Mama’s of Corona (Shea Stadium)

Ah, baseball again.  Sorry to do this to y’all, but look,. it’s food-geared, so bear with me. 

When I read about Mama’s of Corona on Endless Simmer, I was incredibly excited.  I guess it makes sense though – you see, I have a Sunday plan, which means every Sunday that the Mets play at Shea, I’ve got tickets to that game.  And they’re in Section 2 (Mezzanine Reserved), which is almost directly behind and above home plate, so every time my future husband, David Wright, comes to bat, I can scream to my heart’s content knowing full well that he can probably hear me, somewhere in the back of his focused mind.  (“I love you DW!!!  WILL YOU MARRY ME!!!  I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE“… no, just kidding, I promised months ago I would refrain from shouts of this kind because I don’t want to be escorted out of Shea in handcuffs with DW shaking his head at me, “Poor crazy girl sitting by herself up there…”) 

Um, anyway.  The point is, with tickets to 13 games at Shea, my waist, my stomach, my wallet can’t stand eating hot dogs every Sunday.  Though I’ve yet to actually bento for a game, I do really want to – it’s classic, isn’t it?! saving money and eating healthy! – well, someone claiming that there is good eating at Shea is a great thing.  Not another hot dog for me this Sunday, were my thoughts exactly…

Of course, I overslept a little and wound up not making it to the stadium in time to access the field level, where I’d previously thought the only Mama’s stand resided.  (You can access the field level without field level tickets, provided you arrive an hour or so before game time.) 

So I texted my friend, who also has a Sunday plan (but by 2nd plate – suckers! bought their tickets too late!),
“Boo. Didn’t make it to Mama’s in time”
and he texted back
“You know there’s a Mama’s on mezz res level behind sec 11”

I KNEW you were good for something and I kept you for SOME reason!  Thanks buddy!!!

In between innings, I quickly ran over and found the stand.  Surprisingly, there was no line (as you can see above) so I snapped a photo.  The sandwiches were pre-made and already in boxes, so they just handed me one after I forked over my $9.75 for the sandwich.  Ouch. 

***Before I get to the review, Gothamist’s review of the field level location shows a picture of the place, which looks like it’s an actual food stand that has room inside to, well, stand, and judging by those pictures, they probably make them fresh when you order them.  Which means it’s probably better than the one I got.  By a long shot.

Shot of the box once I opened it.  The sandwich is pretty flat.  Bottom left you can see the two containers of roasted red peppers and marinated mushrooms.  The ES post had implied – or in my mind, anyway – that the condiments were unnecessary, so I dug in without adding either.

The cross section.  Eh.  It was okay.  Not that great.  I didn’t see anything particularly special about it, anyway.  What do I know about sandwiches?  I’m kind of a connoisseur actually… search this site for the word sandwich 😉  I mean, it was tasty, but it wasn’t like mind bogglingly good or anything!

So I tried it with the peppers.  Then I tried it with the mushrooms.  But then… I tried it with BOTH.  Because I’m seriously crazy like that.

(Ok, I’m not sure why this is so blurry.  Did I smudge oil on my lens?  I HOPE NOT… but considering how bright it is out… wonder why it’s so blurry… maybe I was really excited?)

WOW. is all I can say.  (Maybe not.)  The combination of the flavors suddenly just exploded, coming to life and bringing this sandwich to a whole new dimension.  I was seriously impressed.  This was good. 

Of course, I now wonder how much better the sandwich would be if I had gotten one freshly made from downstairs…

Hopefully I’ll be able to get there early enough this Sunday to try it out for myself- I’ll report back.

Until then… wow.

Yvo says: Sick of hot dogs?  I know I am, after countless baseball games this season already, not even halfway through.  Give one of the Mama’s stands a try… remember to slap on the roasted red peppers and marinated mushrooms… you won’t regret it, I promise.  Even with the steep price you’re paying – cut back a beer and there you go. 
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