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="HahnSolo":1vaturov]I hope the lines aren't as long at this Shake Shack as they are at the ones in Manhattan.
I am quite fond of the Shack-ago Dog myself.[/quote:1vaturov]
It is -- and I have searched -- perhaps the only place in NYC to get a real Chicago hotdog.
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Vince Coleman Firecracker
Feb 11 2009 04:04 PM
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="Gwreck":knr4nyzv]="HahnSolo":knr4nyzv]I hope the lines aren't as long at this Shake Shack as they are at the ones in Manhattan.
I am quite fond of the Shack-ago Dog myself.[/quote:knr4nyzv]
It is -- and I have searched -- perhaps the only place in NYC to get a real Chicago hotdog.[/quote:knr4nyzv]
Of course, it's not all that difficult to make one at home.
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Gwreck
Feb 11 2009 04:29 PM
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="Vince Coleman Firecracker":31x78j3u]Of course, it's not all that difficult to make one at home.[/quote:31x78j3u]
I guess it depends on how much you care about authenticity. I don't really care about the Vienna Beef hotdogs; Hebrew National, Boar's Head, Kahn's, etc. are fine.
The poppy-seed hotdog buns can't be found around here, but again, not necessarily a deal-breaker.
The biggest problem for me is the Sport Peppers. I think you can order them online but I haven't found anything truly equivalent in stores around here.
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Gwreck
Feb 20 2009 04:04 PM
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More on the CitiField Restaurants [url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/2009/02/19/2009-02-19_slate_of_amazin_eats_on_citi_fields_home.html]here[/url]
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* Blue Smoke is expected to serve up a scaled-down version of Danny Meyer's Gramercy Park restaurant, including Kansas City spareribs and Memphis baby back ribs.
* Shake Shack, another Meyer venture, is set to grill up the famed ShackBurgers and vegetarian 'ShroomBurgers that fans line up for at its Madison Square Park post.
* Acela is a reservations-required restaurant that [Drew] Nieporent - also owner of Tribeca Grill - has slotted for a space overlooking the diamond. Named after the high-speed Amtrak train, the fine-dining spot has yet to unveil its menu.
* Verano Taquería will feature authentic tacos created by chef Floyd Cardoz of Tabla fame.
* Box Frites will serve freshly-cut, Belgian-style fries with a wide selection of dipping sauces.
* The Delta Sky360 Club will be another premium-seating dining destination on the Field Level directly behind home plate, offering waiter service and "Best of Ballpark" food.
* Wheelhouse Market is expected to be a casual cafe serving speciality brews and "classic, artisanal comfort foods," which usually means hand-crafted cheeses and cured meats.
* Zachys will be run by Westchester wine merchants Andrew McMurray and Jeff and Don Zacharia, offering fine wines from around the world. |
What's not mentioned in the article, of course, is that not everybody in the park is going to have access to these spaces.
"Acela" will probably be the left field restaurant, to which access is only granted to certain field-level ticket holders.
The "Delta Sky360 Club" is going to be restricted to the "Delta Sky360 Club" (formerly "Sterling Club") ticketholders -- that's the area right behind the plate, between the bases.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of those other named restaurants are going to be restricted to the Ebbets Club, Caesar's Club (formerly "Excelsior Club") or Promenade Club areas.
At least we know Shake Shack will be open to all.
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 20 2009 04:38 PM
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Hmm.
Has anyone else ever found it galling that NEITHER CitiField nor MFY Stadium (nor Shea nor original-flavor MFY Stadium) has anything approaching a passable New York slice-- nor anything else typically New York-y, really-- among its concession offerings? (Gray's Papaya? Magnolia cupcakes? H&H Bagels/Russ and Daughters trimmings?)
Never really bothered me until my first trip to CBP-- the regional-specialty angle on most of the Ashburn Alley concessions (Chickie and Pete's, Tony Luke's and Rick's Steaks are all actual longtime Philly vendors...) is what makes their park, as far as I'm concerned.
