Peanuts and Cracker Jack and a Decent Cuban Sandwich

Baseball fans know that the pleasures of the ballpark are mostly to be found in the play on the field and the company of a likeminded crowd. Gustatory enjoyments, at least until recently, have been few. But that's been changing lo these recent years. Leave it to Peter Meehan, until recently the NYT's $25-and-under restaurant critic, to undertake a twelve-park tour in search of the best edibles in pro ball. Among the highlights: Safeco's Ichiroll (above) and, on the other end of the health spectrum, Philly's "Schmitter," an unholy stack of melted cheese, special sauce (cringe), griddled salami, cheese, tomato, fried onions, cheese, fried steak, and more cheese. Cardiac surgeon not included. Yankee Stadium gets credit for the Cubans on the field level. (But no praise for the "ice cream of the future"? Meehan?!?) At Fenway—and this should go without saying—be sure to avoid the hot dog vending machines. Surprises? The vaunted Dodger Dog is "contemptibly bad." And then there's this from Chicago: "In the cramped confines of Wrigley Field’s concourses, I watched a large man, his head thrown back, guzzling spicy curly fries from a cup like they were a beverage." A neat-o interactive map will help you plan your own excursion. Two warnings: Avoid Chinese at the Stadium and "say no to burgers." Bon appetit!

Comments

[SF]

Condiments:

The best mustard I have ever had was in 1990 at County Stadium in Milwaukee. Tremendous bratwurst there as well.

[FenSheaParkway]

Oh man, just looking at that Ichiroll bento is making me hungry. Edamame at the stadium?! That's fantastic.

Though I was once known occasionally to enjoy a hot pretzel with mustard at Fenway during the cooler months of the season, generally I avoid ballpark food. It isn't so much out of consideration for my constitution but my wallet. I'm just not going to get hungry enough in a three hour period for me to part with that much coin for substandard versions of stuff I can get in the real world.

My version of that interactive map (I love interactive maps!) would have all the great food you can get nearby the stadium, either conveniently before or at places still open after. When I lived in Boston, that was The OtherSide Cafe, on the corner of Newbury and The Pike. Great sandwiches, hippie food and craft beers. Or El Pelon, behind Boylston Street on the Brooklyn side of the park, on Peterborough. One El Guapo burrito would easily sustain me in the event of a 15 inning game.

Here in NYC, I'll try to make time to go to Flushing before Mets games to grab some noodles or congee somewhere. This is even better before weekend afternoon games when all the dim sum halls are doing brunch.

[Atheose - SF]

That jerk chicken in the picture above (or pork?) looks AMAZING right now. I've never been so hungry at 9 in the morning.

The fries at the old Rangers stadium (the ballpark in Arlington) were fantastic.

[FenSheaParkway]

I believe it's teriyaki chicken, and yes it does look amazing.

[YF]

I entirely agree that the feature should have included the options around the ballparks. Savvy Yankee fans know their best bet is to pick up some terrific jerk chicken on the grand concourse before the game, rather than eat anything from the overpriced, generally awful concessions. I suspect that won't change with the new building.

Anyway, the best baseball food in NYC is definitely found here:

http://yanksfansoxfan.typepad.com/ysfs/2007/09/beisbol-in-br-1.html

(scroll down for the goodness)

[Lar]

My favorite at the stadium is the Nachos with everything - it's on the ground level, for about 8 bucks or so, the line is usually short for some reason, and they usually totally hook you up if you're nice. Best bang for the buck!

I like the "last season" beer bottles at Shea too.

[FenSheaParkway]

Thanks for the re-link, YF. I have not forgotten about your report on Red Hook Beisbol. A couple other Baseball-loving gastronome friends of mine and I are trying to align our schedules for a trip out there this month.

[LocklandSF]

Call me old fashioned, but it's sausages, hotdogs, beer, peanuts and pretzels for me at games. Frankly, it's pretty much the only time I eat those things, so in a way, it's special.

I realize the Fenway Frank isn't for everyone, but I absolutely love them. As I have said before, it must only be a childhood memory thing.

The Italian sausages outside Fenway have heroin in them, they must.

I am so damn hungry now!

[LocklandSF]

Another thing...

The hot kosher food vending machines at Fenway have lines at them, the first one was so popluar, they have started to install more because the lines were so long.

Go figure.

[Atheose - SF]

I'm seriously starving for some of that chicken now. And all I packed for lunch here at work is two turkey sandwiches and some cheez-its, which are delicious in their own right but not what I'm craving right now!

[YF]

The Fenway Frank is a deplorable, flavorless pink balloon. But Tiant's sausage stand on Yawkey is a must. Also, the peanut vendors, though prices have risen dramatically since the street was enclosed by the team.

[Atheose - SF]

One of my fondest memories as a kid was sitting in the rain at the old Rangers stadium with my dad in 1992. Nolan Ryan was scheduled to start against the Yankees and we refused to give up on the game, so we sat there eating red-dyed pistachios for about two hours. The dye ran all over our hands and legs, so by the time the game started we looked bloody!

It was worth the wait too, cause he struck out like a dozen and only gave up a handful of hits. It was also the first time I ever got to see Don Mattingly play live. In any case, red-dyed pistachios always remind me of baseball now.

[SF]

The Fenway Frank is a deplorable, flavorless pink balloon

Eaten at a table with cloth napkins, wine and water glasses, and sterling silverware yes, it is. Sitting in a red plastic chair with peanut shells at your feet and a massive green wall about 375 feet away no, it is most certainly NOT that.

[Atheose - SF]

Found the gamelog for that game:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX199207040.shtml

Ryan had a 2-hitter going into the 9th before giving up a solo homerun to Tartabull.

[LocklandSF]

"But Tiant's sausage stand on Yawkey is a must."

I totally disagree, not only are Tiant's sausages not that great, his signature Cuban sandwich is barely passable as food.

The sausage stands outside the park, the guys that have been cooking them for 30 years, on grills that may or may not have ever been cleaned ever, those guys know how to make a sausage.

[Atheose - SF]

The sausage stands outside the park, the guys that have been cooking them for 30 years, on grills that may or may not have ever been cleaned ever, those guys know how to make a sausage.

I think this is true anywhere--the vendors outside Camden Yards have better food than inside as well. Why? Because they have incentive to make their food as tasty as possible, to attract more customers! The minimum-wage cooks inside ballparks have no incentive to perfect their art, and therefore don't try harder than they have to. Kind-of like going into a DMV or Post Office and watching the workers lazily walk around without any sense of urgency.

[FenSheaParkway]

I'm going to cut the stadium counter clerks a little slack and suggest that there's very little leeway in perfecting fry-o-lated chicken fingers.

[Atheose - SF]

Well yeah, for fried food there's not much to it. But for grilled chicken and other items that need a little more expertise... there's just no beating the street vendors.

[LocklandSF]

Also, and this is the only place where I really stray from the ballpark basics, I love that they sell Legal Seafood Clam Chowder from vendors in the stands now, great for a cold night at Fenway. I also tend to prefer anything that means I don't have to get up.

[FenSheaParkway]

'Tis true, 'tis true. I'll also cast my vote for the Sausage Guy on Landsdowne. It wasn't the best possible option available to me after leaving a game, but damned if I didn't get sucked into picking one up once in a while.

[Yankee Fan In Boston]

FenSheaParkway, i was thinking about el pelon as i was reading through this. good call. they make some tasty burritos.

i should've known not to read this before lunch. i am starving.