Ultimate Bloody Marys, truffle fries and local eateries highlight new foods at Ford Field
Brisket burgers topped with a garlic herb aioli and served with Parmesan truffle fries. Smokey barbecue ribs and jackfruit vegetarian nachos. Eggrolls filled with smoked tender corned beef.
Add an Ultimate Bloody Mary to celebrate the Lions' 90th season to the playbook and a new pizza partner, and Ford Field is ready with a slew of new food options for Lions fans come Sunday’s home opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
Levy Restaurants, the food and beverage partner at Ford Field, along with the Detroit Lions, on Tuesday unveiled new food and beverage offerings to the media (myself included) this season at Ford Field.
Throughout the stadium, fans can expect a focus on more vegetarian offerings, rotating menu items and more grab-and-go options. The grab-and-go items feature touchless checkouts supported by technology to avoid waiting in lines and missing the game.
Fans can expect a diverse collection of food offerings with a focus on local and minority-owned restaurants.
Cyrus Walker, Levy’s director of operations, said Ford Field hasn’t changed its history of working with restaurant partners.
“We haven’t changed that philosophy in 21 years,” Walker said. “We have focused more so recently on working on a lot more local metro Detroit restaurant partners, minority-owned specifically."
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Most of the restaurants Ford Field has partnered with this year are within 5 miles of the stadium.
A big change this year is that Ford Field will now feature Coca-Cola products instead of Pepsi. The Coca-Cola product even shows up in one of Levy’s newest food items – Coca-Cola pulled pork nachos.
Another change is that Little Caesars is the new Detroit Lions pizza partner, and it's also the official pizza of the NFL.
Matthew Coleman is Levy’s new executive chef at Ford Field. While he hails from Las Vegas, Coleman said he grew up as a Lions fan through his dad, who lived in the Coolidge and 10 Mile area.
“It’s like a family homecoming, it’s exciting to be back here,” Coleman said. “Having grown up in Las Vegas and not having sports teams, we were raised on the Lions, Pistons, Tigers, Red Wings.”
Coleman detailed new offerings of rotating “wow” items created to give a cool experience, more plant-based options, and items to celebrate the Lion's 90th season, including souvenir drink cups.
Once again, Ford Field’s “Power Hour” returns with special pricing before the game. Ford Field is expecting a bigger crowd than for Sunday's home opener. Doors will open for ticketholders at 10:30 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than usual for a 1 p.m. game. The Power Hour will run from 10:30 a.m. to noon for Sunday’s game. Special pricing includes $7 Bloody Marys, $4 beers and cocktails, $3 for pop and water and $3.50 for hot dogs.
New this year is a 3% cash back in Lions Loot bonus when you use a Lions Perks Card. The cards are free to those with a Detroit Lions app and a Ticketmaster account. Lions Loot can be used on every purchase in the stadium.
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What’s new with food:
Grab a Lions Perks Card (they’re free to those with a Detroit Lions app and a Ticketmaster account.) When you use the perks cards you get 3% in Lions Loot to use on every purchase in the stadium.
King of the North Burger: A lot goes into this burger. There’s a beef patty, Chicago-style Italian beef, seared Spam slice, cheese curds and grilled onions on a Brioche bun.
Bert’s BBQ: A decades-old Eastern Market restaurant, Bert’s has four concession areas at Ford Field. Bert’s is dishing up its famous smokey barbecue including ribs with sides of mac and cheese and cole slaw. For vegetarians, Bert’s has pulled pork nachos made witj Jackfruit.
Crack & Sizzle: Al Wilson brings sizzling hibachi from his Jefferson Street restaurant offering beef, chicken and vegetarian flavors. The options are served with rice and grilled vegetables.
On the Roll Next Level Eggrolls: Corned beef egg rolls are a Detroit thing. Crispy-fried egg roll wrappers are filled with smokey corned beef, Gouda and Swiss cheese. There’s also a vegetarian option with Beyond Meat.
Great Lakes Burgers: This Detroit burger spot brings a hearty, meat burger to Ford Field. It’s a brisket blend burger with Angus beef with typical fixings’ and topped with a garlic herb aioli and served with Parmesan truffle fries.
Coca-Cola pulled pork nachos: Crispy tortilla chips loaded with Coca-Cola-infused pulled pork, creamy nacho cheese. The nachos are served topped with a tangy Coca-Cola barbecue sauce, sour cream and green onions.
Vegan crunchwrap: This large flour tortilla features soy chorizo, vegan cheese, refried beans and salsa verde.
Item of the Game: Each home game will have a different loaded French fry that reflects ingredients inspired by the opposing team.
Beverage options
90th Season Ultimate Bloody Mary: This is the signature beverage celebrating the Lions 90th-anniversary celebration. And it’s a meal in itself. The Bloody Mary is topped with a slider and cheese curds, garnished with celery, olives, cheese, pepperoncini, and a meat stick used like a straw, and served with a shot of beer.
Drink of the Game: A specialty-themed cocktail is in store for every Lions home game this season.
Craft Beer: All home games feature a wide variety of unique, limited-edition craft beers.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford Field food: Ultimate Bloody Mary, truffle fries among new options
