Years ago, when I first started covering Angel Stadium eats, the ballpark was littered with chains. Carl’s Jr. Ruby’s Diner. Panda Express. Jack in the Box. Beach Pit BBQ.

Thankfully over the last few years, the stadium’s in-house culinary teams have made a noble effort to enhance the experience beyond frozen burgers, stale nachos and plain-Jane hot dogs. The culinary team doesn’t always hit a home run, but its batting average continues to climb every season as the offerings have gradually moved away from national chains.

Legends Hospitality, which took over  during the 2014 baseball season, has touched nearly every kitchen — from concessions to premium dining.

Yes, chains still persist. But most of them are local hot spots such as Oggi’s, Chronic Tacos, Fresca’s Authentic Mexican Kitchen and Muscle Maker Grill. New this year is Oke Poke, which has locations in Brea and Lake Forest as well the Inland Empire.

As it enters its fourth season, Legends has definitely found its groove.

“We’ve brought a lot of restaurant quality foods to the concessions,” stadium general manager David Lippman said.

Lippman and I walked the stadium before a recent game to review the latest changes.

The most notable tweaks fans will notice: the addition of Coca-Cola beverages (yep, that means Pepsi is out), new whimsical desserts, the exit of three food stands by Panda Express and the rebranding — yet again — of the former Shock Top Brew Pub.

The Club level restaurant, fondly remembered by old-schoolers as the Knothole Club, is now called Saint Archer Brewing Co. Restaurant.

So without further adieu, here’s what caught my eye — and charmed my palate.

Saint Archer: This fun gastropub-style eatery with stunning views overlooking right field is one of the park’s best-kept secrets. Since it’s on the Club level, most Angels fans might think it’s closed to the general public. But, it is not.

And that’s the dirty little secret. Outside of the Diamond Club, which is only available to premium ticket holders, this is by far the best restaurant in the stadium.

Nearly everything on the menu is scratch made or sourced from quality purveyors — from the crazy good pimento cheese dip to charcuterie sausages.

This year, Executive Chef Robert Biebrich and pastry chef Ashley Aguinaga have revamped the old Shock Top menu with some heavy hitting savory and sweet dishes: carne asada nachos, a short rib poutine, a Jenga-looking ice cream sandwich tower, a fried chicken sandwich infused with Japanese flavors, a watermelon salad topped with crispy pork belly and a large hand-rolled pretzel as big as your head.

Though it is early in the season, the nachos have already become an instant hit. The dish uses tostada shells instead of tortilla chips. The 4-inch shells are topped with a spicy nacho cheese sauce that chef Biebrich calls a “Mexican bechamel.”

Another platter worth sharing is the short rib poutine, made with large hand-cut wedges of fried Kennebec potatoes. It’s a fry and meat lovers’ delight.

As for the craft beer offerings, given the new name, expect brews heavily favoring the San Diego brewer’s ale-centric beers. It’s unfortunate because craft beer lovers enjoy variety especially when the food is this good. It would be nice if guest taps could include award-winning Orange County breweries like Bottle Logic or Noble Ale Works. Instead, there’s a cider option, and two beers by Coors.

Reservations can be made through OpenTable five days prior to the first game of each home stand. The restaurant opens to Club level ticket holders two hours before the first pitch; general public entrance is allowed after the first pitch.

The Change Up Kitchen: This ambitious concept replaces Panda Express on the Terrace (Section 226) level. As the name suggests, the Legends-created food stand offers a new menu every homestand. For example, the second homestand, ending today April 27, features a Mediterranean menu of tri-tip kebabs, a falafel wrap and chicken shawarma.

The next two homestands in May showcase Mexican cuisine and slow-roasted meats. The latter menu, offered May 11-17, is called La Rotisserie. The spit-fired meats are meant to be a teaser to a new food stand coming this summer.

La Rotisserie: Legends is waiting for permits for this eatery, which will be slow roasting up to 56 chickens at once on two exhibition rotisseries. It is expected to open early summer in the Field level space previously occupied by the Oakley store in Section 114.

