REVIEW

We sat next to a family who drove in from Kansas City, only to see their beloved Royals take a 17 – 0 drubbing from the hometown Twins. Why, at the end of the second inning it was already 10 – 0. The kids were devastated. Dad was working overtime giving them a Philosophy of Baseball lesson, there’s always tomorrow, on any given day any team… something that’s instilled in Mets fans like ourselves at birth. What do Americans do when the going gets tough? Eat! They couldn’t have been in a better place for that. Hope Mom & Dad have well-paying jobs.

There are food items branded with Andrew Zimmern’s name – how involved he was with their creation or sale, we have no idea, but they do seem to capture some of his sensibility. This sandwich is called Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen Sloppy Ko, made with Korean-style barbecued beef, kimchi, and half a hard-boiled egg. Very good, although the egg seems more like a novelty than a team player.

We’ve been to many baseball stadiums over the years, both major and minor league, and have maintained, with confidence, that the Mets’ own Citi Field was the best eating stadium in baseball. No longer. Target Field has them beat hands down. Food here is arguably as important as the game. Each spring, a big deal is made over the introduction of the new season’s food items. It’s kinda nuts, really, but they do the same thing at the Minnesota State Fair. We don’t think of Minnesota as a food-centric state but, in some ways, they’re obsessed.

We didn’t try the 4 Bells Shrimp Boil, also new for 2017 (4 Bells is a local restaurant). Sounds fine but wouldn’t this be tough to eat at a ballgame?

Here’s a random sampling of the Twins’ huge food repertoire: shrimp boil, a vegan Sriracha brat, Buffalo chicken poutine, a crispy belly bacon sandwich with jalapeno jelly and vinegar slaw, an Indian rice bowl with chicken tikka or aloo gobi, wild rice soup, Bacon Tot Dish. Artisan burgers and gelato as well. These aren’t what’s available in some glass-walled, white tablecloth restaurant for the high rollers. All of these things are sold around the stadium, next to the hot dogs, nachos, and Dippin’ Dots. The craft beer selection is enormous as well. We tried to get that Bacon Tot Dish (tots, bacon, cheese sauce, jalapeno peppers, pico de gallo, seasoned sour cream) but the crowds around that outfield stand were just impossible to navigate through.

Kramarczuk’s The Kurd-Marczuk: cheese curds, Polish sausage, brown gravy. We didn’t try it but it sounds right to us.

It’s all dished out by the most friendly and cheerful workers you’ve ever interacted with in a baseball stadium. The only downside: prices are outrageously high, even by Citi Field and Yankee Stadium standards: Surly Draft: $11, bottle of water: $6, Murray’s smoked beef sandwich: $14.50. That vegan brat? $12.50.

We forgot to bring a camera, so the photos are from the Target Field website.

LAF TRAK: 

FOOD: 

BEST THING TO EAT: Murray’s Smoked Beef Sandwich