Scoreboard Gourmet

MLB Ballparks Opening Dates

In honor of the Twins new ballpark - Target Field (pictured above and in a lovely album in the middle column) - officially opening tomrrow, Monday April 12th, 2010 when the team takes on the Red Sox at 3:10pm, here's a list of all 30 MLB Ballparks and the year they opened.

Giant Pretzels at Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Nats, White Sox Games

Chipotle dipping sauce, Honey Mustard, Sweet Cinnamon Cream, and Beer Cheese are served with this 2-pound pretzel. Yes it's soft. Yes it's in a pizza box. Yes it's for sharing. You can get it in Phoenix, LA (Dodger Stadium, not Anaheim), DC, and Chicago (US Cellular, not Wrigley)

MLB Home Openers and New Food

Who is Home today and what can You eat at the game? Game start times are local.

Phillies at NATIONALS - look for the Chicken and Waffle Sandwich (fried chicken breast on a waffle with cayenne maple syrup; photo coming; it's open-faced). 1:05pm

Indians at WHITE SOX - Sarah Willis from Niman Ranch will be in the Stadium Club to talk meat and meet fans. 1:05pm

Blue Jays at RANGERS - take it from a guy who really knows his food+sports, DelawareNorthSportservice's Rick Abramson says Go for the Brisket in Arlington. 1:05pm

Marlins at METS - we've covered that. 1:10pm

Mood Swing I Can't Let You Win, You Bring Me Up You Bring Me Down

I am amazed by the amount of spam that comes to this post. I've changed the title a few times since the original posting date, April 6, 2008. So, today, I'm doing the untimate anti-blog thing: creating an unsearchable, relatively meaningless title.

ORIGINAL POST STARTS HERE...Scoreboard Gourmet will be at Nationals Park in June which means we have to rely on the Washington Post's March reviews, for now.

Nancy Lewis, Walter Nicholls and Margaret Engel scoured the new Nationals Park during the exhibition game and opening day, trying dozens of items in search of appropriate deliciousness.

We found a few we're labeling Home Runs, plus some Runs, some Hits and, unfortunately, some Errors.

HOME RUN
Pulled pork sandwich $10.50
Pulled chicken sandwich $10.50
Smoked brisket sandwich $10.50
Red Hot & Blue
Left Field Food Court (Section 106)

HOME RUN
French fries $5
Nats Dogs and Taste of the Majors
Multiple locations, including Section 116 and Left Field Food Court (Section 106)

Florida Spring Training Parking Rates

Braves: Free
Mets: $5
Nats: $5
Orioles: $5
Tigers: $5
Twins: $5
Astros: $7
Cardinals/Marlins: $7
Phillies: $7

Pirates: $7, but no official lot (handwritten signs that clearly could change)
Red Sox: parking lots in front of churches and crackhouses; avg price $7

Reds: $10, or $5 if car has 4+ people in it
Yankees: $10
Blue Jays: Free for season ticket holders; varies for other because no official lot

Rays: ?; surely twice as much for Yankees fans

Saw some Tailgating at Twins. Spring Training Tickets are still on sale. Get down here, and let me know what You ate at the game

Nats Cookoff Next Friday

How fun is this idea...four Nats players competing in a 30minute cookoff. I love it.

The Washington Nationals will trade in their playbooks for cookbooks and leave the ballpark for the kitchen for a cook-off at ESPN Zone on Friday, January 23rd at 8 p.m.

Scheduled to compete: pitchers Joel Hanrahan, Terrell Young, and John Lannan, and outfielder Willie Harris.

Nationals manager Manny Acta will headline a panel of judges, who will critique the players’ creations based on taste, presentation, and creativity. The cook-off, which will be emceed by broadcaster Charlie Slowes, is open to the public.

Doors open 6:30pm; first 30 fans will get authentic game-used line-up cards. Guests are invited to bring canned food to donate to DC-area food banks. Those who do will receive a free $5 game card.

ESPN Zone
555 12 St. NW
Washington , DC 20004

The Scoreboard Gourmet will not be attending this event because though she may seem to be a 10-year-old boy she also has the interests of an old woman and will be at the theatre. Also, she bought the theatre tickets before she heard about the cookoff. But you should go, DC-area readers. This has to be more enjoyable than a Nats game.

 

Napa Valley Baseball Blend Red Wine and Luis Gonzalez

TFMJ and I are strangely ready for football. This keeps happening. Last year at this time we were in Cleveland watching the Browns after a wedding. Yikes. It's August. We need to focus.

