Crowding the Plate

Opening Day is this Sunday. Hungry yet?

by Drew Lazor

Neal Santos

[ food and sports ]

According to Aramark, which runs food operations for Citizens Bank Park (CBP), fans in attendance on April 5 are expected to inhale 15,000 hot dogs, 5,000 cheesesteaks, 1,000 orders of nachos and just as many burgers while watching our World Champion Philadelphia Phillies take on the Atlanta Braves. But those classic ballpark eats represent just a fraction of the grub that'll be on offer this year at the stadium. With a focus on fresh, local ingredients, made-from-scratch dishes and a full scorecard of vegetarian-friendly options, good eats are now more accessible than ever on Pattison Avenue.

Click Here For More Images

Are the expectations placed on CBP's food service employees — in terms of quality, variety and sheer stuff-your-craw volume — super grand now that the boys in red earned that long-overdue chip? Surely — but it doesn't mark a major shift from last season, when the club set all-time records in both total attendance (more than 3.4 million) and sellouts (50). "We're assuming full capacity every game," says Rich Freedman of the aggressive preparations for the Phils' 2009-10 season. The chef de cuisine of Harry the K's Broadcast Bar & Grille below the left-field scoreboard, Freedman joined the Phillies kitchen team in June 2008 after a successful stint at the Sidecar at 22nd and Christian. He got the opportunity to cook deep into the fall playoff season less than halfway through his first year behind the line.

Prior to Freedman's arrival, chef Kevin Cliggett, who now heads up CBP's Diamond Club and Hall of Fame Club, had already began implementing a fresh-first approach. "Before [Cliggett], it was basically an extra-large concession stand," he says. "Now, it's a ballpark restaurant with restaurant flavors." Freedman, who's known for his handmade charcuterie, says that about 80 percent of the menu at the eatery is now made from scratch. The chef and his team of 15 cooks crank out in the neighborhood of 800 to 1,000 plates during your average game, from hundreds of burgers, Schmitters and cheesesteaks to more irreverent items like venison kielbasa sandwiches, Cajun sausages and queso fundido with housemade chorizo crumbles.

New additions to the Harry's menu this season include barbecue short ribs served with mac 'n' cheese and braised spring greens with applewood-smoked bacon and butter beans; papardelle pasta with an Italian pork sausage and pancetta Bolognese sauce; and Freedman's signature chili, a blend of beef, red beans, spices and Yuengling lager topped with cheddar and tortilla strips. For day games, the chef plans on rolling out some brunch-type items like handmade scrapple and pork roll.

"There's a misconception of ballpark food being cookie-cutter," says Freedman. "We broke that mold."

The Harry's cooks aren't the only CBP teamsters keen on ensuring no hoarse-throated R-Ho booster goes hungry. One of senior executive chef Glenn Richmond's new babies is his Italian beef — he roasts slabs of beef crusted in a purée of salt and herbs for six hours before slicing it up and draping it on a thick, crusty roll with a veal stock/garlic jus, roasted long hots and sharp provolone. Though it'll initially be available in the luxury suites only, Richmond hopes to find the sandwich a permanent home somewhere in the stadium this season.

Richmond is particularly proud of his team's dedication to buying products from local farms and purveyors — a slew of products, from arugula and radishes to scallops and Cape May Salt oysters, come from South Jersey and the surrounding area. "When I get corn, I want Jersey corn, not corn from California," says Richmond.

Keeping with the green-ish theme, CBP, which PETA has named the No. 1 vegetarian ballpark in Major League Baseball two years in a row, is aiming for the threepeat this season with meat-free eats aplenty — black bean burgers with cilantro sour cream and pepper jack cheese, veggie quesadillas, vegan burgers, veggie cheesesteaks and veg-friendly hoagies courtesy of Planet Hoagie will be available at various locations throughout the stadium.

In addition to new menu items, the park is also introducing several new permanent destinations for eats. The Alley Grille, located behind left field between Harry the K's and Bull's BBQ, was known as the Autumn Grille in the early playoff rounds last year. This year, it'll be running full-time, firing up cooked-to-order burgers and chicken sandwiches on a 6-foot charcoal grill. Atop Ashburn Alley, the Bud Light Rooftop will sling buffalo chicken sliders, nachos and hot dogs; according to director of concessions David Lippman, they'll also be pouring frozen drinks and local brews from the likes of Yards, Victory and Flying Fish (and Bud Light, of course).

Old City cheesesteakerie Campo's will take over for Rick's, offering traditional and chicken cheesesteaks in addition to the homage-to-Cole-the-Kid "Heater," slathered in hot sauce and spicy pepper jack cheese. (Campo's regulars should take note that this is menu staple "The Feldman," just without ketchup. Meaning you can eat it while watching away games, too.)

"It's coming from the chefs down — no longer just out of a box in the freezer," says Diamond Club chef Cliggett of the overall approach of the people who work to feed the Phans. "We've committed to [cooking] seasonal, clean, simple food. It's not just hot dogs wrapped in foil ... it's more of a marriage of culinary and concessions."

(drew.lazor@citypaper.net)