Three Foods To Try At Camden Yards

The food at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore has been given a terrific overhaul recently. There's so many great selections now that it's tough to decide what to eat at an O's game. If you've never been to Camden Yards, put it on your to-do list and go already. You've had 20 years for crying out loud.

 

When you do go, you'll have a variety of great foods to choose from, not the least of which is Boog's BBQ on Eutaw Street. But there's also dogs with unusual toppings, sausages cooked in Natty Boh beer, and, of course, Natty Boh itself.

 

Here are my three favorites, in case you're not sure what to try first. Apologies to Boog's, but that's the obvious choice, so I've added three different items.

 

Polock Johnny's Sausage With "The Works" – Polock Johnny's has been a Baltimore institution longer than the Orioles have...almost as long as the old Orioles that featured Babe Ruth. No doubt Baltimoreans were cheering this recent addition to the menu.

 

Polock Johnny's serves nice-sized Polish sausages with a smoky flavor and good snap to them. You should get one with their special sauce called "The Works" – tomatoes, vinegar, peppers, onions and other spices. The Works isn't quite at the level of Milwaukee's sauce or Cleveland's mustard as far as baseball condiments go, but it certainly could be someday.

 

You can find Polock Johnny's on the lower level concourse on the first base side.

 

Old Bay Crab Cake – In the early days of Camden Yards, they sold a $4 crab cake that was about the size of a golf ball. Not so anymore...the Old Bay Seafood stands may charge more for the crab cake, but it's a nice-sized piece of seafood, and it's a true taste of Baltimore. If you've never had a crab cake cooked in Natty Boh beer with Old Bay seasoning, don't worry about the price. You won't miss the money.

 

The Orioles had a chef concoct the recipe for the crab cakes, and there were 50 different recipes sampled to come up with this version. If the recipe topped 49 others in a roomful of Baltimore natives, how can you go wrong?

 

The Old Bay stands, found behind home plate on the lower and upper concourses, also have sides of "Old Bay slaw".

 

Gino's Burger – If you're old enough, as I am, you probably remember Gino's, the popular fast food chain that made great Gino Giant burgers that you could top at a salad bar. Gino's has experienced a revival in the Baltimore area, including a location in center field at Camden Yards.

 

Gino's is named after co-founder and former BALTIMORE Colts star Gino Marchetti, so it's another chain with ties to the region. And their fresh made burgers aren't too bad either; they're certainly a giant cut above the typical ballpark burger. Quality burgers are becoming more popular at ballparks these days...Gino's joins Shake Shack in New York and Washington and McCann's in Atlanta as purveyors of specialty burgers good enough to create some long lines at the ballpark (which are worth the wait, of course).

 

So there you go; three foods to try at Camden Yards if you've never been or if you already have Boog Powell's autograph.

 

Camden Yards also has a vibrant outside vendor scene, and you can get a decent dog or sausage or bag of peanuts for much less than you'll pay inside, but the offerings inside are extra special, especially if you're looking to appreciate the culinary greatness found in the city of Baltimore.