Joey's Small Bites: Crashing the MLB Food Fest II

Time to step up to the plate at the MLB Food Fest.  (Ed Leyro/Studious Metsimus)

What's cooking, everyone?  I'm Joey Beartran, roving reporter and culinary expert for Studious Metsimus.  And everything was cooking for me this weekend and the MLB Food Fest, which for the second straight year was held at Center 415 on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.

Most of the bugs from last year's inaugural food fest were fixed (and I'm not just talking about the toasted grasshoppers from Seattle; those were still there).  There were 15-minute gaps between sessions so that everyone could enjoy their full two-hour window.  Departing guests also didn't have to use the same staircase to leave the venue as the arriving eaters were using to enter it, which allowed for a smoother flow of traffic.  The main difference from last year was that all guests could only sample a food item once.  No going back for seconds here.  Attendees were required to scan a bracelet before taking a food item which kept track of which food stands they visited.  That kept lines moving and prevented large gatherings of people by the most popular food stands.

As a culinary expert, I wanted to try as many foods as possible.  Also, my colleague never got me breakfast before we left for Center 415 so I made him make up for his obvious oversight by going around from stand to stand collecting the best items from all 30 ballparks.

Lights, camera, snack-tion!  (EL/SM)

Since it was lunchtime when our session began, I decided to lead off the eating game with a grilled cheese sandwich.  But it wasn't just any grilled cheese, it was a beer braised short rib grilled cheese courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays.  Just like Brandon Nimmo or Jeff McNeil, this dish got things off to a flying start with its Budweiser braised short ribs, multiple cheeses, caramelized onions and horseradish cream.  It's too bad the Four Hands Nachos offering from the St. Louis Cardinals grounded into a double play.  Its diced chicken and typical nacho toppings were just meh.

Next up were by the Mahi Mahi Tacos from the San Diego Padres and the Philly Cheesesteak from the team that made a clown move by signing Bryce Harper because his history of losing when it counts fits in perfectly with the team's history.  Surprisingly, the tacos were nothing special and the cheesesteak was probably the best thing to come out of Philly since DJ Jazzy Jeff.

After washing down my food with several cans of the well-stocked Coke product coolers (they had 12-ounce cans this year, which was an improvement over last year's eight-ouncers), I moved on to two American League Central specials.  First, I tried the Fat Rooster from the Cleveland Indians and then I topped it off with the BBQ Burger from the barbecue-loving Kansas City Royals.  The Fat Rooster was surprisingly very hot, but I guess when you top off a fried chicken breast with Frank's Hot Sauce, habañero powder, cajun seasoning, Lawry seasoning, white pepper and garlic, that's to be expected.  The BBQ Burger had pulled pork on top of a steak burger patty, along with American cheese, world-famous Kansas City BBQ sauce and a large onion ring.  Both were a meat lover's dream.

Speaking of meats and love, I loved the meaty offerings from the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs.  The Reds' dish was a Bulgogi Beef Egg Roll, which had steak, rice, carrots, onions and scallions all drenched in Gochujang sauce, which is a Korean red chili paste.  Meanwhile, the Cubs served up a Beer Can Chicken Sandwich, which was grilled beer-can chicken, bacon and dijonnaise on a brioche bun.  Both were very different and both were very delicious.

Clearly, this food fest was not made for vegans.  (EL/SM)

After eating all of the above meals, I had to take a break to get the food down.  In other words, I had to make a run for the rest room.  Since we only had two hours to eat everything we could get our paws on, I allowed my sisters, Gabby and Iggy, to try some of the delicacies I didn't think I would like.  Since Gabby likes fried foods, she went for the Rocky Mountain Oysters from the Colorado Rockies, while Iggy sampled the Coney Egg Roll from the Detroit Tigers.

