March 31--The Cubs have ambitious hopes for their lineup this season. And that's just the food.
Levy Restaurants, which handles the concessions at Wrigley Field, released its menu for 2016, including a handful of new items. Encased meats, i.e. sausage creations, dominate the new selections.
Hot Doug's, which made an impressive debut last season, will return to the Wrigley Bleachers (and, sorry, only the bleachers) with a rotating menu of sausage sandwiches named after former Cubs players.
On Opening Day, for instance, fans can choose among the Champ Summers (spicy Polish sausage with Goose Island beer mustard and fried onions), the Joe Wallis (curried bratwurst with dijonnaise, onions and smoked gouda) and the Barry Foote (corned-beef "teuben" with Russian dressing, shredded Swiss and sauerkraut).
If you're not a die-hard Cubs fan, Champ Summers and Joe "Tarzan" Wallis were outfielders, and Barry (Big Foot) Foote was a towering catcher.
The sandwiches sound good, but ... seriously, how is the Barry Foote not a footlong dog? Do I have to do all the thinking here?
New to the park this year will be a cart featuring Gilbert's Craft Sausages, a Wheaton-based company (though the sausages are made in Wisconsin). The cart, in the general concession area, will feature Caprese (chicken sausage, diced tomatoes, basil, mozzarella pearls and balsamic glaze), Aloha (chicken sausage, pinepple salsa, lime aioli, Cholula hot sauce and crushed potato chips) and Beef Cheddar (smoked sausage, cheddar, mac and cheese, bacon, barbecue sauce) sandwiches.
Other new items include buffalo chicken waffle fries (fried chicken breast tossed in hot sauce, served over waffle fries covered with Chihuahua cheese and blue cheese crumbles), available in the general concession area; and the Grand Slam BBQ Twist (smoked brisket or pulled pork with barbecue sauce, served with mac and cheese in an edible bread cone), part of a new barbecue stand in the bleachers.
Returning favorites include the Joe Maddon Third Base Hoagie (ham, salami, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers) and the Northside Twist (giant pretzel with three dipping sauces).
Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.
