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Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2022 01:09 AM

The thread for all Met -related culinary stuff. The Best Place to Grab a Bite Before a Mets Game Before the national anthem rings out, take the No. 7 train one stop away from Citi Field for tamales, empanadas and tacos. I strongly believe that baseball is the kind of sport that you don't need to know much about in order to enjoy it. Long before the Atlanta Braves were the 2021 World Series champions, my Georgia-born friends and I would shell out $10 to watch them play the Mets at Citi Field in Queens. (Most of that time was spent just chatting and occasionally watching the action.) Mets games are a relatively affordable form of New York City entertainment, but that affordability doesn't always extend to the food sold at Citi Field. As much as I love to consume beer and chicken tenders in great quantities, some of the best and most enriching eating is just one stop away on the No. 7 train's express line at the Junction Boulevard stop. Underneath those well-worn subway tracks is a world of copious, no-reservation-needed eating that you'll miss unless you disembark and walk down to Roosevelt Avenue. A veritable market — mostly featuring foods of the Latin diaspora — is teeming with options. For about $12 — bring cash! — you can have four of the best tamales of your life from Evelia's Tamales at the northwest corner of Junction Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue. You can order the bright salsa verde tamale, with rich shredded chicken tucked into the cooked masa, or the heartier adobo with spicy guajillo peppers and pork, among others. Or do what I did and ask for dealer's choice. It's impossible to go wrong. At another cart, I tried some of the crispiest and airiest cheese empanadas I may ever encounter. They came hot out of the frying oil perfectly crunchy with a sliver of salty, melted white cheese inside. I only bought one and I instantly regretted it. I could have eaten a thousand. My regrets to chicken tenders. When I returned this past weekend, the woman who sold those empanadas was nowhere to be found, but that's the nature of Junction Boulevard: It's always changing. So instead, I grabbed a piping hot chicharrón quesadilla from Homemade Taqueria at the corner of 40th Road and Junction, where you can watch the staff make tortillas in real time. Farther down Roosevelt Avenue at the corner of 78th Street, you'll find Birria-Landia, which will hopefully never disappear. There, they serve the kind of birria de res you'll find in Tijuana, Mexico. Back in 2019, the food truck heralded an obsession, now shared by TikTok users and the street-food scene alike, with consomé-soaked birria tacos. [FIMG=555]https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/05/24/dining/24WTE-junctionblvd2/merlin_164187249_a29d5d0a-43af-44dc-8c0b-c5f5682a0f91-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp[/FIMG] Farther down Roosevelt Avenue, Birria-Landia has sold Tijuana-style birria tacos since 2019. “The meat, a blend of brisket, shank and top round, is rich and seems to grow softer as you eat it, like a square of chocolate,” wrote Pete Wells in his two-star review of the truck, which now has a second location near the Lorimer stop on the L line. These businesses are part of a rich network of ambulantes, or street vendors, some of whom started selling food only after the pandemic began to offset losing work or housing. In late 2020, my colleagues Juan Arredondo and David Gonzalez published a moving interactive article about these vendors, many of whom are undocumented. They all must contend with the city's limited number of available permits, and unlicensed vendors can face crippling fines. Please take time to read their stories — they share these experiences with thousands of others. That stretch of Roosevelt Avenue is just as much a part of the fabric of New York City as going to see the Mets play. There's no reason we can't enjoy and honor each. After all, it's only a train stop away. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/dining/where-to-eat-citi-field-mets.html

Fman99 May 25 2022 04:24 AM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

Boy that looks magical

Johnny Lunchbucket May 25 2022 06:35 AM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

I guy I used to work with is a big Mets fan and refashioned his career years ago as an advocate of Queens food diversity, writing books, leading food tours, appearing on cooking shows etc, often with a Mets hat on. You probably have seen him on TV or the internet. You can read his blog for food ideas or pay $$$ for a "food tour" ... back in the day, i used to eat lunch with him for free http://chopsticksandmarrow.com/

MFS62 May 25 2022 07:17 AM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

Why go all the way from Citi to 78th street? Take that train in the other direction. Main Street Flushing, one stop away, is the home to some of the best Asian food in the world. The food court has been featured many times on the Food Network. https://www.yelp.com/biz/new-world-mall-food-court-flushing Later

kcmets May 25 2022 07:51 AM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

I've seen the Flushing food court thing on another network but haven't made it yet. Would be a good place for a forum meet-up for a few hours before or after a ballgame. But alas, my camp counselor days have long slipped by...

G-Fafif May 25 2022 10:08 AM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

How very Timesean to assign the Mets neighborhood food beat to a Braves fan.

