Scoreboard Gourmet

Sports spatulas. They say Flexible I say Flimsy but haven't tested, just speculating

Available at Broadway Panhandler (65 E. 8th St., Mahattan). How should I categorize this post? BBQ? These ain't no grill tools. Hmm.

Everglades BBQ at the Super Bowl, and Pro Bowl, and Dolphins and Marlins Games

Everglades BBQ, as you can see by the photo taken by Steve Cahoon of Centerplate (who recently acquired Boston Culinary Group), is part of the pregame tailgate at Dolphins Stadium. 
In 2008 the concessionaire tried selling BBQ beef to Marlins fans, but it didn't work out because who wants cow when you can have pig! Chefs Dan Filarecki and Orlando Morales then created a pig-based-bbq menu and now there are Everglades BBQ stands and carts throughout the stadium. Yes SG should have mentioned this earlier in the season. Sorry. Next year you can check it out and let me know.

Everglades BBQ is now also in the BankAtlantic Center (Panthers), and the stadiums at Florida, Central Florida, Ole Miss (altered logo there, in place of the gator).

Bud Light Lime and other delicious white trashy moments

There were way too many bills and letters to shred so I suggested we fire the grill and burn everything. We were a few beers into the second, or maybe third, or sixth, day of cleaning out my friend's dad's house and home office so the realtor could come in and try to make a sale. 

"Have you had Bud Light Lime?" asked my friend, appreciating my fridge-clearing skills.
"Not yet," I said, accepting the offer. I was half-covered in ash after a gust of wind got to the grill. I was fully sick of my burning idea, remembering it was also a slow process, but I was determined to finish. And I was marveling at this moment in my life - standing in a suburban Atlanta backyard in front of a mega fire, sweating, wondering if anything was in the propane tank, wondering if that was a problem, swilling cheap domestic beer like nobody's business. Earlier, we sold two ancient, giant tube TV's for $40 to a woman planning to ship them to India. "My god this is good," I said, pulling back from the bottle.
My friend laughed. She's one of the most important people in my life, though we see each other once a year at most. 

"Is it this extraordinary moment making this beer so good?"
"It's because you're buzzed, and it's humid and you're reaching into a fire," she said, watching me grab papers that weren't catching the flame.
"I'm going to try this beer on a regular day," I said.
"When do you ever have a regular day?" she asked.

I'd hoped it would have happened by now, but it hasn't, which means I have not again tasted Bud Light Lime. But it's Memorial Day, so summer is starting and it's a good time to think about light beers and citrus. You know I love a shandy. If Bud is the beer of baseball, let's hope Bud Light Lime is in every ballpark. Let's please discuss this beer. Am I actually going to buy some?

Pulled Pork at the RBC Center

Thanks to Jeff for sending in the picture: Pulled pork sammy with cole slaw and western (north carolina) bbq sauce. Western is tomato based, eastern is vinegar based

Brother Jimmy's at Yankee Stadium

You heard it here first. And if you didn't I'd love to know where you did.

Brother Jimmy's, everyone's favorite ACC bar, is showing some Yankee pride by setting up an outpost in the Bronx at the new Yankee Stadium. And nothing goes together better than a bunch of Yankees and southerners. The stand is left field, field level.

Thinking about Brother Jimmy's makes me feel old. Remember when 1644 Third Avenue was a Bills Bar? More details when I know em.

And, speaking of Brother Jimmy's, here's their NCAA Men's Basketball tourney bracket. Go UConn!

Kinder's Ball Tips; talking Oakland

Check out that guy. Excellent. He's eight feet tall but needed a way to get some more attention.

But this is a post about Ball Tips. Not sure why that cut is not defined as promised in the sign (pictured). So I'll tell you what I know. A Ball Tip is basically a Tri-Tip, that triangular part of the Rump. That's it; that's all I know.

Here's something else: Kinder's is a meat market/deli in the Bay Area. It's a chain, actually. Locations here. Their McAfee outpost is popular. It got a shout-out in that NYTimes article I'm still sore over. But that was baseball season and I'm ready for some football...the Raiders lost to the Chargers on Thursday so do not play tomorrow.

