Sharks Road Trip

Being able to combine road food and football is the best of two worlds.  I work in the broadcast booth for the New York Sharks, a women’s professional football team.  One of the first things I think of when the season’s schedule comes out is to see what the road games are and then to start making a list of places to eat.  Last Saturday the team was playing in Schenectady, New York to take on the New York Nemesis.  
I went through the Road Food forums and other foodie websites for ideas.  Travelling from Boston, I decided to hit Nick’s Nest in Holyoke, MA., Ted’s Fish Fry in Watervliet, NY, and Price Chopper in Slingerlands, NY.
 
Unfortunately it was pouring when I got to Nick’s Nest so I didn’t bother to take out my camera.  Despite the weather the place was very busy.  I ordered a chili dog and a cup of baked beans.  The atmosphere of the place was quite interesting with a feel of something out of the 30’s.  I must say that the hot dog was only OK and while the baked beans were nice and hot, they were lacking any sweetness in flavor.  They tasted like they were made without any brown sugar.

By the time I got to the New York border, the skies started to clear.  I originally wanted to go to Bob & Ron’s Fish Fry in Albany but they are closed on Saturday’s. Instead I headed to Ted’s Fish Fry for what I guess is a regional thing?  They serve a fish sandwich which consists of a fish fillet that is cut very thin and breaded. It is fried and then served in a hot dog bun with a chili/cocktail sauce on top.  It kind of looks like a strange hot dog.  But it is was quite tasty and came with a side order of either french fries or onion rings for only $4.
 




In the past when I had travelled through Albany, one of my favorite stops was Platt’s Place, a deli across from Colonie Center.  They had some really nice triple decker sandwiches and had been around for quite a few decades.  But around 10 years ago they disappeared and I have been scouring the Internet to see if they were re-opening somewhere else.  For quite some time I could not find anything but recently saw a few mentions of Platt’s on a web board.  It seems that family members that started Price Chopper, the supermarket chain in Upstate New York (where Rachel Ray started) got some of the recipes from the Platt’s family and started a restaurant inside the supermarket in Slingerlands.  The take-out restaurant is located inside the supermarket right next to the deli department.
 
 
I ordered the Vincentian, a triple decker sandwich, consisting of corned beef, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Russian dressing.  The sandwich came in a red-checkered box, along with a half-sour pickle and a bag of home-made potato chips.  It was a very nice little package that they gave you.
 
 
 As for the sandwich itself, sometimes memories just don’t always match up.  It was a good sandwich but not as good as I remember.  I would go back, but maybe try something else next time.  They made the sandwich with the corned beef and swiss cheese in the bottom layer and then on the top level they just had the tomato, lettuce, and dressing.


To say the least, I was pretty stuffed by game time.  At least I don't have to talk, just work the sound board.  That prevented our listeners from any unwanted burping...  It was a good ballgame with the Sharks defeating the Nemesis 21-7.  The Sharks next road game will be in Philadelphia on May 2^nd.  I already have a list of places that I might hit, but if anyone has any suggestions I am willing to listen.
 
 
 

Great little regional report, with fine photography.

I spent many weekends in the Albany/Troy/Schenectedy area in the 1970s, but I never caught on to the fish-fry thing.  We could use some places like that around here.

How many games does the league play each season?  Seems like you will have a lot of roadfood opportunities!

Enjoyed your report. Just wonder when the Sharks will play the Jets. That would be quite a rumble.

Maybe the Jets should look through the Sharks for a new quarterback.  :)

Great report nysharks!  I would be all over that fish-dog or whatever it is.  Looks scrumptious.  Welcome to RF!

 Thanks to all for the kind words.  The Sharks play in the Independent Womens' Football League (IWFL).  Believe it or not, there are 53 teams around the country including Canada.  They play by NFL rules except the ball is a bit smaller because women's hands are smaller.

Unfortunately they only have an 8-game regular season so there are only 4 road games per year so road food opportunites are in short supply.  But the Sharks have a history of success and I usually get another road trip or two in during the playoffs.

