Foodie Got Game

It used to be that stadium food meant a pretzel and a hot dog followed by a cup of luke warm beer. If you were lucky the food stand also had burgers and nachos. However all that is changing. Gourmet food is hitting the sports arenas and with it some pretty luxurious snacks.

This was the subject of Glenn Collins article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. It seems that that New York City landmark, Madison Square Garden is kicking up its' fare to meet foodie standards. It makes sense. After all Manhattan is the gourmet capital of the world these days and why wouldn't a sports venue not get into the act too. There are lobster rolls along with brisket and and hard carved prime ribs along with other prime deli meats from the famed Carnegie deli. There will be two dozen high end specialty food stands in the Garden. Of course hot dogs still reign but they will be cheddar brats , made with high quality bratwurst braised in imported Dutch beer . Sauerkraut , also served, is made with a Riesling white wine.

Yankee Stadium has also undertaken this gourmet food idea. They have sliced steak carts that sell juicy steaks from the famed Lobels. Johnny Rockets is also there and baseball fans probably got a taste of that chain's heavenly onion rings and patty melts. The stadium also has Melissa's for fresh fruit (a welcome change from all that meat and grease ) as well as the Hard Rock Cafe. There are also Italian style stands to buy zeppoli and eggplant parmigiana. Yankee Stadium also offers private buffet areas where fans can eat in private but still enjoy the game from skyboxes.
These are membership only with expensive dues and entrance fees.

The days of just buying a dog or a pretzel at a game are over with. A new sports fan has emerged and that's one that is also a foodie.They want much more than sports fan s of previous eras. They want gourmet with that win.