Go Giants Garlic Fries!

True confessions: I'd never been to a San Francisco Giants baseball game in thirty years of living in the Bay Area. Obviously I'm not a big baseball fanatic, but now that the Giants are on top it is a great time to see them play.

Our whole family went to AT&T Park on Easter Sunday to see the Giants vs. Atlanta Braves. Game time was 1:05 pm (why the five minutes past the hour?). Of course I did the research ahead of time on food and drink at the park. On Yelp the biggest food recommendations appear to be the garlic fries, corn beef sandwich, crab sandwich and Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae.

I went to the Giants shop at the Stanford Shopping Center to get snazzy black baseball caps for the game. We picked up Jacob from his dorm and headed on up to San Francisco. What a fun family outing! We had the cheap seats in the outfield, but even from there had a great view, lots of enthusiastic fans nearby to entertain us, and oh-so-many ballpark food options to choose from.

We got hot dogs for the girls, chicken tenders for Jacob, a bratwurst dog with sauerkraut for me, and a tri-tip chipotle sandwich for Brad. The yummy garlic fries had tons of minced garlic on top. They make a perfect ballpark food: greasy, warm, and spicy enough to clear your nasal passages. I noticed a little whoopie pie stand and tried to get some later, but the stand had closed. We didn't have room for the Ghirardelli hot fudge sundaes either, but Amanda managed to catch some Ghirardelli chocolates when the Easter bunny tossed candy out to the crowd between innings. The girls enjoyed sno-cones in a cup, Jacob ate a ballpark classic Carnation chocolate ice cream, while Brad genuinely enjoyed a few beers.

If you're not interested in ballpark food, go to one of the many nearby eateries. My friend Kathy recommends the Palomino restaurant. The Ferry Building isn't too far away either with its many food choices including Out the Door. My friend KC has a free parking tip: Park at the Embarcadero shopping center near the Hyatt Regency, and get your ticket validated on weekends at nearby eateries including Peet's Coffee. That's a lot cheaper than the $25 we spent at a lot just a few minutes' walk from the park.

I'm glad we finally made it to a Giants game, even though they lost, and plan to head back for more baseball and more food. I would definitely like to try the crab sandwich next time, and either the hot fudge sundae or whoopie pies. If the Giants could win more games and stop the torture, it would be even more fun!