Uncovering Fabulous Food at Petco Park

If you want big pimpin’ food you often find yourself paying big pimpin’ prices, except if you are at Petco Park in San Diego. No need to pay for the luxury box seats when amazing food can be found though out the park at reasonable prices.


Concerned about eating healthy? Petco is too! From the veggie dogs and veggie burgers as well as the salads and grilled sandwiches found throughout the park, the Padres also have a stand located behind section 101 dedicated solely to healthy eats. This is where I picked up my lunch of a Southwestern salad and a Fuze Slenderize beverage. The Southwestern Salad included lightly seasoned grilled chicken breast, mixed greens, a black bean and corn salsa, cheddar cheese and a spicy dressing on the side. A very filling entrée and under seven dollars makes it a tasty deal.


If healthy isn’t your M.O. and you just want to get full of decent eats, check out the Five for $5 available at select Friar Franks throughout the park. For only $5, you can score a sack with a Hebrew national, popcorn, peanuts, a cookie, and a soda. According to our usher, this deal is good throughout the season regardless of the time or day of play.


Do you have kids? Continue the healthy eating trend by hitting the shack located in the park behind center field. For only $1.50 you can pick from an assortment of kid friendly foods from PB&J sammies to milk.

Finally, while there may be healthy and inexpensive eats at Petco, I also managed to find something I haven’t seen at another park. Gourmet cupcakes!!! Although the plan was to eat healthy, readers who know about my national cupcake tour can guess that I didn’t pass up this opportunity. Hidden underneath the jumbo screen behind center field, I journeyed over picked up my cupcake during the second half of the game. The red velvet cake was still moist and flavorful with the frosting smooth and creamy. At $6, this is on the pricier side for the park. However, it was larger, and better tasting than a gourmet cupcake shop we hit up later in the day that charged $3 for their red velvet.


What sweet ending to a healthy, budget friendly baseball game!

Barbeque and Beer: A Tour of Oakland Coliseum

Barbecue fans may rejoice but healthy eaters beware if you are planning on attending a game at the Oakland Coliseum. This park is home of the Oakland Athletics, good barbecues, and some great beers. But don’t try to find the fresh produce and lean proteins, unless you are a better scout than Uncovering Food. We missed those options on our tour around this baseball park this week.

That said, there are some veggies to be found. We enjoyed some shredded lettuce and tomato and the delicious ball-tip (also know as tri-tip) sandwich that we noshed on. There were also potatoes in the form of French fries that came with our generous serving of fish and shrimp. Finally, if you are like Ronald Reagan and could ketchup as a veggie? Then the ballpark dogs could also contain one of your five a day.

It is possible to eat low calorie at the Coliseum. But, why would you want to? When low calorie options include pretzels and diet sodas, I personally would rather eat light and exercise before heading to the park. That way I can hit up one of the fabulous barbeque joints on either side of the park, and grab a beer. From Kinder's Ball Tip sandwiches on the first base line to the three meat combo over at the third base BBQ terrace, the grilled meats abound.

Oh and the beer choices? Amazing! While each stand pretty much only sells one beer, a walk around the first level will give you a bevy of beverage choices. While wandering, we even stumbled on an Irish pub, where you could wander inside, grab a drink, and watch the game on the television. Perfect spot to hang out if you arrive early and the teams aren’t holding batting practice.

Were there some gourmet dining options? Perhaps up in the luxury box level. However we didn’t manage to score a peak at how the suite holders dined. So we kept our food adventures to the main level.

Lucky for us, the Oakland Coliseum still gives everyone a chance to dine in their seats with the traditional wandering vendors. And when the game got cold and the iced teas no longer sounded inviting, we had the options of hot chocolate (with optional whip cream) and the Starbucks coffee barista delivered to our seats.

While the park across the bay may be known for food, the Coliseum does have something else going for it. Price. We scored fabulous tickets to the game along the first base line in the front row for about one-third of the cost of the same tickets in San Francisco. So baseball fans grab a beer and some barbecue and enjoy the game!

Uncovering Food hits AT&T Park

One of my favorite ways to spend the summer is at the ballpark. There is something magical about sitting on the bleachers and cheering on your favorite team while enjoying enticing park eats. For Christmas, I gave my boyfriend a tour of California baseball parks, as he hopes to see a game in every Major League field over time. While preparing for the trip, only a few short weeks ahead, I decided to go on a search of healthy and gourmet eats at the parks we were planning to visit. Some parks have fabulous food reviews on the web, while others were lacking. So in an attempt to fill that void, as I hit the parks to watch the game, I will also be taking you on a foodie tour of Major League ballparks.

I am lucky enough to be a fan of a team whose stadium is known around the country for the foodie love. The San Francisco Giants play their home games at AT&T park, located right off the San Francisco Bay. While it has long gotten rave reviews, what people may not realize is that many of these great eats are located in limited access areas of the park. Luckily, I had an opportunity to enjoy the Independence Day game from a luxury suite (first time ever!), so I finally got to see the full range of eats available to fans.


Let's start with the good eats available to the everyfoodie. While you may hear about the sushi available, know that it is pre-made grocery store variety. However if that's your bag, then you can find the sushi cart on the first level on the first baseline. But let's focus on the fresh crafted eats. My top choice (and what I picked up on my way to the suite) is the Cha Cha bowl. Orlando's BBQ was featured on the Food Network for this delight and with good reason. Just under $10, this bowl is packed with rice, beans, grilled chicken and pineapple-zucchini salsa. You get your choice of up to four different sauces that you apply yourself. The bowl is the best value for the money, filling you up with high fiber and high protein eats. Not able to get to AT&T park? You can make the Cha Cha bowl at home, thanks to the Food Network! The boyfriend got the great looking nachos at Orlando's, and while the flavors were good, the chips were either too thick or stale, making this a one time purchase.

You can find Orlando's BBQ by the giant Coke bottle slide in the pavillion overlooking the bay. In this same area, you can also score a crab sandwich, clam chowder in a bread bowl, and some great drinks.


Seated behind first base and not wanting to hike across the park still leaves you with plenty of dining options. You can score some famous Gilroy garlic fries, a Ghiradelli ice cream sundae, and a variety of hot dogs and sausage sandwiches. If you aren't feeling a full meal, AT&T park offers up the traditional nuts, cotton candy and other ball park favorites.


If you managed to score some Club Level or Luxuory Box seats then you are in for a treat. In addition to the great eats throughout the rest of the park, you have a plethora of gourmet eats. From the cart that sells blackberry cabernet sorbet and gruyere paninis, to the carvery serving up fresh carved sandwiches, this is an eater's dream. I wish I was camping out so I could enjoy a few more meals here!


So when you come to AT&T Park, bring your appetite and your wallet. Whether you are looking for a burger and garlic fries or healthier eats, AT&T Park has a stand that will meet your needs. You will not want to miss out on the fabulous eats located throughout the park!