Scoreboard Gourmet

AYCE seats in Kansas City

You already know my thoughts on All You Can Eat (devil's workshop)...here are some fries with that finger shake (does that make sense?):

EV Idiot's Kansas City Royals AYCE photos
thanks, Chris

Anchor Steam at Citizens Bank Park, in plastic bottles

I forgot all about my "green" category - have to work on that. Here's something cool:

To offset the carbon footprint created by the team's utility power usage at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies have purchased 20 million kilowatt-hours of Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). According to the EPA, this is the largest single purchase of 100% renewable energy in professional sports and is equivalent to the planting of 100,000 trees.

And more in line with the actual topic of this post: 35 oversized, 80-gallon recyclable containers have been placed around the ballpark. What's weird is I do not remember seeing one.

Moving on - I swear I am not making some comment about plastic by mentioning the Anchor Steam bottles. I lo+ve the fact I did not have to have my favorite beer poured inexpertly into a plastic cup. I'd never seen Anchor Steam in a plastic bottle. I found it to be about as delicious as possible.

Anchor Steam in plastic bottles at Citizens Bank Park is referred to (by vendors) as Premium Plastic, as you can see by the above register. $6.75 per bottle, which I find reasonable, not to mention a reason to return to Philadelphia.

Dirtiest Car in the Cyclones Parking Lot Promotion

Tomorrow (Monday) Darryl Strawberry (representing the Mets) will be at KeySpan Park (In Brooklyn, home of the short-season-A Mets) for the Cyclones' 7pm game against Hudson Valley.

Strawberry is also representing Spongetech - the ultimate one-step wash and wax system. He will present the winner (or loser, depending on how you look at it) of the Dirtiest Car in the Parking Lot contest with a Spongetech prize package.

If You have a ticket to the game, and really dirty car, you could meet one of the greatest players ever to wear a Mets uniform.

This is funny. This could be worth the drive to Coney Island, though we generally take the train.

Phillies Turkey Hill Ice Cream Pints (yes, pints)

Pints of Turkey Hill Ice Cream for $5.75 at Citizens Bank Park.
As my friend Dr Jay put it, "That's the best deal in the ballpark."

I want to say more but what else is there? Pints of ice cream for marginally more than the cost of a cup. I didn't actually see anyone buying or enjoying these pints. Why?

Wilmington Blue Rocks cool Home Plate Cafe seats

The Wilmington Blue Rocks (Advanced-A Royals) have a fantastic 60-person seating area behind home plate. It's called the cafe. You get some 60 people together and sign up for a food package, generally $35 per person including game ticket and the buffet.

And check out the view.
For more information, or to rent a suite, call 302- 888-BLUE
For menu information, contact Centerplate at 302-888-5395

Tonight, like every Friday, it's Fun Time Friday at Frawley Stadium. And fun in Wilington means there will be a Christian band in the ballpark. Interesting. It's also Jacoby Ellsbury Bobblehead Giveaway night - first 1000 fans.
The Blue Rocks play the Salem Avalanche (Astros) at 7:05p

New Yankee Stadium Gets a Hard Rock Cafe, and a NYY Steak (new brand?)

Get ready for a 7,000 square-foot Hard Rock Cafe at the new Yankee Stadium.

Located at the corner of 161st Street and River Avenue, the Hard Rock Cafe will be open year-round, with or without a ticket to a Yankees game. Located near the Great Hall entrance in right field, it will be adjacent to the newly branded NYY Steak, a prime steakhouse that will be operated all year as well.

The Hard Rock Cafe will open under an agreement with Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, while the NYY Steak restaurant will be operated by YGE Steakhouses, an affiliate of Yankees Global Enterprises, in conjunction with Hard Rock Entertainment. Subject to MLB rules and regulations, Trost said that the possibility of future NYY Steak franchises -- nationally and internationally -- would be explored.

Seating for 245 guests will be provided at the Hard Rock Cafe, along with a full bar and a patio. Though the restaurant will not feature views of the playing field, Trost said it will be outfitted with more than 1,000 enhanced Internet Protocol Televisions, making every set also a computer. A membership restaurant on the suite level in left field will feature viewpoints of the stadium.

Aramark in the House (of baseball)

What happens when a local restaurant has a stand in a ballpark? Do they send restaurant employees to staff the outpost? Or does the ballpark concessionaire get involved?

The good people of Aramark have answers.

And you know these answers apply to: Angel Stadium (Angels), Minute Maid Park (Astros) Citizens Bank Park (Phillies), Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Orioles), Coors Field (Rockies), PETCO Park (Padres), Fenway Park (Red Sox), PNC Park at North Shore (Pirates), H.H.H. Metrodome (Twins), Safeco Field (Mariners), Kauffman Stadium (Royals), Shea Stadium (Mets), McAfee Coliseum (A's), Turner Field (Braves), Rogers Centre (Blue Jays)

And in ballparks of these minor league teams: Schaumburg Flyers, Southern Illinois Miners, Lexington Legends, Joliet Jackhammers, Las Vegas 51s, River City Rascals, Richmond Braves, Gary Railcats, Brooklyn Cyclones, Indianapolis Indians, West Virginia Power

take a moment to process that before reading on

Answers: Usually the people working the stands are Aramark employees. Oftentimes, the restaurant will arrange to have a manager onsite to ensure quality control. The thing to note is, all the ingredients used in the items on the menu at the ballpark are the exact same you will find at the restaurant itself. Aramark uses the same suppliers and specs as the restaurant. Which means many deliveries from different companies on any given day.

cool thing Aramark did for the 2006 All-Star Game: Just as the top players from across MLB traveled to Pittsburgh in July to showcase their baseball skills, the best hot dog, peanut, cotton candy, and beverage vendors from across the country also made the trip to showcase their unique and “All-Star” hawking abilities. One outstanding vendor from each of the ballparks where Aramark provides concessions represented their home team at the All-Star Game.

