A look at the new menu options for the 2019 season.

Friday afternoon before the Detroit Lions held their scrimmage at Ford Field, the team unveiled their new food options for 2019 home games.

This year, instead of going for the gimmicky try-it-once-and-never-again options, executive chef Tim Hendren wanted to up the quality of classic sporting event treats. And much like last year, there was an emphasis put on using locally-sourced food to support Michigan companies.

So without further ado, here are the new menu options Ford Field be offering for the 2019 season.

Mitten Mashed

Description: A loaded potato cart, where you build your own one-pound stuffed potato.
Price: $11.50-12.50
Location: Section 119
Flavors: First, you choose your style of potato: russet, sweet, or just a pile of mashed potatoes. Then there are three style of filling to choose from:

• Loaded: bacon, butter, sour cream, scallions, cheddar cheese
• Detroit (coney) style: Coney sauce, diced onions, mustard, cheddar cheese
• BBQ chicken: smoked chicken, BBQ sauce, scallions and cheddar cheese

Review: I had a sweet potato with BBQ chicken and I have to say I don’t know what I was doing all my life not eating more loaded sweet potatoes. The smooth, creamy sweet potato worked extremely well with the bold BBQ sauce flavor. 8/10.

Locally-sourced beef burger

Description: Using locally sourced beef from Ferndale, this year’s burger features a load of customizable options, including avocado, mushrooms, fried or caramelized onions, pickled jalapenos or bacon.
Price: $11.50 single patty, $13.50 double; Also, an only-cheese version is available for $5.00 during Power Hour (first hour after gates open)
Location: Bud Light Party Zone (Section 239 - Gate B)
Review: Did not try

Nashville Hot Chicken Loaded Fries

Description: Fries topped with smoked Hot Chicken, bacon, honey and pickled jalapeno relish
Price: $13
Location: Crown Royal Corner Bar (Section 224 - Gate E)
Review: I wanted a little more heat from this dish, but I love this combination of flavor and would definitely get this again. 7/10.

Hancho Nachos

Description: Nachos covered in chipotle cheese sauce, tomatoes, pickled chillies and scallions
Price: $14
Flavors: Can be topped with Korean pulled pork, “taco night beef,” chicken tinga or vegetarian
Location: Main Street—Section 133
Review: Tough to say, because I didn’t have them fresh. But these nachos didn’t really distinguish them from any other nachos. I had the pulled pork version, and the meat was definitely the highlight of the dish. 5/10.

Hancho also offers 2 tacos for $10 and a burrito for $12 with the same meat options as the nachos. I did not try either.

Wahlburgers

Description: The popular restaurant chain offers plenty of options, from burgers and fries to cupcakes to tater tots.
Price: $13 for one of three different variety of burger
Flavors:

• Our Burger: lettuce, tomato, onion, American cheese, pickles, homemade “Wahl” sauce
• Thanksgiving Turkey Burger: ground turkey patty, stuffing, mayo, orange cranberry sauce, roasted butternut squash
• BBQ Bacon: white cheddar cheese, bacon, jalapenos, BBQ sauce and avocado spread

Location: Club level only (2 separate locations)
Review: I had the BBQ bacon burger, and despite my skepticism of BBQ sauce and avocado spread, it was delicious. The patty was also cooked perfectly and seasoned nicely. 8.5/10.

I also had a bumpy cake cupcake that was smooth and creamy. They also offered a red velvet option.

Beef Jerky

Description: It’s beef jerky. It’s produced using local beef.
Price: $8.50
Location: Crown Royal Corner Bar (Section 224 - Gate E)
Review: If you’re a fan of beef jerky, you are going to love this. It’s done perfectly. Still a little moist, extra chewy and melts in your mouth. If the portion seen above is the actual amount of beef jerky you get for $8.50, this is easily the best bang for your buck in the entire stadium—maybe in the entire history of sports concessions. 9/10.

Duo Waffle Tacos

Description: A taco served in a sweet, soft waffle shell with two different styles: Nashville Hot Chicken and Peppered Bacon BLT
Price: 2 tacos for $12.50
Flavors:

• Nashville Hot Chicken: hot chicken, pickle relish, peppers with honey hot sauce
• Peppered Bacon BLT: bacon, lettuce and tomato with maple aioli

Location: South Club level only
Review: It’s a damn shame this is a club level only food. This was easily the best offering of the night. I had the Nashville Hot Chicken taco and it was everything it promised to be. It was the perfect level of heat—not too hot to where you’re crying at a football game, but enough to keep the spicy-lovers happy. The syrup infused shell worked in perfect balance of the heat. And the pickled relish offered a nice complement to the overall flavor. If you’re lucky enough to have club-level seat, these are an absolute must. Maybe every single week. 10/10

Other food items:

• “Upgraded” Chicken tenders: $11.50 with fries and dipping sauce. Located at the Tailgate Grill (Sections 119, 135, 219, 235, 242)
• Smoked Chicken wings: $14 with barrel chips. Choice of BBQ, buffalo or chipotle lime dry rub. Located at the Crown Royal Corner Bar (Section 224 - Gate E).

Adult beverages

Drinks of the Game

This year, the Lions will be featuring a different cocktail and craft beer for each game. It’s a neat idea for beer connoisseurs and cocktail bar enthusiasts. Prices will vary depending on the selection of the week, but supplies will be very limited. You can check out the Beer of the Game near section 125.

As for the weekly cocktails, those will be available in various locations. I tried both the Rum Punch and the Leaping Lion, which were both dangerously easily to drink. The Leaping Lions will be available for $5 during Power Hour.

$5 beers

This year, the Lions are expanding their offerings of $5 beers to 20 different locations throughout the entire stadium. This is an all-game offering, not a Power Hour special.