What do baseball stadiums and apple slices have in common? Garlic Fries!
A couple months ago, while in Seattle, Jim and I decided it was high time we begun our conquest to visit all of the baseball stadiums in the United States by going to a Mariners game. A good friend of ours, upon finding out we would be visiting Seattle’s Safeco Field, told us that we must try the garlic fries and ask for apple slices on the side. “What?” This was the first thought that popped into my mind as I contemplated whether or not he was just joking and seeing if we would really order something as silly as that. I, in fact, asked “Is he serious?” After thinking it over I realized he would not lead us astray, but I still could not quite wrap my mind around the idea of eating garlic fries and apple slices together.
While scoping out Safeco before the game started, Jim and I quickly came upon a huge line at Grounders World Famous Garlic Fries. I really had no concept in my mind as to what garlic fries would be other than some greasy spuds sprinkled with a dash of garlic powder. I remember awkwardly watching people walk away from the stand, garlic fries in hand, trying to get some sort of glimpse as to what we were in for. All I remember was seeing the look of elation on the faces of those who had finally received their prize after waiting in line. They must be worth it!
Soon it was our turn to order and we have specifically been instructed to order ours with apples slices on the side. The guy taking our order called grabbed our order of fries and walked it to the back of the stand. I do have to say that at this point I was a little nervous. Nobody else in line was asking for apple slices and the fruit was clearly kept in the back. It did put my mind somewhat at east however knowing that the guy acted perfectly normal when we ordered apple slices.
We soon had our fries, apples included, and headed off to our seats. Now, I am one who likes a meal where bread or chips and salsa are served right when you sit down. Instant gratification when it comes to food can be a bit of a weakness for me. After smelling the fries, holding the little basket warm in my hand, and thinking about the huge amount of fresh garlic I could see on top, my hand involuntarily reached for a fry for the tasting. It may seem like Jim was an innocent bystander in this situation, but we did reach at the same time, and tasted this new food together. Because walking and eating is not the best idea, we decided to wait and try the apple slices with the fries once we were at our seat.
Wow! Garlic lovers unite and take a trip to Grounders. These were incredible fries. They did in fact have a lot of fresh garlic on them and were salted and greased to perfection. We decided to sample a garlic fry and an apple in the same bite. The excitement was building as we both bit in at the same time. I do have to say, WOW, again. I was so surprised at the combination of the sweet apple, the salty fries, and the garlic. Let’s just say that Seattle, Safeco Field, Grounders, and our good friend all scored a million points that night.
Check out the the Seattle Weekly for Grounder’s World Famous Garlic Fries, in the Best of 2009.
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