For those of you who know me, you know this is AWESOME~!
I love baseball and I am a true, win or lose, Yankee fan. For the first time in my life I was able to attend a Yankee game in Yankee Stadium. And joy of joys, it was inter-league play and they were playing the Mets!
My first ever live baseball game was at Shea Stadium, back in the 80’s, box seats behind first base. A road trip with a long forgotten guy I dated briefly and the only things there were to eat then at the stadium were the things you think of when you think of baseball. Hot dogs, beer, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, peanuts and soft pretzels were the order of the day. Since then I have been to other fields and the changes in food have run the spectrum from the days of yore.
At Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs) you can get all of your Chicago faves – Italian Beef (sweet & natural if you please), dogs topped Chicago style, pizza, and just about anything else you can think of. A few years ago I was able to see baseball in the sun, the way it was meant to be played, at Wrigley with Sister Tina!
At Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas there is a bar & grill where you can sit by the windows and watch batting practice. And in the park itself, you can get Shiner Bock on tap and of course BBQ – it is Texas you know! (Moment of Truth – I love Shiner on tap and I go out of my way to find bars that carry it).
Jack at Arlington in 2005.
The new Yankee Stadium is amazing! Of course there are all the usual things you would WANT to eat at the ball park, but there are also great locally brewed beers, a steak house and, believe it or not, a Yankee themed Hard Rock Café, complete with a pinstriped, oversized guitar in the entrance. We saw sliders of multiple descriptions, sausages, fried chicken, nachos, wraps and pizza in addition to the old standbys. And here is the BEST part – if you have “field level” seats (which we did, thanks to my loving hubby, we were in section 118 20 rows back from Home Plate!) there are waiters to bring you a limited menu so you don’t have to wait in line for the basics and you won’t miss any more of the game than necessary! One of the things we (and by we, I mean John) had to wait in line for was a Carvel sundae in a plastic Yankee cap.
The gate we entered to get to our seats right behind home plate.
The view from our seats.
The three of us in our Yankee gear.
All in all, despite a stomach flu that swept the whole family (no kidding), our trip to NYC was great. Not the least of which was a long awaited fab dinner at Barbuto with Friends Bobby & Chris. I can safely attest that the roasted chicken I had there is seriously the best I have ever had. They weren’t lying when they said that Jonathan Waxman was Obi-Wan Kenobi with a chicken. I am still a little pissed my dear friends wouldn’t allow me to pay even part of it – thanks again guys, but they have promised to come here to Vegas and let me spoil them. And let’s not talk about how intimate I became with the sidewalk on the way home. Don’t worry, stiletto shoes, jeans and jewelry are all fine.
Ovens at Barbuto
Salumi plate – FYI – I used those bread sticks as chop sticks to serve with.
The perfect roast chicken.
Food Memories this week are a foot long hot dog brought to me by a waiter at Yankee Stadium, Mister Softee, Barbuto chicken and a delicious rosé wine, brunch with Geoff and Sarah, and beer and conversation with Friend Tim.
At the bar with Tim.
John with his Mr. Softee – oh, BTW he is obsessed with Mr. Softee in much the same way Ray in Ghostbusters is with the The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. 
With Chris, Bobby and Jack at Barbuto.
Until next week, go out and make your OWN Food Memories!
On a side note – changes are coming to this blog. Stay tuned for the next chapter!
