Scoreboard Gourmet

Home Plate - the DelawareNorth Cookbook

Chef Cover
Originally uploaded by standingpartnership

I promised to tell you about the DelawareNorth Cookbook Home Plate. It's the company's second stadium-inspired cookbook and I love it. It's not perfect, but it's excellent. I show it to everyone who enters my home and they love it too. DN has a Flicker slideshow with many of the book's pictures- check them out here. I'm trying to add the slideshow to my favorites but cannot seem to do so. I stink at technology yet somehow I managed to create/send/upload this post. Cool.

Oh, and here's the link to Buy The Cookbook. Once again, no kickback to me. Just sharing the love. Not sure why that's so important to so many readers.

Andy Phillips, Happy Birthday!

No, it's not today...April 6th is Reach Magazine Family Day (one member of the family pays full price and the rest of the immediate family may purchase non-premium seats at half-price in advance of game day only) and Magnetic Schedule/Car Magnet Day (free refrigerator and car magnet featuring the "Nuxy" patch worn by the players) at the Great American Ballpark. And it's the 31st birthday of one Andy Phillips, the only Reds player to play every game of Spring Training.

Of course Andy Phillips was reassigned, but we don't yet know to which Minor League level. He batted .277 with 11 RBIs in Spring Training, but it wasn't enough to persuade the Reds. Chattanooga Lookouts? That's the Double-A. As soon as I hear, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, here's the New Offerings at the Great American Ballpark:
Fried cookie dough, hot roasted peanuts and almonds, made-to-order fruit smoothies, hot-off-the-popper caramel corn and juicy turkey burgers, garlic fries, and LaRosa’s calzones – a regional favorite.

Plus, Sportservice is adding the Montgomery Inn’s nationally popular ribs to the ballpark menu; they join the brand’s increasingly popular pulled pork sandwiches – both are prepared using Montgomery Inn’s award-winning BBQ sauce.

Scoreboard Gourmet's First Anniversary

is it First Birthday? How does one determine that? I have to guess a birthday is the anniversary of a birth, right? So today is both.

I figured we needed a cake to celebrate. That's the cake from a wedding we went to in Key West last year. Obviously I'd had a drink or two to think it was an interesting picture. Forgive me.

Tonight, in honor of SG's First Anniversay, I am having a real Scoreboard Gourmet experience with a new friend. She is a big NBA fan, which is good for me. We're going to BLT Prime (111 E. 22nd Street, NYC) to watch the 55-and-15 Celtics play the 47-and-23 Suns. I'll report later.
Now I'll mention that TD Banknorth Garden, home of the Celtics and Bruins, is the HQ of Delaware North's Boston operations. Yes, it's in that awesome cookbook. Wait - have I mentioned the excellent Delaware North cookbook - Home Plate; from hot dogs to haute cuisine?  Boston Garden (I mean TD Blahblah Garden, of course) recipes include: Bock Beer Poached Shrimp, and Wild Mushroom Pork Belly Risotto.

But let's talk about me. In the past year of SG's existence I've been to stadiums, ballparks and arenas in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. What am I forgetting? When was Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois and Maryland? Have to think about that. So many places to visit. This year SG will go to the new Nationals Ballpark, more Double-A, more Triple-A, and more NFL - we're thinking Raiders/Jets in Oakland, for one. But that's a future discussion.

SG currently has 100's of visitors a day, the majority of which are not friends or family. How amazing is that? A number of people have signed up for SG's first promotion: the Yankees Ticket Giveaway, and I've been interviewed twice for publications not related to me.

All in all it's been a great year. And if Andy Phillips makes it to the Reds we'll be all set - though TFMJ and I were discussing a possible Memphis trip, maybe we can add Louisville if necessary (home of Reds triple-A), maybe we'll drive, it's less than 400 miles. Hmm.

Dear Readers, thank you for reading and for coming back. Please continue to leave comments and ask questions of me. I look forward to our continuing relationship....and to Opening Day at Yankee Stadium...5 more days....Wang is scheduled to pitch...hopefully it won't be freezing.

Secret Stadium Sauce

First of all I have to say that DelawareNorth just may be the best food concessionaire in sports. Can anyone dispute that? If nothing else, they are the most organized. And I think their food is the best. Is that because I have not been to too many of their sports venues? Let's discuss (comments below).

And now the Main Event: Secret Stadium Sauce, the condiment of Miller Park.

DelawareNorth President Rick Abramson said he invented Secret Stadium Sauce one night in the early 1970's when there was not enough ketchup and mustard to spread around at County Stadium. It is available for purchase in most Wisconsin grocery stores. I'm told it tastes something like ketchup+sauerkraut.

Here's another place to buy Secret Stadium Sauce, if you can't get to Miller Park or a Wisconsin supermarket. Tell them SG sent you so that they love me.

Vote until July 2nd for the Indians Signature Dog

Shortly after entering Jacobs Field we were given ballots instructing us to Vote Now for the Indians Signature Dog. According to the Indians website, Delaware North Companies Sportservice has teamed with Cleveland Indians and Sugardale Foods to create the "Indians Signature Dog" promotion. But I can tell you that the Sportservice employees at the ballpark have yet to be informed.

TFMJ and I traversed the field level twice in search of the "Frank" the traditional all-beef, the "Smokey" a Polish-style smoked sausage, and the "Burnie" - a red hot. A vendor selling the New Orleans Smoked Sausage was pretty certain he had the "Smokey." Wrong. A vendor near home plate swore the "Burnie" was in left field at Hounds by the Pound, a concession stand. Two vendors in left field laughed when we asked. It turns out the vendor who directed us to Hounds by the Pound, which is in the Market Pavillion, was correct, if slightly early.

The hot dogs on the ballot were added to the Hounds by the Pound menu yesterday (three days after my visit), and will remain until the promotion concludes on July 2nd.
Additionally, the hot dogs can be sampled on June 7 vs. Kansas City; June 16 vs. the Atlanta Braves and June 19 vs. Philadelphia. (May 31 and June 5 were also sample dates, which seems to be why the promotion started before the hot dogs were actually on premise).

Look for tasting locations at Gate B and C on the lower level; the Club Lounge; Mezzanine Level and Section 555 in the Upper Deck. All voters will be registered to win a barbeque grill and a special "Grilling Extravaganza" prize of Sugardale products. I'm so sad I did not get to sample the new hot dogs. If anyone has, please let me know what you think.