Twins Blog: Picking Our Favorite New Foods At Target Field
Ball park food is changing. Much like the game, the traditions aren't lost. You can still enjoy a hot dog and beer while in awe of a Josh Willingham home run. Except, every once in a while new players are brought in to enhance the team.
The staff at Target Field are doing the same with the concessions. They're serving up new treats to keep things interesting and fans happy.
Minnesotans love Minnesota. The Twins know this, which is why local favorites like Fulton & Surly beer, Murray's steak sandwiches and Kramarczuk's brats are must-haves during a game. This season, some other popular spots from around town will now be served up at the ballpark.
Peter Nelson and I had the pleasure of eating our way through Target Field's new food tasting event. In keeping with the baseball theme, here's a line up of our favorites:
As far as Peter is concerned, grilled hotdog and beer are still the way to go, but when he wants to change things up he says he's going with Mac's fish and chips.
They're thin and crispy batter-dipped walleye filets with French fries. You'll find him at the State Fair stand around the 6th inning placing an order.
I'm a sucker for childhood favorites. Last season the Food Network debuted two new dishes at Target Field -- buffalo mac 'n cheese and a bacon sloppy joe. Both are still available, but this season there are two more varieties of the cheesy noodles to enjoy.
I loved the jalapeno popper mac 'n cheese. It was creamy with a spicy kick that won't scare away the often mild Minnesota palate.
Biting into the Panino's Spaghetti Baked Sandwich is like digging into a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs with the breadstick. The sweet and flaky dough is wrapped around a heaping serving of spaghetti and pieces of sausage meatballs. There's not too much sauce, so this dish gets extra points for being ballpark portable.
Starting in June, on Saturdays and Sundays you can get a locally-grown salad from the kids at Roots for the Home Team. I did a story on this program last season. The students created six different salads and grow the ingredients at community gardens near Target Field.
My favorites are the Couscous-a-Licious and Silas' Fiesta Salad. They're tangy and refreshing. Perfect for a late-summer afternoon game.
Celebrity chef and TV host Andrew Zimmern lives in Minnesota and is a huge Twins fan. This season, he's bringing his AZ Canteen to Target Field. There's nothing bizarre about his Canteen Burger. It's a juicy and well-seasoned blend of lamb and goat with crunchy chips. I was a bit wary, but after one bite I became a believer.
Of course, these are just some of the new kids to the concessions.
Some other new notables: Summit beer-battered walleye fingers, fish tacos, cheddar bratwurst and onion rings.
There are more than 100 food options at Target Field. The concessions will still be filled with your favorites: a variety of hot dogs, nachos, pizza, ice cream and all the beer you could want.
For a full list of new foods and where you can find them, click here.