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Edgy DC
Feb 20 2009 05:58 PM
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Good point.
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 22 2009 06:57 AM
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San Francisco also kicks sizable rump in this arena, with the Gilroy's Garlic Fries and Anchor Steam on tap (bonus: decreasing prices for bringing back and reusing the same cup-- I remember paying $1 for my fourth or fifth in 2007) as standouts.
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themetfairy
Feb 22 2009 06:59 AM
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I remember getting clam chowder in a sourdough bread basket in SF in 2001 - possibly the best food that I ever had at a ballpark.
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 22 2009 07:02 AM
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Oh, the soup. That was NICE.
I also have a vague recollection (see above re: "fourth or fifth" Anchor Steam) from the last time I stopped by of having a rice bowl that was better than passable.
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themetfairy
Feb 22 2009 07:16 AM
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I remember a portabello mushroom sandwich there that was wonderful, although that was on the club level.
Krispy Kreme donuts were also available.
Two games at that ballpark eight years ago, and the food still stands out as memorable.
BTW, the garlic fries are a Left Coast staple - I've had them in every ballpark from San Diego to Seattle.
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 22 2009 07:36 AM
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Yeah, so I've heard/seen about the fries... but I'll give Pac Bell/AT&T/T-Mobile credit for being OGs, for the smothering (I've seen powders elsewhere) and for going loca-vore (Gilroy being a Northern Cali farm-industry staple).
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 22 2009 07:40 AM
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Smiling big.
Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home.
Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes.
If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan.
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 22 2009 07:42 AM
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Smiling big.
Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home.
Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes.
If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan.
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themetfairy
Feb 22 2009 07:45 AM
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="LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr":pkz84dtp]Smiling big.
Am headed to SF for cousin's bachelor/engagement party, which just got switched from April 10-13 to the next weekend... and the Giants are indeed home.
Four-course ballpark meal, here I comes.
If the Meyer group nails one-fourth of what SF's got, I'll be a happy, bigger-belted Met fan.[/quote:pkz84dtp]
I'm looking forward to the culinary review - have a great trip :)
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DocTee
Feb 22 2009 07:57 AM
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Look me up (I'm SF local) -- I'll buy you an Anchor Steam!
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 23 2009 06:52 PM
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Nice... it'll likely be the D-backs day game on the 17th (the rotation seems to line up for a Lincecum-Webb battle, too!).
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86-Dreamer
Feb 24 2009 08:01 AM
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Anyone know if Mamas of Corona will have a spot?
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Gwreck
Feb 24 2009 08:03 AM
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I did hear (second-hand) that they will have two locations, one in right field on the field level, and one in the promenade level.
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 24 2009 08:48 PM
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OhthanGod.
There have been many Bonilla-and-Alomar-trammeled years where only the company of good friends and marinated mushrooms made the time pass pleasantly.
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Gwreck
Feb 25 2009 08:00 AM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 08:16 PM
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Here's another article (this time from [url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/02252009/entertainment/food/stepping_up_to_the_plate_156868.htm?&page=0]the Post[/url]):
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BUY me some peanuts and Cracker Jack - and a California roll?
NYC stadium fare has long been notoriously bad, stuck in an era of soggy dogs and watery beer. No more.
When the new stadiums open in April, both will offer an incredibly diverse array of upscale restaurants and concession stands. But while the Yankees are going slick and corporate (Hard Rock Cafe, anyone?), the Mets are appealing to locals by luring some of the city's top restaurateurs.
In other words, fans will have more to argue about than batting averages and who juiced when.
"It's Mets versus Yankees competition at its finest - even down to the food," BALLPARKS says Erika Boeke, co-creator of gogameface.com, a Web site aimed at female sports fans.
Sure, you'll still be able to score a classic hot-dog-and-suds combo, but why stop there? Up in The Bronx, gamegoers can indulge in sushi and steak, while spectators at Citi Field will be able to enjoy Brooklyn Brewery specialty beers, Belgian-style fries and authentic Mexican tacos - not to mention food and drink specials inspired by visiting teams. Get your microbrewed beer, here!
