BEST NEW FOODS AT TARGET FIELD FOR TWINS FANS

For 16 years now, I’ve been going to the Minnesota Twins Food Media day. It’s changed in some ways: at the beginning it was every local news anchor and radio DJ, now it’s that plus tons of local TikTokers and influencers (which is actually cool for me - I’m a fan of those content creators, it’s great to meet so many of them!).

One thing hasn’t changed: somehow the team’s food service provider, Delaware North Food Service, and the local GM, Pete Spike, keep innovating and bringing in amazing local partners. In a media tasting environment, we’re trying samples - I don’t know what these things will cost when the season starts, I don’t know how well they’ll be executed when there’s a long line. But I do know that the ballpark has a track record of doing a pretty dang good job.

MY FAVORITES

SAMPLE of the Grilled SPAM sandwich- actual will be larger on onion roll

Grilled SPAM® Sandwich (Truly On Deck Patio): Salty seared SPAM patty with salty bacon balanced by caramelized onions and a toasted onion bun. Just delightful, from Delaware North/Twins.

Kramarczuk's Brat Sampler (Section 101 & 112): Kramarczuk keeps killing it - the snap on these mini-Polish, bratwurst and cherry bomb sausages is so good. Get grilled onions and sauerkraut on the side. That cherry bomb is a little sweet and finishes spicy - super cool.

VINAI’s Sweet & Sour Pork - actual size

Vinai’s Sweet & Sour Fried Pork (Truly On Deck Patio): Chef Yia Vang knows how to do delicious food in volume, and this sharable pork in a sweet and sour sauce is a killer. It’s on a fresh cabbage slaw with fresh cucumbers and pickled carrots.

Grand Slam Shawarma (Section 110):This shocked me! From the Twins chefs and Delaware North, incredibly juicy marinated chicken in garlic sauce rolled up in a tasty flatbread, with chopped pickles and a nice earthy roasted garlic mayo.

Official Fried Chicken (Section 134): I love the broasted fried chicken here - the addition of Hot Honey Chicken Tenders and Waffles, and a Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich just makes sense.

Taco Libre’s Machete (Section 103): I’ve covered Taco Libre since the West St. Paul days, it’s a great family business. The machete is an foot-and-a-half-long corn masa quesadilla. You pick steak or chicken, lettuce, sour cream and shredded cheese. Delicious. They’ve got a rice bowl too.

Niko Niko Boba (Section 107): I love more N/A options and fun things for kids -boba is genius. I liked the Hawaiian Fruit Tea with black tea, ice, Hawaiian fruit tea syrup, peach syrup and water, and choice of boba. They’ve got their creamy black millk team and a strawberry lemon spritz too.

Roots for the Home Team Jalapeno Popper Wrap (Section 110): I love the idea of the salad Roots sells at the ballpark - it supports a local nonprofit, local city kids getting excited about vegetable farming. But it’s also hard to walk around the ballpark eating salad. Now it’s a wrap! Quinoa, corn, zucchini, carrots, tomato, cilantro and red onions and mixed greens, served with a vegan cream cheese jalapeño dressing. Available select weekends Memorial Day through Labor Day.

MAYBE THIS IS FOR YOU

TokiDoki Wings (Section 114): Do you want wings at the ballpark? Fingers get gross- it may be worth it because the Sweet TokiDoki wing sauce is one of the best wing sauces I’ve tasted in awhile. They’ve got a dry rub too. From Minneapolis’ TokiDoki Burger.

Cozy Cookie (Family Value Concession Stands at Sections 120, 133, 311, along with the Section 105 and 109 Market and the CUB Market at Section 126): I’m not one to buy a cookie at the ballpark, but these are really good. I especially liked the golden oreo, kids will love the Cookie Monster and S’mores.

Lord Fletcher's Walleye Tacos (Gate 34): Fresh seasoned walleye topped with napa cilantro slaw in tequila vinaigrette and Baja sauce. Very Minnesotan, a good idea, it was a little too juicy for me, and fish at a summer ballpark makes me nervous, but Fletcher’s does this on their lakeside patio so why not?

Soul Bowl Caribe Bowl (Section 114): I love Soul Bowl, this is rock solid, but you have to like plantains. Jerk BBQ chicken - I’ll be curious how this gets executed when the park is busy. Served over yellow rice with pineapple and green onions.

Chopped Southwest Burger (Truly On Deck): It’s a chopped cheese with some heat - Chopped beef patty, chorizo, jalapeño aioli, lettuce, tomato, onion, pepperjack cheese and queso fresco on a hoagie roll. I’d rather have a brat. Just saying.

Dugout Dill Pickle Pizza from Pizza Lucé (Minnie & Paul’s/section 234): Nothing wrong with this - I like pickle, I don’t understand why people go so nuts for pickle pizza. Not my jam. But if you like it and don’t want to wait in line at the State Fair for a year, this is a good (although a little garlicky) version of it.

Hrbek's Pork Tenderloin Sandwich (Section 114): I didn’t try this - but I hear it was tasty. An Iowa classic: the crispy pork cutlet on a roll with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and ranch aioli.