Citi Field: Bologna Sandwich, Giant Pickle, Seafood

Ahhh, my first official game of the season (April 11, 2010), and my first photo of David Wright’s first at bat!  Back to drooling over my man DW, back to normal!  (From October to April – especially after last season – baseball hardly existed to me; from April to October, we add another passion to the list and I obsess over baseball…)  I mentioned new food items for this season and my concerns so I had to check how those played out! 

Since there’s now Box Frites behind my seats on the promenade level, I skipped my usual brief walk through Taste of the City and headed straight for the one upstairs.  I’m not too pleased that they changed the containers at Box Frites – I’m positive this is smaller than the old boxes for 50c more.  I’ve yet to confirm what containers they are using at the Taste of the City location, but if it’s the same as the picture I linked – well, I’ll be going back to that one, then!  On this day, I sampled the bacon aioli, which was very skimpy in the container and not quite as bacon-y as last year.  It was fine… but not my favorite. 

There’s also now a Blue Smoke location behind my seats on the promenade level, and I mentioned last time about a $9.50 bologna sandwich that I’d been angry over because they replaced the chipotle wings.  Well, I wanted to know what could a bologna sandwich possibly be for $9.50???  So… I got it. 

I’ve never seen bologna that thick before. 

I mean, just look at it! 

Grilled – or at least grill marks on it – with thickly cut pickles and a soft sesame seed bun, and BBQ sauce brushed on… I don’t like bologna in general, to be honest, but this was pretty darn good.  It was tasty, for sure, and I ate it without complaints – except about the price.  I know, we’re at a ballpark, so I expect to pay premiums.  But it’s a bologna sandwich!  I would pay $6, maybe $7.50 at most and only because we’re at a stadium, for this sandwich.  $9.50 it is not worth!  (But yes, it tasted good, even to someone who doesn’t like bologna.  The texture of bologna is drastically different when you cut it thickly, apparently.) 

Last time, I’d been unable to sample Mama’s of Corona, one of my absolutely favorite stands, because it hadn’t been open.  Well, I wasn’t passing up the opportunity on this day!  There are some new menu items that make me happy; and yes, they did raise their prices a little (about 75c), but I still consider this sandwich to be tops in value and taste for the ballpark.  (Plus, if you’re smart or if you’re coming from that way, you can totally grab a sandwich for less at their outside-stadium-location, where I’ve never been…)

I saw these giant pickles floating in a giant jar and had to have one (I love pickles).  $2.50 and it came wrapped in tin foil, split in half, ready for you to enjoy and share with someone. 

You don’t believe me how big they are?  Look at it compared to my hand! 

What do you mean, you don’t know how big my hand is???  Here, see how big it is?! 

Fine, compare with something you know the length of: a $20 bill.  Not quite as long, and very thick, I assure you, this was a tasty, pickly treat on the hot day.  NOM.  And really healthy (honestly; pickles have very little calories, no fat, no cholesterol…)  🙂 

But you want to know about my sandwich.  Well, here it is, with mushrooms and roasted red peppers in the little containers.  NOM (yes I add both). 

Thick layers of fresh mozzarella, peppered ham, capicola… and a bunch of other stuff…

Absolutely delicious, per usual.  I love Mama’s and could eat a sandwich there every game I attend.  I can’t get enough… so good! and a great value (I usually split a sandwich and a large frites with BF and call it a day).  NOM! 

Unfortunately, the Mets fell, 5-2.  Blegh. 

My next game was a night game, which never bodes well in April.  As in, I’m always freezing; this time was no different.  I brought our stadium blanket and totally bundled myself up tight in that as soon as I was done eating.  In any case, for eats, I quickly headed to Taste of the City with BF who wanted to check it out briefly (he kind of wanted Shake Shack, but I talked him out of it, because it was rainy and the line was long).  On our walk away from it, across Shea Bridge, towards the escalator to our seats, I passed by Catch of the Day and decided to give it a second chance after some comments on my post last year that said I was wrong about them and should try again.  You might recall that I got really sick last year when I ate at Catch of the Day, so note that this was a test of will to get me to eat here again. 

I first opted for the crab cake sandwich, with the BF chiming in that he’d try some.  He loves crabcakes, and we eat them everywhere as a result. 

I still wish the tartar sauce was more evenly distributed!  I must ask for some on the side next time so I can spread it myself. 

First bites: a bit dry with some ‘hard’ edges…

A more even bite? More tartar sauce, soft crabcake.  With the right ratio of sauce+crabcake+bread, this was pretty tasty.  I don’t know if it’s worth $13, but it was tasty enough – or one half, the half with the right amount of sauce that hadn’t dried out under the heatlamps, anyway – and I liked it.  But I can’t say I would get it again. 

Since it was freezing and raining, I did get the chowder again.  Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment. 

Even just opening the container – which, by the way, thank goodness they have lids this time!  Last year, no lids, which was awkward and hard to maneuver to my seats with an open container of soup! – the soup smelled really good, something BF pointed out immediately to me.  He’s not into creamy soups, nor clams so much, so though I offered repeatedly, he declined trying the soup.  The soup was still on the thin side for my preferences, but not watery as it was last year, and nowhere near as buttery/oily.  It was actually pretty damn tasty, and remained hot for a good amount of time while I ate it slowly, trying to keep the warmth.  NOM. 

So now that Catch of the Day has essentially redeemed itself to me, I suppose next up is the $17 lobster roll (which you’ll note has not gone up in price this season, not even 25c)!  Stay tuned for that 😉

And of course, I snagged another order of frites from behind my seats, promenade level, to share with the BF, but this time with blue cheese dressing.  A little skimpy in the container again, but pretty much the same blue cheese I loved from last season: blended well, creamy, tangy, and delicious.  CHOMP.  Love those frites! 

Obligatory photo of David’s first at-bat of the game.  The final score?  0-1, Mets, after 5 innings.  It was raining hard on and off throughout much of the game; our seats happen to be just under the overhang, so we were covered (though the wind made it uncomfortable sometimes)… until just after the first pitch of the 6th inning, when the skies opened up and all the players ran for the dugouts while the groundskeepers shot out to cover the field with tarp.  The game was rain delayed, so we left (it takes at least 30+ minutes from when they decide to start taking the tarp down after the rain stops until the game can resume, it was already 9:30 and the rain didn’t seem to be letting up; it was an excellent call because the game was eventually officially called and my team won. 

Yvo says: Summation:
Blue Smoke bologna sandwich = tasty, but not worth the price tag (try replicating at home?)
Giant pickle for $2.50 from Mama’s of Corona = WIN, as their Italian hero continues to be
Catch of the Day = redemption for me getting sick last year! tasty chowder, decent crabcake sandwich that may not be worth the price
Box Frites = always delicious, always crisp, always worth it, with yummy dipping sauces!