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          2018 La Vida Awards: Best Ballpark Food

          By Tab Bamford

          Editor’s Note: La Vida Baseball is proud to introduce the 2018 La Vida Awards. This week we will celebrate the greatest giveaways, personalities, social media accounts and food across the baseball landscape. Let us know if you agree, disagree or have a suggestion for something we missed! 

          Best Ballpark Food

          Food has always been a critical part of the baseball experience. Certain scents recall memories of a time spent at a particular game.

          In San Francisco, you can smell the garlic anywhere within a quarter of a mile of AT&T Park. In Chicago—whichever side of town you’re on—a whiff of onions on a flat top grill is easy to pick up on certain blocks.

          “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker-Jack…” is still a staple of every seventh inning, but it’s far from the reality for food fans at the ballpark. Hot dogs, popcorn and your favorite beverage are at always at the ready wherever you are, but many baseball parks throughout the country—from the lowest minor league level to the majors—are looking for unique ways to tempt fans into expanding their culinary strike zone.

          La Vida Baseball has ventured all over the country to cover the players and places that make baseball great. Sometimes we take home a helmet once filled with nachos. But in 2018 these three menu items had us back in line a couple innings after our first helping.

          Honorable Mention:
          Ahi poke tacos at Petco Park (Padres)

          San Diego has some of the best seafood in the country and the Padres have brought it into su estadio. Poke, pronounced “poh-kay,” is a blend of raw fish, veggies, fruits, and spices—yes, for the Padres, fish is another dish best served cold.

          Honorable Mention:
          Carne Asada Fries at Dodger Stadium (Dodgers)

          To attack this treat you’ll need two things: a healthy appetite and lots of napkins. Served in a plastic Dodgers helmet you could wear home (after washing, preferably), this isn’t your standard plate of fries. Loaded up with meat, salsa, cheese and other toppings, this probably should serve two people. We didn’t share ours.

          Winner:
          Elotes at Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox)

          Fresh corn off the cob warmed to perfection with toppings like melted butter, salt, mayo or chili. The Rate’s Cuban sandwich, which pays tribute to the great players who have ventured from the island to Chicago’s south side, is delicious, but our top spot on the list goes to the White Sox elotes, which are elite. A nod to Mexican street food and a significant part of the Sox’ fanbase makes this the best bite in the big leagues.

          Let us know the best food you experienced at a park this year in the comments below.

          Featured Image: La Vida Baseball

          2018 La Vida Awards