"Food plays an enormous role in the baseball experience," says Dave Howard, executive vice president of business operations for the Mets. After all, a baseball game can drag on for hours - leaving multitasking New Yorkers in search of stimulation.
Following the lead of food-forward ballparks from Philly to San Francisco, the Mets organization has asked some of the city's leading restaurateurs to step to the plate. At the new Citi Field, Danny Meyer - not Oscar Mayer - will be the one feeding hungry fans.
A new "Taste of the City" food court will feature spinoffs of Meyer's popular Manhattan eateries Shake Shack and Blue Smoke. There will also be two new concepts from Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group - Box Frites, serving Belgian-style french fries with various dips and "dust-up" spice blends, and El Verano, an authentic Mexican taqueria.
"BBQ and burgers are a no-brainer. We decided to do a taqueria because so many Hispanic Americans go to these games [and because of our location] in Queens," says Tabla's Floyd Cardoz, who is designing El Verano's menu, which will feature soft corn tortillas, several varieties of salsa and a Mexican-style beer from Brooklyn Brewery.
Also keeping it local at "Taste of the City": A branch of Leo's Latticini deli (a k a Mama's of Corona) and a new high-end pizza concept from the Queens-based Cascarino's.
Of course, Citi Field's 1,600 premium ticket holders won't need to venture far - they can have their ShackBurgers delivered straight to their seats. They'll also have access to two exclusive eateries: an as-yet-unnamed dining room and lounge showcasing modern cocktails and a market-driven menu developed by Union Square Cafe's Michael Romano. Adjacent to that space, the Wheelhouse Market will feature a specialty coffee bar, a large wood-burning pizza oven for churning out Neapolitan-style pies and a global beer and wine bar overlooking the Mets' warm-up area.
But Meyer isn't the only heavy hitter in the Mets' restaurant rotation. According to Dave Howard, the glass-enclosed Acela Club will feature "classic menu items from some of the leading restaurants in New York City" - not to mention tiered seating overlooking the diamond and a huge outdoor terrace.
A recent report in Crain's fingering restaurateur Drew Nieporent as Acela's likely operator means the menu may include dishes from hot spots like Nobu. A formal announcement is expected by early March.
The Yankees, meanwhile, are partnering with slicker, entertainment-oriented brands like Hard Rock Cafe and - it is rumored - the Food Network (neither the Food Network nor the Yankees would confirm). In addition, the stadium will open restaurants dedicated to upscale fare like sushi.
"The Mets are taking the approach [of] 'Let's find the finest food in New York and bring it to the ballpark,' whereas the Yankees [are] like, 'Let's start our own steakhouse because we know better than anyone else,' " says
gogameface.com's Boeke.
Boeke is referring to NYY Steak, the Yankees' new joint venture with Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment. Located on the stadium's second floor, it will feature servers sporting Yankee pinstripe oxford shirts and prime dry-aged beef like a 24-ounce bone-in rib-eye.
The restaurant will also include a floor-to-ceiling brass "signature wall" with laser-etched autographs of Yankee Hall of Famers.
Below, the Hard Rock Cafe will serve its specialty burgers and ribs amid sporty music memorabilia such as a baseball-themed Elton John outfit. Neither restaurant will have views of the field.
So will streetwise Yank fans trade their game seats for a burger paired with closed-circuit TV and spandex leggings? "Who are they catering to? New Yorkers or that person flying in saying, 'Let's go spend a fortune at the Yankee game'?" asks Boeke.
Either way, they'll spend. After all, there are only 81 home games a year. But with NYY Steak and Hard Rock Cafe operating year-round, the stadium is promising to become an uptown version of Times Square - a 365-day tourist attraction complete with Yankee store and museum.
"Even on nongame days, people can be in the stadium and part of the experience," says David E. Miller, Hard Rock's director of operations.
