Hope and optimism filled the stands at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Opening Day Thursday. Optimism about the Orioles’ new owner, David Rubenstein; hope that the team’s success last year could translate to a World Series appearance this time around.
Hope and optimism, too — for some food reporters, at least — that the ballpark snacks this season would be better than the last.
The weeks leading up to the season opener offered fans plenty of exciting menu changes: the return of National Bohemian beer after a six-year exile; a new partnership with Coca-Cola, which has replaced Pepsi as the ballpark’s soft drink supplier; and a roster of local eateries set to pop up at the stadium, starting with Asian fusion favorite Ekiben.
So my spirits were high Wednesday when I arrived at Camden Yards, ready to sample what the stadium had to offer.
Let’s get one detail out of the way first: You’ll be paying more for some ballpark menu items this year. Bottled water ($5.79), fresh-squeezed lemonade ($7.25), ice cream cups ($7.50), canned cocktails ($13.99) and peanuts and Cracker Jack ($6.49 apiece), all saw price hikes between this season and last.
At $11.49, the domestic beer is also more expensive than last year. Camden Yards now has the priciest brews in baseball, according to a survey by Bookies.com, an online sportsbook. You’ll have to pay more if you want a premium beer ($13.19 to $16.25, depending on the size).
But steep ballpark prices are nothing new. I set out in search of what was, starting with some of the menu items that Levy, the stadium’s concessionaire — and soon the new food provider for the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, is serving for the first time this season.
Three of them can be found in one place: the Eutaw Street Butchery, a stall emanating smoke and the smell of burger grease.
I was most intrigued by the chickens roasting on a spit. The new rotisserie chicken platter ($22.50) comes with a half-chicken and sides of coleslaw and mac and cheese, a hearty Sunday dinner on a tray.
The roasted chicken was classic and comforting, but didn’t make much sense as a ballpark meal. I consumed mine at the picnic tables on Eutaw Street but would have had a much harder time trying to dissect chicken on my lap in the bleachers with nothing but a plastic fork. The mac and cheese was topped with a hot honey butter, which would have been pleasant as a drizzle but instead drowned the pasta. The coleslaw, on the other hand, was a solid side – not too watery or heavy on mayonnaise, with a nice crunch.
I was excited to try the new Omaha Steak burger ($19.99), a thick patty on a brioche bun, but it turned out to be a pricey disappointment. Caramelized onions, dill pickles, American cheese and a mayonnaise-based “brick” sauce couldn’t save the dry, crumbly meat that reminded me of the burgers at my high school cafeteria.
The meat-heavy stall left me craving something a little lighter, so I ordered a chicken flatbread sandwich, a hearty pita piled with rotisserie chicken and a generous layer of tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula and red onion. The vegetables were surprisingly fresh and paired well with a cilantro pesto and roasted pepper aioli for what felt like one of the most nourishing meals at Camden Yards. Unfortunately, the flatbread is also a mess to eat and started falling apart as soon as I took my first bite. I gave in and used my fork, but wouldn’t plan to bring this one to the bleachers, either.
I couldn’t find another new menu item, the Warehouse Dog, an “all-beef footlong hot dog with horseradish infused brick sauce, crispy onions, pit beef queso fundido and pickled pico on a pretzel bun,” according to an Orioles news release. An employee at the Bleacher Grill, where the deluxe dog ($22.99) was supposed to be sold, told me it should be available soon. The hot dog’s absence reminded me of my search for the Yard Dog last year. Maybe it wouldn’t be Opening Day without at least one missing menu item.
O’s foodies might be heartened to know, however, that the ballpark has switched its hot dog provider since last season. Though many fans still miss longtime stadium staple Esskay, whose owner Smithfield Foods stopped making hot dogs in 2019, a new dog from Pennsylvania-based Berks ($8.25) is an improvement on last year’s shriveled franks.
An influx of local food vendors is more welcome news. There’s a Baltimore-based bounty at Camden Yards this year, from gourmet fries at The Local Fry, to made-to-order mini donuts from Deddle’s, to burgers (vastly superior to the Omaha Steak offering) at Fuzzies.
I loved the hearty, cheese-stuffed pupusas from Maria’s Pupuseria Factory last season, and the stall is back this year as a permanent vendor also serving quesadillas and chorizo dogs, adding some welcome variety from beef franks, burgers and fries.
Another new addition this year is Squire’s Pizza, a Holabird Avenue landmark since 1920, selling nostalgic, if overpriced compared to last season’s $8.99 offering, cheese and pepperoni personal pizzas for $16.99
Other new arrivals for the season include Vida Nacho, a spinoff of Anne Arundel County-based Vida Taco Bar; Pat & Stugg’s, a collaboration between gourmet hot dog shop Stuggy’s and Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors; and Fuku Chicken, which serves chicken tenders, sandwiches and waffle fries (plus vegan nuggets) from celebrity chef David Chang.
Keep an eye out for more Baltimore favorites heading to Camden Commons, the ballpark’s pop-up space, which has occasionally spawned more permanent vendor deals (The Local Fry had a residency there last year). In addition to Ekiben, the pop-up lineup this year includes Attman’s Deli, The Local, South Mountain Creamery and Deli-Ish.