Thank you 3rd place Marlins for keeping SG on track...

September 15th, 6:00-9:30p. Join Luis Gonzalez and other special guests for a Florida Marlins Community Foundation benefit, which means live and silent auctions featuring sports memorabilia and other stuff. And, that night Gonzalez's signature 2006 Napa Valley Baseball Blend Red Wine will be unveiled. Exciting.

Purchase tickets by calling 305-623-6497 or emailing FMCF@flamarlins.com.

Event Details:

• Site Location: TBA.
• $150 per person (must be 21 and over).
• Open premium bar featuring the fine wines of Hill Family Estate.
• A variety of Hors d'Oeuvres will be served.
• Debut of custom made wood wine box, which includes a Gonzalez game model bat called The WineBat^tm (stained with Napa Valley wine and signed by Luis) and three bottles of Luis' wine.
• Only 200 numbered units of this wine box will be built for this project.
• Single wine bottles, signed and personalized by Luis will be available.

And while we're thinking about the National League East, may I just say: the Nationals are 44 and 80. Is that possible? Wow.

Nats Popcorn

In this time of potential national pride (Olympics) I'm reminded of the Washington Nationals. No they are not a team that inspires said pride but they are in the capital and I have some other work to do and I can't remember if I already wrote about the popcorn but had popcorn on the brain when I awoke. Is that a legit sentence?

So I'm at a Nationals game and they're losing about 100 to 1. I take a walk and look at the River and the Navy Yard and chat with an usher who shares some local history with me and makes fun of a couple taking pictures of themselves. I leave him in search of salt, since there wasn't enough in my half-smoke.

Popcorn, as you know, is a favorite. I ask the concessionaire if the popcorn is crunchy. He says yes. It's somewhat humid. I mention that. He assures me the weather is not a problem. I don't believe him but buy a box anyway. It's pretty bad. Not soggy but chewy. I eat a few handfuls anyway. Then hate myself.
But it made a good picture, no?

Honest Tea at Nationals Park

This is great, and not just because it's an iced tea brand I actually like. And not just because it's a local product (I had no idea Honest Tea was from Bethesda). I can't tell you how many times I've complained to TFMJ about the lack of non-soda, non-alcohol options at the ballpark.

I don't have a problem with Hot Dogs with Tea. Do You?

Honest Tea $5 at Nationals Park (same price for Vitamin Water).

Ben's and Nationals: the Chili Half-Smoke

Happy 4th of July! We at Scoreboard Gourmet felt it was only right to post about food from this great nation's capital on this great holiday.

TFMJ and I very much enjoyed our Chili Half-Smokes from the Ben's Chili Bowl concession at Nationals Park. Another Thank-You-Shout-Out to a Nats fan...the guy behind me in line who recommended the Half Smoke (over the regular Chili Dog, $6.50).

At Nationals Park a Half Smoke "All the Way" means with chili, onions, mustard, and cheese. All for $6.75. Do it. It's awesome. Get napkins. And wet wipes. And a sink. And a nailbrush. But do it.

The line was 17 minutes long - worth every second of the wait - including the additional 5 or more minute walk up to the upper deck.

Details from the Ben's site: Bill Cosby’s Original Chili Half-Smoke $4.95 (at the restaurant). Our signature dish! Experience the Chili Half-Smoke, originally made famous by Ben’s in 1958 and a favorite of Mr. Cosby’s since the early 60’s. We put this 1/4lb. half pork and beef smoked sausage on a warm steamed bun and top it with mustard, onions and our spicy homemade chili sauce. There are few culinary delights better at any price. Want it well done? Have yours split and grilled on request.

Enjoy the holiday and don't forget how lucky we are to live, eat and play here.

Ben's Chili Cheese Fries (and a grape Fanta) at Nationals Park

Thank you Thank you Thank you to the Nats fan who allowed me to take this picture of his Chili Cheese Fries from the Ben's Chili Bowls in the park.
"It's not for amateurs," he said, before joking about having the picture end up on the Internet.
Ha. I gave him a SG card and am hoping he'll write in to tell us about his meal.
$6 for the CCFries and $4.50 for the soda.

Ben’s Chili Bowl
1213 U Street
Washington, DC

From the Ben's Chili Bowl site:
Chili – Cheese Fries (The Works); $4.95 (price at the restaurant)
The best of both worlds with enough to share.

Stay tuned for more about Ben's Chili Bowl...