“Edibles & Potables” is our Sunday slot for ranging beyond the perimeters of the Louisville metropolitan area for glimpses of food and drink elsewhere on the planet.
As of Saturday evening, the 2022 World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies is tied at a game apiece, with the games shifting to Philadelphia on Monday.
In the minds of many older baseball fans, ballpark food retains a patina of nostalgia, albeit fading, as outlined here at The History of Ballpark Food (History; cover photo credit): “We take a look at classic ballpark snacks like hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jack.”
It is said that Nero violently rejected the designated gladiator rule.
The world’s first sausage may have been made as far back as 64 A.D., when Emperor Nero Claudius Caesar’s cook, Gaius, stuffed pig intestines with ground meat in a flash of culinary inspiration. After eating the sausage, the emperor is said to have declared, “I have discovered something of great importance.” If your favorite ballpark treat is a fresh hot dog overflowing with ketchup, mustard and sauerkraut, you just might concur.
My personal favorite experience with ballpark fare of the current, “upscale” era came in Seattle at Safeco Field in 2006, when I dined on an Ichi-Roll (sushi named for then-Mariners stalwart Ichiro Suzuki) and washed it down with locally brewed IPA.
It was an experience entirely outside the realm of Louisville Slugger Field’s moribund offerings at the time, although in fairness the situation has improved since then.
Returning to the present and the two cities featured in this year’s Fall Classic, what are the ideal culinary creations to accompany baseball?
First, the American League champs. Choices include Tex-Mex, Viet-Cajun and kolaches.
What to Eat in Houston: 8 Iconic, Unmissable Foods (Eat Your World)
Houston is America’s most diverse city, and—in not unrelated news—it’s increasingly touted as one of the country’s best cities for food. And yet it still flies under the radar for many people. Perhaps the city sprawl frightens them away, or the prospect of having to drive (a minimum of) 20 minutes to get pretty much anywhere. But that’s a small price to pay to experience some of the best food this dynamic city has to offer.
In Houston, not only does the great diversity make for lots of variety in the restaurant scene, but the city’s special brand of colliding cultures has also created a perfect storm of culinary innovation, of unapologetic riffing on local tradition, that’s unwittingly beget essential new dishes—new cuisines even.
With its Phillies winning the National League championship for the first time since 2009, one of Philadelphia’s food specialties springs quickly to mind, but there’s more to it than a cheesesteak alone.
11 Iconic Philadelphia Foods & Must-Have Philly Eats (Visit Philadelphia)
Best-of-Philly specialties include a juicy cheesesteak smothered with Whiz, a flavor-packed hoagie on a crusty roll, and a slice of freshly baked tomato pie sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
Treasured by locals and former residents, the city’s signature foods attract new visitors to Philly, too. From the salty (soft pretzels!) to the saucy (red-gravy pasta!) to the sweet (Butterscotch Krimpets!), read on for our list of Philadelphia’s signature eats — and where to find them.
But when it comes to sports stadiums, it’s all about the food-service monopolies. At least Aramark, the “Philadelphia-headquartered food-service conglomerate,” seems to be trying.
Phillies’ and Astros’ stadiums are swapping food menu ideas for the World Series, by Michael Klein (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Aramark oversees the concessions in both Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park and Houston’s Minute Maid Park. With 45,000-plus fans in Philadelphia and 42,000 expected in Houston in each of at least four games, that’s a lot of food and revenue.
Two sandwiches and two desserts, themed in general to the cities’ tastes, are being sent to the other team’s ballpark. This is pretty much a one-sided deal; the respective dishes will not be available at the home fields.
Houston’s contribution, available at Citizens Bank Park’s club level, is the Crawford Dog, which puts two split and griddled Angus beef hot dogs on a potato bun topped with Crawford Bock bacon, onion jam, and yellow mustard. The dessert is Reese’s Bread Pudding, described as made with white chocolate peanut butter and crushed Reese’s peanut butter cups; an ice cream topping is an option. They will be available at Citizens Bank Park’s Creamery locations, Sections 106 and 219.
Philadelphia’s offering in Houston will be the South Philly Roast Pork Sandwich, which has roast pork shoulder prepared with lemon herb salt, sharp provolone, broccoli rabe relish, and topped with roasted long hots. There also will be a Pumpkin Pie Cannoli, which are dipped in white chocolate with crushed toasted almonds. The sandwich will be available on the club level at Minute Maid Park, while the cannoli will be sold at a stand in Houston’s Section 139.
Photo credit: History Channel.
