Recapping and running down the options from the Michigan Stadium Food Showcase

The doors of the Jack Roth club at Michigan Stadium were open to the media on Thursday morning as U-M Athletics and Sodexo invited us to try out some of the new food menu items that will be available on the club level, in the suites, for the media, private parties and general concessions at the Big House this year.

There was a lot to try out and even on an empty stomach, they basically had to roll me out of there. I did my best to sample the stuff that will be available to most people who just have a ticket to the game and no other special perks, but I would be lying if I said I did not indulge in some of the finer options that were on the table.

So what we will do here is give a general breakdown of the stadium food process, I will share what I personally tried and then list all of the items on the menu other than the regular soft pretzels, popcorn, hot dogs, etc. that most people may be used to. Be sure to hit the gallery above for photos of the event, as well.

Overview

Before going all-in on my pig-out, we were introduced to Executive Chef Don Feldkamp, who is an Ann Arbor native and is heading into his 10th year working the games at U-M for Sodexo, the company in charge of the food. The background he gave on much of the forthcoming food items is that they are completely made from scratch with priority given to food integrity and the ability to be handheld. With only one kitchen in the building and long distances traveled in some cases to their final destination, the food they make has to be stuff that is not going to breakdown or fall apart.

The meats come from Dearborn and the bread that is served is from either Zingerman’s or Detroit depending on the item. There are also plenty of options for those not all that interested in meat (more on my experience on with the impossible burger later).

One thing I found really interesting was the previously mentioned aspect of having only a single kitchen to crank all of this food out. This covers concessions, club and suites, feeding the athletes and even the press box. Maybe us ungrateful media types will soften our stance on what we get served on Saturdays now? We stay pretty happy and pretty full and aren’t hard to please, but this would explain why the lobster dinners have not come our way just yet.

Okay, on to what you came here for.

The full menu available to most fans

Everything here is available via the main concourse. Pictured will be the things I tried with a small review. Not everything here was available to be sampled but I did my best to try everything that was there with an emphasis on what you guys will actually have access to.

Ignition Burger

• The Big Hero Burger: Steak burger topped with gyro meat, jalepeno cheese sauce, hot pepper relish sauce, tzatziki sauce and onion rings
• Brisket Cheeseburger: Steak burger topped with beef brisket, monterey jack cheese sauce, garlic mayo and slaw
• Chili Cheeseburger: Steak burger topped with chili, cheddar cheese and onion rings
• Cuban Burger: Steak burger topped with smoked ham, monterey jack, pickles and spicy brown mustard
• Steak Cheeseburger: Steak burger topped with cheddar cheese

Loaded Waffle Fries

• Loaded Carnitas Waffle Fries: Waffle fries topped with pulled pork, sharp cheddar and slaw
• Loaded Smokey Brisket Waffle Fries: Waffle fries topped with beef brisket, sharp cheddar and slaw

Anthony Broome / Maize n Brew

I’m a sucker for a good waffle fry and these were great. Not the biggest slaw fan in the world, but the brisket was pretty good as well. Never a combo I would have considered but it was the first thing I grabbed and arguably the most memorable.

• Loaded Gyro Waffle Fries: Waffle fries topped with gyro meat, monterey jack cheese sauce, fire roasted salsa and feta cheese
• Loaded Philly Cheese Steak Waffle Fries: Waffle fries topped with Philly steak, sharp cheddar sauce and slaw
• Loaded Barbacoa Fries: Mango habanero-seasoned waffle fries topped with barbacoa, jalapeno cheese sauce, peppers, onions and jalapenos

Tot Spot

• Classic Totchos: Tater tots with nacho cheese, bacon bits, green onion, diced tomatoes, diced onions
• Meat Lovers Totchos: Tots with pepperoni and bacon bits
• Pulled Pork Slaw Totchos: Exactly what they say they are
• Chili Cheese Totchos: Same as above

New Fan Favorites

• Pure Michigan Stand: New items that will include corridor maple cherry sausage (which I tried, but forgot to get a picture of, but it was good!), Dearborn Sausage coney dog, Cherry Republic iced imperial pretzels
• Fried Avocado Tacos: Green chili ranch, honey-lime slaw, black refried beans and pico
• Fuku Spicy Chicken Sandwich: Habanero thigh, pickles, FUKU butter on a potato bun
• White Bean Chicken Chili Walking Taco: Fritos, white chicken chili, shredded cheese, bruschetta

Anthony Broome / Maize n Brew

To quote the great Han Solo, “She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid.” That applies here. The walking taco is a Little League Baseball concession stand classic but never has been as glamorous, or delicious, as this. It may not look pretty and it will sit heavy, but I approve. Especially if you need to kill a buzz somewhere along the line on gameday.

