Safeco Field‘s adventurous-for-stadium-food offerings got them ranked #2 by Bleacher Report last year, but the folks at Centerplate are not resting on their Ichirolls. For the opening of Edgar Martinez’ open-air Edgar’s Cantina and, and a level above, the Home Run Porch Lounge, they collaborated with ubiquitous Seattle restaurateur Ethan Stowell on a “Northwest Mex” menu.
“What can you say about this place?” asked Centerplate’s John Sergi at a media preview. “There’s nothing like it in baseball.” (He’s got more under his hat, dropping hints about “fast casual” dining and iPad ordering.) Later, he admitted: “We win the battle at the loading dock,” referring to the amount of fresh, local food they’re able to source.
Up at the Porch, there’s Edgar’s Tacos, three delicious corn tortillas with your choice of carne asada, carnitas, chicken, or lengua (aka beef tongue), topped with diced onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese. In the Cantina, there are tortas — pork carnitas and salchicha still on the menu — with new options carne asada and Chicken Milanese. You can also get chicken tenders (Draper Valley Farms), breast meat pounded flat with a light breading. The breading’s been kept purposefully low-key, said Sergi, because people tend to want to dunk them in something.
Stowell’s also importing the tenders to his Hamburg+Frites stand, while Apizza will serve his “Caesar salad” pizzetti (aka a single-serving Neapolitan-style thin-crust pizza). “You’re not getting that at other parks in this town,” said Stowell. See for yourself on the Mariners Opening Day on April 8.
More eyebrow-raising for a ballpark are the vegan and vegetarian bites from vegan chefs Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby, owners of Philadelphia’s Vedge restaurant. They’re behind the fluffy Bao-Choi steamed buns, filled with either black-vinegar-glazed Portobello with pickled cucumber, green chili, and scallion; or Korean eggplant with gochujang (fermented red pepper paste), daikon radish, spicy cabbage, scallion, and cilantro. Private Suites can snack on smoky Portobello carpaccio, salt-roasted golden beets, roasted fresh market vegetables, and vegan chocolate chip cookies.
Not to be outdone, Field Roast has constructed a vegan chili cheese dog.
To wash this down, there’s Safeco’s selection of Northwest ales. But this year, thanks to the magic of single-serve stem wine glasses made of recyclable plastic, Fetzer Wines can offer you both red and white wine blends. The red “Crimson” is notably sweet, with oak and floral notes forward, and a peppery finish. You can imagine it going the distance with a ballpark pepperoni.
We’ll reserve judgement on the five signature cocktails to be served at the Cantina and Lounge. They’re the mixings of Rob Roy‘s Anu Apte, and all feature Zac, an artisanal mezcal that Edgar Martinez, with his business partner Gene Juarez, import from Mexico. Apte mentioned that they were a departure from the spirit-forward drinks she normally serves up (drinkers at Safeco have to last a whole ballgame), but she may have over-sanitized them. The margarita (with fresh lime juice, Cointreau, and agave syrup) was bland, while the Martinez Michelada (with Mexican beer, lime and pineapple juice and a dash of cayenne pepper) came out a perplexing, spicy stew.
As a vegan baseball fan, I welcome changes to the park! There are many reasons why the number of vegans has doubled in the US in less than 3 years. Here are two uplifting videos to help everyone understand why so many people are making this life affirming choice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKr4HZ7ukSE and http://www.veganvideo.org/.