Tasting Menu at Dodger Stadium
Did I ever mention that I’m obsessed with the Los Angeles Dodgers? Well I am. So much so that we recently changed our cable company of many years because it no longer showed Dodger games.
A few days ago I got a call from the Dodger’s front office asking me to come on down to the stadium to try out the new food items on the menu. You could imagine my freaking utter happiness!
It’s very cool what Executive Chef Jason Tingley is doing for Dodger Stadium these days. He’s revamping the food selection for those of us that are going to ballgames this summer and also want a little more to eat than just a Dodger Dog. Not that there is anything wrong with the classic, beloved Dodger Dog. 25,000 Dodger Dogs are sold at every home game, an amazing number by any standards. It’s just that now and again, food freaks like myself want a variety and oh man, is there a variety now!
First, with the new addition of the restaurant stand, Tommy Lasorda’s Trattoria, you can find things like artisan cheese pizza (inspired by Chef Jason’s trips to Portland, OR), chicken pamasian sub, the meatball sub, and Tommy’s personal favoratite, meatballs and pasta to which Mr. Lasorda says tastes the closest to the way his mama used to make.
Let’s move on to the BBQ shall we? Chef Jason Tingley really put out all the stops with his BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwich. He says he’s willing to challenge anyone in the city to a BBQ Beef Brisket cook off. Yes, its that good! The Japanese jidori chicken is pretty darn delish also. It has a potent spicy kick to it… but nothing you couldn’t handle. Then there is the old fashioned, Mexican street elote (Roasted Corn.) It has all the trimmings and topped with mayonese and seasonings.
Speaking of Latin flavors, the new Souveneer helmet nachos are to die for. They are time honored with the ingredients: Cheese, carne asada, beans, creama, toped off with a pico de gallo. They went really well with the limited time “Cuban Dog.” They’ll only serve them when they play the Miami Marlins but its so worth the wait. They taste amazing with pulled pork, a piece of ham, a slice of cheese and a pickle on a dog. Wow factor! Chef Jason Tingley wanted to name it the “Puig Dog” but he didn’t want to hurt the rest of the player’s feelings. (Awe…)
A funny story from this evening: Druing my food tour, I kept saying to Chef Jason that there isn’t enough simple sweet offerings in the stadium. I said that a Dodger cookie would be nice and that they should consider making them on a regular basis. I’m sure I was bugging him to no end. But after the tour was well over and we were deep into the Dodger game, at the 7th inning stretch, I was brought 5 freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that were made just for me by the chef! I know, Im spoiled!
Oh BTW, the Dodgers won that night which was a nice capper to the amazing food-frenzied evening. I highly recommend you give the new selects a try. You won’t be sorry.