Ceetar May 25 2022 01:00 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

Queens has good food and the times is ON IT. The 7 train runs 24/7, you can eat along it even when the Mets aren't playing. I strongly believe that baseball is the kind of sport that you don't need to know much about in order to enjoy it. Long before the Atlanta Braves were the 2021 World Series champions, my Georgia-born friends and I would shell out $10 to watch them play the Mets at Citi Field in Queens. (Most of that time was spent just chatting and occasionally watching the action.) Mets games are a relatively affordable form of New York City entertainment This is SEO clickbait. 'baseball' '2021 World Series' 'Atlanta' 'Mets' 'Citi Field' 'affordable' 'entertainment'. this has nothing to do with the Mets, this is just garbage journalism desperately trying to boost it's visibility. (I've got $50 says this guy once went to a game at Shea with his friends, and vaguely remembers it) that food looks good though.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2022 01:20 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

The 7 train may run 24/7 but most of those eateries are probably closed by 11PM. I'll bet anything they do much better right before or after a Mets game than at four in the morning. I dont see that article as forced or contrived.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2022 01:23 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=93515 time=1653506418 user_id=68] The 7 train may run 24/7 but most of those eateries are probably closed by 11PM. I'll bet anything they do much better right before or after a Mets game than at four in the morning. I dont see that article as forced or contrived.

Me personally, I've eaten at that Junction Blvd./Roosevelt Ave intersection vicinity many many times before or after a Mets game. Including that Rincon Criollo cuban food joint recently reviewed on the first page of the link to JCL's friend's blog. Many of those trips were tied to going to a Mets game.

Ceetar May 25 2022 01:28 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

because none of the nonsense mets hooks make any sense, as I explained. I'm sure they do better around Mets games, but much better than say, 7pm on a non game day? I dunno. They're too far for Citi to be a stadium-driven location. Their business is not based on the Mets in anyway, their just happen to be communities of people nearby, and it's accessible, thanks to population density and decent mass transit. None of these businesses go under of the Mets stop playing baseball, that's my point. You can write about food in queens without a lie about the food at Citi, the affordability of Mets games, or the Atlanta team. because as MFS said, you can take one subway stop the OTHER way and find great food. You could take it 3 stops and find great food. or 7.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2022 01:42 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

=Ceetar post_id=93517 time=1653506921 user_id=102] I'm sure they do better around Mets games, but much better than say, 7pm on a non game day? ... Their business is not based on the Mets in anyway, their just happen to be communities of people nearby, and it's accessible ...

Maybe but that area is close enough to the stadium. What? A three minute train ride? Or a drive about just as short if not for game traffic? The issue isnt whether the Flushing Asian food courts are better. It's about restaurants that are reasonably close to the stadium that are, in the writer's opinion, worth trying. Close enough to the stadium that it would make sense to tie a visit to one of those joints to taking in a ballgame. I think your post is a stretch, that the piece is primarily about generating clicks.

Ceetar May 25 2022 01:49 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

that's fine, it's the nonsense about Atlanta and the fake trip to the stadium "years ago" and "we didn't even watch the game" and the inferring that they only have chicken nuggets that annoys me. Just write "just a quick subway ride from the game" without the fiction. btw, Junction is 1.3 miles along Roosevelt avenue. 79th street is nearly double that. It's a stretch to use the Mets as a lede to talk about food at 79th and Roosevelt.

nymr83 May 25 2022 05:06 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=93519 time=1653507726 user_id=68] =Ceetar post_id=93517 time=1653506921 user_id=102] I'm sure they do better around Mets games, but much better than say, 7pm on a non game day? ... Their business is not based on the Mets in anyway, their just happen to be communities of people nearby, and it's accessible ...

Maybe but that area is close enough to the stadium. What? A three minute train ride? Or a drive about just as short if not for game traffic? The issue isnt whether the Flushing Asian food courts are better. It's about restaurants that are reasonably close to the stadium that are, in the writer's opinion, worth trying. Close enough to the stadium that it would make sense to tie a visit to one of those joints to taking in a ballgame. I think your post is a stretch, that the piece is primarily about generating clicks.


Generating clicks is the point of everything. They are running a business that makes money on ad views. So since all their articles, and most other other sites articles except the very few without ads, are about clicks, lets move beyond that. Its a fine article in comparison to other articles.

The Mets are damn affordable once you consider that unlike say the Knicks, they allow outside food into the stadium. You really dont need to spend more than the ticket prices and metrocard swipe.

Ceetar May 25 2022 05:38 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

also the 7 doesn't run express towards Manhattan before the game does it?