I must confess that I went to grad school in Albany for 2 years and never knew about the fish fries or the mini-hot dogs in the area.  Between studies and no car, that did put a crimp in my road food exploration but I did get to explore a few bars with my classmates.  But now with the Internet, GPS, and a car I have been able to make up for lost time.

Do you know if yall play the Dallas Diamonds ?? They're my home team and I think this season is the strive for  FIVE !!! 

nysharks-
Very nice report.  That fish/hot dog thing is something I have never seen before.

I just looked up the schedule and the Sharks don't come to Pittsburgh this season, since the Passion got to New York instead.  If they had, I would have offered to meet you for a meal or two.
 
As for Philly, I can't recommend Tony Luke's any higher.  Just a terrific place!

Nancypalooza


Maybe the Jets should look through the Sharks for a new quarterback.  :)

Great report nysharks!  I would be all over that fish-dog or whatever it is.  Looks scrumptious.  Welcome to RF!

Kellen Clemens of the Jets is from the University of Oregon and grew up in the ranch country of Burns in southeast Oregon. if he gets protection, I think he will be a strong contributor for the Jets.

 

buffetbuster


nysharks-
Very nice report.  That fish/hot dog thing is something I have never seen before.

I just looked up the schedule and the Sharks don't come to Pittsburgh this season, since the Passion got to New York instead.  If they had, I would have offered to meet you for a meal or two.
 
As for Philly, I can't recommend Tony Luke's any higher.  Just a terrific place!

Thanks for the invite!  The Sharks played in Pittsburgh last year and despite a tough loss I had a good time there.  I hit Primanti Brothers, Robert Whorley, and the Original Hot Dog.

I did try to go to Pierogies Plus, but they are closed on weekends.  I did try and stop by on Saturday just in case they were open.  What an interesting looking place.  It used to be a gas station and the only thing missing were the pumps.  There was an elderly lady sitting outside peeling potatoes and I tried to talk with her a bit to see if I could scam a pierogi (I have no shame) but she didn't speak English.

On route to Pittsburgh I also hit Dienner's in Lancaster, and Yocco's in Allentown.

Maybe it's a good thing we don't have that many road trips...

Nice report.  Please keep them coming.  Welcome to RF.

nysharks-
You did very well in Pittsburgh and hit some of our best Roadfood stops.  If the sharks come back here in 2010, look me up.  In the meantime, I am looking forward to more reports from you!

Very nice report and some great pictures.  That fish sandwich in a hot dog bun looks very good.  Thanks for some good ideas for places to visit when going through Albany.

The Sharks played in Philadelphia on saturday, May 2nd.  The game had a 6:30pm start so the broadcast crew drove down the morning of the game.  Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of food on this trip.  

The first stop was in one of Brooklyn's Chinatown to grab a few char sui baus for the road.  Also grabbed a few other dim sum items from Joy's K Seafood, one of my favorite places.  What makes the Chinatowns in Brooklyn (there are 2) so good, is the food is as good as in Manhattan but the prices are cheaper and probably most important, you can find parking.

I had gotten enough food to keep me busy munching as I drove down the New Jersey Turnpike.  But before I crossed into Pennsylvania, I made a stop at Mart Soft Pretzel Bakery in Cinnaninson, New Jersey.  They used to sell pretzels at the old Pennsauken Mart but they were kicked out along with dozens of other vendors when they tore down the mart to make for a hockey rink that never got built.  The land is still empty.  The pretzels there are a perfect example of the soft pretzels that Philadelphia and South Jersey are noted for.  The place is located in a little strip mall but they are busy.  All they sell are soft pretzels and you see people drive into the lot and then leave with a bagful of the soft warm pretzels.  They are so good with a little bit of mustard on top.  There is a Subway store next to them and they don't get as much traffic.

I got to the ballpark about 3 hours before game time to set-up the radio equipment and get ready for the pre-game show.  The Sharks pretty much dominated the game and won 33-7.

