You don’t have to be into sports to be excited/shocked about the over-the-top dishes created for fans who want something less traditional than hot dogs and beer on game day.
And while touring all 30 of the country’s baseball stadiums is a noble goal of many baseball fans, foodies can just wait for each team’s best dishes to come to them at the first-ever MLB Foodfest.
Taking place Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 in a building next to Bryant Park (since it’ll probably still be cold), every major league team has contributed a dish served at its concession stands, whether it’s a hometown classic like the Red Sox’s New England Lobster Rolls, fan favorites like whatever the Kurd-Marczuk is at the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ball Park, or real curveballs like the Toasted Grasshoppers from the Mariners’ Safeco Field.
It’s also a chance to get a sneak peek at some of the new options coming to ballparks in 2018, including the Flamethrower Pulled Pork Sandwich (Cleveland) and the Monte Khrush Davis Cristo (Oakland).
Granted, to eat the really crazy stuff, you’ll still have to make the trip. The best items at the Mets’ Citi Field and Yankee Stadium are served not at their concession stands, but from independent vendors and restaurants in the ballparks.
That said, taking the subway to Bryant Park beats the 3,00-mile road trip it would take to scout out each stadium yourself. And we bet no other ballpark has interactive exhibits like a Hot Dog Room by Nathan’s Famous or a Popcorn Pit.
MLB Foodfest is going to be a serious endurance race: Tickets are sold by two-hour blocks from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. to try everything in the 20,000-square-foot, two-floor venue at 415 Fifth Ave.
For just food and complimentary soft drinks/water, tickets are a surprisingly low $25, while a food and beer ticket will run you $40 with three Anheuser-Busch brews included.
Tickets are on sale now — and you’d better start training.
