All the new food at Minute Maid Park this season

BBQ Burger

Grilled beef patty served on a jalapeno cheddar bun with onion rings, bacon, jalpeno slaw, and BBQ sauce Texas Legends Grill (Section 134) Browse through the photos for more menu items available at Minute Maid Park in 2018. less BBQ Burger

Grilled beef patty served on a jalapeno cheddar bun with onion rings, bacon, jalpeno slaw, and BBQ sauce Texas Legends Grill (Section 134) Browse through the photos for more menu items available at ... more Photo: Demetrio Teniente Photo: Demetrio Teniente Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close All the new food at Minute Maid Park this season 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Aramark Executive Chef Dominic Soucie and the Astros are not playing around in the kitchen this season, but that's not really anything new.

Chef Soucie and Aramark have been providing fans at Minute Maid Park with delicious ballpark food for a while now...they're just adding some new wrinkles to their game for 2018.

"It's funny, a week ago everyone was feeling like it is going to be a great season and now we are really amped up for it," Soucie said. "You can see the light in people's eyes and the smiles on their faces. Whether it is the culinary staff from the Astros side or people coming to the park for tours--everyone is excited for this season and excited for the chance to bring another championship home to Houston."

Friday afternoon, media members had the opportunity to sample some of the new menu items that will be available at Minute Maid this season. Along with items available at general concession stands, Soucie and Aramark rolled out menu items from Torchy's Tacos, Osso & Kristalla, DAT Creole, Jackson Street BBQ, and Brew House Tiers.

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"I'm very happy with the partnership we've done with DAT Creole, Osso & Kristalla; they're making some great dishes up there on club level for fans to come see," Soucie said.

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Earlier this year, Soucie said his goal was to create a unique experience for fans, that resonates throughout the entire ballpark. That means providing unique and great tasting food everywhere, not just in the suites.

Soucie made sure that foods like the BBQ Burger (Soucie's personal favorite), the Haute Dog, and 'Jane Dough' Cookie Dough can be found all over Minute Maid.

"We have a few places, like Osso & Kristalla, that are only on club level because that's where the restaurant is built and you can only put so many restaurants in so many places," Soucie said. "But as far as the fan experience, they have way more options than they have ever had. Osso & Kristalla is really the only one you can't get with a general fan ticket. The main concourse, the upper concourse--all of these (other) foods are there. This is something you can get whether you have a standing room ticker or are up in a luxury box; you can have that same experience."

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Another big point of emphasis for Soucie and Aramark is to prepare these new dishes as quickly as possible, because while the food is certainly worth the wait, long lines that are slow to move are not what this chef wants to see.

"Just like anything else, when you first open up it's going to be an interesting start," Soucie said. "It's still going to be good, and as we hit Games 2 and 3 everyone will get into their vibe and come flying through. We've really developed a good system here where we can make things fresh in the building and ship it to the location it is going to be served out of. We want to give them their food, get them fed and get them the happy belly that they want, but we also want them to enjoy the game."

One item that might stand out to people is the .45 Express taco, which is made with a Nolan Ryan hot dog and is topped with hot Cheetos, green chili queso, tortilla strips chees, pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, and is served on a corn tortilla inside a flour tortilla.

"Nolan Ryan is the king," Soucie said. "Anytime it's going to involve Nolan Ryan's product or his name, we have to bring it to another level. You can't just put it out there--this is Nolan Ryan. So we're adding all this chopped brisket--also Nolan Ryan chopped brisket--giving it some sauce and pickles to make that Houston flair with a Texas-centric feel. Anytime you put his name on it, you have to make sure it's top-shelf."

Browse through the photos above for a look at some of the new menu items you'll be able to eat at Minute Maid Park this season.