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I was at Comerica Park recently, scouting the concession stands and wondering if I'd find good veggie options. I’m not a vegetarian, but I try four or five times a week to go meatless.
As I passed the 130 Big League Grill stand near home plate I was surprised to see a veggie dog. I had low expectations. First off, I’ve had so many bad ones, rubbery and tasteless. Plus, I figured Comerica Park was not going to bring the flavor home.
Nonetheless, I stepped up to the plate and ordered one for $4.50. I slathered on ketchup, mustard and relish, and dug in.
Later I also tried the burrito bowl, the black bean burger, French fries, veggie pizza and the plantain chips and black bean dip.
Options also includ veggie Italian sausage, garden burgers, hummus plate, fruit plate, Mediterranean veggie wrap and soft pretzels. Most of those can be found at the Detroit Brushfire Grill near Section 131.
The Tigers' website proudly notes that Comerica Park has been recognized by PETA over the last four years as among the top five vegetarian-friendly ballparks.
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VEGGIE DOG: Like a good Tigers reliever, a good veggie dog is hard to find. Some are good. Many are pretty lame. Well, you won’t find a better tasting veggie dog than the one at Comerica Park. The taste is as close as it gets to the real thing. ($4.50)
BLACK BEAN BURGER: The black bean burger is pretty decent. Crusty on the outside, good consistency on the inside. Served on a bun with all the fixings, lettuce, tomato, onion, etc. It’s not the best one I’ve ever had. It could use a bit more spice. But it's legit. And it comes with a side of fries. ($8.75)
PLANTAIN CHIPS AND BLACK BEAN DIP – I expected this would be served just like ball-park nachos. But no. The woman behind the counter told me that it comes in a box, like one of those prepared lunches for school kids. She was nice enough to ask if I still wanted it. I did. The plantain chips were fairly tasteless. The black bean dip was just passable. The box, did however have a few good things: A mini-bag of fruit and nuts, which was decent; A bag of edamame, pepitas and sunflower seeds; and an apricot fruit roll-up. ( $8)
PIZZA: I’m not a huge fan of Little Caesars. It’ll do in a pinch, but it can’t touch places like Buddy’s, Supino in Eastern Market and Amici’s in Berkley. I ordered a small slice topped with green pepper, onion and mushroom. A veggie pizza wasn't available, so I waited seven minutes for a hot one.
Don’t expect your minimum daily veggie infusion from this. I could barely find the onions and mushrooms. The pizza was passable, but nothing beyond that. It would be great if Comerica Park would let in some other pizza joints. ( $3)
FRENCH FRIES: Fries have to be hot and it doesn’t hurt if they’ve got a little spice. I had never had fries at Comerica Park, as far as I recall, and I was pleasantly surprised. They were hot and had a nice spice. Worth the money. ( $4.75)
BURRITO BOWL: It’s not as tasty as Chipotle's, but isn't bad. This is served in a crunchy taco shell, which was OK, but could have been a little tastier. The bowl itself is filled with white rice, lettuce, corn pico de galo, salsa. Nothing to go crazy over, but not bad. ( $9).