The on-air talent had wanted cheesesteaks so I spent some time the night before on the Web looking for some places to try after the game.  Since we were going to be in North Philadelphia I figured that I would look for something near the park.  Personally, I like Pat's in South Philly but to drive down there and look for parking was not something I cared to do.  I had read that there were 2 places in North Philly that were noted for their cheesesteaks and were right across the street from each other, kind of like Pat's and Geno's.  The different reviews were very positive so off we went to Dalessandro's and Chubby's.

Being the foodie in the group, it was my intention to go to both places and get a cheesesteak.  They just wanted to go to a place to sit down and eat one.  It was around 11pm and both places were quite busy, but Chubby's had some booths.  I ordered a cheesesteak with onions and provolone from both places.  Both sandwiches looked almost exactly the same.  

But at Dalessandro's they chop up the meat finely.  I wished I took my camera into the place as they had a pile of chopped up steak about 1 1/2 feet high on the grill.  As for the taste, they were both good, but not great.  I preferred Chubby's as Dalessandro's had some extra seasoning in it that I wasn't expecting and didn't make it a more positive experience.  If I was in the neighborhood I might stop by, otherwise a trip to South Philly or Tony Luke's would be in order.

The next road trip will be to Medway, Massachusetts on May 30th.  It is near the Rhode Island border and I am thinking of some classic Rhode Island roasted chicken dinners.

nysharks,

I just noticed your trip report for the first time.

Teds is one of my favorite stops in Buffalo, and I would probably have to say one of best, if not the best onion rings I've ever had.
 
I remember Platts. We used to go there back in the early 90's when I would visit my brother who lives in Albany. By the time my mother moved up there in 1996, I'm almost certain it was gone by that time or shortly afterwards...
If you decide on one of those Rhode Island Chicken dinner, I would have to recommend Wrights Farms in Burrilville.. I used to really enjoy The Bocce Club in Woonsocket, the Sterns wrote about it in their older roadfood books, but the last time I was there was back in 2000 just before I moved to Rhode Island. I heard a few years back they had some "food poisoning" issues, they're still in business so I can only assume the matter was rectified.

I like Village Haven in North Smithfield RI , Wrights is bigger but
I like the spices on the chicken at Village Haven better. The two Restaurant are 10 mile a part from each other. Not quite like
Pat's and Gino's but close.

I have been to the Bocce Club recently and thought the food was pretty good.  Actually I prefer it to Wrights Farms, but then again maybe I like the extra tang of food poisoning.  Wrights must be doing something right though, the place is huge and it is usuallly busy.  Kinds of reminds me of Hilltop Steakhouse in Saugus, Mass. in the old days.  Alas Hilltop is more of a ghost town now.

Thanks for the tip on Village Haven.  I have also been to the Pines, but still prefer the Bocce Club so far.  For those not in the know, you don't go for a Rhode Island chicken dinner if you are on a carb-free diet.  

Excellent report and photos.  I'd love to see more.

That fish sandwich really threw me until I realized that I'd eat the very same thing on a hamburger bun.

Maybe it was the color red on a hot dog bun that scared me.

Shape shouldn't matter.

You wrote this...

 

nysharks


One of the first things I think of when the season’s schedule comes out is to see what the road games are and then to start making a list of places to eat. 

 
 

...but I thought of the (single) Travelin' Man and heard this.

 

 

(Now, if you're actually a male versus a female, I'm still thinking of

The Travelin Man only this time I'm laughing out loud.  )*

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

* Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Enjoyable report, and I love the sign for Ted's.

The Sharks had a controlled scrimmage up in Schenectady, New York this past weekend.  Driving 3 hours to watch players practice is not my idea of a worthwhile time, but it became more of an excuse to go hit the road looking for some good eats.

The first stop was to Gus's Hot Dogs in Watervilet.  The place is on a side street in a working class neighborhood.  Some might take offense, but the place is a dump!  The little red shack would make a good illustration for the definition of delapidated in the dictionary.  But on the plus side, they served the Capitol Region's classic of mini-hot dogs with meat sauce.  There is usually an argument for which place serves the best mini-hot dogs and Gus is usually one of the contenders.  It can't be too bad as there was a line when I got there around lunch time on a cold sunny day.

