Welcome to the food court.

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.

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.

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.