So will the new restaurants come with typical tourist pricing? According to those working at Citi Field, delivering value in the current economic climate has been a big part of the discussion.
"When the stadium opens, I think people will be pleasantly surprised with the prices," says Ron Parker, managing director of Hudson Yards, Union Square Hospitality's catering, sports and entertainment division.
And if you can't afford to splurge on NYY Steak at Yankee Stadium, no need to sweat it. We're told Carl's Steaks - the popular Philly-based cheese-steak purveyor - will be making the move to the new digs. After all, some things just can't be improved upon. |
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Feb 25 2009 08:14 AM
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I gotta confess my dismay at the rash of food stories about the stadiums coming out now.
I scooped 'em all by digging up much of this info back in December for an article -- but its only getting out there now (in the Meet the Mets 09 annual).
I had the Neiporent/Tribeca Grill stuff and an interview with him, for instance.
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Benjamin Grimm
Feb 25 2009 08:16 AM
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Really, though, was there anything about the old ballparks that prevented them from serving a higher quality of food?
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Feb 25 2009 08:19 AM
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Yes, thery were set up to be places where people watched baseball, and not places where people watched baseball and ate things.
Shea for example didn't have the kitchen facilities to add too much to the food which is why most of the stuff was limited to that which you could assemble and sell from carts (sausages, soft-serve, etc)
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soupcan
Feb 25 2009 08:26 AM
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I used to eat in The Grill Room on occasion. It was a restaurant so they must have had an adequate kitchen. Unfortunately that didn't stop them from preparing and selling lousy food.
I think the last time I ate in the Diamond Club I was 11 years-old so I can't really speak to the quality of the food they served but I don't recall anybody ever raving about the prime rib in there.
That's two kitchens and nothing stellar coming out of them. I've got to think that it was less that they didn't have the facilities to serve up some tasty fare and more that they felt no need to spend the money to do whatever it would take.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Feb 25 2009 08:28 AM
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The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything.
The point is that concessions were an afterthought in the design of the old park and are central to the business plan of the new one.
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soupcan
Feb 25 2009 08:51 AM
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="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3jt4o9zu] The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything.[/quote:3jt4o9zu]
Was it? What kind of stuff did they serve in there?
="John Cougar Lunchbucket":3jt4o9zu]The point is that concessions were an afterthought in the design of the old park and are central to the business plan of the new one. [/quote:3jt4o9zu]
I hear you.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Feb 25 2009 09:00 AM
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="soupcan":11qp1uhg]="John Cougar Lunchbucket":11qp1uhg] The Diamond Club was aight. They have a real chef and everything.[/quote:11qp1uhg]
Was it? What kind of stuff did they serve in there?
[/quote:11qp1uhg]
How am I supposed to know? I was drunk.
No, I think it was, you know, decent restaurant-quality food.
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themetfairy
Feb 25 2009 09:06 AM
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I had a nice buffet lunch at the Diamond Club in August. It had an omelet bar, salads, etc., and the quality was very good.
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HahnSolo
Feb 25 2009 09:49 AM
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What's the etiquette on eating in ballpark restaurants? Before the game, during the game, after the game?
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soupcan
Feb 25 2009 09:53 AM
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Before the game.
Make an evening of it. Dinner rezzies at 6:00, linger and watch the first inning or so through the windas then amble your bloated self down to your seats.
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Vic Sage
Feb 25 2009 11:35 AM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 12:25 PM
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I grew up in Coney Island, where the "Chicago-style Hot dog" is considered an abomination.
Hot dogs (or, more properly, "Franks" or "Frankfurters") were invented by Charles Feltman in 1867, who put a Vienna sausage in a roll and called it "Coney Island Red Hots." Some people, unsure of its ingredients, called it a hot dog.
