Back in June I was invited on a tour of the ballpark with to see all the new food stands. I promised I’d eventually try a bunch of them and give a review.  It took three months of eating and drinking, but here's a first look at some of what's new and not so new:

The Good:

New Reserved Seating at the Red Porch – Thumbs-up on this awesome idea, we called in a reservation before a game and got the whole 8pm to 9pm hour at a table in Centerfield.  The Nats put in extra tables and removed a few seats, a great move.
Try the Red Porch Velvet Cupcakes.

New Seafood at the Triple Play Grill – Sections 107 and 210 – You can get a good Crab Cake Sandwich at Nats Park!  Take that Angelos…

Healthy Plate Cart – Section 115 -Yes, tell your girlfriend, you can eat healthily at Nats Park. The Hummus and Pita and the Grilled Vegetable Wrap were a great break from the typical.

Gluten Free Stand – Section 138 – My wife is loving this, she tried the pizza and gave it a “good for gluten-free” rating.  The Red Bridge beer is Anheiser-Busch’s sorghum based beer developed especially for the gluten-free market.

The Bad:

The service at many stands – Still slow at times, with people standing around as the lines grow. The bartenders at the club level are often equally slow and overwhelmed. Its past time to work on these issues.


 

      

New York Avenue can be a traffic nightmare heading out of town, even as late as 7 or 8.  Still, its going to be a faster trip than a plane to Las Vegas and while there aren’t any tables or slot machines at the new Stadium Club it does have a couple things in common with America’s party destination.  Namely, lots of female dancers and great steaks. 

Owner James T. “Tru” Redding, who also has a share of Public Bar and Sushi Rock decided to make his “gentleman’s club” a lot more interesting by opening a sparkling new 42 seat steakhouse inside the club. He brought in Andre Miller, previously one of the six regional chef’s who shaped the menu for all 40 Ruth Chris Steakhouses around the country.  He also invested in a creating a great atmosphere with an open kitchen, flat screen tv’s and most importantly, perfectly done steaks. 

This is a classic steakhouse menu and was right on par with Morton’s or The Palm.  I went for the 24 ounce Cowboye Ribeye, charred and blackened with some great spice but still medium rare on the inside.  Huge and worth the price.  My friend’s New York Strip looked perfectly done as well, something that doesn’t always happen in even the best places.  They have a ton of classics on the menu like Clams Casino, Delmonico steak, Rack of Lamb and Lobster.  Start with the always refreshing Iceberg Wedge or Tomato Mozzarella salads, they are big enough to split, and order a couple of sides for the table, maybe the Au Gratin Casserole or Cornmeal Dusted Onion Rings.

The wine list is huge, ranging from Italy to Spain to Napa to France, New Zealand and more.  We settled on the always delicious Cakebread from Napa, but they also had Caymus, Opus One, Harlan and much more with the top bottles soaring over a thousand dollars.   You would never know you were sitting inside a 14,000 square foot new strip club in Northeast DC.

Just as in Vegas we spotted a celebrity walking in for dinner, Wizards Assistant Coach and former NBA star Sam Cassell strolled in with a group of friends and we chatted with him about the future of Gilbert Arenas, John Wall and the Wiz.

After dinner, General Manager Damian Ward escorted us to a great table in the main club, you don’t pay a cover to get in if you eat at the steakhouse.  Mr. Ward and the rest of the staff were all outstanding

As for the rest of the Stadium Club, I thought it was almost on par with the food, but you’ll have to review that for yourself.
 

      

Its hard to satisfy some Red Sox fans, people like ESPN’s Bill Simmons, who complain that the Fenway experience isn’t what it once was.  That may be true, but it is still much better than most of the 24 Major League parks I’ve visited around the country.  My first visit there this weekend proved that modern fans will still support baseball without the special effects, loud music and cheerleaders, at least in Boston.

How do they do it?

•    The Neighborhood:  You don’t need to gimmick up your ball park when the streets around it provides everything  possible, from Legendary Sportscaster Jerry Remy’s mammoth new sports bar to the cherished classic Cask ‘n Flagon to a House of Blues and even a nice gluten-free place, Burton’s Grill.  The best is Lansdowne Street’s new Bleacher Bar, carved into the stadium itself, in the old grounds crew area; it looks out onto centerfield and is a part of the game.  I’m just scratching the surface, but of course with 600 sell-outs and counting, these places don’t worry about doing well. 

