The SunBreak is delighted to share this piece by Cake Vs. Pie genius Jenise Silva (@licorous). Jenise just finished writing the current edition of the Rather Seattle guidebook (formerly known as eat.shop seattle), due out in June. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her communing with chefs, farmers, artists, and other instigators.
It still may be too early to make predictions on how the Seattle Mariners will fare this season, but there is one part of the gameday experience where it’s safe to say that the Ms are ahead of the rest of the teams around the league. It’s not batting percentages or the win/loss column-grabbing headlines (that will soon follow), but today it’s all about the quality of the food Mariners fans can enjoy while taking in America’s pastime at Safeco Field.
Last year, Safeco Field completely renovated the concourse just off center field–adjacent to the bullpen–and rolled out a new concession area aptly named The ‘Pen. Fans flocked to The ‘Pen in droves to warm up by the fire pit, relax at the cocktail lounge, and devour bistro food by three nationally renowned chefs, including our very own Ethan Stowell.
This year, the Mariners continue to improve with some off-season additions to their food lineup as they have once again teamed up with Stowell to create and deliver the best in ballpark food that reflects the rich tradition of this region’s local producers.
New to the food roster this year is a BBQ Pulled Park Sandwich, which uses pork from Carlton Farms and is juiced up with some Whiskey Cola BBQ sauce–a true winner in any lineup. Also look for the Italian Sausage (again featuring sausage from Carlton Farms) finished off with onions and banana peppers. And for a guilty pleasure from the past, you’ll want to dig into the Cheddar Bratwurst topped with a heaping mound of WA State Riesling Sauerkraut.
Of course ballpark food would not be complete without a burger and a beer. Stowell has created what he calls his “anti-fast-food” quarter-pound burger with Northwest grass-fed beef, American cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato, and his special burger sauce–all served between Mario’s potato buns. And in a change-up, a bit of New Orleans will appear on the menu as Stowell offers up an Oyster Po’ Boy featuring local stewards of the waterways, Taylor Shellfish Oysters, and a housemade spicy remoulade.
Sure, the season is just under way. We’ll root, root, root for the home team and if they don’t win it’s a shame. But through it all fans will be able to celebrate–or be consoled–with some of the freshest, locally sourced fare that will have you hoping the game runs into extra innings just so you can take in some more tasty bites. Regardless of how the Mariners play, with Chef Ethan Stowell in The ‘Pen, the Mariners have at least one surefire closer this season.