Starting this weekend will be the Chicago White Sox longest remaining homestand of 2022. A stretch of nine games featuring the Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, and Minnesota Twins, who are battling with the White Sox for a postseason spot. It hasn’t always been a pleasant experience watching the White Sox play at Guaranteed Rate Field, but the ballclub has been 11-6 at home the last month.
While the best way to draw fans and pack the stadium is by playing winning baseball, the White Sox aim to provide the best concessions items in MLB. New food items will be made available starting this weekend and were on display in a special preview event last week. With the opportunity to taste test, I reviewed the new food concessions ranking them by what I enjoyed the most.
Chicken and Waffle Fries
(Locations: Sections 163 and 544)
A fun play on a popular American dish, chicken and waffles, the Chicago White Sox paired two items that tug on my heartstrings emotionally and physically. I’ve always been a big fan of chicken nuggets that are tempura-fried, and the White Sox may have found a way to replicate McDonald’s method that entices my inner child. The texture is crunchy, and quality of the chicken is good. The White Sox honestly could just sell chicken nuggets without the fries, and it would be a smash hit with kids.
Waffle fries are my favorite fry cut, and I’m always a sucker for trying whatever dish that features them. They act similarly to a tortilla chip for nachos by scooping chicken nuggets out of the bowl. Who doesn’t want to use a waffle fry as an edible shovel for chicken nuggets?
While you feel your heart slowing down, what makes this my favorite of the new items is a house-made mild sauce. Inspired by Harold’s, the White Sox version is like if McDonald’s made a spicy version of their sweet 'n’ sour sauce. At first, the sweetness and tang hit you while consuming chicken nuggets and waffle fries. After a few bites, the heat kicks in, providing another layer of flavor.
I’m a big fan and highly encourage everyone to try, especially the chicken nugget fans in your life.
Review: Home Run (4 out of 4)
Buona Beef Bites
(Locations: Sections 163 and 544, 300-Level)
Thanks to the new hit television series The Bear on FX, Italian beef sandwiches are the trendy food fad across America. Sure, they are a Chicago staple, but it's now in high demand on both coasts.
Buona Beef already has stations throughout Guaranteed Rate Field to serve Italian beef or meatball sandwiches. The new item they are introducing attempts to capture that flavor profile in a deep-fried ball. Think arancini but with Italian beef, provolone cheese, and giardiniera.
I fell in love with my first bite. It’s everything you want to taste from a classic Chicago Italian beef but in a crunchy ball form. Paired with a marinara sauce, I’m confident I can eat at least 20 Buona Beef Bites in one sitting. Sure, I’ll be sitting on the toilet for awhile, but it’s a worthwhile pursuit.
Review: Home Run (4 out of 4)
35th Street Pork Chop Sandwich
(Location: Vizzy View Bar)
The new 35th Street Pork Chop sandwich was created for White Sox fans that come to games super hungry. Like, they’ve been fasting for 24+ hours type of hungry. It’s a butterfly-cut pork chop grilled and slathered with caramelized onions on a Kaiser roll. They even made custom mustard by mixing yellow and dijon varieties with vinegar.
It’s a massive sandwich, and that alone is enough to fill me up. It rests on a bed of house-made potato chips, making it a gut-busting meal. Grilling enhances the pork’s flavor and hits the spot with a pile of caramelized onions I usually reserve for Polish sausages.
Review: Triple (3 out of 4)
Gyro Nachos
(Location: Vizzy View Bar)
I was curious how gyro nachos would work with chips but was pleasantly surprised they were deep-fried pitas. It’s a stable, tasty platform for toppings, and there’s plenty of that with this dish. Gyro meat tastes like any greasy fast-casual spot. A mixture of olives, tomatoes, and cucumber tossed in oil makes the Greek pico topping with added feta cheese and Tzatziki sauce. It’s the whole gyro experience, but in nacho form.
The Greek pico topping added freshness to the dish, not often found in ballpark food. While I like the deep-fried pita chips, they lacked scoopability compared to a tortilla chip. If you order the gyro nachos, make sure to have a fork or spoon for the leftover toppings.
Review: Triple (3 out of 4)
BBQ Parfait
(Location: Smokehouse Section 101)
In a famous scene in the TV Show Friends, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) attempts to make a trifle. As she follows the instructions, the cookbook pages get stuck together, and she makes a weird combination of trifle and Shepherd’s Pie.
At the onset, the new BBQ Parfait looks similar to the trifle from Friends. It’s served in the same plasticware the stadium serves for milkshakes and other ice cream dishes. There’s no custard or jam, but plenty of mashed potatoes layered with house-smoked pork and topped with French-fried onions.
If you love mashed potatoes, you will enjoy this new concession item. I’m indifferent to mashed potatoes; I'd rather have french fries or sweet potato. I’m also not drawn to eating mashed potatoes at a baseball game, but to each their own. The pulled pork is good as it’s smoked in-house for 12 hours and makes for a great sandwich by itself. I think the parfait needs more French-fried onions added to the layers for more crunch.
