Birria grilled cheese? What to know about the new Dodger Stadium postseason menu

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Dodgers fans in Los Angeles — the postseason. And if you’re blessed enough to get seats at Dodger Stadium this October, it will also be decision-time for you and fellow fans on what to eat if you’re in the mood to try something totally new.

Will that be the birria grilled cheese sandwich or the lomo saltado fries?

With the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, executive chef Ryan Evans this week introduced the two new items. Each year, the stadium rolls out new menu options for the postseason run, introducing dishes with each step forward, hopefully all the way to the World Series.

“We do five specials for the full playoff series,” Evans told me from the bleachers behind right field at Game 2 on Wednesday. “We do two for the LDS [League Division Series], add one for the LCS [League Championship Series], and do two, like blown-out crazy, for the World Series. We won’t announce it until we go.”

Each new item, he added, will be available throughout the course of the postseason.

Birria Grilled Cheese (Introduced in NLDS)

Birria dominates in the food currents of Los Angeles, that much is clear. Evans said he wanted to tap into that vibe with this creation. The sandwich delivers: soft and satisfying, with birria meat that is ideally seasoned and served with a cup of consommé on the side that I used for dipping.

My grilled cheese sandwich disappeared, devoured, in less than a minute. I could do two more of these, I thought, especially around the fourth or fifth inning.

My verdict? Home run!

Lomo saltado fries (Introduced in NLDS)

The lomo saltado fries, served in a batting helmet.

(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)

Lomo saltado, considered one of the national dishes of Peru and arguably neighboring nations who’ve adopted it, is also popping up more and more in Southern California, though it is by no means a new arrival. Peruvian chefs in L.A. have long served the hearty dish of sirloin steak strips with grilled onions and tomatoes, over fries and rice. It is a terrific entree, but not easy to pull off successfully (as I’ve seen it made step-by-step by South American natives).

At Dodger Stadium, Evans’ team serves up the fries (no rice) in a mini batting helmet and adds red bell pepper instead of tomato, topped with a requisite green aji sauce and chopped cilantro. But as I tried it, I was reminded that this dish must be served with near-perfect timing — especially with fries involved. That might be too tall an order in a fast-paced setting like a stadium. The steak in my helmet was lukewarm and bit too charred. The fries were right, though.

My verdict? A double.

Ryan Evans, Dodger Stadium senior executive chef, behind the outfield at Game 2 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday.

(Daniel Hernandez / Los Angeles Times)

Evans is a stadium-food veteran. He’s been at Dodger Stadium for seven years, and previously worked with the Anaheim Angels, the Seattle Mariners and the San Francisco 49ers. In L.A., he said his team is inspired by the communities that thrive around Chavez Ravine.

“I’m a stadium guy, just the atmosphere, look at it,” he said. “Coming here, meeting new people, new friends, meeting the fans. Me and my chefs go out and eat all around the stadium, and we try to take little parts of different areas.”

If the Dodgers advance, check back in this space for updates on new menu items as they become available. The next possible chance to try the first two items would be during a Game 5 on Sunday, if necessary, back in Los Angeles.