He's an all-star on the field and is not shy when it comes to social media. But did you know one of your favorite Orioles players, Adam Jones, is also a stand out in the kitchen?
For this year's CareFirst Fan Challenge, the theme was ballpark food. Adam Jones chose Kevin and Liz Irish of The Local Fry in Federal Hill to go head-to-head with him in a cooking challenge. Challenge accepted!
Who: Adam Jones, center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles vs. Kevin and Liz Irish, owners of the The Local Fry
Where: Dempsey's Brew Pub and Restaurant at Camden Yards
When: August 3, the day after the Orioles defeat the Rangers 5-1
Why: Because who doesn't like fries covered in anything you could possibly think of?
Adam had some tough competition. Kevin and Liz Irish are known for creating entire meals on top of a bed of fries, using influences from their travels around the world. They know what they're doing, but Adam is not one to be discounted. He's a talent on the field and he has talent in the kitchen too.
For the competition, Adam made what I'll describe as taco fries. Beef topped with lettuce, guacamole salsa and cheese. Solid.
Kevin and Liz made TWO dishes (double the deliciousness). One was their Bulgogi (Korean BBQ ribeye) fries with pickled red onions, crema, scallions and toasted sesame seeds. The other was jerk chicken fries with coleslaw and mango salsa.
Let's introduce the judges real quick. First, Chef Bryce Taylor, an amazing young chef who you may recognize from Chopped: Junior on Food Network. Next, Chef Chad Gauss from the Food Market. And finally, Orioles pitcher Zach Britton, who promised that the fact that he has to spend hours each day on the field with Adam wouldn't taint his opinion.
The judges certainly had a difficult task on their hand. In the end, Taylor and Gauss went with Adam and Britton's vote simply said #StayHungry (a Twitter motto of Adam's).
A fun food battle in Camden Yards, and who knows, perhaps we'll see the AJ Taco Fry on the Local Fry's menu.
Follow us for fun tweets about food! And booze! And puppies! Well, not puppies, we'll save that for our personal Twitter accounts. But for all the other stuff, follow us @TasteBudsABC2
