Second in a series co-produced by El Lefty Malo and The Bistro Hugo, where the hot stove is more than a figure of speech. (Part 1 is here.)
I’ll come right out and say it: Eating within the Maysian confines is not recommended. But if you must, here’s my thumbnail guide.
All discussions about ballpark food begins with hot dogs. Those who know me will attest: I’ve never met a sausage I didn’t like. But I’ve met a few at the ballpark I’d prefer not to remember. Even the good ideas — such as the grilled dog cart near the left-field foul pole and the Chicago-styles between home and third base — are disappointing for various reasons: stale buns, often, or greasy, cold grilled onions.
I recommend you go to the grill cart and ask the server to find a fresh bun. Even better, ask ‘em to put it for a few seconds on the corner of the grill, if it’s not too greezy.
One of the signature foods of the park, garlic fries, could easily be fashioned into car bombs by enterprising terrorists. There’s enough oil to power an SUV and enough garlic for instant powerful explosions, if you know what I mean. And woe to the fan who buys them on a cold foggy night. Within a few minutes, the starch thickens, the oil congeals, and there’s nothing to do but wait for the seagulls to descend.
(A quick aside: I won’t address the food available in limited-access areas, such as the Club Level. If La Raza can’t get to it, El Lefty doesn’t want to know about it.)
The list of things I like is short: The Cha-Cha Bowl is probably the best food I’ve had on site. At least you can see and smell the meat getting BBQ’ed right in front of you. The Compadre’s burritos wouldn’t get any serious burrito eater’s time of day in the Mission, but in a pinch they’ll do. And if you have to pay ballpark prices for beer, might as well find an Anchor Steam tap, like the one at the Crab shack behind the center field bleachers. Other than that, I can only advise that if you have to eat at the ballpark, bring your own food. More on that another time.
(Photo hotdog! by Indiana Adams, used under Creative Commons license. See more of Indiana’s photos here.)
