I was recently invited to preview the concessions for the US Opens Aces Club, Mojito Restaurant, and other concessions available around the tennis center. (I attended this last year as well!) Unfortunately, I haven’t been feeling all that well lately, so my stomach permitted me to eat very little… luckily, I brought along TC, and bumped into Siobhan there, and they happily ate everything while I just took pictures of it to show you!
As soon as we walked in – after a long time trying to find the place! – this sight greeted us. Food, food, and lots of drinks in these adorable (plastic) glasses that list the winners of the US Open by year and gender. Not gonna say who, but some lucky ladies walked out of there with their very own souvenir glasses 😉
The spread continued down the bar with many tasting look plates for display.
Scallops, ceviche…
Cooking shrimp right at the bar! Jim Abbey, Masaharu Morimoto, and Tony Montuano were all on hand to discuss their role in the menu planning. I didn’t take pictures of them though.
After our brief walk through the menu, we sat down and food descended upon us immediately. First up: a slightly spicy shrimp and scallop ceviche. I tried a bit of this and though I am no huge fan of shrimp, it was pretty tasty.
Next was the lobster roll. I heard mixed opinions; mine was a little mushy and the lobster was sort of mashed in there, but I also heard that it was tasty. So maybe a bit hit or miss?
A Cuban also landed on my plate; I thought it was odd to have the slaw on top like that. I wound up being unable to eat this, through no fault of theirs, but I saw it being enjoyed…
Siobhan snagged a chicken-mozzarella sandwich which looked pretty tasty, but I forgot to check in with her as for taste.
There was a Chinese-influenced chicken and broccoli that came around in take out boxes – very cute – but I didn’t try this.
Crabcake, which I did try and wound up really enjoying – very salty though. The super crisp crust was salty to the way I like it, and I like my food salty. The inside was all lump crab meat, and very tasty.
Sushi, as curated by Morimoto; I didn’t try this, but I’m sure it was very fresh. Look at the colors! So vibrant.
The lobster quesadilla got a big pass from everyone at the table. Maybe it was the same as last year? I imagine if it’s returned, it was a popular dish though!
A server came around and plopped half lobsters on our plates (I had to decline); the consensus was how fresh the lobster was, and delicious. They also had shrimp but no one made comments on it.
I think TC disliked this dish the most – portobello crepe. He said it was mushy and uninteresting. Oops.
Cowboy steak! I ate this happily. It was tasty, tender, and the horseradish sauce on the side was great.
Lobster mac&cheese!
Our server graciously brought us our own fresh-made scallops when we politely asked about them; we’d noticed that all the scallops were going to a table in the corner. I joked that it must be the VIP table; perhaps Sam Sifton (the NYT restaurant critic) was seated there? After a brief moment peering and then Googling, we realized that it was Mark Bittman. Hahaha! Oops. In any case, the scallops smelled delicious and the accoutrements were all appreciated, though Siobhan and I agreed the scallops were slightly overcooked. They may have tried to rush it and jacked the flame up, though, since this was towards the end and they made them special for us. Then again, we had amazing scallops last year and both reminisced about those as we talked about these…
I realize I don’t offer much opinion in the way of what’s offered, so please take this as it’s intended: just a look at some of the many lovely concessions available at the US Open this year. Obviously you’ll like some things more than I will, or less – depending on how close your tastes fall to mine – but at least now you go in knowing some things you may want to look for or some things you want to avoid (if that’s not your thing).
Enjoy! Let me know if you do make it out there and what you think of the food!
Please note that I attended this event courtesy of the US Open, and was not obligated to post about it at all. I received no monetary compensation.
TT says
looks like it was quite a tasty event that i would have enjoyed. too bad the man prevented me from going.
the US Open is such a great experience. Totally different from all other NYC sporting events.
too bad if I ever return I would probably stick to the burgers or something of the like since all this food would be way out of my price range.
T.C. says
Thanks again Yvo for the invite. I really appreciate it.
I like US Open Tennis and have been going for the past few years. I usually stick to their “affordable” food court/ ball-park fare that really isn’t anything special like I was able to enjoy above.
I really enjoyed the fresh seafood that day. The ceviche, crabcake, sushi, scallops, and half-lobster (happily dismantled it myself) with shrimp (also very fresh of course) were great. The piece of cowboy steak was nice. I wanted more beef but already inhaled so much food by then.
I thought the lob mac&cheese and lob quesadilla were just okay. They didn’t quite hit the spot as well as the other seafood dishes. The two sandwiches and chicken stir-fry were not bad but overshadowed by everything else. Finally, the portabello crepe was just mushy and terrible. The portbello fries (not pictured, served by staff) were much better.
Hey, no pics of the chocolate cake with toffee crunchies and carrot cake? Both were very moist. Delicious desserts!
Bittman’s table also received their very own fruit platter. LOL.
hungry says
Dammit! I missed this. boooooooo…
Bianca says
I’m going to the US Open on Tuesday and I can’t wait! Are those drinks in the background the honey deuces? I remember them from last year. So so tasty!
T.C. says
Yes, those are the Grey Goose Honey Deuces. I had one yesterday at the open too. Very nice cocktail served in a cool Champions cup.
At the event, I really enjoyed the Watermelon Ouzo the most. Very refreshing and worked really well with the seafoods. They had Moet Imperial champagne too but it was not as good as the Ouzo or Honey Deuces.
skippymom says
Eventhough you couldn’t eat, I really enjoyed the pictures. Especially the sushi. The piece at 8 o’clock on the plate is a work of art. I don’t normally eat sushi, but I think I could make an exception on that one.
Hope you were feeling better soon.
USOpenFan says
Don’t know if this is the right forum to ask but I wasn’t able to make it there this year and am not only craving those delictable Grey Goose Honey Deuces. Does any one know how I may be able to get one of those collectible plastic glasses from this year?
Feisty Foodie says
I’m not sure, honestly – it might be worth a shot to check their website and see if they sell them?