 

I ordered 2 mini-dogs at only 65 cents each and a sausage sandwich.  I have been to Famous Lunch quite a few times before so I kind of knew what to expect with the mini-hot dogs, but When I first took off the wrapping I thought that they sold me a hot dog that had half of it broken off.  I poked around a bit and saw that it was just a very small hot dog.  As for the taste,I can't say I was impressed as others have been.  I would prefer to be able to taste the hot dog, but the taste was overwhelmed by the meat sauce, the onions, and especially the bun.



As for the sausage sandwich, it was very tasty with grilled onions and peppers.  It consisted of an Italian sausage patty served on a hamburger bun.  It was good and I would get it again, but I think I prefer the sausage in its casing to give it a nice snap with every bite.

I still had plenty of time to get to the field and I was still a bit peckish, so I looked at my trusty GPS and found a Hot Dog Charlie's was nearby.  HDC also serves mini-hot dogs with a meat sauce and so I ordered 2.  A sign above the cash register said they had a clam roll for $2.99.  Going against my better judgement, I ordered one.  Unlike Gus's, Charlie's building was relatively new or renovated, clean, and well-lit.  The kitchen is open and you can see them prepare your food.



I ate the food in my car, and thought that the hot dogs were much better than Gus's.  There was a better balance of the ingredients and you could taste the hot dog.  I still prefer Famous Lunch, but this was a close second.  As for the clam roll, what can you expect for $2.99.  They reminded me of the fried clams you used to get at Hojo's.

After spending 3 hours in the cold watching the scrimmage and doing a few interviews with some of the players (found out that one of the rookies for the Sharks had moved to New York from Dallas because she won VH1's "I Want to Work for Diddy" reality tv show) I headed back to the city.  Unfortunately it was too late to hit more hot dog places (like in Kingston) and I was kind of getting hot dogged out.  For dinner I went to a Price Chopper supermarket and bought my favorite Albany deli sandwich the Vincentian.  I wrote about this in the beginning of this thread and it was just as good as before.

The 2010 women's football season starts this weekend, but the Sharks have a first week bye.  They open their season in Philadelphia next week.  Their other road games are in Carteret, New Jersey, Boston, and Pittsburgh.  So if anyone has any road food suggestions for these areas, please feel free to post them. 

welcome back. Looking forward to hearing more.

I had to look back; that is a beautiful sandwich.  Sorry about the disappointing dogs!

Gus's hot dog wasn't terrible and I really wanted to like it, but the other ingredients overwhelmed the hot dog.  On the plus side, it really is an interesting road side stand in a gritty neighborhood.  Still there was a line of people there, so there are quite a few people who differ with my opinion.

nice reports nysharks.
glad to see you didn't disappear.
looking forward to many more.

Nice photos, sharks, but that Vincentian triple decker sandwich doesn't look very appetizing (as you pointed out).  The corned beef appears to be a grocery-store deli sliced product  .

nysharks


The 2010 women's football season starts this weekend, but the Sharks have a first week bye.  They open their season in Philadelphia next week.  Their other road games are in Carteret, New Jersey, Boston, and Pittsburgh.  So if anyone has any road food suggestions for these areas, please feel free to post them. 

There's a TON of stuff already on ere about Pittsburgh & Boston and Northern NJ. Use the SEARCH FUNCTION and you'll find more places than you could cover in a lifetime of Football Seasons.

Ah yes, we're going to watch the Dallas Diamonds play tomorrow night... Looking very forward to it... Those gals are TOUGH ! 

How are the Jersey Justice ladies? A force in the league?

I think I would have enjoyed a lot of that food.  Nice photos, too.

The Jersey Justice are a pretty good team.  They made the playoffs last year but lost to Montreal in the first round.  There are a few former Sharks on that team.  The Sharks will play them for the first time this year on May 1st in New Jersey.

