Chronicling an accidental ballpark foodie's taste testing tours
I buy a sweater with a lobster on it to prepare for the event.
It feels thematically appropriate: I’m going to Citi Field for their “What’s New” – an annual unveiling of all the new products and promotions fans can expect in the upcoming season.
But everyone knows what the draw is: the food.
Heaps of gyro meat. A tomahawk steak longer than my forearm. Poutine that’s inexplicably been stuffed into an eggroll. There’s no lobster on the menu this year, and my sweater and I are crushed. No matter, I have a job to do – taste absolutely everything I can on camera, try not to talk with my mouth full, and maybe, just maybe, don’t get powdered sugar all over my face. (I fail on that last one.)
There’s a reason for all this pomp. Last month, USA Today gave Citi Field top honors for best ballpark food for the third year in a row. Not to be outdone, the Yankees held their own food event a week prior (and frankly, for the first time, their fare was better).
And somehow, through no effort of my own, I’ve become the ballpark foodie. Every year, my X feed and DMs are filled with fans asking for recommendations, and I live in perpetual fear of letting them down by steering them toward -- gasp -- an under-seasoned burger.
I take photos of my meals throughout the season, and post them with detailed ratings, all while my coworkers chuckle. Joke’s on them, though. Because who do they turn to in mid-August when they simply can’t stomach their 37th Pat LaFrieda steak sandwich of the season? Me, that’s who.
Three years and about a dozen food videos later, I’ve learned valuable life lessons:
- Try everything at least once. I’ve eaten toasted grasshoppers and Rocky Mountain Oysters (look it up), and though I wasn’t enamored with either, I’m glad I gave it a shot.
- Don’t take anything too seriously. There is a 100% chance I make a fool out of myself while filming. This is the price of creating…uh…“art.”
- Don’t bother with the tacos. The meat usually dries out.
- Banana peppers go great on a cheesesteak.
- Always be prepared. To wit, I carry my own hot sauce.
All this started innocently enough. Growing up, my dad was a chef at a white tablecloth Italian eatery in Greenwich Village, and my life was dominated by food. I learned how to cook at a young age, and I learned how to eat at an even younger one. I remember sitting at my dad’s restaurant before open and taste-testing his new pumpkin gelato.
I hated it.
He chastised me for my immature palate.
I was 6 years old. Maybe.
Somehow, this turned into me rating food and posting it on Twitter a few years back. My boss noticed, and instead of questioning my peculiar social media habits, he asked if I'd be willing to do it on camera for our website and NewsdayTV. Yes, boss. Yes I would.
None of this is to say I’m some sort of expert. I’m a baseball writer and I go to a lot of games. I generally know good food, but mostly, I love talking about it. Which is how I find myself taking part in what I can only describe as a test of will, albeit a fun one. Am I a broadcast journalist? I am not. Do I know how to eat a chicken-tender topped hotdog in any way that can be classified as “elegant"? An emphatic no.
And yet, we persist. If you’re wondering, I fast before doing one of these. I usually eat one large meal the day before and nothing else. I drink nothing but water in the morning. Much like an athlete, I know failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Very much not like an athlete, I’m collecting calories, not RBIs. I also only take two bites or so of each item in a desperate bid for self-preservation.
I tried about 15 new items at the Yankees event this year, and about 20 at Citi Field. Both places were crammed with cameras, media and influencers. Videographer Ed Quinn and I approached the task like it’s a military operation.
At Citi, before the doors to the food hall open, I tentatively go up to the cheery public relations contact. In that moment, we are polar opposites: She’s smiling brightly. My brow is furrowed in concern and possibly fear.
“Are they going to send out a list of the new food items?” I ask. She confirms that it’ll be in my inbox soon. I heave a sigh of relief. “Good. I need to prepare.” I get the list. It is so, so long.
Shortly after, Ed and I get to work. What do we absolutely need to try? Who can we interview? Exactly how far did the dumpling explode when I bit into it, and do we need to do a re-take? At one point, as I’m about to try a burger and hotdog smashed into one, I remark that this could be the bite that finally kills me. It makes the video’s final cut.
My fellow reporters look at me with pity and mild horror: My bangs are sticking to my forehead after sprinting from station to station, and I've turned their favorite event of the year into a cautionary tale of hubris and overconsumption.
But at least my preliminary research is done, and I have a good idea of the best items at each stadium. At Yankee Stadium, it’s the dumplings, the stuffed Jamaican beef patty, the tiramisu, and the Streetbird “birddog” – the aforementioned chicken tender hotdog. At Citi, it’s the halal combo over rice, the Banh Mi, the Pig Beach turkey sandwich, and the curried chicken patty from the chef behind “Tatiana” – the incredibly popular Lincoln Center restaurant. Of course, I’ll have to try them all during the season to see if the flavors can survive mass production, heat lamps, a sweltering New York summer, and the 35,000 or so people moving about the ballpark.
For what it's worth, I do take this pretty seriously. I'm stuffed and I have all the content I need, but on that day at Citi, I remember that I still need to try the new quesadilla. Ed is at the ready, camera just a few feet away as I try to juggle all the side sauces. I overestimate my dexterity. Salsa verde goes everywhere.
My lobster sweater is white. I'll take that lesson with me to next year.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
