Alright, kids.
You know that feeling you get when at a sporting event that you are medium-interested in (sorry, baseball) but crazy-excited about for food reasons? And you start to realize that it’s about time for your first food purchase of the game, and this moment is golden, right? It is a blank slate of possibility – WHAT ARE YOU EVEN GOING TO GET?
But then, reality hits and you start to run through the possibilities. If you get the polish sausage, you might regret it and wish you had gone for the more adventurous noodle stir fry from the wok stand. If you go with the non-traditional walleye sandwich, you might sit back down in your seat and suddenly feel sad feelings about not having a classic ballpark nacho platter in your lap.
And worst of all, you might order something brand new and spend way too much money doing it only to find out that it’s straight-up boring. Blah. Money down the drain. Heartbreak of heartbreaks. This is not a good moment.
Which is why we are going to avoid this moment altogether!
I take my job very seriously, so naturally, when invited to the food preview event for the 2018 season of the Minnesota Twins this week, I showed up with bells on. I feel a responsibility to help as many of us as possible avoid Order Regret this summer as we cheer on our favorite Minnesota team. It’s a passion project.
After lots of samples and lots of pictures, I’m here to give you a run down of THE BEST FOODS that will be waiting for you at Target Field this summer.
Za’atar Spiced Chicken Bowl, Cause You Fancy
This was one I would (will) absolutely order again. This diva of a bowl includes: roasted eggplant, tomato cucumber relish, fresh radish and microgreens, crispy chickpeas, za’atar chicken and herbed yogurt. You can get this over rice or rolled up in a flatbread. You can and you should.
PLEASE if you go here and order this, follow it up with a Frozen Hot Chocolate. I didn’t get a picture of mine (creamy on top, crunchy on bottom) because it was gone in literally two seconds flat.
Where to find it: AZ Canteen
Arabic Chicken ShAwarma Wrap and Friends
Pita chips and a perfect blob of hummus? Yes. Gyros with cucumber, lettuce, and mayo? Yes. Arabic Chicken Shawarma Wraps with pickled cucumbers and a tangy mayo? YEP. Bonus points for making everything in house and using no-antibiotic, free range, and grass fed meats. Personal fave was the Chicken Shawarma Wrap, but all three were on point.
Where to find it: Holy Land
The Tennessee Hot Chicken Sandwich Of Your Dreams
If spicy chicken is your thing… girl! You want this one. It’s super simple and yet somehow still probably one of the best chicken sandwiches of my life: buttery toasted bread, juicy hot battered chicken, pickles, and a drizzle of blackstrap molasses mayo.
Oh! And you can order this “Minnesota Nice” if you need to leave the hot sauce out of it. Too cute.
Where to find it: Bat and Barrel
Indo Frites
Hot Indian strikes again with these lightly battered fries (sweet potato and regular potato combo, thank you very much) with a “pickle aioli” that actually just tastes like a creamy, tangy curry-type sauce. This combo is really all I need in life. I will DEFINITELY order these at my first Twins game of the season.
Where to find it: Hot Indian
The (Honestly) IMpossible Burger
This is not a veggie burger. This is a straight-up burger that just also happens to be vegan. About halfway through eating it, I thought to myself: wait, did I accidentally grab the REAL burger? I honestly didn’t know. It’s super yummy and there is a lot of science to what makes it taste like a beef burger which you can read about here if you’re into that. I’m not super into that. I’m just mostly into eating it.
Where to find it: Bat and Barrel
Tofu Vindaloo Bowl Aka Flavor Heaven
If you love plant-based food + big flavor, say hello to this veg beauty. We’ve got garlic coconut rice piled with steamy flavor-packed tofu vindaloo, a creamy slaw, cilantro, and pappadum crisps. YES GIRL YES.
Where to find it: Hot Indian
This Ridiculously Amazing Brunch Bloody Mary
Okay, this bad boy is the real deal and would single-handedly knock out, like, five meals in one. This is a toppings party which include a bacon cheeseburger slider, a sausage sampler, a breakfast sandwich, a beef stick, cheddar and pepper jack cheese cubs, pepperoncini, olives, celery, pickle spear, and a Bud Light beer back. HELLO HI WHAT IS LIFE. This triple-decker situation can only be ordered on a Sunday, so be sure to plan accordingly.
Where to find it: Hrbek’s
Okay, GET READY FOR FOOD FEST 2018! I mean baseball season. Are we so ready for summer or what?
What are your favoritest, most craziest stadium eats?
Bonus if you name something from Target Field! Because then I can eat it, too.