Foodies aren’t forgotten at Hodgetown

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Hodgetown, Amarillo’s home to the Double-A baseball affiliate Sod Poodles, boasts a myriad of treats to eat while you partake in the game, with players either home or away.

“The ballpark is full of food and hospitality,” said Tony Ensor, Amarillo Sod Poodles president and general manager. “When you go to a ball game, half the fun is obviously seeing the game on the field, but it’s also all the great food that you can get in the ballpark. We have everything from a three pound hamburger, to mountain nachos, nachos in helmet, fried Twinkies, every brat, hot dog or sausage you can think of; we have so many menu items, it’s unbelievable.”

Ensor said a complete list of all the edible items Hodgetown offers, including some salads for the health conscious, is eight pages long.

Several standalone beer carts line the concourse, where there are more than six eateries, including local favorite Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and national chain Chick-Fil-A; and it wouldn’t be Texas without tea, like at HTeaO, a subsidiary of Texas Tea.

“We have a great partnership with Dickey’s, HTeaO and Chick-Fil-A,” Ensor said. “We’ve got all kinds of local flavors, and that’s something the community has come to expect -- they want to get their local things too and also try some of the crazy, zany, things we have in the ballpark.”

“Being at the ballpark is a great experience,” said Cowboy Mock of HTeaO. “It compliments our vibe. We’re all about people -- we’re kind of an outdoorsy, healthy kind of club, and we hope we can give somebody an alternative to drinking beer all day.”

Tyson Leyba, general manager of the franchised Dickey’s Barbecue, said being at the ballpark is a great opportunity.

“We have some staples here -- the Frito pie, the mac stack (and) the chopped brisket sandwich, ” he said. “We’ve also done something a little different with our sausage on a stick and sausage wraps. It’s unique just for the ballpark experience.”

The mac stack from Dickey’s caught the attention of patron Casey Lish.

“It’s Texas; when they’ve got ballpark food like the mac stack, you’ve got to check it out,” he said. “It tastes great! I’ve never even thought about this (recipe), but I’m going to go home and make that for my family because it was awesome!”

Steve Abrahamson couldn’t resist the Super Soddies Nacho Helmet.

“I’m eating nachos in a hat,” he said. “I looked around and saw all the other people eating it, and it looked good, plus I wanted the hat.”

Abrahamson said the dish didn’t disappoint.

“It was all very good,” he said. “I’ve not had nachos that were much better. The only thing is, it could’ve had a little more meat, but otherwise, it was awesome.”

Still to come, Bar 352, just off of left field, will debut Monday evening.

“Whether you’re a hardcore baseball fan or not,” Ensor said, “you’re a fan of coming out, having great food, with an ice cold beer or cold sodas -- literally the best food that you can find anywhere in the area in an affordable venue.”