Gabby was intrigued by the breaded cowboy caviar and fries.  However, when she found out that cowboy caviar was mostly veggies, she just ate the fries.  Plus, the cowboy caviar was very tough to chew.  Iggy's snack was supposed to have chili on it, but it looks like the server forgot that part.  Despite the missing ingredient, she seemed to enjoy the hot dog and diced onions inside an egg roll.

My pinch-hitters came through when I needed it most.  (EL/SM)

After I returned from what turned into an extended bathroom break (don't ask; what happens in the stall stays in the stall), I didn't think I looked very photogenic so I let my Studious Metsimus colleague take photos of several other items I ended up trying, some of which were amazin' like the 1969 Mets, and some of which were reminiscent of the 1962 Mets, meaning they sucked pretty bad.

First, let's talk about two items that were like the '69 Mets.  The "See You Tater" Backyard BBQ Tots from the Washington Nationals and the Pulled Pork Pierogie Hoagie from the Pittsburgh Pirates were both truly scrumtrulescent.  The first dish had tater tots topped with some incredibly creamy mac and cheese, perfectly crispy onions and pulled pork shoulder covered in tangy BBQ sauce.  The latter sandwich was a repeat offering from last year, but I'm glad it came back because it was my favorite thing to eat in last year's food fest.  Both items had pulled pork, but only Pittsburgh had the smarts to add a pierogi to it.  Seriously, I could eat both of these all day.

Things I wouldn't eat all day included the Curveball Frites (Milwaukee Brewers), Shrimp Po' Boy (New York Yankees) and unfortunately, the Bases Loaded Dog (your New York Mets).  Look at the photos below for the Curveball Frites and Shrimp Po' Boy.  All I see is some tough-to-chew Andouille sausage from Milwaukee and pickles from the Bronx.  Let someone else have those.  And what about Citi Field's Bases Loaded Dog?  Let's just say no one's coming around to score after having that one.  Sorry, Mets.  I still love the team, though.

Now look at the offering to the left of the Bases Loaded Dog in the next-to-last photo below.  That's the Chicken and Bubble Waffle from the Miami Marlins.  Clearly, Derek Jeter had nothing to do with that dish because it was absolutely delicious!  The Marlins took a thick piece of breaded chicken, smothered it with maple aioli and stuffed it in a bubble waffle cone to create the best thing at Marlins Park.

Last, but not least, was the Smoked Pork Belly Bao Buns, courtesy of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The extreme close-up below perfectly shows off the candied pork belly, corn relish, sriracha aioli and spicy mayo nestled within a soft bao bun.

In order, base hit, base hit, strikeout, strikeout, home run, strikeout, base hit.  (EL/SM)

There was plenty of food to be had at the MLB Food Fest, but for those with smaller stomachs than my own, there were plenty of other things to do to pass the time.

In one corner was a virtual reality home-run hitting game.  There were also TVs everywhere showing all of the day's MLB action as well as a free soft serve ice cream stand (okay, so that still qualifies as food).

There were also larger-than-life sculptures of pretzels and cotton candy, which many people posed for photographs with.  But my personal favorites were the French fry ball tank that I jumped into and the hot dog seesaw, which I hopped on with my siblings.

There was fun for everyone at the MLB Food Fest (EL/SM)

The Studious Metsimus staff had a wonderful time at this year's MLB Food Fest.  The delicacies were plentiful and the portions were bigger this year than they were in 2018, which made it easier to accept the fact that I didn't have time to try about half of the items from all the ballparks.  Sure, there were some things I could have done without (I probably wouldn't have tried what Gabby had), but I have faith that the teams that struck out this year will make up for it at next year's food fest.  And there will be a food fest next year, right?

On that note, it's time to say goodbye from Center 415 in midtown Manhattan.  I hope my report makes you want to visit some road stadiums in the near future.  I know I want to go back to Miami, Pittsburgh and Kansas City, to name a few.

Now it's time for me to collect my M.V.E. Award.  I was kind of expecting a trophy, but I'll take the napkin.  Besides, I think I have some barbecue sauce on my chin.  A trophy probably wouldn't do much good to clean up that mess.  Happy eating, everyone!

