Buy Me Some Sushi and Baby Back Ribs - N.Y. Times

Peter Meehan, the former writer of the New York Times $25 and Under dining column, eats his way through 12 major league ballparks.  Don’t miss the interactive ballpark food guide, which names the best and worst food entry at every major league ballpark, and the food at the ballpark slideshow.

In the course of my research, I came up with a few rules of engagement for ballpark eating. Meatless hot dog substitutes, and most foods baring the appellation “veggie,” may have good intentions, but are not good eating. Nachos, Chinese food, pizza and pretzels taste about the same everywhere, except at Dodger Stadium, where the pretzels are particularly greasy. If you must eat them don’t expect more than a glimmer of gustatory satisfaction.

Also, say no to burgers: the uniformly desiccated patties served at baseball games taste as though they were grilled sometime back when people still named their kids Honus and Ty. I sampled eight of them in my travels, and am now convinced that mustard on greasy napkins would probably be a tastier snack.

Finally, forget cocktails: margaritas poured from a beer tap are a travesty and canned “micheladas” are worse.

But the tens of thousands of calories I devoured also turned up plenty to applaud. There were two commendable forces at play at the best parks I visited: the upscaling of concession stands, and the whole-hearted embrace of local, vernacular cooking.