• Red Pepper Hummus Bites: Comes with tzatiziki sauce
• Gouda Mac and Cheese Bites: Creamy Gouda and macaroni noodles deep fried
• Impossible Burger: Ok, so I want to take a few seconds here to break this down. It looks like meat. It tastes exactly like meat. Apparently it can do all of the things meat can do. But it’s plant-based protein. I would have never known this was not beef if I was not aware of what I was eating today. The hype on these are real. Forgot to take a picture, but I did try this and enjoy it quite a bit.
• Gluten-free Beyond Hot Italian Sausage: Fresh plant-based sausage that “looks, sizzles, and satisfies like pork.

Suite Services New Items

This is the stuff that unfortunately, most of our readers will not have access to if you have a general game ticket, but I took one for the team on Thursday and you can now live vicariously through me. Same rules apply as above.

• Germack Trail Mix: Roasted fancy nuts, bacon and cheddar snack mix and Maize and Blue chocolates. You know what trail mix looks and tastes like. I tried this but did not feel I needed to take a picture of it.
• 7-Layer Dip: Guac, refried beans, black beans, pico de gallo, black olives, cheddar, sour cream and scallions
• Maize Corn Dip: Cheesy sweet corn dip serve with blue corn tortilla chips
• Kicken Chicken Egg Rolls: Mini crispy buffalo chicken egg rolls served with bleu cheese and ranch
• Chicken Quesadilla: Seasoned chicken, colby jack cheese in a grilled tortilla served with pico, sour cream and guac
• Caprese Bread: Blistered tomato, basil and smoked mozzarella served on toasted baguette
• Pierogies: Potato and cheese pierogies topped with applewood smoked bacon and caramelized onion and a side of jalapenos and sour cream

Anthony Broome / Maize n Brew

As someone of part-Polish descent, I can forgive the fact that the proper plural form is actually pierogi (the singular is pierog, which is rarely used because nobody ever just eats or is served just one) because these absolutely ruled and were delicious.

• Asian Crab Cakes: Jumbo lump crab, scallions, giner and fresh lime, golden fried and served with sriracha aiolo
• Thai Crunch Salad: Bok choy and crisp vegetables, rice noodles and sesame dressing
• Provencal Potato Salad: Roasted fingerling potatoes lightly dressed with mustard vinaigrette tossed with green beans, onion and tomato
• Big House Chili Con Carne: Chipotle chili, sirloin steak, chorizo sausage, tomatoes, onions, peppers and beans
• Pork Carnitas Tacos: Pulled pork with avocado slaw, spicy aioli and fresh local tortilla shells
• Beef Sliders: Special in-house hand-pattied beef blend served on soft rolls with caramelized onion and sharp cheddar
• BBQ Beef: Braised beef tossed with sweet and smokey BBQ sauce served with crispy onions and soft rolls
• Sweet Potato Stack: Marinated grilled veggies served on a wheat roll with lemon garlic hummus, sliced avocado, sweet potatoes, arugula and goat cheese

Local Food Trucks and Tastes on Site

• Dearborn Sausage
• Big C’s Smoked BBQ
• Bearclaw Coffee Co.
• Ben’s Soft Pretzels
• Carvel
• Cherry Republic
• Cottage Inn Pizza
• Fuku
• Cynt-Sational Eats
• Fun Food Concessions
• Kona Ice
• Absopure Water
• McLure’s Pickles
• Modern Greek and Salad Bar
• Street Eats
• Ray’s Red Hots
• Heavenly Delights
• Which Wich

Overall, it was pretty neat to play food blogger for the day. Most of this stuff some of us will never get the chance to even get a whiff of, let alone taste, so to give some of it a try was delicious and also food coma-inducing. Not included here was the Cherry Cheesecake that I tried which probably put me over the edge for the rest of the day.

I would say this as it pertains to stadium food. If you are already going to pay a ridiculous price to get a soft pretzel that may or may not be stale or popcorn that could be sitting around, just go to one of the food trucks and spent the extra money if you have to eat there. But if the pretzel shuts your kid up, by all means, grabbing that is what is going to be best for everyone.