Quesadilla burger, corn in a cup, and Desert Oak flautas are new items at El Paso Chihuahuas

The 11th season of the El Paso Chihuahuas has officially begun, and with it, a slew of heavy hitters on the first concourse — the ballpark food!

More than 7,000 fans filed into Southwest University Park on April 2, and many eventually made their way to line up for their favorite meals and snacks, including burgers, hot dogs, nachos and ice cream.

Ahead of the game on Friday, April 5, we talked to Chef Maria Barragan-Hurtado about her 11 years with the team and the challenge of continuously creating a menu for each season that brings back favorites like the Jalapeño Popper Burger but also provides some new surprises or tweaks.

This year, the Chihuahuas culinary team has made an extra effort to bring in more local vendors and provide that exposure to their baseball fans. One of its first partnerships was with La Posta de Mesilla, meaning it will be the official salsa partner at the park.

Desert Oak BBQ, known for its barbecued meats and sides, and Gozo's Ice Cream, also from El Paso, are new vendors on the concourse this year. Vista Market also provides the brisket that is used for the nachos, a popular game meal.

"Being able to bring outside vendors with their different products and that we're able to collaborate with — we're able to be more creative in building different menu items," Barragan-Hurtado said.

Among the 10 or so new items this year are healthy options like turkey burgers, lettuce wraps, chicken fajitas and black bean corn salad.

After getting a food tour of the new items, here are seven of the new, must-try items at an El Paso Chihuahuas game. And you should be able to find most on the concourse, between home plate and first.

Quesadilla hamburger

It's a good surprise to find that the hamburger patty is actually sandwiched between two flour and Monterrey Jack quesadillas instead of buns. It makes it less bulky and can eaten in a couple of ways.

You can grab the whole thing, including the shredded lettuce, sour cream and pico de gallo. We liked tearing pieces of the quesadilla and using it to grab the patty and fixings. All of the burgers are paired with kettle chips this year, so they can be enjoyed with the pico de gallo as well. And if you have to share with a kid, they will love taking the quesadillas off your hands.

It was one of our favorites for new menu items. Cost: $17.50.

Corn in a Cup

Desert Oak BBQ has amplified the fun and flavor of the popular El Paso summer treat, corn in a cup.

It may start with canned sweet corn, but the sunny carb is sauteed in butter with onions and then layered about three-quarters in a 24-ounce souvenir cup with homemade queso fresco, Cholula, cilantro mayo and brisket (yes, you heard right).

Of all the new menu items, I found this to be the most creative and fun to eat. I would definitely start with that on another game night. My friend, however, would order it without the Cholula as she is not a spice girl.

Cost: $12.50.

Dog Bowl Brisket Nachos

This year, the Dog Bowl brisket nachos feature meat from Vista Supermarkets. The tray starts with a layer of crunchy tortilla chips covered with chile con queso (not spicy), shredded brisket, shredded lettuce and chile de arbol on the side. If you like a good kick, the chile de arbol sauce is a real winner.

Nachos are always a great ballpark choice because they are easy to eat, a fun snack and a filling meal with protein. And when it comes with its own souvenir dog bowl — don't resist. Cost: $22.50.

Chihuahua Dogs

The Chihuahua Dog combines some of the favorite ingredients of other hot dogs from the past. The bacon-wrapped wiener is nestled in a warm bun and topped with pinto beans, nacho cheese, ketchup and mustard, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream.

The combination of the beans, pico de gallo and other fresh ingredients on the hot dog, along with a good dollop of mustard, makes this a great choice for a game night meal.

It's also a good bargain at $11.25.

Desert Oak BBQ flautas

Desert Oak BBQ brings something different to the ballpark with its four crunchy flutes, each filled with smoked pork, smothered in a smoky tomato and cheese sauce, topped with shredded lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo and jalapeño crema.

Use those plastic forks to poke one end and drag it through the cheese sauce before making its way to your hungry mouth.

Flautas may not seem like a typical game food, but if you're a Mexican food aficionado, these flautas should do the trick. They are also economical at $12.

Frozen, chocolate-covered bananas

You have to leave room for dessert or come back during the 7th inning to get the frozen, chocolate-covered bananas. You can pick between it being covered in peanut pieces or sprinkles.

I was surprised at how delicious this combination on a stick was. It started off a little hard to bite into since it's frozen. But walking back to your seats should give it time to start softening enough to enjoy a big bite.

This should be a best seller during the hottest part of the summer. Cost: $6.60 with sprinkles or $7 with nuts.

Gozo's Ice Cream

Formerly called Howdy Homemade Ice Cream, Gozo's Ice Cream is a great addition to the ballpark. The business, which is also in Downtown El Paso, helps young people with disabilities acquire work experience.

Gozo's offers cups of homemade ice cream in different flavors. We tried Cold Brew and Cookies ice cream, which is like Cookies and Cream but with a coffee flavor. Other flavors are strawberries, non-dairy, mango sorbet and Loco Choco (three different chocolates: Hershey's, Abuelita's, and Dark Chocolate flakes). There are different toppings available: Chip A'hoys, M&Ms, gummies, peanuts and Butterfinger pieces.

Single serving ice cream with a topping starts at $7, in a cone it's $8.

It's the perfect ending to a great evening at the ballpark.

More: 'It's a rebirth': El Paso Chihuahuas open 2024 home season

María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150, mcortes@elpasotimes.com and @EPTMaria on Twitter, and eptmariacg on TikTok. USAToday contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Must-try ballpark food during an El Paso Chihuahuas baseball game