•    The Streets: The Sox have literally made the block of Yawkey Way behind first base part of Fenway.  About 90 minutes before the game, they roll out the turnstiles on the ends of the block and like magic a public street becomes part of the ballpark experience.  Fans can wander in and out of the park and take advantage of the carnival-like atmosphere.

•    History: Revel in it.  Not just the great displays of previous pennant winners and old photos, but actually dressing up a few employees in old time uniforms, “League of their Own” style women’s uniforms too.

•    The Food: Why make people wait to get their chicken fingers and burgers? Its not like its made to order anyway. At Fenway, the warmers face the line and people just pull the stuff out.  And Beer? Keep it simple, with so many bars outside the gates, the choices inside are few but the taps are many.  Plain old domestic and light, it’s a ball game, not a brew pub.

•    The Music: Why do the Nationals allow the players to control the music? I don’t think we come to the park to listen to Pudge Rodriguez’s favorite Reggaeton or Josh Willingham’s latest country choice.  The music at Nats Park ends up sounding like a schizophrenic wedding band.  At Fenway the music was minimal, appropriate and brief.

•    The In-Game Shtick: No T-shirt tosses, no Presidents’ races, no in-game dude on the scoreboard, no cheerleaders, am I making myself clear?  There were plenty of kids and families at the games I attended and I didn’t hear anyone asking for a free t-shirt or racing mascot…

•    The Fans: They cheer when it matters, they are not told to cheer.  They get up on a 3-2 count, they are not told to get up.  Does this take years of tradition and attention to the game?  Maybe, but its something to aim for.

Am I being fair to the Nationals, definitely not.  We have only the beginnings of a neighborhood and a new fan base.  Our tradition is either in Montreal or Texas or Minneapolis, depending on who you ask.  But its nice to know that pure unadulterated baseball is not only possible, but appreciated.  Let’s hold it up as the gold standard and see how close we can get…

      

This week’s e-mail question, “I’m from out of town and coming up Friday for the Dave Matthews Show at Nats Park, what’s a good pre-show plan?”

Metro to the Potomac Ave stop on the Orange Line, it’s a little past Nats Park in Southeast DC, but its also home to two of the best bars in the city. 

1)    Wisdom – Start here and try an Absinthe, long banned in the US but now back in a big way, this is by far the best Absinthe collection in DC.  While the old story that Van Gogh drank it, hallucinated, and cut off his ear was probably a myth, you might want to take it easy and start slow.  They also serve the classic American Old Overholt Rye and have an incredible cocktail list.

1432 Pennsylvania Ave SE
(202)543-2323

2)    Trusty’s – This was the best Nationals bar in DC when they played at RFK. Its still great and perfectly dive-y, from the beer served in Mason jars, to the board games, to the incredibly weird new School Bus bar on the second floor.  Yes, that’s a real yellow school bus they somehow got up onto the second floor and turned in to a bar.  Try the Pork Slap Pale Ale.

1420 Pennsylvania Ave SE
(202) 547-1010

3)   Belga Café - Make the ten minute walk down Pennsylvania Ave to 8th Street, and hit Belga Café for the truly incredible Belgian Beer selection.  From Lambics to Reds to Goldens and Browns, not to mention the Abbey’s and Triples and of course the Trappist ales.  Almost 50 beers and all Belgian.  Don’t just limit yourself to a Chimay or Orval, you can find beer usually seen only in Belgium.  And if you like mussels, this place is for you.

514 8th Street SE
(202) 544-0100

4)    Ted’s Bulletin – Three words, Alcoholic Milk Shakes.  Indulgent yes, but delicious. Bailey’s, White Russians, Tequila Sunrise and much more, served in classic 1950’s aluminum milk shake mixer cups.  You might want to go for the very good grilled cheese or sloppy joe here before you hit the show.

508 8th Street SE
(202) 544-8337

And then, well maybe you’ve had enough. Its time to move slowly down M Street to the concert.  If you're really feeling lazy, jump in one of the pedi-cabs for a bike ride with no pedalling.  Enjoy the show!

      

All I wanted was a nice Sunday afternoon in July.  A matinee.  A 1:35 start under a cloudless 90 degree sky.  July 11^th dawned as a beautiful day.  Until the first San Francisco batter stepped up, Aaron Rowland.  A sure out to Ian Desmond turns into yet another league leading error.  Or should have.  The hometown scorer however rules it a hit.  But you get the idea.  Four hours later, its Giants 6, Nationals 2.