I always love being recognized for my work.  (EL/SM)

Joey's Small Bites: Crashing the MLB Food Fest

Never has a napkin been so honest in its message.  (Ed Leyro/Studious Metsimus)

What's cooking, everybody?  This is Studious Metsimus roving reporter and culinary expert Joey Beartran and I just finished putting the second half of my title to use as I attended this weekend's MLB Food Fest at Center 415 on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

What was the purpose of this sumptuous smorgasbord?  I'm glad you asked.  The food fest allowed fans to sample 30 unique food items from each of the 30 MLB teams, although you were only allowed two hours to do it and had to bump your way through several thousand people to get to the stand you wanted to go to.  For $25, you could try everything on the menu and have unlimited soft drinks and bottled water.  For an extra 15 bucks, you could add three adult beverages (beer and/or cider) as well.  Each item was billed as half the size of the actual ballpark concession and for the most part, they were.  But of course, the Marlins couldn't afford a calculator so their offering was more like a quarter of actual ballpark size.

Still, good times were had by all, especially by me, as I made sure to enter the building with an empty stomach so I could try as many foods as possible.  Knowing that I only had a two-hour window, I recruited my Studious Metsimus colleagues, Ed Leyro and Taryn Cooper, and faithful Studious Metsimus reader, Tracey Mapou, to help me get my paws on as many foods as possible.  And by helping me, I mean going around from stand to stand while I sat at one of the few empty tables we could find.

Before my friends and colleagues could get around to their race around the place for food to stuff my face, I must mention the hot dog room, which was an homage to the ballpark staple, the frankfurter.  The two eye-catchers in the exhibit were a giant hot dog seesaw and a pyramid of wieners, which my sister (and Mariners fan), Honey Bee Hawk was hoping was made of real frankfurters.

Dogs, dogs, dogs.  And one bear.  (Top photo by Tracey Mapou.  Bottom photo by EL/SM.)

As some of the lines were very long depending on the popularity of the product, we went to the shorter lines first before hitting up the longer ones.  As a result, I started my 120-minute feast with a sampling of the Mid-Atlantic offerings, namely Washington's Crab Grilled Cheese and Baltimore's Chesapeake Waffle Fries, which were paired with a crab dip.  The former was definitely the better of the two, and I'm not even a fan of seafood.  I'm more a fan of "see food", as in when I see food, I usually eat it.

Crab to the left of me, crab to the right.  Here I am, stuck in the middle with food.  (EL/SM)

One of the things I was most pleased about regarding the presentation of the food was the paper that adorned the small container that carried the items.  If you look at the photo above, you can see the Walgreens logo on the Nationals' offering and the Oriole bird on Baltimore's dish.  It made it so much easier to identify what you were eating, especially when you weren't the one going up to the stands to get the food and had to write a piece the next morning that involved photographs of said items.  To quote the legendary television character, Luke Duke, I was "much obliged."

After crabbing it up with Washington and Baltimore's fare, I moved on to the Pittsburgh Pirates' Pulled Pork Pierogie Hoagie, which was much easier to eat than it was to pronounce.  Now, I've been to PNC Park in Pittsburgh before and always made the Primanti Brothers sandwich my go-to meal during games.  But after having this hoagie, I think I may have to reconsider my ballpark food choice the next time I cross the Roberto Clemente Bridge for a game.  Even though it was only half the size of what you would get at the ballpark (this one was truly 50% of the full size offering, as my colleague saw the preparers make a full hoagie, then cut it in half before serving it), it was still a mouthful.  This wasn't just a bite-size snack; this was a decent-sized meal, and I would definitely want to eat this delicacy again, and maybe I did.  (More on that later.)

