If you're not discussing players, stats, predictions, or the other team while in line at the Dodger Stadium gate, you're likely deciding what snack and beverage you'll get first.
Because few sports have as strong a tie to particular foodstuffs as baseball. Football? Sure, there's some overlap, mostly in the hot dog department, but what edibles are unique to the cleats-and-helmets season? Maybe hot chocolate from a thermos. Basketball? Same deal on the overlapping dogs-and-peanuts front.
But baseball is so distinctively delicious, in the chew-while-cheering front, that teams sport their own dishes. (Helloooo, Dodger Dogs.)
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So, what's your first bite at the Home Opener on Friday, April 4? Sure, you could go Cracker Jacks and beer, a quirky but sometimes seen combo, or you could make for Tommy Lasorda's Trattoria, one of the new additions to the stadium's 2014 run. "The Hall of Fame manager and other former players will spend time withe fans" in the new eating areas, says Inside SoCal.
Look for it in the concourse near right field; "an outdoor barbecue restaurant will be placed behind left field," says the Dodger blog. The ribbon ceremony for Mr. Lasorda's restaurant will be on Wednesday, March 26, says Hidden LA.
Also new? The Reserve Level La Taqueria got an expansion.
The Scene
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Can't wing it when it comes to finding your wings and rings and all of the snackery you want to sit down to, before the first pitch? Study up on all of the concessions. Or, better yet, hop on a stadium tour. They run around 90 minutes and you'll get the full goods on the landmark's storied background.
And, true, you may pass a new stand you've never seen before. Is baseball a little bit about the classic cuisine? We'd bet a box of Cracker Jacks, complete with prize, on it.
