New Food at PNC Park Sure to Delight Every Pirates Fan

From the Tried and True to New and Inventive, Pirates Fans Have No Shortage of New Food to Explore at PNC Park in 2016

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a team that knows a lot about innovation – from embracing the importance of pitch-framing to leading the charge in reforming pitchers. Now, with new food options all across PNC Park for the 2016 season, they’re changing up old sayings as well: The way to a fan’s heart is through their stomach.

The Pirates, along and food partners Levy Restaurants and Aramark, are putting the final touches on fun and inventive new foods and beverages that are making their debut park-wide on Opening Day, April 3, 2016. Foods range from the latest in trendy menu items, like braised pork tacos and hard rootbeer floats, to those monster ballpark creations, like a Cracker Jacks and macaroni and cheese foot-long hot dog with salted caramel sauce and fried jalapenos that we’ve all heard about on TV and social media. So what’s a Buccos fan looking for some good food to do?

Let us try to help with this handy reference guide to the new food offerings at PNC Park that you can pair with the Pirates Park Amenities Map (select the level option, section number and food to see what’s available)

Aramark operates most of the food and beverage stands operated on the field, main and upper levels – including the Hall of Fame Club, and the Federal St. Grille and North Shore Refreshment Company sites. They have partnered with celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern to bring four signature items to PNC Park and five other stadiums in the MLB. Those items include:

• AZ’s Canteen Dog- Piedmontese hot dog with roasted vegetable mayo, house-made grain mustard, cabbage slaw and pickled jalapeños, on a toasted bun
• AZ’s Canteen Sausage- Cheddar sausage with roasted vegetable mayo, house-made grain mustard, cabbage slaw and pickled jalapeños, on a toasted bun
• Lamb Koefte Burrito- Lamb koefte and fried eggplant slices with tomato cucumber salad, green hot sauce and tahini, wrapped in a tortilla
• Korean Fried Pork Belly Sandwich- Battered and fried pork belly with grilled pineapple, gochujang sauce and chili lime salt, on a toasted bun

Foods specific to PNC include:

• Our Chicken – Fried chicken over Rivertowne Lager waffles, with vanilla-rosemary syrup (PNC Park, Hall of Fame Club)

• Cracker Jack and Mac Dog – Foot-long, all beef hot dog with Cracker Jack, macaroni and cheese, salted caramel sauce and fried jalapenos, on naan bread. Served with a bag of Cracker Jack (PNC Park, Section 144)

• Cracker Jack Sundae – Vanilla-fudge ice cream with crushed Cracker Jack, salted caramel sauce and cream cheese whipped topping (PNC Park, Hall of Fame Club)

Additionally, as part of their Healthy for Life 20 By 20 initiative, Aramark plans to expand the “better-for-you” products throughout the 10 ballparks it serves. Two healthier alternatives to the ballpark typical hot dogs and nachos are:

• GoPicnic Black Bean Dip pack – Black bean dip, crispy roasted plantain chips, Ginger Zip™ fruit & nut mix, apricot Flexible Fruit™ roll and an edamame, pepita & sunflower seed blend (gluten free, non-GMO and vegan)

• GoPicnic Turkey Pepperoni pack – Turkey pepperoni slices, asiago cheese spread, multi-seed crackers, Baja Blend™ fruit & nut mix and Zeppelin™ sea salt caramel lollipop (gluten free with no artificial colors or flavors, separate components within the box are also kosher, non-GMO and vegetarian)

Visitors to the premium spaces at PNC Park, specifically the Luxury Suites, Club Cambria, Pittsburgh Baseball Club and Lexus Club Dining Room are also in for some new eats, according to PNC Park Executive Chef Adam Holt.

“I think we have some great things going for this year. We’re keeping the favorites – they’ll be here, but with our new items, we’re adding new food choices and new experiences for the fans,” he said. “Our goal is always to enhance the whole experience of going to a game – from improving the time you get to spend watching the players on the field to ensuring that there’s a variety of foods available for everyone in attendance.”

