Scoreboard Gourmet

Us Open - Mojito bar and restaurant

Across from the Food Village, along the eastern side of Arthur Ashe Stadium, is Mojito Bar and Restaurant. Full menu follows. They also have a little stand serving mojitos if you don't want to sit and eat. It's on the edge of the Food Village across from the restaurant.

Apps
Crisp Yucca Fries $10
Chorizo and Cheese Fundido $11
Smoked Pork Bocaditos $11
Roasted Corn and Crab Dip $14
Jalapeno and Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin $14
Diablo Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche $14

Soup
Black Bean $9
Chilled Tomato and Cucumber Gazpacho $9 (as opposed to warm gazpacho)

Salads
Salpicon $12
Field Green $12
(either salad with rum-glazed chicken $19, churrasco skirt steak $22, ancho seared ahi tuna $25)

Main Plates
Mojito Chicken Quesadilla $19
Toasted Cuban Sandwich $19
Sugar Cane Chicken Breast $23
Churrasco Skirt Steak Sandwich $23
Tortilla Crusted Salmon $25
Lobster and Jack Cheese Quesadilla $28
Iron Skilled Seared Sea Scallops $28

Desserts
Mango Cheesecake $8.50
Banana Tres Leches Cake $8.50
Queso Fresco Ice Cream $8.50

US Open - Wine Bar Food Menu

Located in the South Plaza, between Arthur Ashe Stadium and Courts 10 and 13, Wine Bar Food is an outdoor bar open to any event goer who happens to find an empty seat. There's a giant screen in front of the fountains there displaying match information and one of the matches. It's a great place to sit, and the food's not bad.

Here's the Wine List:
Nino Franco Prosecco Rustico (Italy): $10
Michele Chiario 'le orme' Barbera D'asti (Italy): $14
Librandi Ciro Rosato (Italy): $14
Lageder Pinot Grigio (Italy): $14

Food/Small Plates:
Striped Bass Crudo $13
Prosciutto (with grana, shaved artichoke and hearts of palm) $11
Flaming Ouzo Shrimp $13
Tomato Bread (with serrano ham and manchego cheese) $9
Fresh Mozzarella (with tomatoes, arugula and olvies) $11

Extras:
Sweet Limoncello Granita $10
Marinated Olives $5

Food Service at the US Open

From The New York Observer story Game. Sauté. Match.

And if you thought the action on the courts was intense, check out what goes on in the kitchens, where scores of cooks from around the country scramble to feed some 650,000 people in just two weeks.

The stats are simply mind-boggling: “Last year, we did 230,000 hamburgers and hot dogs, 30,000 pizzas, 5,000 pounds of pasta, 13 tons of steaks, 77,000 pounds of chicken breasts, 4.5 tons of crab and lobster,” said Bill Wilson, director of operations for Chicago-based concessions behemoth Levy Restaurants, which oversees all food service at the Open, as well as at a number of other high-profile national events, including the Kentucky Derby, the upcoming Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay, and all the Pepsi Center activities at this week’s Democratic Convention in Denver.

something else of interest: In 2010, the company [Levy] plans to make its second foray into the coveted New York market, after signing on to handle concessions at the forthcoming Barclay Center, future home of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, at developer Bruce Ratner’s controversial Atlantic Yards complex in Prospect Heights.

US Tennis Open: waiters, chefs needed

from Crains....
The U.S. Open kicks off Monday, but the restaurants, bars and cafes that feed the crowds are not quite game ready.

Chicago-based Levy Restaurants, the company that runs the nine eateries and the food village for the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, is conducting on-site job fairs this week to fill out their roster of 1,500 hourly workers.

August is a slow month for the restaurant industry, so Levy is targeting workers who are on summer hiatus from their own restaurant jobs in Manhattan and other parts of the city.

Levy wants to avoid the staffing shortages it experienced the first year it ran the Open’s food service in 2006, when staff worked 36-hour shifts with no sleep. A chef actually fell asleep in the cooler, said Levy Chief Operating Officer Rhonna Cass. Last year, Levy brought in executive chef, Mike Lockard, who is based in Flushing year-round and works exclusively on the U.S. Open.