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2022 05:48 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets. Edited 1 time(s), most recently on May 25 2022 05:49 PM

I'm sure they do better around Mets games, but much better than say, 7pm on a non game day? ... Their business is not based on the Mets in anyway, their just happen to be communities of people nearby, and it's accessible ... Maybe but that area is close enough to the stadium. What? A three minute train ride? Or a drive about just as short if not for game traffic? The issue isnt whether the Flushing Asian food courts are better. It's about restaurants that are reasonably close to the stadium that are, in the writer's opinion, worth trying. Close enough to the stadium that it would make sense to tie a visit to one of those joints to taking in a ballgame. I think your post is a stretch, that the piece is primarily about generating clicks. Generating clicks is the point of everything. They are running a business that makes money on ad views. So since all their articles, and most other other sites articles except the very few without ads, are about clicks, lets move beyond that. Its a fine article in comparison to other articles. The Mets are damn affordable once you consider that unlike say the Knicks, they allow outside food into the stadium. You really dont need to spend more than the ticket prices and metrocard swipe. Then by that logic, everything the NYT publishes is "garbage". Same for WAPO. And The New Yorker. And The Athletic. Even before the web and clicks, print magazines like Sports Illustrated, recognizing that the cover subject impacts the bottom line, largely phased out less profitable horse racing and track and field covers in favor of more profitable major team sports covers like football and baseball. That's not grounds to dismiss the reporting out of hand.

Lefty Specialist May 25 2022 05:48 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

There's so much good food in Citifield that we never eat beforehand. But whenever we go to a day game we always stop at Junior's after. It's become a bit of a tradition with us. We're going to the day game on June 1st and I'm already fantasizing about the cheesecake.

batmagadanleadoff May 25 2022 05:53 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

Lefty Specialist wrote: There's so much good food in Citifield that we never eat beforehand. But whenever we go to a day game we always stop at Junior's after. It's become a bit of a tradition with us. We're going to the day game on June 1st and I'm already fantasizing about the cheesecake. True. I was gonna say that, too. The last time I synched up a meal at Junction Blvd. with a Mets game, the Mets were playing at Shea, where the food was crappy. Stadium food at Citi Field is one of the Mets strong points.

Marshmallowmilkshake May 25 2022 07:29 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

Lefty Specialist wrote: There's so much good food in Citifield that we never eat beforehand. But whenever we go to a day game we always stop at Junior's after. It's become a bit of a tradition with us. We're going to the day game on June 1st and I'm already fantasizing about the cheesecake. Going to my first Citi game since 2009 in July! I'll get inside as soon as the gates open. Where in Citi do you recommend I eat? Thanks for the tips!

kcmets May 25 2022 08:36 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

That pictured plate in the first post looks mouth-watering... but, **I strongly believe that baseball is the kind of sport that you don't need to know much about in order to enjoy it.** He's full of crap, it's confusing as hell to those who've never watched it. **Long before the Atlanta Braves were the 2021 World Series champions** Stupid plug, my bet is he couldn't name three '21 Braves on the fly. **my Georgia-born friends and I would shell out $10 to watch them play the Mets at Citi Field in Queens** Two bottled waters cost $10 at Citi Field. He got seats too? **(Most of that time was spent just chatting and occasionally watching the action.)** And hugging, kissing and taking it all in under our Braves blankie...

G-Fafif May 25 2022 08:42 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

Nikita Richardson's the author of the piece. A she, if pictures imply pronouns.

kcmets May 25 2022 08:51 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

Sorry to her, I got wrapped up in my sarcasm. But geez....

kcmets May 25 2022 08:53 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

And I only did the first paragraph! Tomorrow's an off day lol...

nymr83 May 25 2022 11:06 PM Re: Eat the Mets, Eat the Mets.

Maybe but that area is close enough to the stadium. What? A three minute train ride? Or a drive about just as short if not for game traffic? The issue isnt whether the Flushing Asian food courts are better. It's about restaurants that are reasonably close to the stadium that are, in the writer's opinion, worth trying. Close enough to the stadium that it would make sense to tie a visit to one of those joints to taking in a ballgame. I think your post is a stretch, that the piece is primarily about generating clicks. Generating clicks is the point of everything. They are running a business that makes money on ad views. So since all their articles, and most other other sites articles except the very few without ads, are about clicks, lets move beyond that. Its a fine article in comparison to other articles. The Mets are damn affordable once you consider that unlike say the Knicks, they allow outside food into the stadium. You really dont need to spend more than the ticket prices and metrocard swipe. Then by that logic, everything the NYT publishes is "garbage". Same for WAPO. And The New Yorker. And The Athletic. Even before the web and clicks, print magazines like Sports Illustrated, recognizing that the cover subject impacts the bottom line, largely phased out less profitable horse racing and track and field covers in favor of more profitable major team sports covers like football and baseball. That's not grounds to dismiss the reporting out of hand. No, I was agreeing with you but from a different angle. The Ads are always the priority so posting that 'the article is about clicks' is pointless, they all are. so lets move beyond that and judge the article in comparison to other articles. and by the way, for those who don't subscribe - there are very few ads on The Athletic.