Holt and his crew of 50 cooks and 10 dishwashers prepare food for about 5,000 fans a game in these special ticketed areas at PNC, which are operated by Levy Restaurants.

The Pirates Baseball Club level is getting some new food stands this year.

• Il Forno, replacing the PBC Grill, features a 5,000 lbs. stone pizza oven, that Holt says shook the building when it was delivered. They will offer gourmet pizzas and a dessert pizza featuring Nutella and marshmallows.
• Gunners, located almost directly behind home plate, is now Tres Rios Taqueros (Three Rivers Tacos) and will feature Mexican-themed foods including three types of tacos – smoked chicken, marinated beef and braised pork. They will also serve hand-made margaritas and a dish called “Hangover Nachos” in case you have one too many margaritas the night before.

“These are baked nacho chips, a chipotle cheese sauce, red and green salsa, cotija cheese, fresh grilled corn, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and chile lime spices,” Holt said. “We had a lot of fun coming up with that dish.”
• Bierbauer’s has served up more traditional ballpark fare in years past, but in 2016, Holt said they’re, “taking that up a notch.” Visitors can still get chicken tenders and hot dogs there, but they can also get two fan favorites – footlong sausages and hot Italian kielbasa with sauerkraut – previously offered elsewhere in the club. The newest addition to the menu there is a traditional Philly cheesesteak.

“Now, I’m not a fan of the Phillies or anything – but one thing Philadelphia gets right is their cheesesteaks – and that’s how we’ll serve them here,” Holt said, adding that unlike the traditional Pittsburgh versions, the PNC cheesesteaks will feature only meat, onion and sliced white American cheese – nary a bell pepper will be found.

Additionally, the Club level will also feature new portable “carts” – a Gelato cart, a cocktail cart featuring some signature drinks, lemonade to mix with everything (“You would be surprised how many people love to mix lemonade with all types of hard liquor” Holt laughed.), and a craft beer cart with a rotating mix of three beers on tap and wide variety of bottled and canned options.

Guests to the suites at PNC will be treated to additional drinks options this season as well. Levy Restaurants has named the park a test property for custom-built rolling beverage carts, similar to the rolling dessert carts already used in that area, which will visit suites throughout ball games.

“We were missing out on something when it came to beverage service inside the suites,” Holt said. “Guests have options in the suites selected by their hosts, and can leave the suite to visit one of the bars to get a specialty drink. But that meant that they were missing a chunk of the game – and our goal is to minimize the amount of time people are away from the game – after all, that’s what they’re here for.”

So, the rolling carts will visit the suites, guests will place their order, the cocktail cart-tender will hand make their drink right there and they can enjoy their beverage with only a minor distraction from baseball.

“It’s the perfect solution,” Holt said.

The suites will also be getting a draft beer option this season. In the past, given space considerations, beer was only available in bottles and cans, but thanks to countertop cooler units that hold bladder bags that can be filled from kegs inside the park without the contents ever being exposed to air, guests will now be able to enjoy draft beer without leaving their suite.

“It’s fun because you can add more variety to the beverages you offer at events,” Holt said. “You can have your Miller Lite because that’s the standard, but also get a little creative with a Goose Island or something.”

Lexus Club guests will have to wait until Opening Day to see what Holt and his staff have on tap for them – he could tell us what was on offer, but then he’d have to kill us.

“We have some really fun stuff planned at Lexus, I can say that,” he said. “It will be a fun way for guests to be more interactive with their food and beverage experience and their entire game experience as a whole.”

Regardless of your seats or food preferences, Holt promises PNC has the treat for you,
“There’s enough here that everybody’s going to find their favorite thing – whether it’s hot dogs, pierogis and an IC Light or a stone-fired pizza and a hand-shaken cocktail, every fan is going to find their favorite thing to eat every time they come to PNC Park.”