Pulled Pork Sandwich

citi field food court danny meyer

Welcome to the food court.

Citi Field Blue Smoke Menu

Yum! Here’s the menu at Blue Smoke, which is above centerfield, immediately to the right of Shake Shack (another place for yummy treats).

I don’t remember PayPass at Shea, but in any case it is a convenient addition to keep the line moving. The girl at Blue Smoke didn’t know how to work the thing yet, but I’m sure it will be operable by Opening Day.

PayPass at Citi Field

Here are pictures of my absolutely delicious pulled pork sandwich, which comes in a neat little cardboard box … though, the $9.50 price tag is a little steep. The beer is a “Blue Smoke Ale”, which tasted to me like a cross between a Blue Moon and a weisse beer.

pulled pork sandwich from blue smoke

pulled pork sandwich at citi field from blue smoke

Across from Blue Smoke / Shake Shack is a taco joint and there looked to be another food stand, but it wasn’t yet open. The food choices are great, the prices not so great, but my main complaint is this: where am I supposed to eat? There are no tables nor waist-high standup bars for eating, so you have to trek back to your seat. This isn’t a big deal for those used to Shea Stadium, but after visiting several other “modern” ballparks, I find this a major FAIL. The idea of the new style, open-air ballparks is that you can leisurely roam all around the park, watch the game from several angles, while enjoying good food and a beverage.

As mentioned in the previous post of this series, this area is way too small for the expected activity, and is going to be mobbed and cramped — except on cold rainy days in March when two college teams are the top billing.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
  1. Timo March 30, 2009 at 11:45 am
    You had me at “pulled pork” sandwich. Prices look steep, plus you don’t get cold slaw or something else like beans? Also the pickles looked a little sick. I totally agree with you, you have to have a place to sit and enjoy! All the other parks have that and i’ve been to most of them.
    Does the stadium have a Rutt’s Hut or Hot Grill stand? You have to have an “all the way one” at the ballpark!
  2. joe March 30, 2009 at 12:03 pm
    No cole slaw, no beans. The pickles were actually pretty good, and I’m not a huge pickle fan.

    No Rutt’s, nor Hot Grill … though those would have been nice additions for poor folks like us!