“It’s like 14 days of Super Bowl, [which is] a sprint,” compared to the marathon that is the U.S. Open, said Ms. Cass.

About a quarter of a million meals will be served at the Open, which will attract approximately 650,000 tennis fans during the two-week event. Many people stay all day and evening to watch the morning play that begins at 11 a.m. and the night sessions that start at 7 p.m. The restaurants cater everything from breakfast pastries to lunchtime Coney dogs to fine-dining fare.

“There’s nothing that compares to this experience,” said Mr. Lockard, who oversees the service of 9.5 tons of porterhouse steaks, 4.5 tons of crab and lobster, 9.5 tons of vegetables and 6 tons of fruit. “It’s like boot camp for the new staff.”

US Open Tennis Food Village

I can't believe this is the year I am finally going to the Open. How have I never been before? My dad's grandfather was an usher at Forest Hills. Cool, huh? Too bad that connection no longer exists. I'm going to be in the cheap seats so will be all over the Food Village...

What you can find in the Food Village at the US Tennis Open:

• Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Shop
• Burger, Burger
• Carnegie Deli
• Cheese Steak & Tenders
• Crepes Express
• Dunkin Donuts Coffee
• Daruma of Tokyo Sushi
• Franks and Fries
• Fresca Mexicana
• Fulton Seafood
• Glatt Kosher Stand
• Grey Goose Bar
• Indian Cuisine
• Pasta, Pizza & Salad Kitchen
• Quick Pick Salads & Sandwiches

US Tennis Open Restaurants

Aces and Champions Bar & Grill
Both are located on the Club level in Arthur Ashe Stadium between Gates 3 and 4, and available to Courtside Box seat holders and Luxury Suite guests. Both are open for lunch, dinner, and after the matches.
Aces - wine bar plus seafood offerings.
Champions Bar & Grill - steaks, chops, seafood and salads.

US Open Club - Located on the ground floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium, available to all Subscription Series ticket holders for the duration of the tournament for a nominal entrance fee, and is included for Silver Loge Box seat holders. Eclectic American cuisine. Lunch, dinner or after the matches. Restaurant passes are required. To purchase passes, call the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Ticket Office: 718.760.6200.

Mojito Restaurant & Bar
Mojito, our Cuban-inspired restaurant, transports you to a dramatic setting in a tropical oasis reminiscent of 1950s Havana. Experience Mojito’s luscious flavors with Latin specialties and cool cocktails, either inside or outdoors in our whimsical garden. Mojito is available to all ticket holders. Join us for lunch, dinner or after the matches. Share the summer fun before and after matches.

Patio Café
Soak up the beautiful surroundings of the US Open grounds at our charming outdoor café. Enjoy fresh selections of seasonal sandwiches and salads paired with summer specialty cocktails. The Café is available to all ticket holders. Join us for lunch, dinner or after the matches.

Heineken Red Star Café
Located in the South Plaza near Court 7, the Heineken Red Star Café has a sports bar atmosphere complete with television monitors, light snacks, specialty beers featuring Heineken and Heineken Premium Light, frozen cocktails and a full bar – all set outdoors in the middle of the action. The Heineken Red Star Café is available to all ticket holders throughout the day and evening.

BMX at the Olympics!

You know I'm a ten year old boy when BMX at the Olympics gets an exclamation point!

from the NYTimes...

Shortly after BMX cycling made its Olympic debut Wednesday, the American riders gathered down the hill from the site at a bike shop called Trek.

In the back, they sat at tables, eating muffins and sandwiches and cinnamon rolls. They hugged their parents and shook hands with their coaches and relived the races they had just finished.

full story here.

it ends with: “Just the whole experience has been crazy,” [American rider Mike] Day said. “Eating in the dining hall, sleeping in the village, getting police escorts. It’s the coolest thing ever.”

