The Safeco Thread, Part 3

Until you’ve spent an entire season having the smell blow back over your seats. I had season tickets in ’01 and ’02, and we stopped liking garlic fries. It got old.

Our (my wife and my) favorite move is to bring our own lunch into the ballpark and get a fountain drink to split between the two of us. You spend a lot less money, the food’s better for you, and you get a lot more control over it. A whole bag of potato chips and a couple of sandwiches go a long way.

Gyros are new to the SAFE this year. you gotta go up to 340 to get them, but they are only $6.50 which is barely a premium over what they cost on the outside. And boy are they good. As for beer, what i like is that if the stand you are at doesn’t have what you like, walk around, the SAFE has a great selection of micros and each stand seems to have different ones.

They are good for you, taste great, and they are about the most traditional thing you can get at the ballpark.

And shelling the nuts is a great occupier while watching a game. Peanuts and beer. That’s all I need.

I’ve got the same routine. Buy a hot dog (or a nice sausage if I can get one) and load it up. Get a large pepsi/coke. Dump the whiskey from my handy dandy flask in the drink. I don’t get the guilt feeling of sneaking all my food/drink into the park, and keep the costs down a touch at the same time.

Because after that, there tend to be a lot of standing moments. It sucks when your team hits a game winning homerun and you have food on your lap.

And garlic fries are awesome. Unless you’re an old-timer whose gotten sick of them, garlic fries are the way to go.

And get the beer.

Haven’t tried Gyros yet though, will try it next time.

Over-hyped, over-rated. I am of the opinion, and disagree if you like, that the only place in America where garlic fries at a game make any sense is San Francisco. Gilroy, two hours to the south, is the garlic capital of the world and the whole bay area has a crazy fascination with garlic … and, I suppose, just about anything that comes from the region. I guess Oakland should be allowed to have garlic fries as well, but that is because I hate Oakland and they deserve to sit around in a stinky swamp of garlic stench.

TheRealMariners tweeted about the new prime rib nachos but I couldn’t find them last week while wandering around. I suspect now that they’re probably only available in the terrace club. That’s good news for me, though, because I have terrace club seats next week.

And by cheaper I mean it’s $6.50. They also have some other discount stuff.

On the 100 level on the third base side. Gooey goodness, especially after a few of those 6.50 High Lifes. Yes, the beer is cheaper near 105, but it is also the champagne of beers. Has anybody had the thai ginger stuff? There was a huge line for it at the last game.

I agree on Dixies. Yeah, it is not what you would get in, say, Kansas City or evern at your favorite local BBQ joint, but it is tasty and filling. The Thai food behind home plate is the same — not as good as your favorite cheap Thai place, but good enough and enough to share.

The hot dogs and the like are nothing special, but they need to figure out how to make grilled onions and peppers an option at every stand because it makes a world of difference. The prices outside of the stadium have nearly caught up to the prices inside the stadium, so they are not as bad of value as they used to be.

Kidd Valley is Kidd Valley, but the burgers at Safeco are sometimes well overcooked and can taste like someone really needs to clean the grill.

The one (and maybe only thing) I miss from the Kingdome days is the relish/mustard hybrid-like sauce. It was unique and good stuff — sort of the Kingdome’s answer to the stadium sauce in Milwaukee.

my food out of the stadium on the streets, so i’ll save my comments for part 4. However, when my pockets are deep and i’m will to pay out i enjoy the following. Ivardogs, Garlic fries, bratwurst and the bbq. I also suggest that everyone meet “the man” from porters bbq.

Hot link covered in BBQ chicken with a bag of chips? Yes please!

It should also be mentioned that this concoction is the reason that my Griffey jersey is in semi-retirement… Damn thing is messy! (BBQ sauce on white jersey = tough to get out!)

If you’re going to spend $8.50 on a beer at Safeco, I can’t think of a better one off hand.

The BBQ place and Ivar’s are my favorite non-standard baseball food but a good loaded sausage is probably what I’d usually buy.

That said, since I don’t really have a job and am a professional student I am usually buying cheap seats and don’t feel like spending $10 for my seat and then $20+ on food/beer. Usually I hit up the street vendors outside the park and buy a bag of peanuts and a hot dog or two to take into the park. Sometimes I’ll sneak a soda in my jacket since I’m a decently big guy. The hot dogs will get you through the first 4 innings or so and then the peanuts take over for the home stretch.

If I’m with certain friends, sneaking booze in with you can be fun. I tend to find that it especially helps if they aren’t diehard baseball fans. Its pretty easy to do with a flask or a water bottle stashed in the right part of a jacket. If you are big enough, I’ve even gotten a full bottle in a couple years ago. Just buy the largest soda they sell (or sneak that in with you) and sit back and enjoy the game.

I typically scout the beer on the 100 and 300 levels every year, and this year I’m noticing a definite improvement. The usual places to get the good stuff are still there: Good Hops on the 3rd deck behind home plate, and the bar behind home plate on the 100 level. But there are more good taps (aka not just bud light + a Hef) at many of the other food locations on both the 100 and 300 levels.

One of the little side stands on the 300 level had Pike Pale and Elysian Immortal IPA, plus a couple others. You need cash for those little stands, though.

Other beers I remember seeing:
Mac n’ Jacks
Alaska Pale
Manny’s
Full Sail Amber
Snoqualmie Amber (they used to have the Wildcat…anyone seen it?)
Lazy Boy Pilsner
Pyramid Thunderhead IPA
Pyramid Hef
Pyramid Curve Ball
Sierra Pale

Man I’m thirsty…glad it’s Friday. The craft brews are still pricey, but at least it’s the same pricey as last season.

This is definitely my favorite part about Safeco. Last time I was in Seattle (last August), I got an Ichi-Roll, some Ivar’s Chowder, and a Mac & Jacks African Amber, and I was a very happy Washington State expat. Sure it’s a bit expensive, but it’s far superior to the Fingers & Fries & Sam Adams that I could get at Fenway for the same price.

There is wine in the Club level. Borrow a Charter Seat ticket from someone to get onto that level, where there’s also a Latte stand and souvenier shop (both near the Press Box)

Love the new blackened salmon sandwich. It’s at Sound Seafoods just outside the Terrace Club entrance in left field. Really tasty.

And I hate anyone eating garlic fries anywhere near me. Ban them!

So I often end up bringing in food. That said, I think Ivars is pretty decent, considering you are getting a salmon sandwich. Also, I went to the BBQ place on the 100 level behind 1st base (Dixie’s?) on a poorly attended game in the 6th inning and got what was probably a full pound plus of BBQ chicken. Several of us worked to finish it.

I doubt that it was a repeatable experience, but I intend to find out this year.