Hello reader(s),
It was only a matter of time. The Mets announced that they would have shiny new expensive restaurants lining their "concourses,"(never just hallways)at the Citifield replacing Shea.
One is going to be the everybody-raves-about-it Shake Shack, oddly known for their burgers. The other will be run by celebrity restaranteur Danny Meyer. Meyer brought the Union Square area to hip life with Gramercy Tavern and other places I'm too poor and unhip to know about.
The trend toward expense-account food at the ballgame has been going on as long as these "retro" ballparks have been established (Camden Yards in the early 1990s). While these parks are a huge leap forward from the astroturf-lined multipurpuse (basball and football) concrete donuts that took over baseball in the early 1970s, they are really designed for one purpose: keeping your butt out of your seat and spending money at stores and restaurants on "concourses," which are difficult to tell from shopping malls.
In Philly, for example, there are concessions for cheesesteaks (no surprise here), but also for "crab fries," which are just like the regular item, except they have Old Bay seasoning all over them. The most interesting one (and I do recommend it to outsiders) is the Schmitter. The Schmitter is otherwise only served at one place in the city, right along the suburban line.
The Schmitter is possibly responsible for most of the heart atttacks on any given day. Let's just say that it is huge, and comes with a glutinous sauce that is guaranteed to clog your arteries in no time flat.
But back to NY. One thing the new stadia have is that the proletariat sits not only up high, but way back from the field. This is because people in luxury boxes do not want their views marred by overhanging decks. You can't even see a decent home run.
So the society becomes more stratified, as usual.
I'm trying to think of New York themed bars and restaurants, especially in the Bronx. You could of course get a knish (potato I hope). You could get giant pastrami sandwiches, courtesy of total ripoffs like the Carnegie. You could also get the last Italian pizzeria to give you something that doesn't taste like a cheese wheel.
The best NY option would be something like Danny Meyer. You could pay outrageous prices for tiny plates of nouvelle cuisine, with a bonus for snotty service.
So kids today, and tomorrow, can say they're going shopping. At Yankee Stadium and Citifield.
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3 comments:
you misunderstood, it's crabs fries...
At least the new stadiums look better from the outside. People forget that the current Yankee Stadium was not a architectural masterpiece, but rather was redone in the mid70s as a concrete bunker. Still, there's huge amounts of upper-level seating that overhangs the mezzanine. So if you want an old stadium, you'll have to settle on a new stadium made to look old. With way fewer upper level areas for the plebes.
At least the new stadiums look better from the outside. People forget that the current Yankee Stadium was not a architectural masterpiece, but rather was redone in the mid70s as a concrete bunker. Still, there's huge amounts of upper-level seating that overhangs the mezzanine. So if you want an old stadium, you'll have to settle on a new stadium made to look old. With way fewer upper level areas for the plebes.
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