Chowin’ Down: A San Francisco Staple
Does any city in the world do clam chowder better than San Francisco? Methinks not. And as much as I despise the seagulls, prices and fans (not to mention the team) in AT&T Park, I won’t deny its beauty.
San Francisco is a fantastic place to take in a ball game and root against the hometown Giants. Which is exactly what I did last night. I donned St. Louis red and became the biggest honorary Cardinals fan in the history of baseball for three hours.
Whatever I did worked, because the Cards pulled out a win on the road and sent this Dodger fan home happy with a full stomach. Wait. What?
Oh yes, people. In true Three Up, Three Down fashion, I hunted for the most unique meal in the ball park and chowed down on it like there was no tomorrow.
One thing that helps AT&T Park stand out from the pack as far as concessions go is that they have a plethora of interesting food options. From hot fudge Ghirardelli sundaes, to fancily-cut sandwiches and the infamous Cha Cha Bowl, the stadium has it all.
My peers voted on a very specific treat for me to try: a crab sandwich. Naturally, my mouth started to drool at the prospects of eating something so fancy and delicious at a baseball game. Then, after walking around the entirety of the stadium to find it, I discovered that for only $16, I could purchase and eat a crab “sandwich” that was more like half a claw’s worth of meat, topped with a tomato, squished between two tiny crackers.
I kid you not, that sandwich looked as big as an infant’s fist. A very small infant. So I passed. And doubled back to the soup stand, where I instead bought a big bread bowl of New England clam chowder.
And it…was…GLORIOUS. Extra bonus points for cold weather, making the soup even more delicious than it would have been otherwise. It was only about $8-9 for a full bread bowl. The bread was a tiny bit stale, but hardly noticeable. The chowder itself warmed me to the core and was loaded with potatoes and clams.
The vendor definitely didn’t skimp on the soup, heartily filling the bowl to the brim. I’m a huge fan of chowder, and somewhat of a snob since I live in the Bay Area and get to experience delicious clam chowder whenever I please. And despite all that, I was thoroughly impressed with the clam chowder at AT&T.
Naturally, it was the only thing about the Giants that impressed me. But we’ll save that for a different day.
For now, just take my word: If you go to a Giants home game at any point, make sure to check out the clam chowder stands and nab a delicious bread bowl of fresh, local soup. You won’t regret it!
– Jeremy Dorn (@Jamblinman)
Three Up, Three Down 