Worse than the score is the slow, sloppy style.  My friend called it American League baseball, but that’s doing an injustice to the junior circuit.  Its simply hideous.  From the bases loaded one out strikeouts to the abysmal play in the field.  And why?  Well, of course, its All Star eve.  Players from last place teams are thinking about their flight home, their families, their buddies, the kids, the lawn they’re finally going to cut.

Finally at 5pm its over.  The few thousand fans left trickle out.  Lesson learned: All Star eve baseball is a slow motion, error-filled afternoon in July to avoid…

      

So I finally go to a Strasburg game and he loses.  Then they go to Baltimore and blow three straight games.   This is not a good week in Natstown.  But one thing is good, very good and while a little belated in my opinion, its better now than never.  Yes, that’s right, the first neighborhood bar and restaurant, actually café according to the owner, but whatever.  Its here.  A real place, not a vacant parking lot with a tent bar and bean bag toss.  Its a two minute walk from the stadium in the new Velocity Condo building next to the New Jersey Avenue Metro exit.

Its called Justin’s Café, and yes there is a really Justin, Justin Ross.  He’s the young energetic hands-on owner.  I caught Justin running around behind the bar with his staff trying to keep up with the post-game crowd following the historic first Strasburg loss.  And to be honest they were a little overwhelmed, with more than a couple people standing around waiting for their order at the counter.  The small place is really a pizza, soup and sandwich shop but with an outstanding beer list and a full bar.  The pizzas are worth noticing, very fresh ingredients including specialties like roasted eggplant, and don’t miss the grilled chicken and tomatoes on a top of a ranch dressing base.  Sounds like a college dorm room invention to me.

But the beer list is really what makes Justin’s, and he is very proud to talk about it.   The Great Lakes Brewery out of Cleveland has finally made it to DC and Justin’s stocks a bunch of their best varieties, and of course the great for summer Oscar Blue Dale's Pale Ale and Pils, out of Colorado.  If you haven’t had Oscar Blues beers, you're missing the company that made canned beer delicious, thanks to a special lining, it definitely keeps beer better than a bottle.

Congratulations and thank you Justin!  You win the prize for being the first bar in the neighborhood, God Bless…

      

The Nationals were gracious enough recently to ask a few web sites to get to know the Nats players and staff. Meeting someone in person makes you understand what makes them tick and of course gain empathy with that person as a human, not a TV character.  I’m sure this was a well-understood part of the Nats “New Media” Department’s strategy in having a few web sites visit the team.   The team has looked to web sites for more coverage with the demise of The Washington Times sports section.

Of course, it worked perfectly. I really was genuinely impressed with the three Nats I met at the Park. 

Drew Storen – I could not believe the genuine, personable and very intelligent vibe from the rookie, who just left college last spring.  I had no idea this guy went to Stanford, but you can certainly tell.  On top of that, his Dad is a nationally known sports talk radio host, so he’s obviously ready for questions..  Not sure there are many 21 year olds of any profession who would have been articulate as Storen.  He’s good friends with “Strass-y” and will take some of the heat off the less articulate Strasburg. 

Josh Willingham – Josh reminded me of one of my favorite kinds of people, friendly, southern, with a great accent and demeanor that is all-Alabama.  I had a chance to ask Josh if he’d ever had as many walk off or just dramatic homers as he’s had this year.  He replied that he’d never had as many “big” home runs in any of his 9 seasons, and we’re not even to the All-Star break.  A quick glance show’s that his power numbers are at all-time highs since he came to the Nats.

I'll have my thoughts on Jim Riggleman next.

      

All good Nats fans know three basic facts about the New York Mets:

1)      They overpay for some terrible players
2)      We’ll definitely pass them in the standings this year.
3)      Their fans are not as bad as Yankee fans, but that’s not saying much.

Now here’s one Food and Bar Column fact that you may not know about our NL East rivals: They serve fresh Lobster Rolls at their games.  Yes, the succulent, delicious, taste of summer, fresh lobster rolls at the ball game, courtesy of Chef Dave Pasternack, who brought the lobster roll to the Mets’ Citi Field last year.

