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There are two kinds of people taking in the Cards game at Busch Stadium – the kind of person who doesn’t want to miss an out, and the kind who will miss an inning or two in the quest for something more exotic than the standard stadium dog.
If you’re a foodie and a Cards fan, you know where to find the “Bratzel” (Brat within a soft Pretzel = Bratzel), the bacon-wrapped dog, the Renaissance Faire-style smoked turkey leg, and so on.
Each year brings new heights of high-cal, recreational dining to the concession stands at Busch (and at every ballpark), and this year is no exception.
The big change at home games this season is in Section 135, formerly a Hardee’s, re-christened the “Double Tap Play & Grill.” (Should you desire a Jim Beam Bourbon Thickburger, despair not: the Hardee’s has relocated to Sections 358-359).
The new temptations there include:
- The Bavarian-Stuffed Burger. A well-done burger stuffed with either smoked cheddar or mac and cheese (left), served on a pretzel bun from Companion. Pecan-smoked bacon is available as a topper (or in our case, a bottomer), too.
- The “Four Hand Nachos.” Tortilla chips fried in-house (unlike the nachos at every other concession stand at Busch) for a fresh, crispy, corny taste, and slathered in melted Monterey jack, crumbled queso fresco, jalapeno slices, pico de gallo, green onion slices, and sour cream, then topped with your choice of pork carnitas (below left), shredded chicken, or ground nacho-spiced beef. The combo of the molten cheese and fresh Mexican cheese is a tasty one, and we’ve earned it, says Delaware North Sportservice Concessions Chef Norman Taylor, Jr. “Cardinal Nation eats more nachos [at Busch Stadium] than any other park in the country,” he reports.
- Jumbo bratwurst made especially for Busch by G&W Sausage on the Hill, with natural casing for a satisfying snap, available with caraway sauerkraut and stone-ground mustard (above right), and buns courtesy of local baker Fazio's.
- The “Ultimate Stadium Nacho Fries” are made just the same way as the Four Hand Nachos, above, with seasoned waffle fries as the base rather than chips.
- Chicken “Bites,” aka chicken nuggets, tossed in your choice of Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo, Teriyaki, or Barbeque Sauces (left); plus Fried Cod Bites.
- An expanded selection of beers on tap, including Urban Chestnut Zwickel, O'Fallon Wheach, Schalfly Pale Ale, Schalfly Summer Lager, Kraftig, Sam Adams, Goose Island, Shock Top Belgian White, Bud Light Lime, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, Blue Moon, Coors’ Batch 19, and Stella Artois (plus regular and strawberry margaritas).
There are many other new items elsewhere at Busch, too:
- Kosher dogs and pastrami sandwiches (yes!) at Kohn's Kosher Cart at Section 147.
- The popular Horseshoe, an open-faced beef bomb with two hamburger patties topped with fries and nacho cheese sauce on a sea-salted hearth loaf (aka Texas toast) at Dizzy’s Diner locations (Sections 139, 161, and 446)
- Bavarian Pretzel Sticks with nacho cheese cups at Sections 139, 161, 271, and 446.
- Fried pickle spears with spicy ranch dip at Sections 271 and 509.
- Jumbo cupcakes in flavors including red velvet with cream-cheese icing, chocolate with peanut butter icing, yellow cake with chocolate icing (below), chocolate with crème de menthe icing, chocolate with maraschino cherry icing, and carrot cake with cream-cheese icing at the Redbird Club.
Returning favorites include:
- The St. Louis Barbecue Bacon Dog at Sections 133, 168, and the Redbird Club.
- Build Your Own Nachos at Sections 131, 151, and the Redbird Club.
- The Asian Café at Gate 1.
- The Carvery, offering carving stations turning out beef brisket (above) and turkey breast sandwiches with cranberry mayo and tasty house-fried barbecue chips (both below) at Gate 2.
- Sliders and Fries featuring sliders made with braised beef with au jus, pulled chicken with chipotle mayonnaise, and barbecued pulled pork with grilled onions; and hand-cut fries in seasoned, garlic, and cheese varieties, tossed to order, at Section 148.
- Butter, white cheddar, and caramel popcorn at Coke Island at Gate 1.
This is a lot to remember. Consider printing this out, along with one of these (below), and bringing it with you to the game. Grab it and hit the concourse between innings. Or when one of the visiting team’s pitchers is batting. Or when your significant other gives you a wad of cash and a detailed order that requires stopping at several concession areas. You can handle it.
Bird food fotos by SLM Staff Photographer and occasional ornithologist Kevin A. Roberts