It is still sold at the world famous original Nathans the way God, Feltman and Nathan Handwerker intended... grilled (not boiled!) and served plain or with sauerkraut on a bun without other adornment except the availability of mustard, applied by the customer. A little relish is acceptable, even a drop of ketchup for the pre-teens who put ketchup on everything... even some "red onions".
But a chicago dog is boiled (on edit: or steamed) and then buried in an overwhelming bun with a warehouse full of veggies. You might as well not have the hotdog in there at all, for all it matters. If you want to do that to a big polish sausage or a kielbasa, then fine. But a hot dog is a subtler creature and needs a tad more minimalism for its true appreciation.
And don't even get me started on their pizza.
Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5.
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Gwreck
Feb 25 2009 11:46 AM
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First off, a Chicago hot dog is steamed, not boiled.
I have nothing against New York hot dogs. I think they're great. I've been to Nathans at Coney Island many times and always look forward to a return. That being said -- as a New Yorker, to boot -- the Chicago product is superior.
A New York hot dog is a snack. A Chicago hot dog is a meal.
The inferior nature of Chicago pizza when compared to that in New York has no bearing on the fact that Chicago hot dogs are superior to those from New York.
[We're probably at the point where we need a thread split and move to the NBF...]
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Vic Sage
Feb 25 2009 12:22 PM
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steaming is equivalent to boiling. Both processes render meat flavorless, while grilling enhances flavor.
And yes, a hot dog is a snack, while the chicago dog is a meal.... but it's a meal with very little to do with hot dogs. It's a seeded hero loaf of veggies, with some steamed meat underneath. YUMMM!
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metirish
Feb 25 2009 12:40 PM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 25 2009 12:43 PM
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="Vic Sage":xf821h86]
And don't even get me started on their pizza.
Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5.[/quote:xf821h86]
I really dislike the Chicago style piazza...has got to be thin crust regular for me.... Anthony Bourdain's "No reservations" went to Chicago recently and of course he was very skeptical of their style of pizza , he went to a famed pizza place and professed to like it after talking to the owner and sampling it but I got the feeling he'd not eat it again.
The y sampled some hot dog style fare and really those things were like nothing I'v ever seen...
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Vince Coleman Firecracker
Feb 25 2009 12:42 PM
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I, for one, thoroughly enjoy both varieties. While my ideal dog- Boar's Head or Hebrew National on a potato bun with Gulden's or Boar's head spicy brown mustard and a little bit of kraut- is the traditional one Vic likes, I will never look down my nose at a Chicago-style dog.
I think we can all agree on one thing, though: putting ketchup on a hot dog is, basically, treasonous, and should be punished by deportation.
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Vince Coleman Firecracker
Feb 25 2009 12:45 PM
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="metirish":3hh2eoiz]="Vic Sage":3hh2eoiz]
And don't even get me started on their pizza.
Second City? I wouldn't even rate it in the top 5.[/quote:3hh2eoiz]
I really dislike the Chicago style piazza...has got to be thin crust regular for me.... Anthony Bourdain's "No reservations" went to Chicago recently and of course he was very skeptical of their style of pizza , he went to a famed pizza place and professed to like after talking to the owner and sampling it but I got the feeling he'd not eat it again.[/quote:3hh2eoiz]
The problem with Chicago pizza is that it isn't, in any sense, pizza. That stuff Bourdain was eating in that episode looked delicious, and I bet it was, but it wasn't pizza. If they called it a savory, vegetable-y pie I would hold nothing against it, but the "pizza" label makes it an imposter.
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Vic Sage
Feb 25 2009 02:40 PM
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| ] think we can all agree on one thing, though: putting ketchup on a hot dog is, basically, treasonous, and should be punished by deportation. |
So Chicagoans can put tomatoes on their dogs, but look down their noses at ketchup? Feh.
Personally, i don't mind "red onions" which are in a tomato-based sauce, but wouldn't use ketchup. As a parent, on the other hand, I'm more forgiving of my kids' affection for ketchup on their dogs, and would certainly resist their deportation.
