Hot Dogs at Progressive Field

A review of the hot dogs available at the Indians Ballpark

I attended my first Cleveland Indians game of the year on May 11, 2011. The Tribe went into the game on a 14 game home winning streak. That all ended this night, when the Indians got shellacked by Tampa Bay. David Price was outstanding, and there was little excitement until the home team scored 2 runs in the eighth.

It did give me the opportunity to sample the fine cuisine at the game. Most everything is the same as the prior year. The team has cut back on some of the food choices at the stands, and brought back the fan favorite (?) chicken waffle. Really, who eats a waffle with chicken in it? No one in Cleveland, for sure. I predict this is disappear again as fast as it did the first time. It's actually hard to find, at only one stand I could see, and barely noted on the sign.

As befitting a ball game, hot dogs are the most prominent feature, with several choices: The standard Sugardale dog, at $3.25. This are the franks that are a buck on Dollar Dog Night, I was told this is the most popular theme nights along with fireworks. Pretty small, they pretty much stretch to fill the bun, which appears to be smaller than past years.

Next up is the All-Beef Hot Dog. It does make you wonder what the lower priced option is made of, but better not to think about it. At $4.25, it's not a great value, but it is a major league baseball game and you can expect to pay up. There is a footlong hot dog, and one stand that has Kosher Dogs.

The new feature is the Slugger Dog (pictured). At $8.50, it is essentially a foot long All Beef version, with some extra toppings available. $8.50 for a hot dog? Is this New York City? Fortunately, no, it's Cleveland, and the Stadium Mustard is free.

After the indigestion subsides, I will definitely be back.