Seattle Mariners fans will go nuts for these donuts

The Seattle Mariners will have a delectable assortment of new food and drink options at Safeco Field this season.

Move over, toasted grasshoppers. You’re so last season. The next big thing at Safeco Field in Seattle is a donut bar, courtesy of stadium food supplier Centerplate. Seattle Mariners fans will be able to enjoy On Deck Donuts during games this season. The stand will be located at Section 132 on the Main Level near the Frozen Rope Ice Cream Sandwiches.

These aren’t your typical grocery store donuts. I pride myself on my donut expertise, and I don’t even look at the donuts in the grocery store anymore. I live in the Seattle area, and my favorite donut place is the Donut Factory in Lynnwood. I also like Family Donut, Frost, and Top Pot.

I have not yet had On Deck Donuts, but it will be one of my first stops when I visit Safeco Field this season. They will offer mini donuts and jumbo donut bites made in-house with toppings like M&M’s and bits of bacon. They’ll come with dipping sauces like chocolate and caramel (my favorite). It sounds like the perfect companion to the ice cream sandwich conveniently located nearby, and I love me some ice cream sandwiches.

Safeco Field has become known for their impressive dining options during Mariner games. Their hospitality partner, Centerplate, has teamed up with Safeco Field consulting chef Ethan Stowell for the last eight years. They aim to bring restaurant-quality food that has a local flavor to the national pastime.

Some of the 2018 options are not in my wheelhouse when it comes to ballpark food. I’m a simple man with simple tastes. I like a good hot dog and a beer, although I usually get my dog outside the stadium at Joe’s. He’s my hot dog guy and the Edgar Dog, named for Mariners great Edgar Martinez, is my go-to dog. You know it’s Joe when you hear, “Will you LOOK at the SIZE of this DOG!” in the corridor between CenturyLink and Safeco.

House That Hank Built

Some of the options at Safeco this year include Din Tai Fung, which will replace the Intentional Wok. If you like wontons, this is your place.

Jack’s BBQ will take up residence in The ‘Pen, with pitmaster Jack Simmons offering Texas-inspired barbecues like beef brisket sandwiches, pulled pork, burnt ends, Frito pie, hush puppies, and smoked jalapeño-cheddar sausages.

Also in The ‘Pen will be Dynamite Chicken, where fans can get a fried chicken sandwich, hot wings, and jalapeño poppers. This will probably be the place I stop at after I get my hot dog at Joe’s.

I’m a big fan of jalapeño poppers. Then it has to be an ice cream sandwich from Frozen Rope to cool down my taste buds. That will conveniently put my right there by On Deck Donuts. Perfect.

Dynamite Chicken is also taking one of Safeco Field’s traditional offerings and adding their own twist. The garlic fries. Personally, I don’t eat them, and I don’t want to sit within three sections of anyone who’s eating them, but they are a big Safeco Field favorite for some fans. Dynamite Chicken will offer garlic fries with fresh garlic and Parmesan cheese. One thing to remember: if you go to a Mariner game with a date, you either both eat the garlic fries or neither of you eat the garlic fries. There’s no in-between.

Chateau Ste. Michelle will be Safeco Field’s new “house wine.” Fans can enjoy glasses or bottle carafes of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet and Rosé at concession stands and restaurants around the ballpark. According to Wine Folly, the perfect wine for MLB is a Sauvignon Blanc. As they say, “It will ensure that your hot dog is one hundred percent classy.” I’ve always thought there’s nothing classier than a hot dog and a glass of wine.

For those who enjoy their alcohol in a different form, Safeco Field has traditionally offered beer from craft breweries of the Northwest, along with domestic and premium beers on tap and in cans. Many locations provide 12-ounce beers for five or six dollars, and 16-ounce beers can be had for $6.50 up until game time during Happy Hour in The ‘Pen.

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The Seattle Mariners open the season against Cleveland on March 29. The team is dealing with numerous injuries at the moment but are hoping to be near full strength when the games count. They are also hoping to get that big monkey off their backs and end a playoff drought that dates back to 2001, the longest of any team in the four major U.S. sports.

If they make the playoffs this year, fans can enjoy an On Deck donut with a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle wine, which might even be classier than a hot dog and a glass of wine.