Round Rock Express Wine and Food Foundation of Texas Cook-off

WHAT: Field of Dreams "Clash of the Titans" presented by The Wine and Food Foundation of Texas, featuring a cook-off between Earl Campbell's Sausage and Nolan Ryan's Beef
WHEN: Thursday, August 21 at 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
WHERE: United Heritage Center at The Dell Diamond
HOW TO PURCHASE TICKETS: http://www.winefoodfoundation.org/subpages/horizons/upcoming_master.html
TO LEARN MORE: www.winefoodfoundation.org or call 512.327.7555

New to the event this year is a ‘Clash of the Titans’ cook-off, which pits Nolan Ryan beef vs. Earl Campbell sausage. Celebrity chefs on the line include local culinary television personality Marie Hejl. This sizzling #34 vs. #34 smoke-off features donated meats from Nolan Ryan Guaranteed Tender Meats and Earl Campbell Meat Products.

Culinary participants are longtime Texas favorites including Cool River Café, Dona Emilia’s, Eddie V’s Edgewater Grille, Freda’s Seafood Grille, Gumbo’s Round Rock, The Salt Lick, and Z Tejas. Other restaurants stepping up to the plate are Café Spoonz (HEB), The Cupcake Bar, Doorbell Dinners, Fantasy Cakes, Joe DiMaggio’s Italian Chophouse, McCormick & Schmick’s, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Pic-nics To Go, Portabla, Quality Seafood, Starbucks, and Tiff’s Treats.

More Phelps Diet Details

Yes I'm still happy that a certain swimmer is off air (more or less), but that doesn't mean his diet isn't fascinating. I just can't get enough of the details (following from BBC News):

For breakfast: three fried egg sandwiches, with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, fried onions and mayonnaise, followed by three chocolate-chip pancakes; a five-egg omelette; three sugar-coated slices of French toast and a bowl of grits (a maize-based porridge), washed down with two cups of coffee.
For lunch: half a kilogram (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheese sandwiches on white bread smothered with mayonnaise, washed down by energy drinks.
For dinner: Another half-kilogram of pasta, perhaps with a carbonara sauce, followed by a large pizza and more energy drinks

TFMJ is so jealous.
Jeff Kotterman, director of the US National Association of Sports Nutrition, said: Phelps, with an estimated 8% body fat, probably burns 1,000 calories per hour during his swimming training, compared to the equivalent exercise for an average person - vigorous walking - that would burn between 170 and 240 calories.

Consequently, trying to emulate the Phelps diet by consuming up to 12,000 calories a day in order to attain his physique would more than likely come to a wobbly end.

One pound of fat has roughly 3,500 calories, so an ordinary man could put on almost three pounds of fat a day.

Food Network Jumps the Shark

it's official; the Food Network is over...

(as read on cynopsis) Food Network has a new series in the works tentatively called Eat the Clock that combines competitive eating with a road race, according to THR. The series watches as two contestant teams rush to different Los Angeles restaurants where they stuff themselves. The pilot goes into production soon and if it is picked up, Food Network may premiere the series in first quarter 2009.

Beijing's One Kosher Restaurant

I'm all about kosher this week...

Beijing’s kosher restaurant plans on 300-500 meals daily during Olympics
Jerusalem…by Idele Ross, KosherToday Israel Bureau Chief…As reported, Dini’s, the only kosher restaurant in Beijing, took Olympic strides ahead of the opening of the games to prepare for the increase in traffic.  Ohad Turtinski, manager at Dini’s, told KosherToday that they are planning on serving between 300 and 500 kosher meals a day, and that’s just based on the reservations that have come in. Turtinski said that there is a kosher kitchen in the Olympic village where meals are prepared for the athletes from Israel and elsewhere who keep kosher.  Dini’s is remaining open 24 hours a day during the next two weeks, except for Shabbat, in order to meet the demand. The organizers of  the Beijing Olympics have been extraordinary in their efforts in assuring that all the Jewish people staying in the Olympic village have their Jewish needs met. They provided a rabbi, kosher food, and a makeshift synagogue.

that's interesting, no?