Dinner at the ballpark

So my friend TI generously gave me a ticket to tonight's Mariners-Royals game.  These are teams with records of .420 and .414 respectively, so the game was pretty low stakes.  At this point in the season of a losing team, going to the game is all about checking out the kids that have just come up from the minors and enjoying the simple rituals of baseball.

Safeco Field on a beautiful sunny day, much like today...

One of my game day rituals has always been to stop at one of the many hot dog vendors along Occidental to nab a brat before going inside Safeco Field. I load that brat up with mustard, ketchup (or catsup, if you prefer), relish and kraut and I chow down on it all the way through security into the park and to my seat.  Soon after, I get a beer to wash down all that processed meat product.  And perhaps after that, I'll partake in some garlic fries.  After nine innings, I can't wait to get the hell out of there and head home to brush my teeth.  I also am typically DYING of thirst.  It's a bizarre dance of ecstasy and torture that I put myself through pretty much every time I head to Safeco for a ballgame.

WAH!  I'm thirsty and my breath stinks and my team sucks.

Now it is possible that one of those Occidental vendors carries hot dog products made from locally raised pigs and cows.  Not likely, but possible.  Upon accepting this ticket, I realized that I'd probably be using one of my freebie non-local meals out, or packing my dinner.  So imagine my surprise when I googled "Safeco Field eating local" tonight and saw that the 'Pen got renovated in the off-season and it now features several new concession stands featuring locally grown and locally produced food!  Of course, I had to explore. 

Before heading to the game, I stopped off at REI to get a new bike lock and a snack.  Luckily, REI carries some of these, made in Prosser, WA. (Fun Prosser fact: standout Boise State University quarterback and 2010 Heisman candidate Kellen Moore was born and raised in Prosser!)

Mmmmm...dark chocolate covered Chukar cherries!

Also before heading to the game, TI, friend D, and I stopped in at the Pyramid brewery for a beer.  Pyramid is apparently now own by the group that owns Labatt Blue, but it is still brewed in Seattle, so it is local, darn it.  I enjoyed a Hefeweizen. It was great!  Sadly I did not photograph my beer.  I drank it.

Then we went to the game.  Summer in Seattle requires me to attend at least one Mariners' game, and this was my first game all season. Some contend that summer ends after Labor Day, but that's bogus: this is the hottest week we've had in Seattle all year.  A gorgeous night for a game.  Ichiro hit a lead-off home run.  Beautiful!

Look at those blue skies!  Perfect night for a game!

After two innings, it was time to discover some local food for dinner.  In the new 'Pen, I had a choice of pizza with locally made pepperoni, a grass-fed beef burger, or a crepe with locally made Beechers cheese, locally grown veggies, and locally produced turkey.  I went with the crepe from La Creperie, courtesy of chef Ethan Stowell. (FYI if you aren't a Seattle foodie, Ethan Stowell is a big deal in the restaurant biz here.  Like the next Tom Douglas. And FYI if you aren't a Seattle foodie, Tom Douglas is a really big deal in the restaurant biz here.)  My crepe was FABULOUS!

Why yes, that is local arugula in my crepe!

My beloved Crepe with view of the 'Pen

I felt so dang good about my local food success at the baseball game, and the M's 3-run lead that I decided to indulge in a totally not local Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich at the bottom of the 7th inning.  Oops.  What can I say, I'm not perfect.  Although I now have a stunning 1-0 record this season with the M's after their victory tonight... Sounds pretty perfect to me!