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Gwreck
Feb 25 2009 08:18 PM
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="Vic Sage":1msm2noi]So Chicagoans can put tomatoes on their dogs, but look down their noses at ketchup? Feh. [/quote:1msm2noi]
I'm pretty sure that everyone (except perhaps Ronald Reagan) understands the difference.
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SteveJRogers
Feb 25 2009 09:08 PM
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| ="soupcan"]Before the game.
Make an evening of it. Dinner rezzies at 6:00, linger and watch the first inning or so through the windas then amble your bloated self down to your seats. |
Well at Shea you had a couple of reasons for this.
1) The Grill Room was directly behind the press box. Would have been neat if they created a window so fans could see the press doing their jobs, but it would have been brutal to try to follow the game on anything other than the TV monitors around the bar and the restaurant.
It had a nice sports bar feel going, at least for the 10 years I was kind of a "regular" there!
The Diamond Club itself did have a panoramic window, but the sightlines for watching it from the restaurant were not the best. Had a nice ritzy restaurant feel.
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Gwreck
Feb 26 2009 08:16 PM
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="John Cougar Lunchbucket":ix6vvn2o]I gotta confess my dismay at the rash of food stories about the stadiums coming out now.
I scooped 'em all by digging up much of this info back in December for an article -- but its only getting out there now (in the Meet the Mets 09 annual).
I had the Neiporent/Tribeca Grill stuff and an interview with him, for instance.[/quote:ix6vvn2o]
Saw this at the newsstand today and picked up a copy. I still think the story is under reported in that I haven't seen any articles acknowledge that most of these restaurants are never going to be accessible except to a few thousand select ticketholders and Jimmy Blue Collar fan isn't welcome.
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John Cougar Lunchbucket
Feb 26 2009 09:12 PM
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Well, no one would be pinned down on that point. I don't think, for example, if the restaurant isn't doing gangbusters they'll enforce any kind of ticketholder policy.
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LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Feb 26 2009 09:33 PM
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I'm not sure that I speak for every Mr./Mrs. Blue Collar, but I'm okay with conceptual tacos and Shack Burgers. Bar me if you want-- If I want Nobu, I'll go to Nobu. (You know, once a kid graduates, or Nobu starts taking part in restaurant week.)
I do like that Citifield's food selection shaping up as a LITTLE more of a people's-choice, NEW-YORKER'S-New-Yorker menu-- complete with frou-frou options-- in comparison to laser-etched steakhouses/f'-ing Hard Rock.
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metsguyinmichigan
Feb 26 2009 10:10 PM
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="SteveJRogers":1i4q3vr9]
1) The Grill Room was directly behind the press box. Would have been neat if they created a window so fans could see the press doing their jobs, but it would have been brutal to try to follow the game on anything other than the TV monitors around the bar and the restaurant.
[/quote:1i4q3vr9]
Trust me on this, you do not want to watch what happens in the press box. Especially during a meal.
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soupcan
Feb 27 2009 07:08 AM
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On that Citifield special on SNY last night, Jeff Wilpon stated that there will be a New York pizza joint. I couldn't catch the name - Started with a 'C', multi-syllabalic, something Italian.
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Gwreck
Feb 27 2009 07:57 AM
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Cascarino's. They were mentioned in the Post's article, I believe. Same pizza provider at Shea as last year, I think.
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G-Fafif
Feb 27 2009 01:18 PM
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Cascarino's held court in the mid-'00s, giving away to the abysmal Sbarro's in 2007 and 2008. Pizza at Shea hasn't been any good since the personal pizzas of the early '80s disappeared.
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SteveJRogers
Feb 27 2009 04:16 PM
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| ="G-Fafif"]Cascarino's held court in the mid-'00s, giving away to the abysmal Sbarro's in 2007 and 2008. Pizza at Shea hasn't been any good since the personal pizzas of the early '80s disappeared. |
Hey don't knock the favorite "New York Style" pizza of Dunder Mifflin's Michael Scott (The Office)!
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