By Rochelle Koff | rkoff@miamiherald.com (www.miami.com)
Eat your way through Marlins Park one inning at a time! Only in Miami!
The
Miami Marlins season officially opens Wednesday, April 4
and fans will finally get to experience all the hoopla over the new,
$634 million ballpark. That also means checking out the new lineup - the
culinary lineup.
Any stadium can serve hot dogs and hamburgers
(and those will be here), but how many fans can order plantain chips
with garlic sauce? Lime n’ Lobster rolls or fresh-shucked oysters?
There’s
even talk of sustainability and herbs (from Paradise Farms). Team execs
boast of tomatoes from Homestead, shrimp from Florida and buzzwords
that foodies, if not fans, will appreciate, like cage-free chickens,
Niman Ranch ground pork and Paradise Farms produce.
You’ll find
more than 100 menu concession items, including corned beef sandwiches at
the kosher stand. There’s a cover-all-the-bases approach, but the big
power hitters represent the team’s new location in the heart of Little
Havana. Taste of Miami, on the Promenade Level by third base, features
items from three Miami restaurants: Papo Llega Y Pon, Dom Camaron and
Latin American Grill, chosen from 43 candidates. They’ll serve
everything from ceviche to Cuban sandwiches.
Even transplanted
fans can get a taste of home at Burger 305, which will be selling fare
representing visiting teams, like bratwurst when Milwaukee’s in town or
cheese steaks for the Phillies, along with patties we’re told are
hormone and antibiotic-free.
All the ballpark fare can be washed
down with a choice of six beers on tap at 10 stadium bars. The list
expands in the Diamond and Dugout Clubs and The Clevelander (a South
Beach outpost) will be bringing in craft beers (and making signature
Marlins cocktails). If you don’t want to fork over a bundle to feed the
fam, the Kids Shack offers a $3.75 combo (with a hot dog, soda and
sliced apples).
Hate standing in line? You can use MLB’s “At
Bat” app on your smartphone to order food from one of seven concessions,
pay from your seat and find out when it will be ready (pickup is at an
express line). Service is now free but will have a nominal fee by June,
with expanded locations inside the park.
So let’s get back to the
food. Here’s our game plan, a dish for each inning (not ranked by
quality) to take you from the first pitch through the home stretch.
1st - Ceviche ($10)
The Miami Marlins are off to a
fresh start, and so are we, snacking on bites of bracing tilapia, yellow
corn, chopped onions and chips from Don Camaron in the Taste of Miami
section. His other choices include fresh-shucked oysters, ceviche and
fish sandwiches
2nd - Helmet nachos ($15)
Kids will love the
souvenir helmet, you’ll love the crunchy concoction, with lots of pico
de gallo, shredded cheddar, scallions, sour cream, sliced jalapeños and
chipotle cheese sauce (lighter than the usual yellow goop).
3rd - Mahi mahi tacos ($12)
We’re hooked on these
grilled fish tacos, not at all greasy, with chunks of dolphin plus
pickled red onions, cilantro slaw and chipotle aioli.
4th - Lobster Roll ($17)
The good news: This
sandwich is a winner. Squeeze lime slices onto big chunks of succulent
Maine lobster with Key lime aioli and chives, stuffed into a toasted
sliced bun. The bad news: It’s sold in the Club Level. If you don’t have
anyone to smuggle you a sandwich, take a break this inning or pig out
the old-fashioned way, with popcorn, peanuts and Cracker Jack.
5th - Cuban Sandwich ($14, with chips)
Head to the
Taste of Miami section for the classic sandwich, with layers of ham,
cheese, pork and pickles, from Miami Lakes’ Latin American Grill.
6th - Sir Pizza ($10 cheese, $11 pepperoni)
Time for
ballpark comfort food - your own 8-inch personal pizza - but expect
lines. Fans bought 1,100 pies during the Marlins exhibition game with
Florida International University.
7th - Magnum Hot Dog ($12)
It’s the seventh inning,
so of course you want a hot dog, but not just any dog will do. The
Clevelander will be serving half-pound, foot-long, Kosher “all beef,”
bacon-wrapped dogs just 12 inches from the turf. These are Chicago style
with pickles, tomatoes, onions and sauerkraut.
8th - Pork Sandwich ($7)
An ‘Only in Miami’ treat.
Julia Alfonso and her family have been making pork sandwiches at Papo
Llega y Pon for 33 years. She’s no stranger to high demand: On Saturdays
alone, she usually sells 500- 600 pounds of pork in her Allapattah
“hole in the wall.” She’ll also serve chicharron (fried pork rinds) and
tamales at the park.
9th - Black bean burger ($8)
Wind down with a
grilled veggie burger. Marlins President David Samson (an avid distance
runner) calls eating all other stadium food “an occupational hazard” but
not the food at his ballpark. The veggie burger, he says is a “perfect
post-run” snack. Maybe it will help you make a faster dash to your
parking space (wherever it is).