Pulled pork and a pierogie on a hoagie?  This was a winner, and not just for fans of alliteration and rhyming.  (EL/SM)

With the Mets playing in Atlanta as the food fest was going on, I decided I should try something from the home of our long-time division rivals.  The Braves' offering was the Pig Pickin', which according to the official food fest description was a "BBQ spiced tortilla shell stuffed with curly fries, macaroni and cheese, pulled pork, coleslaw and roasted corn pico de gallo with fried pork rinds on the side".  This offering proved one thing; that the Braves have not only killed the Mets for many years, they've also managed to kill Mets fans as well.  The Pig Pickin' sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen so I had to devour it quickly before it could do the same to me.

At least the Pig Pickin' wasn't full-sized.  I'd like to be around to see the Mets win another pennant.  (EL/SM)

Next up is a Texas Two-Step, also known as Houston's Chicken Waffle Cone and Texas' Chicken and Donut Slider.  These two were deeeeeelicious.  Obviously, since I am a fan of breaded chicken, I knew I was going to like these before I sampled them.  But just putting fried chicken on a "bun" made of glazed donuts and popcorn chicken as a topping in a waffle cone filled with mashed potatoes (with honey mustard "sprinkles") was enough to make me want to put on a cowboy hat and fly down to Texas to have these delicacies in their full size, the way nature intended them to be.

Taste the fried chicken flavor!  (And donuts.  And mashed potatoes.  And honey mustard.) (EL/SM)

A few things that were okay were from St. Louis (bacon-wrapped Nathan's hot dog), Minnesota (Kurd Marczuk, which was breaded cheese curds and bratwurst topped with brown gravy), San Francisco (Crazy Crab Sandwich) and Detroit (chicken shawarma nachos).  The Cardinals' offering was originally billed as a genoa salami dish, but was changed to something you can get at many ballparks.  I wasn't overly impressed.  The Twins' offering was messy with all the gravy, but if you can get past that, it was edible.  After having the Nationals' and Orioles' crab meat, it was just crab overload when I tried what the Giants gave me.  And the Tigers' dish was actually better than I made it out to be in my intro to this paragraph.  The pita chips were crunchy and nacho-like, while the chicken was tasty without being gamey.  The hummus could've been better though.

From top to bottom, bacon-wrapped hot dog, Kurd Marczuk, Crazy Crab Sandwich and chicken shawarma nachos.  (EL/SM)

In the middle photo above, you may have noticed something above the Kurd Marczuk.  Eagle-eyed readers may also have spotted the Miami Marlins logo on the paper.  That's because:

a) My colleague simply forgot to take a separate photo of Miami's bacon-wrapped plantain, not knowing where I was going with this piece, or

b) A food offering that small in size would've been lost if it weren't combined with another item in the photo.

Last year, I traveled to Miami and had a full-sized bacon-wrapped plantain, so I was excited to have it again at the food fest, even if it was only going to be 50% of what I had at Marlins Park.  Um, unless the size of the food fest offering was calculated by using common core math, I don't think it was half the size of the original.  Take a look at what I got this weekend and compare it to the real deal from Miami.

I've heard of chicken fingers, but bacon-wrapped plantain fingers?  Did Derek Jeter have something to do with this?  (EL/SM)

Speaking of Derek Jeter, I did something I'm not too proud of.  I tried the food from Yankee Stadium.  I'm sorry, but it was adobo bao and I thought I'd like it.  For all you kids out there, this dish had chicken and pork rinds in a bao bun.  For all you other kids out there, bao is a Chinese dumpling.  Anyhow, here's a picture of it.  I don't need to describe how it tasted because I don't want to compliment anything that came from Yankee Stadium.  I'll just lump it in with the "it was okay" food items, even though it may have better than okay, but don't quote me on that.

Get that Yankee logo off my food wrapper!  (EL/SM)

Before I forget, there was one thing I wouldn't try, but my sister did.  Honey Bee Hawk, being the big Mariners fan that she is, wanted to try the fare from the Seattle stand.  And I can guarantee there's nothing like it at any of the other 29 ballparks in the majors.

