Yes, there are still the staples: beer (or your cold beverage of choice) and hot dogs.
Maybe you’re a Cracker Jack fan? Go for it.
Cotton Candy? Sure, they’ve still got that.
But let’s not be so boring.
Fun at the ballpark anymore is as much about the game on the field as the experience in the stands and the Albuquerque Isotopes have unveiled five new ballpark food items aimed at the tricky balancing act of filling you up and leaving you wanting to come back for more.
“I want the Isotopes to be a food destination,” said Jim Griego the second-year Executive Chef at Isotopes Park, working for Oak View Group. “When people come to Albuquerque, they say ‘Oh, we’d love to go to the Isotopes because I know that they have some great ballpark food out there.'”
Here’s a run down of this season’s five new options at Isotopes Park:
The Dentist’s Delight
(Available at Pecos River/Santa Fe Trail near section 116)
Yes, this dish comes with a toothbrush giveaway (seriously) from the Isotopes’ team dentist, Dr. Greg LoPour, who along with his wife gave the “sandwich” a try last week and gave their blessing.
It’s a brisket-based selection — a half pound of brisket to be exact — that the team describes as a “knife and fork creation”, though it dose feature two apple fritters as buns.
“This whole this whole concept of Dentist’s Delight is something I’ve always dreamed about,” Griego said. “I like to put flavors together. We’re at the ballpark. We got to have fun here. So this is made with an apple fritter — the bun is an apple fritter.”
The dish includes a half pound of in au jus and topped with a caramel aioli. It is layered with tangy green apple coleslaw between the two apple fritters and topped with caramel popcorn.
And, yes, it does come with a free tooth brush, while supplies last.
Pig Candy
(Available at Batter’s Up near section 108)
As described by the Isotopes: “We’re elevating chicharrónes to an unbelievable new level: Fried pork ends … candied in maple syrup … sprinkled with red chile flakes … and bathed in brown sugar. And just to get folks more excited, their taste buds will stand on end when they’re devouring this dandy in an Isotopes souvenir helmet.”
The Dugout
(Available at Batter’s Up near section 108)
For the vegetarian crowd, there is a new option, too.
The Dugout is served on warm flat bread with fried falafel and french fries mixed with grilled chicken (or extra falafel for those who don’t want the meat).
The sandwich is served with a green chile tzatziki sauce.
Stir Fry Noodle Cart
(Available at The Grill near section 119)
Though not exactly a new ballpark food for some parts of the country, it is at Isotopes Park and it comes in an Isotopes/Orbi-branded delivery box.
The new cart on the concourse will feature chefs cooking noodles and stir fry in front of fans when they order.
The Isotopes describe it as “Stir fry noodles loaded with your choice of savory beef, grilled chicken or tofu and a heap of fresh seasonal vegetables, all blended in front of the fans and tossed with a classic yakisoba sauce.”
Spicy red chile ribs
(Available at Batter’s Up near section 108)
Griego said red chile ribs are a staple in New Mexico and he wanted to offer it for fans this year. The quarter rack of baby back pork ribs are marinated and slow roasted in traditional spicy red chile and dusted with red chile flakes.
“I wanted to make sure that I still kept the New Mexican tradition of using chile and that type of stuff,” Griego explained about this year’s selection new food items. “But I (also) wanted to bring in some new types of flavors here.”
