Over the coming months I'll be starting several pilot programs that should be fun. The first in this series is the "Stadium Eats" review section. Over the past 10 years food has become quite an event at stadiums, ballparks and arenas. As I travel to new places, I thought it would be fun to cover the food scene at stadiums, large and small. As always, if you've got suggestions please leave a comment.
Up first is the football home of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis' own Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. I was lucky enough to be invited to watch the exciting Navy vs. Pittsburgh game over the weekend. And much like the game itself, this stadium had eats that were quite unexpected.
For a bit of background, I had the pleasure of going to UCLA for my undergrad degrees. Not only do we have an endless supply of Nobel Laureates, world leaders and accomplished athletes as alumni, UCLA's home football stadium is the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. This weekend it became very clear just how spoiled I am.
For the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the foodie revolution has not quite hit. Chick-Fil-A and Papa John's lovers will be happy to see their fave food on deck, even if it is at outrageous prices. And for the health conscious, there was a hard to spot (and clearly ignored) Hawaiian fruit smoothie stand.
The majority of the lines were centered around the identical concession stands available on both levels. No guessing here what was being served up with gusto: hot dogs, nachos with squeeze cheese, sodas, popcorn and hot chocolate. Looking for a refreshing beer to beat the heat? Forget it. Not a stitch of alcohol was found. But with the exciting football game that ensued, it wasn't really missed.
Two food stands at the Navy Memorial Stadium did stand out. One was called "Boardwalk Fries" and offered chicken fingers and plenty of french fries. Ironically enough, they were pretty darn good. This small outfit had six bubbling cauldrons of oil constantly pumping out golden brown papas. And even though the chicken finger batter could have used some seasoning, the chicken was still slightly juicy. Condiments included individual BBQ sauce packets, vinegar and Old Bay seasoning. Seriously though, the fries were perfect as-is.
The other promising stand was a non-descript bar-b-que counter. Three oil drum pits were putting out pulled pork sandwiches and beef platters with cole slaw and beans on the regular. Hamburgers were also on offer, but the smoky goodness floating through the crowd only beckoned bar-b-que. Needless to say, the lines made it clear what the crowd was after.
Was the Navy Memorial Stadium a foodie haven? Not quite. But I will give them a gold star for value. You can easily feed a family of four with drinks for less than $30. And I highly recommend going for the Navy homecoming game. You'll be filled with patriotic pride when the entire field is filled with midshipmen dressed to the nines. And watching the first year plebes run out onto the field after every touchdown to do as many push-ups as they scored points was priceless.
Out of 5 forks, I give the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium 1.5 forks. The value and fries saved them.
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