Citi Field: A Culinary Experience

August 5, 2009


Shack Burger

 

In my family, baseball games have always been about the food. Dad loved the game, I couldn’t care less, and my brothers (much to his heartache) were with me; we just wanted to eat. When Mom was in attendance, we munched on homemade tuna sandwiches, pickles, and Cape Cod potato chips. When Dad was supervising solo, the menu was a little different. My brothers and I committed the ultimate deviances: we ordered hot dogs, French fries, blue cotton candy—ignoring Mom’s voice in our heads, “Do you know what’s in that?”— and enjoyed the game... every bite of it.  CONT'D...

 

Last night six of us squeezed into a 4.5 person Toyota Civic to the newly constructed Citi Field. The Mets were playing the Cardinals. I know this because Seth kept saying, “Danny Meyer loves the Cardinals! I bet Danny Meyer’s here!”  When we arrived, instead of climbing to our seats, we bee-lined for Shake Shack. Unfortunately, we were not alone. The “Taste of the City” outdoor food area definitely revolves around Shake Shack and Blue Smoke, which have looping lines of devout followers. The grand eating concourse feels like a mini Time Square, or a section of Disney Land, with frequent planes overhead (hello LaGuardia). The space is vast and well organized, filled with food options well beyond the ballpark dog of my childhood. From the Union Square Hospitality Group, we’ve got El Verano Taqueria, Box Frites, and the Delta Sky360 Club. Dave Pasternack (of Esca) is behind Catch of the Day, serving blackened shrimp and flounder sandwiches, and Nobu’s Drew Nieporent brings you the Acela Club, offering a $48 prix fixe menu.There’s also Nathan’s hot dogs, Leo’s cannolis, and Cascarino’s pizza, among others. A craft beer hut mysteriously sells both Leffe and Bud Light for $7.50, in addition to gluten free beers. After waiting in two lines, one for burgers at Shake Shack and the other for craft beer, it was already the fifth inning. We were willing to shell out the reasonably inflated prices—Shake Shack is only $1 more at Citi Field-- and sample a variety of goods, but the lines were really long. 

 

 

Several escalators later, we were at our seats and ready to dig in. The burger was on the smaller side, but sufficiently filling when paired with French fries and a couple of beers. The special sauce adds a mysterious punch, but don’t forget to ask for pickles if you want them. (I forgot and I was sad.) The fries were mediocre, but the burger lives up to its reputation; it is a worthy indulgence. 

 

 

We watched the remaining innings, shouted “Go Mets!” with the rest of them, and did the wave. But like it’s always been for me, the experience was about the grub, except this time, the offerings were more high-brow. I’ll admit: I missed the cotton candy. 


 


Posted in FOOD on August 5, 2009 11:24am by Jena Steinbach | 15 comments



Comments

Jason Rosenfeld2:31pm | August 5, 2009

Appalling. You call yourself a true southeastern Pennsylvanian. That the words "Go" and "Mets" left your mouth without the necessary intervening phrase "f*** yourselves" shows the Phillies have lost their true lock on your heart. Appalling. It is BAD ENOUGH that some people go to the UWS to eat at the Shake "Shack" (it's not a shack). But to go to that pit of evil and watch that piteous and pathetic team and stand in line with 43,000 of the most misguided people on earth to pay an extra dollar to eat at the Shake "Shack" (it's not a shack there either) is an exercise in self-immolation. But at least the good guys won. Yes -- that other team in red. Appalled, Jason

sam11:02am | August 6, 2009

I want a Double Shack Burger and a Milkshake right now.

Jena9:42am | August 9, 2009

Dear Jason, I don't often call myself anything, other than "unemployed" or "hungry." I sometimes tell people I'm from "Philly," but that isn't really true; (I spent most of my formative years in the small, unknown suburb of Jenkintown). If it makes a difference, I did find myself looking around for the smelly mop of green that is the Philly Phanatic.

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