The toasted grasshoppers were the only insects on the menu, but I didn't think they'd pair well with any of the other food items I wanted to try, so Bee stepped in for me.  In addition to Bee, two of my colleagues tried the lime-flavored grasshoppers and documented their experience in a video.

 Honey Bee Hawk photo by EL/SM.  YouTube video by 1986GetOverIt (that's our YouTube channel).

Unfortunately, due to the two-hour window we were given and even though I had several assistants, I only got to sample 14 items, which is not even half of what was offered.  Some long lines prevented us from trying items while the abundance of certain items (pulled pork was in six of the food choices) kept us from trying others.  Now there was one last thing that we couldn't pass up on no matter how long of a wait we had to endure.  And believe me, there was a wait for this one, as it was the only dessert item on the menu and the only one eaten live on television by Steve Gelbs.

I'm talking about the one and only Churro Dog.

Dessert of champions!  (EL/SM)

My homeboy Steve Gelbs was lucky enough to have the full-sized Churro Dog in Arizona.  I still haven't been to that ballpark so I had to settle for the smaller version, which I have called the Churro Pup.  The Churro Pup had frozen yogurt, chocolate sauce, caramel and whipped cream on top of a churro that was inside a chocolate iced donut.  Only three words could rightfully describe this delectable concoction.

Best.  Dessert.  Ever.

I can see why Steve Gelbs had to sample this one on live television.  It was too good not to share with the viewing audience.  It also explained why there so many Mets fans on the line to get themselves a Churro Pup.

#GIFparty + #tbt = Churro Dog! pic.twitter.com/chlMT4ezlC

— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) March 3, 2016

So that's it from the first MLB Food Fest.  I had so much fun sampling the "best" food items from all 30 major league ballparks.  And why is "best" in quotes?  Because the Mets only offered pastrami when they have so many other delicious dishes they could have shared with the baseball foodie world.  What's up with that?  No wonder that line was so short compared to most of the others.

In summary, I can't wait to go to ballparks in Texas, Houston, Pittsburgh and Arizona.  And Bee can't wait to go back to Seattle to get her dead insect groove on.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed eating it.  And thanks again to Ed Leyro, Taryn Cooper and Tracey Mapou for their assistance in getting me my - ahem - research material.  Now if you don't mind, I'm going to have my lunch, which I may have smuggled out of the food fest.  Pulled pork pierogie hoagie, anyone?

Wish I had a Churro Pup to wash down my lunch.  (EL/SM)

Joey's Small Bites: An All-Star Feast For Man or Beast

Hello, everyone!  Welcome to the latest edition of Joey's Small Bites.  I'm Studious Metsimus roving reporter and culinary expert, Joey Beartran.  And for this segment I'm serving both roles, as I found myself roving in the Caesar's Club at Citi Field on Wednesday chowing down on all sorts of culinary delights that will be part of the All-Star Game menu.

From new takes on traditional ballpark food to items rarely (if ever) seen at any sporting event, the Mets and ARAMARK had it all on display for this hungry bear to sample.  (Don't worry.  I left some for the other members of the media who were invited to the event.)

After a brief introduction to the new food items, including a description of the newest item - the All-Star Meatball Hero - by ARAMARK executive chef, Robert Flowers, it was time to dig in.  And boy, did I ever dig in!

Robert Flowers (photo by my Studious Metsimus colleague, Ed Leyro)

For my appetizer, I had the Trio of Mac and Cheese, which was topped with pancetta, lobster and three cheeses.  That was followed by the Citi Field Loaded Tater Tots, which were made with cheddar cheese sauce, bacon bits and scallions.  And although technically it's a dessert, my final appetizer consisted of a delicious raspberry cheesecake doughnut with a white chocolate dipping sauce.  I probably should have gotten two of these because my sister, Iggy, had most of mine.

Iggy took advantage of the fact that I was enjoying my mac and cheese by eating my mini-doughnut.

