The nice thing about owning a baseball team, the stadium they play in, and a buffalo ranch, is that you can put the bison on the menu. That's exactly what the Ricketts family has done at Wrigley, along with some help from the ubiquitous Levy Restaurants --carving out a large segment of the new concession menu for the family's High Plains Bison products, including meatball sandwiches, burgers and even hot dogs.
"We're looking to do more sustainable, local, fresh appearance with the product and make sure the qualities there. We've done the veggie burger, which is a healthy alternative made here on premise," said David Burns, the Chef at Levy Restaurants.
If you're more of a beer-and-brat type, then the helmet full of loaded nachos is probably the way to go. In the Sheffield Grill, just off of right field, daily specials rotate. One day, it might be sliced brisket. Meanwhile, out in the concourse, there are plenty of other alternatives to dogs and brats.
"For vegetarian options, we have a chopped salad, if you're looking for something a little bit lighter. And then, we have the Chicago dog for those who are looking for the hot dogs," said Burns.
And it's those hot dogs that will draw attention, especially if they're made from bison. The fat content is significantly lower than that of a standard dog, and when they gussy it up "Buffalo style," it makes for a compelling ballpark snack.
"We take the High Plains buffalo dog, and we toss it in the buffalo sauce. We toss in the wings; it's a footlong. We put that on a bun, we top it off with the blue cheese cole slaw. People have been loving it," Burns said.
