Yankee Stadium – The International Language of Hungry

THE CONQUEST
In 2009, I went on a mission, a “Glorious Pursuit,” if you will, to try every burger at Yankee Stadium. While I didn’t find a lot of amazing burgers, I have found quite a lot of delicious treats. In 2010, that pursuit has turned into a desire to try every single food item the stadium has to offer. You see, long gone are the days where baseball stadiums only offer, hot dogs, peanuts and cracker jacks, opting more to appease the foodie in the fan. No stadium I’ve seen offers a wider array of foods than the home to the 27 times World Series winning New York Yankees. Take my love for eating, my love for baseball and more importantly, my love of drinking beer outside and you will see me at game nearly every time someone asks.

Enter my friends Dirk and Yvette. They’re from Dortmund, Germany, home to the Dortmunder Brewery. Much like me, they work in the music business and are 2 fantastic people. Dirk calls me up on a Monday “Hey dude, I’m in NYC with Yvette and her parents. They’ve never been to a baseball game and I’ve never been to Yankees Stadium (he’s a Dodgers fan). Would you be able to help us get some tickets and do you want to go?” Shortly thereafter, I had 6 tickets in hand and plans to meet them at the game with my wife Cara.

Yvette’s Mom and Dad, Maria and Hans, were very sweet and nice. They were also very German, in that they barely spoke any English. However it wasn’t much of a barrier for fun as we all spoke the international language of hungry! While Dirk spent the game explaining, in German, to Yvette’s parents, what was happening on the field, I organized our food consumption.

As it was their first US baseball game, I felt they should sit through the National Anthem and first pitch. As soon as the teams took the field, Hans turned to me and said “I’m hungry!” I knew exactly what had to be done.

THE DIGESTIONS
There are a lot of great, tasty and diverse food choices available at Yankees stadium but my new favorite is the NYY Steak Express sandwich. It’s sliced NY strip steak, served on a Kummelweck bun with optional Dijon horseradish on the side. It’s absolutely wonderful and where I wanted to start the eating. For my full review, click here. Everybody got one and everybody loved it, especially Dirk and Hans. Although they changed the bun, it’s still damn good.

8 out of 10

Once I had a chance to digest a bit of my sandwich (note: burping) I wandered back into the stands to get something else. That’s when I walked by a stand I had never seen before. Located behind section 208, there is a little booth that simply labeled “LATIN FOOD.” My curiosity piqued, I approached ready to eat. Other than beverages, they only offer 1 item, Spanish Chicken and Rice so there was no choice to be made. The dish was piping hot and easily one of the biggest food items in the stadium. I took back to my seat and dug in. Wow! I couldn’t believe not only how good it was but also how authentic. The chicken, which I believe was stewed, was covered in Sofrito spices and cooked with tomatoes, peppers and onions. The rice was a little bland but that’s to counteract the spicy heat and intense flavors of the chicken. Cara tried a bite, thinking it would just be OK and she found herself helping me to polish it off. Dirk tried a little and liked it while Yvette’s father just seemed confused but in approval. It’s a special treat and I definitely recommend trying this on your next visit, especially if you have already eaten everything else in the stadium.

8 out of 10
-Rev

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!!

I’m sitting at my computer the next day when my AOL instant messenger begins to flash in orange, signaling that I have a message. I flip over to find my good buddy Rich Hall has reached out to me. “Want to go to the Yankees’ game today?” I type back “what section are the tickets and how much?” Rich responds “108. Free. They’re Mike’s corporate tickets.” With no delay, I message back “I’ll be 20 minutes late. Call you when I’m at the gate.”

Free tickets to hang out at my favorite bar in NYC and eat awesome food?!??! HELL YEAH BABY!! Normally I would grab a bite before checking into my seat but seeing as though I was late for the game, I opted for just a Schlitz from the Retro Beer stand. Once in the seats, following a big thank you to Mike, I realized that our seats were in the in-seat service section. If you’re seated in that area, know that you don’t have to go get food and drinks if you want as a server will bring them to you. The menu is limited but still pretty good. Mike suggested we just order from the menu so we could sit and watch the game uninterrupted.

Our seats were literally in front of 3 of my favorite stands, Carl’s Cheesesteaks, Garlic Fries and the NYY Steak Sandwich express. My plan was to take advantage of the proximity to ensure the freshest and hottest experience from each. But Mike’s suggestion to order from the in seat menu was throwing me off. Then I saw it. The realization hit me that not only could stay put and watch the game but also try something I haven’t prior…THE NYY PASTRAMI sandwich! Order placed pastrami en route, stomach ready.

THE DIGESTIONS

As we sat watching Nick Swisher make play after play from the field, we anxiously anticipated the arrival of food. Thankfully four our hunger pains, a server quickly returned with our orders. I unwrapped the sandwich from the signature Yankee’s box and noticed it was still hot. After tossing out the pickle (YUCK!) I began my taste journey. I was expecting dry and stale due to this being mass produced but I am happy to state, the rye bread was fresh and soft in the middle yet with harder, chewy crust. My expectations for the meat itself were also pretty low but once again, I was proven wrong. Pastrami is supposed to be server hot, juicy, moist and pink. This pastrami was definitely hot and a little juicy but it was cooked well done. Normally I would be let down but the half crispy / half-moist meat was smoky and delicious. The pastrami meat had a bacon like consistency which gave it a lot of salty and peppered flavor. I really, really enjoyed it.

7 out of 10

The sandwich left me pretty full and it wasn’t until both Mike and Rich demanded more food that I was prepared to eat again. We originally wandered over to the Arthur Avenue Deli stand for chicken parm sandwiches. I am sad to report that the stand has been replaced with a “pizza fritta”stand. That was a bum out for sure. With my hunger between my legs, we opted for Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and cheese fries, some of the best in the world.

8 out of 10
-Rev