For minor league baseball fans, the experience of going out to a ballgame doesn’t always hinge on whether the home team wins or loses. Ballparks like Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs make sure that fans have fun and try different food items. And let me tell you. This menu is just DIFFERENT.
It all starts with locating the food. I had to go on Pigsfoodfinder.com, which is the IronPigs website that tells you where to go in order to buy certain foods. It’s easy to find the “traditional” foods like Hot Dogs, and Chicken Fingers and Fries. It’s harder to find the “specialty” items, especially since they aren’t listed on the concession stand menus. That’s why it’s important to go to the website.
For starters, we got word that the there was going to be a sandwich for sale in honor of Rochester Red Wings pitcher, Bartolo Colon. That’s right, a sandwich for a player on the opposing team. The name of the sandwich…The Big Sexy.
But The Big Sexy failed to live up to the name. The sandwich that included pulled pork, bacon, salami, cheddar cheese, shredded cabbage and tomato topped with light thousand island dressing just didn’t mesh well enough. The meats were just not complimentary. Just an overall mess, just like Colon’s season.
Luckily, not every meal was bad. Two that stuck out were the Sweet and Sassy HOG Sandwich and The Mac Daddy Burger. The first of the two was perhaps the most creative food item I’ve ever seen. It was pulled pork, bacon, candied jalapenos on a glazed doughnut. Everything on that sandwich worked well together.
The Mac Daddy Burger was the best food item of the night. Far simpler than the others, but just outright delicious. I’m not big on Mac & Cheese, but teaming it up with crispy bacon and a beef burger is just magical. From the first bite I just knew it was special. Overall a well put together burger.
I give the overall atmosphere of Coca-Cola Park a 9 on the 10-point scale. However, I have to give their menu only a 7.
