Gut check.

Byline: Mark Baker The Register-Guard

Eric Brandt puts a sample in his mouth and lets his palate take a reading.

`(I'm) getting something on the back of my tongue," he declares, thoughtfully. You'd think the University of Oregon athletic department's food and hospitality director was taking part in a wine tasting. Instead, Brandt is ingesting his first Polish dog at rival Oregon State University's Reser Stadium on a recent Saturday.

"I have to tell you, I think their dog and their sausage are as good as ours," Brandt says, licking the Oregon State Stone Ground Mustard from his lips.

This might be Civil War week in the Willamette Valley, but this is a tale about the Wiener War between the Ducks and the Beavers. Actually, it's not really a food fight, but we thought we'd compare the menus at each school's football stadium, nonetheless.

The number of seats is not the only aspect of each stadium that has expanded recently - UO's Autzen Stadium was remodeled three years ago while Reser was remodeled this past year. The menus have grown as well.

Gone are the days of having a choice of only hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, soda and candy. And while the core menu for the average fan isn't as extensive at OSU as it is at UO, there are many tasty treats to behold.

"We just wanted to make sure, this first year, that we could service the customers," says Tom Winter, the general manager for OSU's concessions. OSU's food service is run by a France-based company called Sodexho but, alas, there are no escargot or crepes suzette on the menu.

With that, let's find out exactly how the West Coast's longest-running rivalry would play out Saturday if the Ducks and Beavers battled each other - item-to-item - at the concession stands:

Top Dogs: UO's All-American Hot Dog ($3.50) vs. OSU's Beaver Dog ($3). The UO's dog is classic ballpark fare. It's a pork-and-beef combo made by Armour. And just to show how much the UO cares about your hot dog experience, Brandt and his two food lieutenants in the athletic department, food services general manager John Sargeant and hospitality general manager Jeff Nunes, tasted 11 different hot dogs this summer to find the best recruit to replace a veteran dog of the past few seasons. However, the Beaver Dog is not only 50 cents less, it's seriously tasty without being too greasy. Also made by Armour, it's an all-beef dog that OSU fans have been clogging their arteries with for years. Touchdown, Beavers. OSU takes a 7-0 first quarter lead.

Something stronger: UO's Great Oregon Sausage ($4.50) vs. OSU's Polish Dog ($4): "I think it's bland," Sargeant says after a bite. Brandt disagrees and finds it as tasty as the Ducks' sausage. We say it's a tie, but again, the Beavs' is a better price. Field goal, Beavers. 10-0, OSU.

Brat pack: UO's German-style Bratwurst ($7) vs. OSU's Brat ($5). Oregon State's bratwurst came in a perfect bun and was wrapped in wax paper that let the moisture escape without drying it out. But the casing was a bit crunchier than we'd like. And not only that - it's not available to the average fan, selling only for fans in "club-level" seats. The UO's brat comes all the way from Klement's Sausage Co. in Milwaukee, Wis., and is charbroiled after bathing in a broth of water, beer, butter and sauteed onions. There's also an Italian Sausage and a Red Hot Sausage on the menu for the same price. All come with Tim's Cascade-Style potato chips and a pickle. Touchdown, Ducks. 10-7, OSU at halftime.

Garlic breath: UO's Goal Line Garlic Fries ($4) vs. OSU's Garlic Fries ($4). Oregon's is a plate of "natural-cut" fries deep-fried and tossed in a puree of butter, garlic and parsley - and served with a breath mint on top. Dang tasty. The Beavers have those thick, wedge-cut fries deep-fried and served with a minced garlic. They're piping hot and melt in your mouth. There's just one problem: You can only get them in the "Club." Safety, Ducks. 10-9, OSU.

Brotherly love: UO's Fighting Duck Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich ($8.50) vs. OSU's Philly Steak Sandwich ($6.50). The Beavers' sandwich is a full meal. A huge quantity of beef sits on a sourdough bun the size of Popeye's forearm. It's mixed with sauteed onions and red and green peppers. Melted mozzarella holds it together. The Duck version, served at the Wild Duck grill in the Moshofsky Center, comes with Wild Duck Caesar Salad and a cookie. It's tantalizing on the tongue and topped with both mozzarella and Cheddar, sauteed onions and red and green peppers. But again, you can get OSU's only at the club level. Field goal, Ducks. 12-10, Oregon, as the third quarter ends.

Tidbits: Although about 300 OSU fans have loge-level seats at Reser and are privy to a massive brick fireplace, a large central bar and a man in a chef's hat carving prime rib, the average fan at Reser can't go far beyond the Beaver Dog or the Polish Dog for a main meal.

Sure, there are several Domino's Pizza booths, and you can still get Giant Curly Fries and Giant Elephant Ears in the stadium's northwest corner - both for $5 - but you can't hit Coach Bellotti's Bar-B-Que for your choice of a pork, beef or chicken barbecue sandwich for $7. And you can't hit the Grid Iron Hamburger Grill for a Charbroiled Hamburger ($7) or a Tillamook Cheeseburger ($7.50). In fact, you can get the Beaver Burger ($6.50) only at Reser's club level.

And while OSU fans who donate $1,400 can buy tickets to a pregame meal of burgers, hot dogs and chili nachos at the Truax Center, any Duck fan can waddle into the Moshofsky Center and get a meatball sandwich or shrimp Louie for $8.50.

Oregon scores the game's final two touchdowns (missing one extra point for high prices) and wins this Wiener War 25-10.

Register-Guard photographer Thomas Boyd contributed to this story.

CAPTION(S):

An Italian sausage with roasted peppers is one of three sausage offerings at Autzen Stadium. The others are bratwurst with sauteed onions and red hot sausage with coleslaw. C i v i l W a r