Saturday, April 18, 2009

Take me out to the ball game

The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a hot start, and today the Oakland A’s were in town.  Josh Outman was starting for Oakland and was facing David Purcey.  I could talk to you about the game, a good one for sure, but you can read all about the Jays’ defeat here.
I have complained before about the price of beer at the Rogers Centre.  Well, it hasn’t gone down.  The alley vendors are selling tall Budweiser (or Bud Light) cans for $9.50, and a large draught at a Bud Booth is $10.
Shame, I say.

I was, however, looking forward to some food.  Although I had had a snack already, I was curious about how the new offerings at the Rogers Centre would turn out. I had seen some “coming soon” signs when I came here for some WBC games back in March.  But when push came to shove, and the score being 5-5 in the 5th, I had no choice but to go all in for a classic - the hot dog.

This is what baseball is all about.  Strategic pace. Beer. Heckling. Hot Dog.

And therefore, a hot dog is what I got.  I couldn’t go wrong, a hot dog from the Grille was the recommended buy from the New York Times - they offer advice on what and what not to buy in every ballpark in MLB.

I went to one Hogtown Grill, which is basically a cooking station, and there are a couple of them around the concourse. If you are looking for a dog, you do want to stop there as opposed to a regular hot dog counter.  They don’t actually have a grill, but a hot plaque. On top of the weiner, they offered, for an extra cost, to grill some peppers and onions.  I declined, and went for a classic dog, garnished with mustard and ketchup.  Hot peppers and relish were also available.
The sausage was nice, with a bit of a snap.  Very meaty taste, not too salty, it was pleasant.  I thought the bun was too bready, but at least it was fresh.  Kudos for the cardboard container, a better choice than styrofoam or aluminum bags you can see in some other stadiums.  All in all, a fairly good hot dog, which was enough for me for the night, but at $5, it is not a cheap dog.
Many regulars recommend getting one from a street vendor right outside the stadium. But I couldn’t be bothered, and besides, I want to be sure my sausage is included in the total needed to cover the distance of 3241 stolen bases, which is what the number of hot dogs sold each year at the Jays home park amounts to.
The Rogers Centre allows you to bring in outside food.  A good policy to help folks save some money, especially in these dire economic times.  I prefer to enjoy the stadium fare, but if I had a chance to come more often, I would probably pack a snack here and there.



Posted by The Waffle at 04:30:56 | Permalink | Comments (5)

Sunday, August 24, 2008

By-election Blitz, part II

I continue my review of my by-election food aventure.

Here is what my second week looked like -
Sunday, August 17 2008:

Lunch: Nothing fancy, I went to St-Hubert for a chicken breast.  I love St-Hubert.  I could drink the sauce.  Eeer.  I do, most times.  The fries were quite tasty, fairly crispy, and the chicken was succulent.  Their coleslaw wasn’t as vinegary as it should have been, though.  I love St-Hubert.

Dinner: I enjoyed some Jazz at Les Jardins Nelson in Montreal with my friend Marika.  We shared their breaded calamari strips, which they bake.  They were golden and crispy, nicely done. Not a greasy ball of breading, as we often see.  We followed with Pizza, Si Si Si - I picked the Gambari, she went for La Charcutière.  They were fine, but nothing exceptionnal.  Nancy Martinez was the guest star for the night, and she clearly loves singing.  Too bad the crowd was barely noticing her and her band.

Monday, August 18 2008:

Breakfast: Had breakfast with Richard Marois and Jean-Claude Rocheleau, NDP candidate in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, at Le Petit Québec.  It was huge, the scrambled eggs were not overcooked, and there was tons of meat.

Lunch: I had lunch with a prominent Montreal columnist at Les Belles Soeurs on Le Plateau. I had not been there in years. He had an omelette, but I couldn’t resist going for the Belles Soeurs burger, with their excellent fries.  Although I was reasonable and had only half a serving, the other half was a salad.

Dinner: I ordered some pizza from Jacques Cartier in Longueil, a meat lovers and an all-dressed.  It was 2 for 1, so no choice.  The meat wasn’t overcooked, the bacon not too salty.  Not too bad.  However, it took them over an hour to deliver.  At 10 pm on a Monday night, that is uncalled for.

Tuesday, August 19 2008:

Lunch: The NDP Leader was in St-Lambert for a Transit announcement and we had a working lunch at Les Cigales with members of the Chamber of Commerce.  Their fish soup was excellent, classic.  I followed it with a very nice bavette de boeuf, I just love that french cut.  I wish the schedule hadn’t been as tight in order to really enjoy the great french cuisine.

Dinner: Left over pizza.

Wednesday, August 20 2008:

Lunch: Grabbed some fruits and nuts at the campaign office.

