Target Field: The Oliva Experience
Minnesota's famously beautiful summer evenings can draw upwards of 35,000 fans to a weekend Twins game. With what amounts to the population of Roseville wandering through Target Field, you never know who you may run into.
But even those wide concourses can get crowded, so it's best to make a beeline to your favorite foodstand in the early innings before the lines get too long. On this visit, we tried Tony O's Cuban Sandwiches.
The Cuban sandwich is an ode to the humble pig, and Tony O's version is a fine symphony. Using carnitas pulled pork rather than the traditional roasted pork loin, Tony O's Cubano presents a sweet and savory combo topped off by the grilled hoagie bun's satisfying crunch. With the mild Swiss cheese, pickles and ballpark Koop's mustard to add layers of flavor, this hearty sandwich is as golden as the Gold Glove Tony Oliva won in 1966. Only one thing can make this sandwich taste better.
And that's meeting the namesake himself.
While we were standing in line for Tony O's Cuban sandwiches, there stood the Twins Hall of Famer himself, greeting fans with a smile. Talk about a full sensory experience!
But, by the 7th inning, as the Twins crushed the Chicago Cubs, we were feeling peckish again. Ham and carnitas were just not enough pork for one ballpark visit.
So we sprang for what I call The Experience.
The Experience can be found at the Butcher and the Boar stand near Gate 34. And being a Butcher and the Boar creation, you can expect two things from Minneapolis' temple to butchery and sausage: it's going to be expensive and it's going to be the best damn meat you've ever put in your mouth.
At $24 per order, The Experience may seem disproportionally spendy compared to the rest of Target Field's offerings. But included in the price you get a full serving of barbecue rib tips, a shot of Knob Creek bourbon and a can of local craft beer. Now that's what I call a value meal.
And these rib tips: whoa. Butcher and the Boar takes what some consider a garbage cut and turn the meat into finger-licking fine dining. Smoky and tender, the rib tips explode with a sweet chili flavor offset by the peppery bark from the grill. Don't worry, The Experience comes with a set of wet wipes to keep your pinstripes white the rest of the game.
Little touches like these turn a visit to Target Field from fun to memorable. It's dinner and a show. It's an outdoor barbecue with 35,000 friends. It's an experience.
Pairing:
Price: $-$$
Post-game drunchies: Make it a pork grand slam with Darby's Bacon Tot Dish ($7.50)
