CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds fans are preparing for Opening Day at Great American Ball Park, which is scheduled to begin in less than 24 hours. The stadium is introducing several new signature food items for the upcoming season, including meat-based dishes, plant-based options, and desserts.
Executive Chef Gary Davis and his culinary team have been working to finalize this season’s menu since last year. The new selections include Stadium Burnt Ends, To-Fuego Tacos, and the Double Play Donut Parfait, which were designed to offer unique spins on traditional ballpark fare.
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The stadium menu features a wide range of options for fans, including boneless wings, traditional ballpark franks, and new variations of french fries.
Davis, who oversees the culinary operations at Great American Ball Park, said his team began developing the signature dishes immediately following the end of the previous season. Davis emphasized a philosophy of “continuous improvement” when designing the menu each year.
“It’s always about being relevant and trying to say, What did I do last year to do better this year? What did that? What are my likes and my dislikes?” Davis said.
“That’s my job to outdo myself every year.”Among the new meat-based options is the Stadium Burnt Ends. Davis said the dish consists of southwest smoked sausage that is cut, scored, and deep-fried.
The sausage is served with barbecue sauce, barbecue rub, and white barbecue sauce, then topped with pickles and red onions. News Center 7’s Xavier Hershovitz, who sampled the item, described the flavor as both crispy and sweet.
For fans seeking meat alternatives, the stadium is offering To-Fuego Tacos. The dish features tofu cooked with chipotle peppers and tomatoes, served with jalapeno aioli, pickles, red onions, and Cotija cheese. Hershovitz noted the texture of the plant-based protein was comparable to traditional meat.
“I wouldn’t have known that’s not meat if he wouldn’t have told me,” Hershovitz said after tasting the tacos.
The new dessert menu includes the Double Play Donut Parfait. Davis explained the dish combines several sweet elements, including cinnamon sugar donuts, banana pudding, whipped cream, vanilla wafers, and caramel sauce.
The parfait is also topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Hershovitz said the dessert was his favorite item at the ballpark.
Opening Day festivities for the Cincinnati Reds are scheduled to begin in less than 24 hours at Great American Ball Park. Fans will have access to the new menu items throughout the stadium when the season officially starts.
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