The mac and cheese was very cheesy (which is a good thing if you're a bowl of mac and cheese) and the loaded tots were sublime.  When I asked Iggy how *MY* raspberry cheesecake doughnut was, all she said was "nom, nom, nom".  I took her comment as a "paws up" review.  During games, the mac and cheese can be found in the Citi Field suites, while the loaded tots can be purchased in the Promenade Club.  The delectable doughnut dessert is a product of the Acela Club.

After consuming my scrumptious appetizers, I moved on to two items that were perfectly sized for my bear paws.  The Mex Burger from Keith's Grill (which can be found on the field level in the left field corner near Section 132) and the Major League Grilled Cheese (it's in the Caesar's Club) were served in miniature versions that allowed me to have a few of each.

The tasty burger is a Brooklyn Burger patty served on a toasted sesame bun.  The burger is topped with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and comes with bacon, guacamole, chipotle aioli and jalapeños. The grilled cheese sandwich has a thick combination of Swiss, cheddar and gouda, topped with - you guessed it - more bacon!  Both sandwiches were incredibly mouth-watering and quite satisfying.

Despite all the food I put away, I still had a little room in my tummy for dessert.  And I'm glad I had that space available, as there were a number of delicious mini-cupcakes in five flavors to satisfy every bear's palate.

For Iggy, I chose the lavender blueberry cupcake, but I could easily have chosen from the selection of S'mores, red velvet, vanilla bean or chocolate cupcakes.  I, on the other paw, decided to have a slightly larger dessert.

After eating so much food (especially bacon) and dessert, I had to take a nap.  Fortunately, Mrs. Met was there to rock me to sleep.  Although I was in dreamland, my Studious Metsimus colleague took photos of some of the other food items (and apparently he took a photo of me in Mrs. Met's arms).

These items included fresh pea ravioli (made with ricotta, polenta and pancetta), Colorado frenched lamb chops (with an herb crust and mustardy goodness), chicken and waffles (or as they call it, "Batter Up" Fried Chicken with Warm Pizzelle and Maple Butter - I'm calling it chicken and waffles).  There was also a slice of pizza that was tentatively called the All-Star Slice (although my colleague was told that the name had not been finalized) that was topped with andouille sausage, crawfish, shrimp and a jalapeño pesto.

The piece de resistance was a meatball slider, which my colleague didn't photograph with the proper lighting (grrrr...).  The meatballs are made with a mixture of andouille sausage and ground beef and are topped with melted mozzarella cheese and a marinara sauce.  But the best part is that they don't serve the sliders in regular bread.  Rather, they serve them between a pair of garlic knots.  Yup.  You read it right.  Garlic knots.  Yum-a-licious.

Believe it or not, I have not included every new item in this review.  There were many more items to digest (quite literally) at this event.  I didn't get to sample the aforementioned new All-Star Meatball Hero created by chef Robert Flowers, but the news release given to us by the Mets promised that it is taken from Chef Flowers' 300-year-old family recipe and is made from several of Pat LaFrieda's best meats (ground beef, pork and veal).  The news release goes on to say that the meat is simmered in sweet red sauce for three hours and is then topped with buffalo mozzarella and fried basil.  The meatballs are served on a long sesame seed roll.

I'd like to thank the Mets, ARAMARK and Joe D of Mets Merized Online for making this culinary trip possible.  (Joe D was kind enough to pull the strings that got my colleague, Iggy and I into the event.)

It's going to take some time to get over my self-induced food coma, but believe me, it was well worth it.  And if you're fortunate enough to be attending the All-Star Game at Citi Field on July 16, you'll see (and taste) for yourself exactly what I mean.

Pictures Of The More Mets-Centric Citi Field

Greeting and salutations, Mets fans! Today, the Studious Metsimus staff attended the Pre-Season Workout at Citi Field. We were surprised by all the changes at the ballpark and we have the pictures to prove it. Enjoy!

The first thing we noticed when we approached the Jackie Robinson Rotunda was the new placement of the Shea Stadium Home Run Apple. Doesn't it look so much better under a blue sky with the sun shining on it?


