Hrbek's Pub
Going Back to the College Days
Target Field, Minneapolis - MN
Journey Date: 4.15.15
Bloody Name: College Daze Bloody Mary
Price: $19 a serious investment
Skewer: A slice of pepperoni pizza, beef stick, pickle spear, olive, cubes of cheddar and pepper jack cheese, banana pepper and celery
Mix: Ocean Spray Bloody Mary mix with their house made garlic and pepper infused vodka
Overall Presentation: Awesome. It had everything I wanted in Bloody and a slice of pizza! What else do you need?
Chaser: 8 oz. Bud Light
The Review: On this Journey I found myself at Target Field enjoying America’s favorite past time. With the boys not starting the season off strong, my number one reason to be at the ballpark was not to become immersed in a 9-inning game. Rather, I was looking high and low throughout the stadium to find the infamous Bloody Mary that they had been working to perfect in the off-season. Apparently there’s a slice of cold pizza on the skewer! This is a game changer if I’ve ever heard of one!
Through some Googling and Instagram searches I found the home of this bad boy at none other than Hrbek’s Pub. I mean it makes sense. This World Series winning first baseman loved food and libations so this unique Bloody only seemed fitting.
Once I managed to get to the bar I ordered the Bloody and I had a tough choice. Bloody Mary with a slice of cold pizza? OR Bacon cheeseburger? I opted for the pizza, of course. Once I handed over my first born… I mean $19, they went to work. I watched as the bartender put together this monster and grew a bit concerned. They poured their vodka out of a pinnacle bottle. I asked them about it and came to find it was infused with garlic and peppers and just put into a pinnacle bottle for ease of pouring. I breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that. However the bartender then began to pour the mix out of an Ocean Spray bottle. Yes, nothing fancy with the mix, just straight out of the bottle. I wasn’t going to get hung up and needed to go into this taste test with an open mind.
The skewer came out with the cold pizza and a few other standard components including cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, banana pepper, pickle, beef stick and a celery stock. Of course to be expected, I was given a light beer. But in a little 8 oz Bud Light can. I was impressed with the overall presentation and ready to dig in!
Once I was able to bring my Bloody to a place to have some alone time I got right to it. First I had to try the pizza, which was… meh. The pizza was just a thin crust pepperoni and really didn’t look close to what the Twins Instagram had posted. It was for sure Jack’s pizza; nothing special, and frankly I was hoping for something a little more. At this point I was wishing I had ordered the one with a bacon cheeseburger.
Regardless, I got into the rest of the Bloody and was pleasantly surprised. The actual Bloody Mary was pretty darn good. I have no idea what they did with the vodka, but wow. The blend of the ocean spray Bloody Mary mix and the infused vodka made for an awesome taste. A perfectly balanced sweet and savory taste with hints of garlic. Followed by a little heat at the end, which must have been from the spicy peppers. I was a big fan and really impressed with how it all came together. Sometimes there’s a lot of hype around food at the ballpark and while the cold pizza slice was a bit of a let down, the actual Bloody was awesome. If it weren’t the same price as a standing room only ticket I would have considered another!
Overall I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 pickles. The pizza could have been better and they could have been a little more reasonable with the price. I guess you pay the mark up price at the ballpark so I’ll let it slide. I still highly recommend getting one and feel it’s a great pairing for a day game or if you’re looking to have a nice snack while you watch Twins push for another W. If you’re willing to go to bat and dish out the money I would highly recommend drafting this one!
RATING:
