Heyl: Kennywood's New Menu Choices Include Broccoli, Barbecue And Silly-Looking Sandwiches

Kennywood offers many twists and turns, particularly on rides such as the Sky Rocket that twist and turn you upside down. On Friday, the storied amusement park provided me with an unusual twist even with none of the rides operating.

I took my first stab at being an amusement park dining critic.

Kennywood officials had invited me to a media preview day to sample its new culinary offerings. The offer came after I wrote a column last week questioning the park’s wisdom in offering healthier dining options this year.

Specifically, I wondered why the Kiddieland Snack-A-Saurus menu had been turned over to an outfit called Bean Sprouts Cafe. This hipster California company serves its entrees with organic applesauce and what I considered to be an edible affront to any child in Kiddieland: veggie tots.

“I saw that you wrote about the veggie tots,” cafe co-founder Shannon Seip said as she filled a small cup with them. “You should try them.”

I eyed the cup suspiciously. The contents looked like ordinary tater tots, but I knew they had been contaminated by nutrition. Lots of nutrition. I put one in my mouth and chewed tentatively. They sort of tasted like regular tots. That is, if regular tots were made with...-

“Broccoli?” I asked.

“That’s right,” she said. “We also have them with cauliflower and carrots.” Which, of course, are the preferred snack options of most kids, right?

I went to an adjoining table where on display was a grilled cheese and hormone-free turkey sandwiches called a Grilledzilla.

The sandwich had cute cucumber eyes and had been sliced in a jagged manner that gave it what I considered to be a mocking grin. I glanced over at Seip, hoping she was busy talking to another reporter and thus wouldn’t notice when I wiped the smile right off the face of that gluten-free son of a - WAIT, WAS THAT POTATO PATCH POUTINE?

I spied it out of the corner of my eye and raced to the nearby table, where I sampled the new twist Kennywood has put on its signature French fries. You could get them previously with gravy, but the park has now added the cheese curds to make it genuine poutine. It’s delectable.

But the most significant addition to Kennywood cuisine this year might be The Swhinery, a barbecue company based in the Harmony Ridge Golf Club in Ambridge. Greg Paul, a partner in the venture, was displaying so many of the large national trophies that he and chef Leonard Verosky have won that the trays of Swhinery food would have been easy to overlook - if not for the intoxicating smells coming from them.

“Pulled pork is our best seller, but we’ll also have ribs, pulled chicken, brisket, chili,” Paul said. “And everything we do here will be made fresh on-site.”

Nothing against the broccoli offerings at the Snack-A-Saurus. But the Potato Patch poutine and delicious Swhinery items probably will sell better because they give patrons they type of snacks they expect when they come to Kennywood.

Food that’s bad for your health, but good in your mouth.

Eric Heyl is Patch's Pittsburgh field editor. Reach him at 412-334-4033 or Eric.Heyl@Patch.com.

Photos of Grilledzilla, veggie tots, Potato Patch poutine and Swhinery sample by Eric Heyl/Patch staff.

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