Their next home game is 12/14 v the Patriots at 1:15pm.

Chicken Tenders and Garlic Fries in Oakland

I'm starving but my SG delinquency has me sort of worried so I'm ignoring my empty stomach and thinking of You, dear reader.

Let's talk about the Raiders and their many costumed fans. It makes sense in a way. The players are in costume, no? Do those guys who wear costumes to McAfee wear them in their own homes during away games?

Anyway, I can smell the deliciousness of garlic and oil that is the Garlic Fry. Well, I can imagine it. What better way to lure consumers than to tempt them with that aroma? What is that? What's the science of smell? What triggers the enticement? Odor-responsive neurons in the brain? I need to look into this topic.

The Chicken Tender is not so appealing. The name alone makes me cringe. It's odor is what? Friedness. I guess that's why their lumped in with the Garlic Fries (pictured above), to trick people into buying them. I love that gigantic sign, btw. I also love the combination of burly football fans dipping their kid friendly slices of white meat into mini containers of sauce. Get some bbq, man. Hmm. Maybe I'll get some bbq for lunch. Be right back.

 

What happens in Oakland

Ever since attending my first A's game many years ago I have wondered what happens at McAfee Coliseum in winter. Think about it. They don't use the whole space for A's games. But for Raiders games they do.

So what does McAfee look like during football season? The easy answer is, it looks like this (top left picture). Thank you to generous and fun Guy Fieri for inviting me to watch the Raiders-Jets game from this box. That's another post. Stay tuned.

This post is about the temporary concessions stands set up along the "back" section of the coliseum. Plain white signs with black type announcing "Nachos $5" without the fanfare or creativity of the more permanant stands elsewhere inside.
You can still get beer and many snacks but if you want the real dining experience of McAfee (garlic fries, fancy beers, sausages), you probably want to sit in the baseball side. Or be prepared to walk through the madness that is post-tailgating, pre-game Raiders. It's not horrible but it's not ideal.

Not everyone has a car or attends a tailgate. The BART is pretty easy, not including the terrible fare purchasing procedure, which means there are fans who come to the game needing to eat. Many of them go for bbq. That too is another post.

Click here for a concessions map.

The Raiders are in Miami today. 10am game for you west coasters. Next home game is 11/30 v the Chiefs.

Big Al's at the Chargers Game

A minimal amount of investigation has taught me that Big Al's on Shelter Island (SD, not LI) is not the Big Al's I saw at the Chargers Power Party (left picture).

What's interesting is that they, the Shelter Island people, did attend the game as fans, but not as caterers. That's Big Al's Seaside Deli
2724 Shelter Island Dr.
San Diego, CA 92106

So who the heck was at the game?
Personally I could have gone for a sandwich.
Here's the lunch menu

Bleachers and BBQ in Baltimore (Orioles, not Ravens)

Oriole's Thursday home game special: for $15 you can get a bleacher seat And a Boog's BBQ sandwich. Next two dates are June 19th and July 3rd.

Vancouver Canadians BBQ/Picnic in the Park

Groups of 50 or more can BBQ in Nat Bailey Stadium (the Nat)...

Every BBQ/Picnic includes:
An all-you-can-eat barbecue
A Reserved Grandstand ticket for that game ($11.00 value)
2008 Vancouver Canadians Souvenir Program ($5.00 value)
Tables, chairs and umbrellas
COmplimentary subscription to "Between the Lines"—The C's offical e-newsletter
Rain or shine guarantee!
Cash Bar
$34.00 per person, 50 person minimum

All You Can Eat Menu Barbecue food service is open from 11:30am-2:00pm during afternoon games, and 5:00-8:00pm during evening games. AYCE includes: Hot Dogs, Bratwurst, Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Veggie Dogs, Baked Beans, Coleslaw, Pasta Salad, Green Salad, Brownies, Cookies, Ice Cream, Novelties, Soft Drinks

Call 604-872-5232 or e-mail sales@canadiansbaseball.com to order tickets

Opening Day is June 17th