Opening Day is Thursday. There might not be a parade this year, but there are some things you always count on like Cincinnati's flair for outstanding ball park food.
The Reds have previewed six new dishes on their website Monday for all of us salivating baseball fans.
- Montgomery Inn's Smokehouse Parfait: Barbecue pulled pork, mac 'n' cheese with coleslaw in a bread cone.
- Frybox Spicy Chicken Sandwich: The chicken is topped with coleslaw, pickle chips and “Cincinnati Hot” sauce on a cornmeal bun.
- Montgomery Inn House Smoked Turkey Sandwich: It's filled with slow-smoked turkey, coleslaw, barbecue sauce on a brioche bun.
- Smore's Frybox: Crispy fries topped with marshmallows, chocolate syrup, cinnamon graham crackers and M&M’s.
- Wicked Sausage Nachos: Nachos topped with cheese, salsa, jalapeno peppers and sliced Queen City Wicked Sausages.
- The Slugger: A quarter-pound hot dog that's been corn battered and fried at Scout's Alley. Yes, it's red.
The taste test
Great American Ball Park Executive Chef Gary Davis served three of the dishes to the press during a tour Monday.
The spicy chicken sandwich is a departure from the fast-food chains. It's Nashville hot chicken-adjacent with a sauce that includes brown sugar and cayenne pepper.
It's not too saucy and not too dry. Unlike some Nashville chains, the heat is not extreme. But it's spicier and has way more depth than what you get at most fast food chains, who are all jumping on the spicy chicken sandwich bandwagon.
The pickles are thick cut and add any crunch that you might be missing due to the softer breading.
Davis was very excited about the Smore's Frybox. He compared to it to dipping your fries into a Frosty at Wendy's, an addiction-inducing sweet and savory combination.
"We got to do something different," Davis said.
The sweet ingredients in the mix were balanced well with the thick fries. Davis said he avoided sweet potatoes for that very reason. The mix of items also means each bite is different.
While there's nothing particularly Cincinnati about s'mores, there might be now.
The Wicked Sausage nachos offer a natural combination. If there's a Midwest version of chorizo, it's hot sausage. The cheese and small dices of the sausage tamed any real heat from the sausage, but it added a lot of flavor to the dish. There was plenty of heat from the jalapenos, anyway.
Davis's enthusiasm for Opening Day was palpable, but he says prepping after time off due to the pandemic has been humbling.
Offering an insight into the unique world of ballpark food, he said his team prepares items for everything from the concession stands to the clubs, nachos to sushi. He has to incorporate items from sponsors into some of the dishes and then high-end items available to season ticket holders.
Davis said he's always watching for the next viral hits to come out of the nation's ballparks, the only place some of these fun snack dishes are acceptable.
"That's why I went out on a limb and created the Smore's Frybox. Something a little bit different. People are going to be like, "Oh my god, what are doing?" He said. "You know what, you have to get out of your comfort zone, right? Everyone's doing siracha, everyone's doing spicy. Let's see if we can open up a different avenue. If you can put bacon on a donut, I can put chocolate syrup on a French fry."
Masks up 'even between sips'
Reds President Phil Castellini was flanked by two doctors Monday as he gave a tour of the stadium. He walked through the spacing in the seats, the touchless ticketing system and all the work that has gone into the keep the coronavirus at bay at the ballpark.
He said he's thrilled fans will be able to come back, but added that the park's mask policy will be strictly enforced. Fans will be expected to keep their masks on "even between sips" of their favorite cold beverage, Castellini said.
Operating at about 30% capacity, he expects about 12,000 fans to be able to attend games until the restrictions are relaxed.
Dr. Matthew Daggy with TriHealth was on-hand and explained the ballpark meets all CDC and Ohio Health Department regulations.
Castellini said despite the restrictions, the Reds are very excited to get fans back in the stadium, especially for that game-time atmosphere.
"From nothing, a couple thousand people sounds like a roar," he said.
Source link
