What to eat at the T20 World Cup cricket stadium in East Meadow

Star athletes from all over the world are playing at the T20 Cricket World Cup, but the line to get food may be the fiercest competition of all at Eisenhower Park. Concession-stand queues were in the 30-minute range during Wednesday's match at the East Meadow stadium and patrons grew desperate enough to skip to the front to try to make deals with employees. 

Much of this had to do with the fact that they had run out of the venue's most popular item, veggie samosas. Although Ireland was at play, the majority of the crowd was sporting blue-and-orange jerseys for India. The tournament's most anticipated match, India vs. Pakistan on Sunday, is expected to bring 34,000 fans to the temporary stadium. 

Concessions are being handled by Legends Hospitality, the brand that also manages food for Yankee Stadium, plus large-scale venues in Dallas and Madrid. In addition to stands serving halal foods, there are about a dozen food trucks selling tacos, burgers, coffee and chai, since the eight matches often start at 10:30 a.m. Most of the vendors are either from Long Island or the tristate region. 

Legend's VP of culinary operations, Gretchen Beaumarchais, acknowledged the challenge of serving tens of thousands of international customers in a makeshift stadium with minimal infrastructure. Dishes are being prepared in mobile kitchen trailers erected throughout the property. The menu was designed with global sports fans in mind, from dishes like tikka masala, fish and chips, kofta kebab and an all-beef hot dog (which didn't seem to be popular). Typical street snacks associated with India's cricket scene, like masala peanuts or chaat, aren't offered. But beer was plentiful and easy to obtain, with no lines. 

Prices were what you'd expect at a sporting event, with foods like a soft pretzel for $8, and full dishes of tikka masala and vegan curries with naan bread ranging from $16 to $18. After eating through the options, here are three worth seeking out. 

Vegetarian tikka fries from the main concession stand 

Sporting event French fries are a mixed bag, but these arrived fresh out of the fryer and managed to remain crispy all through the two-story climb through the rafters up to the stands. The chips, as you might call them in the U.K., where tikka masala is popular, were mostly bare except for a slap of mild tomato curry in the center. On top of that was a generous dollop of tangy yogurt and some pickled onions ($15). The loaded fries are snackable and eliminate the need to go searching for ketchup packets.

Double cheeseburger from Volt Burger Smash

Celebrity chef brothers Michael and Bryan Voltaggio are a hit on “Top Chef” and also have high-end concepts in Maryland and Las Vegas. Their food truck, Volt, delivers a solid double cheeseburger and accompanying bucket of fresh-cut potato fries ($16). Along with the American sauce, mustard and pickles, the effort may remind you of eating a double quarter pounder from McDonald's, with slightly better meat. The ground beef patties were not crispy on the edges like you might expect for a smash burger, but there was a little char that gave the burger some texture. 

Jackfruit tacos from Trejo's Taco

New York food lovers have a rare opportunity to taste a Trejo's Taco, the vegan taco concept from actor Danny Trejo. His original restaurants are all in the Los Angeles area, which is host to stellar tacos. His jackfruit taco mostly delivered. The corn tortilla may have tasted mass-produced, but its flavorful filling made up for it. Chunks of jackfruit, which resemble pork, were braised in a deep red chile sauce with pico and avocado crema ($16 for three). There are also beef and chicken tacos on the menu, but you can get those anywhere. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.