Gut Check loves us a day at the ballpark. And Gut Check loves us some ballpark food. Nachos? Bratwurst? Soft pretzels? Pretty much anything shellacked with orange cheese product? Yes, please. We ain't always caviar-and-Champagne snobs.
Gut Check, however, doesn't loves us the cost of ballpark food.
Thankfully, the regulations at Busch Stadium allow you to bring in soft-sided 16-inch x 16-inch x 8-inch coolers -- which you can pack with whatever food you like.
Gut Check suggests packing a picnic.
We've put together a list of some of our favorite carryout-friendly restaurants. Now, you could spend as much at these restaurants as you were planning to spend at the ballpark, but we promise you'll get more for your dollar. Call it the sabermetrics of snacking, if you like.
And, if we might revert back to caviar-and-Champagne mode for a moment, you'll get better food, too.
(Note that, as with any picnic, planning plays a role. Not every restaurant will be open just prior to first pitch.)
Blues City Deli (2438 McNair Avenue; 314-773-8225) Man pays his hard-earned coin for a hot dog at the ballpark. Man returns to seat and watches Adam Wainwright throw a strike. Man eats hot dog in three measly bites. Man watches Adam Wainwright throw another strike. Man looks at you still figuring out how to portion Blues City Deli's massive muffuletta among your family. Man weeps or drools. Or maybe both.