The Wall Street Journal reports him saying, “Well, the Mets are a Long Island team, so we wanted something you could find along the shore,” he said. “And with the change in the economy, one thing that has definitely changed is the price of lobster.”

He goes through about 1,000 pounds of lobster a season and “even more when they win.”

I had my first lobster roll as a kid in Maine, when it seemed virtually impossible to get one outside of New England.  They were everywhere in Maine in the summertime, even the A &W hot dog stand served them fresh on great toasted rolls, just a little celery and mayo, mostly great lobster. 

Soon, thanks to the dropping price, DC will be getting a food truck on the streets of downtown selling them for as low as 14 bucks.  That truck is courtesy of New Yorker Susan Povich, who began the Red Hook Lobster Pound  last year with her husband and has been wildly successful in Brooklyn.  Yes, Susan Povich is daughter of Washington Post sports columnist and legend, Shirley Povich…

I’d advise Hank’s Oyster Bar on 17^th Street or Kinkead’s at 2000 Pennsylvania Avenue for the best lobster rolls in town.  But we don’t need a restaurant, lobster rolls are the perfect hand held treat for the ball game.  Are you listening Nats Park?

      

Imagine a great sitcom premise; Two young guys in DC.  Make one of them a Federal employee for some local flavor.   They go up to an out of the way town in upstate New York and find an original 1940’s diner for sale at its original location.  They pick it up and bring it back to lower-middle class, African-American, North East DC.  A mix of all races and classes come together for coffee, country breakfasts and a little bit of waitress love and wisdom…

Turns out Matt and Patrick, the two owners, are real people and this is a delicious new place on Bladensburg Road NE, near hopping H Street.  Matt had originally just wanted to open a cheese steak cart to capture some of the drunks leaving H Street at night.  Patrick convinced him to go up to buy an original 1940s diner on EBay.  Now, both are deep in personal debt and have hurdled amazing amounts of city red tape to get the diner in place. 

Its completely vintage, down to the refrigerator and milk shake machine. The only problem, Patrick told me, was that there is no storage and they are going through an incredible volume of food.  The place was packed on a Friday lunch with a wide variety of locals from the neighborhood and diner lovers from far and wide. 

When the H Street streetcar opens in 18 months, the place is going to be even hotter, but they can’t hold any more than the 16 small seats at the counter and five booths, which are already packed.   Its open 24/ 7 on the weekends.  And the mammoth “Super Happy Fat Boy Breakfast” is a steal at $8.75.  With coffee, pancake, 2 eggs, bacon and biscuit, this is going to be every H Street bar hound’s new hangover cure.

The best part the amazing waitresses from the surrounding Trinidad neighborhood, who tell stories, talk to everyone, constantly ask how everything is and still mange to get the food out from behind the tiny counter space.   The Capital City Diner can only be called a brand new, old-fashioned, one of a kind for our city.

Capital City Diner

1050 Bladensburg Road NE

20002

202-396-DINR (3467)

      

Before the Internet and ESPN, there were a few baseball beacons in America.  They were the 50,000 watt AM signals of a select group of great stations, and on summer nights they followed you for hundreds of miles.  For decades in Michigan the station was WJR and the voice was Ernie Harwell.   Pre-internet, I even spent at least a few evenings a summer, listening to big games in my parked car in DC, where the signal was somehow better than indoors.
 
Ernie was so big in Michigan that my family used to have a record album of his greatest calls from the Tigers Championship of 1968.  The Tigers of the late 1970's weren't very good, but it was easy to put the record on and remember the good years.  By 1984 they were once again World Champions, and I bought the cassette tape of all of Ernie's calls to remember that great season.  In 1999 I took my Dad to the last game ever at beloved Tiger Stadium, and like my Dad had done for decades, I had Ernie in my right ear, even as I watched the game in person. 
 
Ernie was, like Mel Allen in New York, a smooth southern blend that kissed your ear and never let you forget how wonderful baseball on the radio could be.  Football was made for TV. Baseball was made for the radio and especially for Ernie.  
 
He was known for being traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers by the Atlanta Crackers for a catcher and making the forgotten TV call for the famous Bobby Thompson home run.  But for me Ernie will always be the voice of the Tigers games and the calls I still think of today, "He stood there like the house by the side of the road", for a called third strike or "That ball is long gone" for a home run.  My fellow Tiger fans and I know that the voice of baseball and our childhood is gone, but he'll remain in our mind's ear forever.