Dinner: Went to La Piazetta in St.Lambert with a Radio-Canada reporter.  I enjoyed their cannelloni al’emiliana as an appetizer and then went for La Diabola pizza. The cannelloni were a bit flat, probably because there was so much - too much - cheese on top.  La Diabola was good, but could have been spicier.

Thursday, August 21 2008:

Lunch: A very late lunch at Le Claremont after a successfull press conference in Westmount where Jack Layton and Anne Lagacé Dowson received the support of Charles Taylor, Julius Grey and other prominents Montrealers. I picked the quesadillas, I added some hot sauce to hit.  Their salsa was home made, but too young. The mango inside the tortillas gave it a nice twist.  My co-worker went for a salad, which looked very fresh.  It is a trendy Westmount bistro with a friendly and tatooed service.

Dinner: Left over pizza. Ya, I know.

Friday, August 22 2008

Lunch: ND and I grabbed a Club Sandwich to go from St-Hubert.  Did I ever mention that I love St-Hubert?  The sandwich was succulent.  But the fries do not travel as well as the meat and were a bit soggy, which is often the case with fries when you don’t eat in!

Dinner: Hot Dogs at Richard Marois’ campaign office!  We had a nice bbq going, I ended up on the grill.  We served six dozen nicely grilled sausages in crispy buns.  A big hit!

Saturday, August 23 2008

Dinner: Nice view of the river and the South Shore from the Verses Sky rooftop patio in Old Montreal.  Ordered a vodka-tonic upon arrial.  There was a bunch of us, and we all enjoyed a very nice meal.  I went for the Grilled Tuna, which was a tad small but nicely cooked, and served with crispy vegetables, which were actually the same for most of the entrees folks ordered.  the atmosphere was great, the weather perfect.

Sunday, August 24 2008

Lunch: Grabbed a junior cheeseburger at Burger King. Had to get back to Ottawa and was in a bit of a rush.  No time to sit down, had it in the car.


Posted by The Waffle at 22:08:02 | Permalink | No Comments »

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Go Rapidz!!


Is there anything better then a hot dog and a cold beer at a ballpark?

Well, yes, there is.

But nevertheless, it is pretty fantastic!!!

Yesterday, I brought a bunch of friends to a game of the Can-Am league between the Ottawa Rapidz and the Atlantic City Surf at the Rapidz Stadium on Coventry Road in Ottawa.  It was the Guns N’ Hoses night - in honour of cops and firefighters, and only 1500 fans showed up - probably scared away by the afternoon shower.

The menu has quite improved since the Lynx left town for LeHigh Valley in Pennsylvania.  And the beer is cheaper, 4.50$ a glass.  The beer is even cheaper  the inning following a homerun by a Rapid - it goes half price!  In our case, oufielder Pete Pirman hit his fourth of the year in the fourth inning so we could enjoy a few cold ones for a few less dollars.  Their beer selection is not huge - your pick of Budweiser, Bud Light or Keith’s - so Keith’s it had to be.

And to accompany your cold Keith’s, nothing better than a hot dog.   The Rapidz are calling their dog the Forum Dog and you can get one for 2.50$.  A juicy, classic hot dog sausage in a toasted bun, much better then a soggy steamed bun that most sports complex serve to the fans.  Now, if only they would serve them in a paper wrap as opposed to the aluminum bag, it would be perfect.  The aluminum does keep the food warm, but it makes the bun soggy if you keep it in too long.  So remove your treat from that bag asap, add two servings of mustard for one of ketchup, you can also add relish and raw onions if you feel like it, and PLAYBALL!!

Other popular items on their menu includes the Grand Slam Sausage, which is basically an all-dressed dog with a big european style sausage, the BBQ ribs on a bun, the All Star Burger and even the Whole Wheat Turkey Wrap if you somehow think that a ballpark is a place for eating healthy.

As for the game, the Rapidz lost 9 to 4, the Surf banging the Rapidz around for 18 hits.  It was the 41th loss of the year, and the Rapidz are on pace for a 25-win season, which would set a record of mediocrity, as the now-defunct Elmira Pioneers went 28-64 in 2005 to post the worst record in league history.

But we still had a lot of fun. I got an autograph from Noel Baca III (1-7 so far this year), we heckled a lot - including Cecil “Big Daddy” Fielder, whom, believe it or not, is now managing the Surf. Atlantic City is certainly an interesting choice for the former MLB slugger, considering his past gambling problems as reported by the Detroit News.

Among other highlights, I can point out to the ejection of the Rapidz manager Ed Nottle, who couldn’t believe first base umpire Yves Lamontagne blew another call at first in the top of the fourth.  And the Surf’s first base coach, Mike “Rubber Arm” Moseley, was amused enough by some of my heckles that he gave me an authentic game-used Can-Am official baseball!

Even though the Rapidz are struggling, it is still good ball and a good time for all to enjoy.
You can get tickets here.

Posted by The Waffle at 22:01:07 | Permalink | Comments (5)