Forget peanuts and Cracker Jack. For another season, baseball fans have a refreshed selection of concession offerings to choose from at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field — many of them local.
On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays and Levy Concessions Concepts unveiled the overhauled beverages and bites during a media tasting and tour of the Trop’s renovated facilities. The Rays invested $7 million to revamp amenities, update culinary equipment, and install technologies like digital menu boards at the front of concession stands and touchscreen food-ordering kiosks throughout the ballpark.
Opening day kicks off at 4 p.m. Thursday with five new food and drink entities — including a couple of restaurant groups with multiple concepts — showcasing the flavor of Pinellas, concession-style.
Leading the Beach Drive stand in the Third Base Food Hall, Go To Steve’s Restaurants & Catering serves up grub from a few of its eateries: Parkshore Grill, 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House, The Hangar and Annex. Expect barbecue chicken and bacon quesadillas, grouper wraps, blue cheese meatballs, and Cuban sandwiches.
As CL previously reported, Hunger + Thirst Group is also headed for the Trop. The official word on what’s planned: Portable carts for The Avenue Eat + Drink and Kings Street Food Counter, featuring grilled cheese, Cuban nachos, blueberry bacon sliders and corn dog nuggets on the Budweiser Porch. Behind the porch, Ballpark & Rec — an indoor-outdoor bar space inspired by H+T’s Park & Rec — offers specialty drinks, arcade entertainment, and a lounge and gaming area outside.
Another addition on the porch: RumFish Grill. The flagship TradeWinds Island Resorts dining spot is doing items like firecracker shrimp, mahi tacos and tuna poke, alongside the premiere of the RumFish Grill Deck, a catered group-ticket space at center field with food from the restaurant.
Kahwa Coffee scored a stand on the 100 Level near Section 102, where its coffee and cafe fare await, plus a portable cart. And British Colonial pub favorites such as fish and chips, meat pie and curry with fries are in store from The Moon Under Water’s large stand in Center Field Street.
This year, highlights from Levy — which puts spins on traditional baseball eats across the First and Third Base Food Halls and Center Field — are a barbecue dog with pulled pork and slaw, Reuben Cuban, spicy chicken sandwich, tacos and gourmet burgers. Paying homage to Rays coach and former center fielder Rocco Baldelli, the First Base Food Hall’s Rocco Ball Deli specializes in Italian dishes, among them the Beef Meatball Handwich with marinara, caprese salad and tri-colori salad.
As for the beer? Bay area-brewed options include Cycle Brewing, Green Bench Brewing Co., Tampa Bay Brewing Co., Cigar City Brewing, Coppertail Brewing Co. and Motorworks Brewing.
This article appears in Mar 22-29, 2018.