Wrigley's Real All-Stars

No one can deny that the Cubs (with the exception of my fave, Marlon Byrd) are pretty terrible this season. I still love them, but good Lord. They are making it difficult. At least Wrigley's concessions have stepped up their game this year.

As people may know, the Ricketts family took over the ballpark in my backyard and decided to revamp some of its concessions. I am happy to report that this has resulted in some exciting new options for hungry Cubs fans.

In my opinion, the two most notable (and best) additions to the menu are the ginormous North Side Twist Pretzel and the High Plains Bison Dog.

The North Side Twist is not flipping messing around (unlike our pitching staff); it's bringing its A-Game. Two pounds of it. The pretzel is approximately one million times larger and more delicious than the regular super pretzels, which I became addicted to (along with Super Ropes) at an early age -- thanks to the combined efforts of the Skokie Skatium and good ol' Wrigley. I mean, this thing is amazing. It is huge -- although if you're my cousin Kelly and me, it can be finished by just two people -- and extremely tasty. It is the perfect combination of slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, which means it's never overly squishy or crunchy. (Common super pretzel flaws.)

The North Side Twist pretzel comes with three (3) dipping sauces: a somewhat spicy mustard, a Merkt's cheddar-like cheese sauce and last but most certainly not least, A CINNAMON FROSTING. As evidenced by the capital letters, the cinnamon-specked frosting is my favorite option. This is mostly because it makes the pretzel taste like an amazing combination of doughnut and cinnamon roll.

However, the best part of the pretzel is its versatility. When paired with the spicy mustard, it tastes nothing like a doughnut! It tastes like a more traditional pretzel paired with its trusty old BFF, spicy mustard. And I hear that the same is true for the cheese sauce, which Kelly loved. I've never been much of a pretzel with cheese person -- always more of a pretzel-with-mustard kind of girl -- so if that's how you roll... you'll have to take Kelly's word for it.

There are a few things about the North Side Twist I should warn you about:
1) It is one of the pricier options at Wrigley Field, rolling in with a $15 price tag. But you should also consider that it is large enough to be served in its own pizza box. And again, it is 2 lbs. (So it should probably feed more than just 2 people.)
2) It is only sold at one concession stand in all of Wrigley Field. This concession stand is not accessible from the bleachers. I am horrible with directions, so I'm not even going to try to direct you to it. Just do what I do (every time) and ask someone where to find it.
3) They sell out. Once my roommate Jenny and I tried to obtain a fabled Twist in the 6th inning and they'd just sold their last one as we walked up to the stand. Although we offered the lucky lady ahead of us $25 to part with her monster pretzel, she wasn't having it. That says a lot about how great this thing is.

Moving on... The bison dog tastes awesome AND has less fat/saturated fat than its traditional hot dog counterpart! I don't have a picture of this item because I am never able to refrain from eating it long enough to take one. I'm sorry. I have very limited self control.

But with or without a picture to entice you, I highly recommend giving the bison dog a try. The seasoning, texture and flavor profile are very similar to a traditional hot dog and you can top it the exact same way. Wrigley offers it steamed (from the vendors in the stands and on some random occasions, the bleachers) or grilled (at the actual hot concession stands in the park and the bleachers). Like a regular hot dog, I prefer it steamed when I'm at the ballpark. I've been told that's gross, but it's just the way it is -- probably because that's what we always got in our seats growing up.

Will these new-fangled offerings ever replace my all-time childhood favorite ballpark treat -- the malt cup with the wooden faux-spoon? Definitely not. But the North Side Twist and the High Plains Bison Dog have definitely taken their rightful spots alongside it in the happy family that is my personal Wrigley Field Food Hall of Fame.