A year ago, New York was abuzz with the opening of two new baseball stadiums and one of the big stories was Danny Meyer's involvement at the Mets' Citi Field. Late last season we visited the new Yankee Stadium and came away impressed with the new digs but outraged at the price gouging ($9.50 beer) and poor food choices - they were actually embarrassing.
This week we took a ride out to Citi Field to check it out - not because we're Mets fans as much as we were curious about the food & beverage choices post hype. First of all, the stadium is a stunner and shares many similarities with the new Yankee Stadium. You can walk all the way around it on the main level, it's more open and has better views of the field and it has cup holders in standing areas so you can grab a beer and stand with a view of the field. All big improvements in stadium design. As a negative, the place is too loud with speakers everywhere, even above the ticket windows, making it difficult to even buy a ticket due to the noise.
Back to food & bev - choices at Citi included the usual stadium junk, plus stands for kosher food and gluten free food! The Danny Meyer joints are behind center field on the main level and were busy, in the case of Shake Shack overwhelmingly so. We tried pulled pork sandwiches from Blue Smoke, which lacked seasoning, fries from the Frites joint, good but outrageously expensive at $8 for about 25 - 30 fries and a meh lobster roll from the fish shack, supposedly overseen by David Pasternack, with signs posted guaranteeing freshness. What it could not guarantee was proper seasoning and enough mayo.
The selection of beer was wide - there is also a rum bar best avoided - but it takes some perusing to find the best bargains. However, the beer is much cheaper than Yankee Stadium, with far more choices. There is a "Big Apple Brews" hut near they Meyer joints and they sell 12 ounce bottles of real beer (Bud Light and Coors Light are not real beers) for $6.75. We preferred "Beers of the World" where you could get 16 ounces of Stella, Czechvar and a few other Euro beers on draft for $7.50. There are two of these stands, near 1st base and 3rd base, and if you go on the right night, an 80 year old named Irwin will serve you. The guy is a hoot. Oh, and don't forget your ID. You cannot buy beer without ID, no matter how old you are. We saw a 50-sth woman turned away because she wasn't carrying any ID.
Considering how poor the Mets play, it's a shame they have the better ballpark with better amenities. We'll check in on Yankee Stadium soon as we can afford it and see if things have improved. But winning the World Series doesn't lead to lower prices.
This week we took a ride out to Citi Field to check it out - not because we're Mets fans as much as we were curious about the food & beverage choices post hype. First of all, the stadium is a stunner and shares many similarities with the new Yankee Stadium. You can walk all the way around it on the main level, it's more open and has better views of the field and it has cup holders in standing areas so you can grab a beer and stand with a view of the field. All big improvements in stadium design. As a negative, the place is too loud with speakers everywhere, even above the ticket windows, making it difficult to even buy a ticket due to the noise.Back to food & bev - choices at Citi included the usual stadium junk, plus stands for kosher food and gluten free food! The Danny Meyer joints are behind center field on the main level and were busy, in the case of Shake Shack overwhelmingly so. We tried pulled pork sandwiches from Blue Smoke, which lacked seasoning, fries from the Frites joint, good but outrageously expensive at $8 for about 25 - 30 fries and a meh lobster roll from the fish shack, supposedly overseen by David Pasternack, with signs posted guaranteeing freshness. What it could not guarantee was proper seasoning and enough mayo.
The selection of beer was wide - there is also a rum bar best avoided - but it takes some perusing to find the best bargains. However, the beer is much cheaper than Yankee Stadium, with far more choices. There is a "Big Apple Brews" hut near they Meyer joints and they sell 12 ounce bottles of real beer (Bud Light and Coors Light are not real beers) for $6.75. We preferred "Beers of the World" where you could get 16 ounces of Stella, Czechvar and a few other Euro beers on draft for $7.50. There are two of these stands, near 1st base and 3rd base, and if you go on the right night, an 80 year old named Irwin will serve you. The guy is a hoot. Oh, and don't forget your ID. You cannot buy beer without ID, no matter how old you are. We saw a 50-sth woman turned away because she wasn't carrying any ID.Considering how poor the Mets play, it's a shame they have the better ballpark with better amenities. We'll check in on Yankee Stadium soon as we can afford it and see if things have improved. But winning the World Series doesn't lead to lower prices.
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