Bay Baseball Bites - SF Edition # 3
If you are visiting Oracle Park for the first time and do some research about the food offerings at the ballpark before attending a game any article out there will tell you one of the culinary highlights of the ballpark is the Crazy Crab Sandwich. I literally have not found a single article that does not mention this sandwich. The hype around this sandwich is very real. Even the Giants organization themselves puts it at the top of their list in the ‘Food Guide to Oracle Park’
Is the Crazy Crab Sandwich worth the hype?
TBD (by me).
I cannot tell you (yet). I still have not had it (I’ll probably get it sometime next season). But I can tell you that I went in with the intention to give the Crazy Crab Sandwich a try but was more intrigued by the Bay Bridge Sandwich. I will give you the details about that sandwich in a minute but even without having the super-hyped Crazy Crab Sandwich I can tell you that the Bay Bridge Sandwich is spectacular and is definitely a sleeper hit at Oracle Park.
Seafood on the Menu
If you are looking for the Crazy Crab Sandwich (or the other seafood offerings) there are two places that you can get these items in the entire ballpark. First is the seafood stand that any ticketed fan can get to in the ballpark - that is out in center field and usually has innings-long lines (I have seen this line 50+ people deep before.) The second location for seafood is within the Club level seating so access is limited here (meaning that the lines are much, much shorter.)
I had the privilege of sitting in the Club level at a game and with that had access to a limited area of the ballpark. I decided on that fact alone that this day would be the day that I would try the seafood at the ballpark. I did not have the patience to stand in an innings-long line at any of other games I had gone to with regular seats to give the seafood a try so this was my chance.
As I mentioned earlier, with this opportunity at hand to visit the less busy seafood stand at Oracle Park I went in with every intention to try the Crazy Crab Sandwich. But once I got to The Cove, the seafood restaurant on the Club level (around sections 212/213), I took a closer look at the menu and the Bay Bridge Sandwich caught my eye instead.
The menu at the Cove consists of the Crazy Crab Sandwich (Dungeness Crab and sliced tomato on grilled sourdough garlic bread), Fish and Chips (beer battered cod and thick steak fries with a side of coleslaw), Chips (sold separately from the fish), and the Bay Bridge Sandwich (bay shrimp and crab with onion, celery, mayo, and lettuce on a brioche roll).
Did you take a peak at the menu above? Did you also notice the prices on these items? Getting some seafood at the ballpark is definitely going to set you back a pretty penny. But I was willing to splurge this time to give the seafood a try.
Even though I was willing to splurge it is a significant price difference between the Crazy Crab and Bay Bridge sandwiches. Plus the Bay Bridge sandwich just has a lot more going on in it (while still containing crab) and that sealed the deal of me giving that a try over the Crazy Crab.
Bay Bridge Sandwich
The Bay Bridge Sandwich is a delicious sandwich and I am so glad that I gave it a try. The sandwich itself is very sizable, well-filled, has good ingredients, and is definitely well above average for ballpark food.
Let’s start with the fact that this sandwich contains both crab and shrimp. Both flavors are distinguishable but neither is too overpowering. The combination of seafood also adds a nice mix of texture as well (I am going to speculate here = but it seems like something that I might have felt lacking with the Crazy Crab Sandwich.) Plus then you add in the veggies for some crispness to balance out the seafood flavors.
And then the bread! The brioche roll was not too sweet (which occurs more frequently than it should.) This bread roll was also that perfect balance of feeling light and airy while still being substantive and leading to having a structurally-sound sandwich. At no point was I worried about this sandwich falling apart (a very under-rated quality to look for in a sandwich.)
Plus, as stated earlier this was a sizable sandwich but did not feel too heavy (or in contrast, too light.) I was able to have this and then wait until late in the game to seek out some dessert to complete this evening’s meal at the ballpark.
The ability to feel satisfied with at $15.75 sandwich at the ballpark is a tall order, but this one was able to do it with flying colors.
#baybaseballbites