Food Review: Charlotte Knights BB&T Ballpark
Charlotte's new home for AAA baseball, BB&T Ballpark opened this weekend to three sold out games. The new stadium is a welcome addition to downtown Charlotte and along with America's favorite pastime comes America's second favorite pastime: food.
One surprise – and miss in my opinion – was that Pepsi is the official sofa sponsor. The South is powered by Coke, right? Other than that, there were plenty of culinary delights to please an entire family of Knight's fans.
Alongside a huge local craft beer selection, including Natty Greene's and Old Mecklenburg, was a small but impressive menu from Queen City Q. I've never visited their standalone restaurant, but after sampling some of their pulled pork nachos and mac and cheese, it won't be long before I visit.
The nachos were a perfect mixture of corn tortilla chips, with warm queso, green onions and plenty of pulled pork soaked in just enough BBQ sauce. On the side I couldn't resist the mac and cheese, which had a sharp bite to it. The pasta was al dente and the cheese was stringy! I've never had mac and cheese in a ballpark before, but I'm pleased with what I had at BB&T Ballpark.
Being at the first home game of the year made me crave a hot dog. As unusual as it was to experience that craving, satisfying it with a slightly charred dog and "dragon chips" was just what the doctor ordered. Dragon chips are house-made potato chips. These were a little dry and overcooked, but they get an A for branding effort. Missing was the option for onions on the hot dog.
Other notable offerings from around the stadium include the Queen City Sampler, a box of fried pickles, garlic fries and chicken tenders, Carolina Burgers with chili and slaw and the imfamous Budweiser "bottoms up" cup.
Being born and bred southerner, I loved the option for beer served cold in a mason jar for $12. If you can't stand the thought of drinking Pepsi while watching baseball, opt for the beer. Overall, there was just one thing missing from my culinary tour of Knight's Stadium: ice cream in a ball cap. Next time, next time.