Murray's: shaved beef sandwich
A new shaved beef sandwich ($14.50) manages to pack a lot of Murray's lore into each bite. Before being toasted, the buns are brushed in a butter that's infused with the seasoning used to make the restaurant's famous garlic toast, and before it's smoked over hickory, the beef (a flavorful top-round cut) gets a 24-hour cure in a mixture of salt, sugar and the kitchen's steak seasoning. Tender and juicy, the meat is finished in the oven — taken to a medium-rare, with generous streaks of pink — and shaved to order. It's fairly lean, with occasional ribbons of fat, and when a quarter-pound of it is piled on that buttered-up bun, no other embellishments are required. No wonder the stand sold more than 500 on Monday's home opener. Section 116
4 Bells: shrimp boil
Restaurateur Doug Van Winkle has pulled the plug on his Butcher & the Boar outpost and replaced it with an even better alternative from 4 Bells, his Loring Park restaurant. The stand's genesis lies in a crab boil that the Southern-accented restaurant held last year, but for Target Fielders, Van Winkle has subbed in more budget-conscious shrimp ($14.50). It's a peel-and-eat situation, and while that can be a bit awkward in a crowded stadium, the payoff is considerable in terms of boosting flavor and preserving texture. My serving boasted five plump shrimp, plus red-skinned new potatoes, surprisingly tasty (and snappy) sweet corn and slices of a feisty pork sausage produced at — yep — Butcher & the Boar. Section 114
Herbivorous Butcher: vegan Italian sausage and vegan brat
A new partnership worth praising is the ballpark debut of the Herbivorous Butcher, the innovative meat-free enterprise in northeast Minneapolis. Co-owners and siblings Kale and Aubry Walch are supplying their spirited takes on Italian sausage (packed with sun-dried tomatoes) and Sriracha-laced brats — in vegan buns — and they've got a just-right ballpark feel, minus the pork, of course. They're certainly worlds beyond the dreary supermarket tofu dogs that usually pass for meat-free stadium fare, and they're even better when topped with charred onions. (Find them at kosher hot dogs cart, and, yes, the products are cooked on separate grills). Nicely done, Target Field. Section 129
Cookie Cart: cookies
Another newcomer that deserves a warm welcome: Cookie Cart. Sugar has rarely been the ballpark's strong suit, but this invaluable nonprofit is changing that (on Saturday and Sunday games only, alas) with freshly baked chocolate chip and Snickerdoodle cookies sold in shareable six-packs ($8). There are also tender sugar cookies topped with a cute, hand-iced Twins logo ($3). Sweet. Section 101
Kurd-marczuk: cheese curds with Polish sausage
Leading Target Field vendor Kramarczuk's has revamped a former pretzel stand and is cranking out a poutine-like delicacy that would fit right in at the Minnesota State Fair: slices of Polish sausage, paired with deep-fried Wisconsin-made cheese curds, a spoonful of salty brown gravy and a flurry of shaved pepper Jack cheese. It's called, naturally, the Kurd-Marczuk ($9.50), and it's exactly as advertised. Section 100
Andrew Zimmern's Canteen: Korean-style barbecue sandwich and white chocolate frozen mousse
Andrew Zimmern's Canteen is giving Murray's a run for its money with a beef sandwich ($14.50) that's a happy meal in a bun. Picture this: tender short ribs, slow-braised in star anise, ginger and coriander, shredded and paired with a mild kimchi and a sliced-in-half eight-minute egg, the yolk firm but creamy. There's also a sophisticated play on the ice cream cups that the "Bizarre Foods" talking head craved as a kid, a luscious white chocolate frozen mousse ($7.50) that's laced with caramel-like dulce de leche and dotted with delicate, spongy ladyfingers. The topper is a generous sprinkle of crispy chocolate pearls. Don't miss it. Section 120
Andrew Zimmern's Canteen — Skewers: flatbread sandwiches
Meanwhile, Zimmern has converted his existing Target Field presence into Andrew Zimmern's Canteen — Skewers, which tries to solve the challenge of incorporating big flavors into handheld fare. The solution? Roasting skewered meats (beef short ribs, chicken thighs and pork shoulder), then stuffing them into foldable, tortilla-esque flatbreads ($14.50). All three are finished with the same garnishes — tahini-roasted eggplant, a tangy tzatziki sauce, a cucumber salad — and they're impressive for their complex flavor profiles and portability. Section 114
Hot Indian Foods: salad
At first-rate Hot Indian Foods, chef Janene Holig is replacing the rice in the stand's two bowl offerings with a baby kale-arugula salad mix ($12.50). Results? Terrific. Section 120
Barrio: chicken burrito
Barrio has added a chicken variation ($11) to its burrito roster at Señor Smokes, but unfortunately it doesn't get past "basic." Hefty, yes; creative, no. Sections 105 and 305
State Fair Classics: turkey sandwich
At State Fair Classics, the Turkey to Go folks are offering a sandwich ($8) that's crying out for tinkering. It's fairly juicy and robustly seasoned pulled turkey, and an impressive amount of it, tossed onto a bun that could sweep the World's Most Forgettable competition. That's it. No condiments, no vegetable add-ons, nada. Yawn. Section 133
Dairy Queen: Dilly Bars
DQ's classic treat is now available at various locations throughout the ballpark, but asking $4 a pop — my neighborhood DQ sells them for $1.82 — makes them this season's poster child for the Target Field markup effect. (In a facility where every inch is seemingly engineered to separate fans from their money, there's some serious competition for that dubious prize). A close second? The eyeroll-inducing beer prices.
Rick Nelson • @RickNelsonStrib
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