I wonder what our friends in the Bronx have planned...

Andy Phillips is back in NYC this Friday...as a Met!

NEW YORK (AP) — The Mets claimed infielder Andy Phillips off waivers from Cincinnati on Wednesday, four days after the Reds designated him for assignment.

Phillips will join the team Friday for a two-stadium doubleheader against the Yankees. Phillips was drafted by the Yankees in 1999 and spent parts of the 2004-07 seasons in New York.

He signed a minor league contract with the Reds in January after refusing to accept a similar deal with the Yankees in December and opting for free agency.

Phillips was called up from the minors by the Reds on May 28. He made two starts at third base for Cincinnati and was batting .143 (3-for-21) with four RBIs. He was hitless in his past 10 at-bats when the Reds cut him Sunday.

Tony Luke's at Citizen's Bank Park (Phillies)

I think I've used this exact exciting title before. I cannot check because either my computer, my internet connection, or typepad is on the fritz.

anyhoo, I've mentioned Tony Luke's once or twice in the past few days so it's about time I give it it's own post.

Three of us stood on line for 28 minutes waiting to order/buy 2 cheesesteaks ($8.25) with wiz and onions, and one Roast Pork Sandwich ($8.25) which had no broccoli rabe, and hardly any meat  (see left photo - and that was the meatier half).

Roast Pork with Sharp Provolone at the restaurant is $6.50, Roast Pork Italian (Sharp provolone w/ spinach or broccoli rabe) is $7.25. But I don't care about the prices, I care about the missing information in the name. Obviously I am a positive thinker/idiot and assumed the Roast Pork would be as loaded. I was wrong wrong and sad sad.

Worse: because of the amount of time wasted in the Tony Luke's line I was ruined for any other line in the ballpark - and there were many.

I should mention that we met a lovely guy and his three sons while in line. He assured us the wait was worth it. I hope their sandwiches were better than ours. TFMJ and the other cheesesteak eater felt there was not enough cheese on their steaks. They also did not take a photo for SG.

Tony Luke's Old Philly Style Sandwiches
39 East Oregon Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 551-5725

Tony Luke's Beef and Beer Sports Bar
26 East Oregon Avenue
Philadelphia, PA.

Outdoor Women's Professional Basketball: Liberty v Fever at US Open stadium

I cannot believe TFMJ and I will be out of town for what sounds like the coolest event of the summer: outdoor women's professional basketball.

New York Liberty vs. Indiana Fever
Arthur Ashe Stadium (that's across the street from Shea, same subway stop, in the US Open Tennis complex in Flushing, NY)
Saturday July 19th, 7:30p

go to the MSG box office, call 877-wnba-tix, or go to ticketmaster to be part of this fantastic game.
and, of course, write in with details.

Chickie's & Pete's Cafe: Crab Fries + Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, 76ers

Last year, Philadelphia Magazine deemed Chickie's & Pete's the Best Sports Bar in town saying: ESPN rated Chickie’s & Pete’s the third best sports bar in the country, and who are we to disagree? You can’t go wrong with throngs of bloodthirsty jerseyed fans, gigantic plasma TVs, cheap beer (plus more esoteric selections), fantastic mussels in red sauce (we may have heard something about the crabs, too), and, at the South Philly location, plenty of Dalembert and Donovan sightings.

Scoreboard Gourmet will hit the actual restaurant (one of them) later this summer. So far we've only experienced Chickie's & Pete's at Citizens Bank Park, where the line for the famous Crab Fries was crazy long - longer than any other line in the ballpark, including all the cheesesteak stands.

And since we actually wanted to watch some of the game we did not stand in line. Food concessions lines are pretty painful at Citizens Bank Park. Maybe it's because we attended a sellout (a legitimate sellout, meaning seats were full not just tickets were sold). Or maybe it's because many fans seemed way more interested in eating than watching.

One SG contributer was surprised to see the game was in progress - on an overhead TV - while he stood one of many lines. "It's so quiet," he said. "It's like there's no game at all."

Guess the aforementioned bloodthirsty fans are part of another season.

Chickie's & Pete's
1526 Packer Avenue (walking distance from the Philly Sports Complex)
11000 Roosevelt Blvd (gigantic TV's)
4010 Robbins Ave (orig location, also has TV's)
Philadelphia, PA

183 US Highway 130
Bordentown, NJ (near Trenton)
6055 Blackhorse Pike
Egg Harbor Twp, NJ (near Atlantic City)