The classic baseball song played during every game, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” features the memorable line, “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back.” Baseball stadium food has evolved since that tune was written in 1908, and teams around the United States regularly showcase their food options almost as prominently as their players.
Of course, the concept of dining during sporting events is an especially American one; you won’t find well-known chefs in Italy creating specialty dishes for the crowds at Juventus matches, for instance. But at baseball stadiums from New York City to Los Angeles and everywhere in between, well-known chefs and dining concepts appear at concession stands to feed hungry fans.
Citi Field in Queens, NY, home to the New York Mets, is a notorious showcase of elevated baseball food. Danny Meyer operates a Shake Shack and Blue Smoke barbecue joint in a sprawling section with outdoor seating in one part of the ballpark, and other noted chefs and restaurateurs, including well-known Italian-food names Pat LaFrieda and Michael White, have been part of the team, so to speak, in past seasons.
This year, as the world continues to emerge from the pandemic, the offerings are more limited, but at Citi Field, there are still some notable Italian-influenced dishes.
Pizza cupcakes.
One that gets a lot of attention is the “Pizza Cupcake,” a cheesy, doughy hand snack that is a bit like a pepperoni roll but which looks like, well, a cupcake. It’s a concept from chef Andrea Meggiato, and it’s available as a Margherita (mozzarella, Mutti tomatoes) or Pepperoni.
Patsy’s Pizzeria, a New York institution, joined the Citi Field lineup for the 2021 season, offering three pizzas: original cheese, pepperoni, and Margherita.
David Campaniello of Arancini Bros.
And the veteran Italian name on the Citi Field menu is the Sicilian street food-inspired Arancini Bros., which makes its arancini with arborio rice and a growing array of fillings, from the classic ragù (saffron risotto with tomato meat sauce, peas, and mozzarella) to the Taco Ball (seasoned ground beef, salsa, sour cream, cheddar, and cornmeal crust. There’s even a Nutella version, which is probably not something you’d find in Palermo, but which fits the mood for dessert at Mets games in Queens.