Miller Park's Ever-Expanding Menu

Old standbys like hot dogs, soft pretzels and peanuts aren't going anywhere, but every year Miller Park's food vendors expand their menus to keep up with changing tastes and culinary trends. "So many fans cook their own hot dogs and brats in the parking lot before the game, so we try to offer them items that they can't grill themselves," explains Jon Clope, operations manager at Sportservice, the company responsible for all of Miller Park's food and beverage vendors.<br /><br />The stadium's new menu items this year are decidedly decadent. A new stand near Section 106 called Fry Bar now serves the type of on-a-stick fried food commonly associated with the State Fair. Its menu includes funnel-cake fries, deep-fried bacon, all-beef corn dogs, and hand-dipped corn brats (yes, a battered, fried brat). The stand also serves two kinds of deep-fried cheesecake (one with strawberry sauce and a bananas foster version with caramel sauce), as well as poutine and garlic fries.<br /><br />Last season the Food Network opened a stand at Miller Park serving gourmet steak sandwiches. This year the organization opened a second cart, near Section 223, with two hearty offerings: buffalo chicken mac and cheese, and a bacon Sloppy Joe with pepper-jack cheese and fried onions.<br /><br />One of last season's oddest menu additions was a parfait of brisket, gravy and fluffy mashed potatoes, which from a distance resembled an ice-cream sundae. That item returns this year, along with several new brisket dishes. "We bought a smoker last year, and the brisket turned out to be so popular that this year we bought a second one," Clope explains.<br /><br />Shredded smoked barbecue beef brisket is now a topping at the stadium's two baked potato carts, as well as an option at the grilled-cheese stand in Section 208, as a brisket-cheddar sandwich served on Texas toast. For true meat lovers, the Plaza Pavilion in Section 109 serves a brisket-smothered bacon dog: a grilled, bacon-wrapped hot dog loaded with brisket, caramelized and diced onions and Wisconsin cheddar, served on a crusty bun that can withstand the extra toppings.<br /><br />There are lighter options, too. Two Grab and Go stands this year are offering a host of gluten-free items, including sweet potato chips, fruit snacks and a turkey sandwich. Gluten-free sweets include brownies, snickerdoodles and a flourless chocolate torte.<br /><br />And there's some good news for Wisconsin wine lovers, as well. One of the state's most popular wineries, Wollersheim, will serve its prairie fume and prairie sunburst red wines at tiki bars throughout the stadium.