(Retail sidebar: I’ll digress a bit to note that Legends has taken over merchandising in the park. They’ve redesigned and expanded the home plate Team Store, which now includes custom made jerseys, a special Nike attire section and a line of new retro Angels socks from San Clemente-based Stance. Legends has also added a new retail shop on the View level, Section 419 across from the new Crafty Dawgs.)

Classic Hits: The aging “Grandstand” concessions have been rebranded as Classic Hits. The modern signage is refreshing and long overdue. The stands in the Field level (Sections 107 and 126) have added a Bacon & Bleu Burger topped with thick-cut bacon, caramelized onions and bleu cheese.

Sausages: Though Farmer John is still providing frankfurters for fans, the hot dog giant is no longer supplying sausages to the ballpark. Legends is now sourcing from Marisa Foods, a Long Beach supplier known for its high-quality bratwurst and Italian sausages. The links are found throughout the park, including Saint Archer restaurant and Classic Hits locations in sections 107, 126, 224, 209 and 412.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Pastry chef Aguinaga is the real deal. She honed her skills at Stonehill Tavern and is bringing some fine dining inspired treats to various parts of the stadium. At the Coffee Bean cart, she’s added a few Instagram-worthy pastries to go with the java selection: jelly stuffed doughnuts, a churro pop and a cinnamon roll doughnut. The lollipop-looking churro is crazy good. The whimsical treat is certain to sell out early. It is a chocolate stuffed round churro topped elegantly with creamy marshmallow and crunchy chocolate pearls. Naturally, it’s served on a stick. Order two because you won’t want to share.

Equally addicting is the cinnamon roll doughnhut made with airy brioche dough and topped with a light cream cheese icing. The Coffee Bean cart, which debuted last year, is behind home plate on the Field level.

SPUDS: A scalloped shaped bar, acting more like a barricade, has been removed from this potato-themed Field level (Section 130) food stand. The space in front of the counter is now roomier and more inviting. New on the menu this year: a pork belly poutine.
Ballast Point: One of San Diego’s biggest brewers has taken over the former Angel Wings space on the Terrace level, Section 207. Though the name is different, the menu remains the same with the addition of a Southern fried chicken sandwich. The tap list, of course, is now dominated by Ballast Point, whose parent company also owns Coors. Go here for the medal-winning Sculpin IPA.

The Corner Market: This healthy eats convenience-style store, with grab-and-go foods from Melissa’s Produce is back again this year with a few new selections: a Southwest BBQ chicken salad and a super food salad of kale, quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes. New grab-and-go parfaits can also be found here, as well as a poke burrito from Oke Poke. Location: Terrace Concourse, Section 222.

Crafty Dawgs: First introduced last year, this build-your-own hot dog stand on the field level (Section 127) has expanded to the View level. It replaces Panda Express in Section 420. New to each stand is a Pastrami Dawg, an all-beef Farmer John hot dog topped with shaved pastrami and sauerkraut. The View level stand also is offering build-your-own fries with toppings that include mac ‘n cheese, short rib chili, bacon, brisket and chopped pastrami.

Oke Poke: Jumping on the latest seafood craze, Legends has smartly partnered with local eatery Oke Poke. The chain is a familiar Southern California brand with locations in Brea and Lake Forest. The food stand, in the 3rd base food court, serves poke bowls and burritos. Along with four signature bowls (Firecracker, Crunchy Garlic, Okeechi, Bailey), Oke Poke has developed a poke nachos dish exclusive to Angel Stadium. Round tortilla chips are topped with a combination of Firecracker and Crunchy Garlic flavors.The fusion dish is a nice change of pace from the classic helmet nachos.

Tip: The Corner Market, as mentioned before, also sells the poke burrito.

Premium dining: The Diamond Club is now a buffet-only experience with more “live cooking” stations and several new dishes such as Chili Lime Chicken Wings,  Kalbi Bao Bun and Steak Frites. Buffet price: $49.95

Read more about Angel Stadium Food: A guide to what’s new for the 2017 season This post was shared via Orange County Register’s RSS Feed. Irvine Shredding Service

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