Mmmmm, burgers.
Saturday, April 19th, 2008I like food. It’s been kind of a love/hate relationship most of my life. And I am too large. So I’m trying to lose weight, but it’s a struggle. Because of my preoccupation with the tastier things in life, I feel marginally qualified to comment on them. I even worked as a chef for a year or so if that lends any credibility.
We said we would be talking about sports and such in this blog. Part of sports is the concession stand. We can’t always eat at home, or on the way to a game, so we have to grab a bite at the stadium. It’s the same situation for parents who have to do the driving or just want to see your son/daughter play and by the time you get home it’s almost 9 p.m. So why not get dinner at the snack bar?
Which leads me to the fact that I don’t believe I have ever read anyone review concession stands. So here goes.
About a week ago I attended some lacrosse games at St. Ignatius High School. The first thing I ask at the window is “what is your special.” In this case it is the Riche burger (pronounced ‘Reesh’). The Riche burger ($3.00) is a 1/4 pound beef patty, cooked on a gas grill. It was named by inventor Rich Clark several years ago but continues as a favorite. But what makes it special is the burger-sized hash brown patty, also grilled, placed on the burger. You add the condiments. I’ve had them before and perhaps it is the fact that the same person doesn’t always do the grilling that there is some inconsistency. At their best, fresh off the grill, burger and hash brown patty both, is a wonderful thing. Cholesterol be damned. A little mustard or catchup and it’s quite filling. Add a soft drink (16 oz. bottles from a cooler) and you have a terrific meal. My recent experience was a bit dimmed in that the burger had been wrapped in foil and sat for a while, depriving it a bit of the “fresh off the grill” taste, and it was a bit soggy. My advice? Get one fresh off the grill, even if you have to wait. And to the cooks, as long as you are grilling, some grilled onions on top of it all would be killer.
On Saturday I was at the Rocky River freshmen and varsity games. It was a beautiful day and between games I stopped for lunch. The concession stand special was a basic Ballpark Frank, grilled on one of those large portable George Foreman type things. It was cooked to perfection, kept warm in foil, but not soggy. Condiments on the counter included real Stadium Mustard, relish and freshly chopped onions. For $3.00 total, including the ice cold Diet Pepsi, I considered it a bargain. They also serve breakfast sandwiches, with the first game starting at 10:00 a.m. That will have to wait for another day.
And Special Thanks to the booster clubs that spend thankless hours preparing the food and manning the booth. – Larry Kasperek
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