Garlic Fries, Brother Jimmy’s headline NYS food options

Over in Queens, CitiField is turning into an epicurean delight. While the Mets have unveiled Nathan’s hot dogs, Shake Shack and a whole raft of Danny Meyer/Blue Smoke options, the Yanks have been largely silent on the dining at New Yankee Stadium.

Today, they lifted that curtain to unveil a wide array of dining options for patrons of the Yankee Experience. The Yankees, through their Legends Hospitality group, are bringing back what the team is calling “traditional favorites.” I won’t judge you if you consider a lukewarm, overpriced piece of congealed cheese pizza from Famous Famiglia traditional or a favorite.

Meanwhile, the new offerings are mostly predictable, if a little disappointing. Brother Jimmy’s BBQ seems to be the headliner, and the delis will now offer Boar’s Head sandwiches. I’m not quite sure why the Yanks are promoting Garlic Fries, something they call “a staple of West Coast ballparks” when New York City itself offers far better food options, but that’s the way it is. (The full list is available after the jump.)

As part of their continued push to make the new ballpark affordable, the team is continuing to offer a $3 hot a dog, a $3 soda and a $6 beer. Everything from the old ballpark will cost the same as it did last year with the team’s preparing for a plethora of promotional items. The team has hired 4000 union workers to staff these concession booths, and they plan to donate leftover edible food to charity.

All in all, I’m a bit underwhelmed by the concession options. Items such as the Highlanders’ traditional food — a pushcart hot dog vendor with sauerkraut and onions — aren’t that compelling, and the sushi choices, noodle bowls and Tommy Bahamas drinks are what I would expect from stadiums in Phoenix or Denver. The local flare seems missing, and as much as I hate to admit it, it seems as though the Mets did a far better job stocking their new home than the Yanks did.

Traditional Favorites:

• Bazzini nuts
• Carl’s Steaks
• Carvel Ice Cream
• Cracker Jack
• Famous Famiglia Pizza
• French’s Mustard
• Hebrew National
• Heinz Ketchup
• Mike’s Arthur Avenue Italian Deli, featuring zeppoli and antipasto
• Nathan’s Famous, serving hot dogs in natural casing
• New York Pretzel
• Premio Sausage, serving grilled coiled sausages
• Poland Spring Water
• Tyson chicken
• Utz Potato Chips

Stadium Debuts:

• Boar’s Head made-to-order deli sandwich stand, including soups and salads
• Brother Jimmy’s BBQ
• Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee
• Highlanders traditional ballpark food with a New York flair, including hot dogs with sauerkraut and “pushcart” onions
• Johnny Rockets
• Lobel’s of New York
• Moe’s Southwest Grill
• Otis Spunkmeyer
• Pepsi Cola Products, including Lipton Iced Tea, Tropicana Lemonade and Gatorade
• Tommy Bahama’s Bar serving mixed drinks
• Turkey Hill Ice Cream

New Cuisine:

• Garlic Fries stand, a staple of West Coast ballparks
• Latin Corner, serving hot-pressed Cuban sandwiches, nachos and burritos
• Noodle Bowls stand with other Asian-inspired items
• Soy Kitchen sushi and salads
• Triple Play Grill, offering beef and chicken sliders, and Lobel’s steak sandwiches

Healthy Alternatives and Specialty Items:

• Melissa’s, a traditional farmers market, carrying fresh fruits and vegetables
• Various Glatt Kosher options

Child-Friendly Options

• The Big Apple stand, offering candy, caramel and chocolate-dipped apples
• Dale and Thomas popcorn stand
• Kids Cart with school-lunch favorites and smaller-portion items, such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, milk, small hot dogs and Kozy Shack Pudding