs’
A new take on the Helmet+ fare are Greek Loaded Fries, replete with Gyro meat, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, red onions, pepperoncini and feta cream sauce on a bed of crispy steak fries in a souvenir helmet.
Another option for beer drinkers and those who are 21+ is their new Souvenir Beer Bat, a 26-ounce pour in a bat-shaped fluted souvenir cup, which can be filled with your favorite beer selection.
Guaranteed Rate Field
The White Sox have been known for their remarkable partnerships with South Side eateries and breweries, making the experience even more of a community experience. This year, the White Sox announced several new menu items featuring unique street food combinations:
Their Elote Corn Dog issmothered in queso cheese and topped with jalapenos, grilled corn, cilantro and cotija. The new ‘Belgian Banger’, according to WBEZ.com, is a “hefty half-pound Polish sausage on a pretzel bun, topped with caramelized onions, cabbage slaw and bacon bits. The Champagne of Dogs is a half-pound Vienna Beef foot long frank, served with relish and habanero mustard. Hot Honey Chicken Loaded Fries has bite-size popcorn chicken and hot honey BBQ sauce. Gonzo Garbanzo Sandwich is a vegetarian-friendlyseasoned chickpeas, red pepper hummus, avocado, arugula and a beefsteak tomato slice, served on wheatberry bread. Chicharrónes en Bolsa are fried vegetable pinwheel crisps with a variety of hot sauces. Other options include chorizo mac and cheese, a classic cheesesteak, and build-your-own nachos.
And finally…new frozen alcoholic pops are available in a variety of flavors, from margarita to strawberry and mango.
Take me out to the ballgame!!
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