The Mets changed the names of the VIP entrances to reflect the three numbers retired by the franchise. The first base VIP entrance was renamed "Hodges". The third base VIP entrance was renamed "Seaver" and the left field VIP entrance was renamed "Stengel". Below is the former left field entrance with Casey Stengel proudly displayed over his name on the entrance.

The new bricks along the fanwalk feature the greatest moments in Mets history. Here are some of those bricks, including the infamous Game 7 of the 1986 World Series brick, which incorrectly credited Sid Fernandez with the Game 7 win before it was changed to the brick shown below.

We took pictures of all the new banners outside the ballpark as well, but we don't want to spoil everything for you. Besides, wouldn't you rather see what the new Mets Hall of Fame and Museum looks like?

The Studious Metsimus staff was quite impressed with the exhibit. Joey even appeared in some of the photos although I think he was trying to end the museum tour and sample the new food additions (which you will see later). Here is a small sample of the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum.








Now it's time to move on to the new additions on our near the field of play. From the Shea Bridge to the new script "Mets" on the CitiVision, there was no shortage of changes to make Citi Field look more Mets-friendly than it was in 2009. Of course, Joey still found a Brooklyn Dodgers reference, but I don't think fans would complain about this one.




There were some cosmetic changes to the field as well. The Mets lowered the centerfield fence in front of the home run apple from 16 feet to 8 feet. They also reconfigured the bullpens so that the visitor's bullpen was not hidden behind the Mets bullpen. Now the two bullpens are side-by-side and both teams can view the events taking place on the field without any obstructions blocking their views.

Finally, as promised, here are the food selections sampled by Joey. Let's give the keyboard over to our culinary expert, Joey, as he takes you through the news food selections and prices.

Thank you, esteemed Studious Metsimus colleague. This is Joey Child, who may or may not be related to your Studious Metsimus correspondent, Joey Beartran. Family trees for bears are far more complicated than human ones. I decided to sample the new additions at Box Frites and I must say, I was quite impressed. They now offer poutine. (although they refer to it as "disco fries". There is no truth to the rumor that I was humming "Macho Man" by the Village People as I was sampling these delicious frites.) Below is a picture of the poorly-named, but rich tasting "disco fries", followed by the new garlic-parmesan fries, followed by my lunch break.

Now it's time to reveal the new prices for food at Citi Field. The petty cash tin at Studious Metsimus will be emptier sooner than later, but for these great selections, it's worth it. If you remember some of the food prices from last year, you'll notice that most items went up in price anywher from a quarter to a dollar. Here are our exclusive photos of the new prices at various food stands. You may also notice new choices (like Goya beef empanadas at the Hot Dog stand and cheese fries at Shake Shack) which we will sample at a later date.



For those who want to know why there are no pictures of McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon, that's because when we went down there, it didn't appear to be finished. The Studious Metsimus gossip reporters (betcha didn't know we had gossip reporters, didya?) overheard two Citi Field employees saying that it wouldn't be finished until the second homestand, which begins April 19 against the Chicago Cubs. Whether or not this is true, we'll find out when we go to Opening Day.

So Citi Field is finally looking more like a Mets ballpark. With the addition of the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum, the new entrances and bricks outside the stadium and the new and improved food choices, Mets fans will finally feel like they have a home again. Whether or not those fans will help give the Mets a home field advantage is yet to be determined. One thing for sure is that the Mets finally tried and succeeded in making Citi Field less of an Ebbets Field-lite and more of a worthy successor to Shea Stadium. Now it's up to the players to keep the fans in their seats with good play on the field. Regardless of how the team performs on the field, Mets fans will surely enjoy their experience at Citi Field in 2010.

As the slogan for 2010 goes, "We Believe In Comebacks". For the staff of Studious Metsimus, we approve of the improvements at Citi Field and we believe in coming back to Citi Field this year. Hope to see you there!