What makes the best ballpark food? Grizzlies have wild new eats

The Fresno Grizzlies know a good thing when they see it: Wacky stadium foods are a hit.

So this year, they are upping their food game with their own food truck, a trio of wild-flavored fries and a pulled pork slider with a Coca-Cola and Pop Rocks barbecue sauce, they’ve dubbed the Urban Legend.

Why the Urban Legend? As the story goes, a person’s stomach exploded after eating lots of Pop Rocks candy and drinking lots of soda. It’s not true, check Snopes.

“The market trends show that it’s important to have unique food items that compel people to come to the park and try them,” says Sam Hansen, director of marketing for the Fresno Grizzlies. “And we have some good ones.”

That was the thinking behind previous creations, including the bacon-wrapped and spicy Grizzly Egg, the gut-busting Schwab hamburger/sandwich and the Frankenslice, a mash-up between a hot dog and a pizza slice.

Teaming up with chef and catering company owner, Justin Dukes, the Grizzlies unveiled their new menu items on Tuesday, April 12, along with the new food truck that will be selling them.

The new foods include, crinkle-cut fries that come in three flavors: Flamin’ Hot Cheeto dusted fries, Abuelita chocolate dusted fries with chocolate syrup, and caramel and sea salt fries.

The fusion of sweet and salty makes the chocolate and caramel fries a delicious combination, while the Cheetos fries look a lot hotter than they really are. Hansen says the Cheetos fries may get an added splash of nacho cheese sauce.

Also new are the Spam fries made from slices of the salty canned meat and seasoned with seaweed powder and sesame seeds. The Spam fries come with your choice of two dipping sauces, a wasabi sauce and Sriracha aoli.

Pulled pork will be put to good use in two new menu items: the Urban Legend and a taco, both topped with that Coke and Pop Rocks sauce.

The taco stands out because of its hearty, homemade corn tortilla. The sauce adds just enough sweetness without competing with the juicy flavor of the pork.

A Philly cheesesteak taco will also make its debut and is part of a friendly rivalry with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in Pennsylvania. The IronPigs, the Triple AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, will become the Cheesesteaks for one night, a la the Grizzlies who grabbed national attention last season when they became the Fresno Tacos.

And like a cheesesteak, the taco oozes cheese sauce so make sure to get plenty of napkins.

Derek Franks, Grizzlies general manager, says its been the goal of the organization to provide not only professional baseball but also quality food and entertainment for the fans.

As part of that goal, the Grizzlies added their own food truck, Wild Things, in honor of the team’s first mascot. The truck will serve the Wild fries, sliders and taco and be parked on the stadium concourse during home games. The new menu items will be priced between $5 and $10.

Frank says the truck’s menu will rotate, with new items coming throughout the season. He he hasn’t ruled out taking the truck to outside events.

The Grizzlies home opener is Friday.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 5:38 PM with the headline "What makes the best ballpark food? Grizzlies have wild new eats."