I went to US Bank Stadium’s swanky Medtronic Club on Tuesday morning to sample some of new stadium concessions being provided by local culinarians. It didn’t disappoint.
Before diving into the foods themselves, here’s a look at the venue. The two-level club has a capacity of 850 people.
Here is the list of craft beers, though we didn’t get to sample these (frown).
And now to the power rankings. Keeping in mind that certain foods taste better when hungry — as opposed to having already eaten your weight in stadium food — here are my official concessions power rankings for US Bank Stadium.
Coming in at No. 10, it’s the black angus burger from 612 Burger Kitchen. Nothing against burgers — I love them on most occasions — but this was the most ordinary item in today’s array of unique foods. They were also served a bit colder than one would prefer and may have been overcooked. The cheese was also not substantially melted onto the burger, which is a big no-no in my grilling book.
The Bohemian Kettle popcorn gave me a nice break from the heavier dishes I was sampling and cleansed my palette before dessert. This particular popcorn had a nice seasoning and didn’t make you feel like you needed to wash the grease off your hands as you would at a movie theater. Ultimately, there are not many good ways to spice up popcorn, but I can vouch for the quality of Bohemian Kettle. It’s pretty good; just got outdone by some grander options.
I so badly wanted to love this Petit Fried Chicken Sandwich as many of my colleagues in the room did, but the spiciness was too much for my Swedish taste buds. Rumor has it, though, that there is a non-hot option that I would have liked more. Don’t take this low ranking too seriously — I was the wrong man to grade the spicy chicken.
Just looking at this title is enough to get your mouth watering. Blue Moon, bacon and cheese curds combine here to form a super curd that’s about three times the size and weight of your average cheese curd. I’ll be honest, though: These tasted a bit too bready for my liking. They were quite dense and filling, which I’m not sure fans are looking for when they get cheese curds. Oddly, I’d have preferred something lighter, but maybe I was already getting full at this point. It’s possible my judgment was clouded.
If you’re going to an NFL football game, you’re probably not going to sit in the concourse for a beer, a bratwurst … and a cookie. That’s why these are sold exclusively in the clubs and suites. I got to take home one of their patented half-pound sea salt caramel chocolate chip cookies, which is about pinky to thumb in diameter. Very soft and chewy. Make sure you get one if you land some sweet suite seats.
Let’s keep the dessert theme rolling. Just Truffles is providing these delectable truffles in the clubs and suites, including some other clever confections that are only being sold at US Bank Stadium — nowhere else. Key lime, caramel and chocolate truffles are their bread and butter, but they’ve also got a nice array of custom creations that can be purchased individually.
Let’s get back on track with a more rugged food choice with these “Prairie Dogs.” They are Classic Chicago style hot dogs with a little more substance to them than your average Dome Dog back in the day. I was especially impressed by the perfect condiment ratio in each sample and the freshness of the bread.
Certainly the healthiest thing I ate today, Be Graceful Bakery produced these magnificent roast turkey sandwiches on wild rice cranberry bread with maple bacon jam. It seems like something you might eat at a cafe rather than a football stadium, but they get my full endorsement, if for no other reason than I felt like I wasn’t clogging an artery ingesting them.
This photo is blurry. Probably because I was intoxicated by the brilliance of these Cinniesmiths cinnamon rolls. Airy, sweet, aromatically pleasing. These would be perfect if you show up to the stadium at 10:30 a.m. and need a late breakfast.
And here’s your No. 1 recommendation: Gramsky’s Italian grinder sandwich is every stadium foodie’s dream. It’s basically cheesy bread filled with sausage, mozzarella, red sauce and peppers. I like to think of it as a pizza in sandwich form. So, so delicious that I had two of them. Unfortunately, this is a catering-only option for the high-priced suites. If you can’t make it there, you’ll have to go have one at their restaurant in Brooklyn Park and tell me what you think.
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Here is the list of craft beers, though we didn’t get to sample these (frown).