The Dallas Diamonds have always been a powerhouse team and I suspect they will be near the top again this year.  They are a very talented team led by running back Jessica Springer, she is a beast.  I was going to say stud but I don't think it is appropriate here.

The Montreal Blitz slogan...

PAIN IS ONLY TEMPORARY,
BUT GLORY LASTS FOREVER!

Not this year Blitz.

Good luck to the Sharks! Well...except when they play Justice. Justice prevails.

I guess the natural rival of the New York Sharks is the New York Nemesis!

New York's natural rival is the same as in baseball, football, hockey, and basketball...Boston!  The Sharks and the Boston Militia are in the same division and have been battling it out for the division title for the past 10 years.  What is nice about the rivalry is that there are so many road food places to hit between the two cities.

I am thinking of going to Harold's Deli in Edison before the Jersey game.  Heard so many good things about it, that I will have to compare it to my favorite deli, Katz's.

Pittsburgh should be fun too, but I am looking forward to stopping in Amish country for some regional specialties.  Fried chicken, Cope's corn, scrapple, rhubarb pie, chow chow, chicken and dumplings, etc.  I might have to leave New York 3 days ahead of time.

See...if you tell the Sharks players about Harold's (before the game) Justice may be winning that game. Even if they all split a sandwich and eclair...they will be full for the rest of the day. 

Or just tell the Militia!

I'd heard a little bit about Woman's Pro Football but didn't realize how big it is! We have a team out here in Phoenix - The Arizona Assassins  http://arizonaassassins.com/schedule.htm They start play this month. I'm gonna go to a game & check it out!
Can't wait to hear the cheers:
" Kick their A**es TWICE! GOOOOO Assassins"
"Rah, Rah, Ree -kick 'em in the knee-
Rah, Rah, Ras - Kick 'em in the A**!
GOOOOOOOO Assassins!"

Women's football is quite large.  Over 80 teams and 2 leagues in North America and there are leagues in Europe too.  This summer there will be an international women's football tournament being played in Sweden.  The United States will be represented with an all-star team made up of players from the Independent Women's Football League.  The Sharks have a few players that were picked for the team.

I don't think I will be going to Sweden, unless there is a website for Swedish road food...

nysharks


Women's football is quite large.  Over 80 teams and 2 leagues in North America and there are leagues in Europe too.  This summer there will be an international women's football tournament being played in Sweden.  The United States will be represented with an all-star team made up of players from the Independent Women's Football League.  The Sharks have a few players that were picked for the team.

I don't think I will be going to Sweden, unless there is a website for Swedish road food...

 
They need to hire a First Class Marketing firm to generate more public awareness and get the ESPN's of the world involved. Sports Marketing Drives the Revenue! If Extreme Fighting, Skateboarding,  Roller Derby, Monster Trucks etc. can do it, so can they!

Foodbme

nysharks


Women's football is quite large.  Over 80 teams and 2 leagues in North America and there are leagues in Europe too.  This summer there will be an international women's football tournament being played in Sweden.  The United States will be represented with an all-star team made up of players from the Independent Women's Football League.  The Sharks have a few players that were picked for the team.

I don't think I will be going to Sweden, unless there is a website for Swedish road food...

 
They need to hire a First Class Marketing firm to generate more public awareness and get the ESPN's of the world involved. Sports Marketing Drives the Revenue! If Extreme Fighting, Skateboarding,  Roller Derby, Monster Trucks etc. can do it, so can they!

Believe me, this is a discussion that we have had and continue to have.  There hasn't been too many ideas out there that hasn't been tried.  There are plenty of bodies out there of people who have tried to market the sport quickly.  Especially with this economy, the slow ground roots approach is probably best.  Many teams have developed relationships with NFL teams and are trying to build from there.

ESPN and most media outlets are not interested in the sport itself.  They are only interested in the human interest side of the story.  Part of it has to do with women's sports, which does not get more coverage at the pro and semi-pro level.  At best, women's sports are covered at the college level and that is it.  Just look at all of the other women pro-leagues out there.  They are all barely surviving.

Trying to get the word out and in a positive note is the toughest part of the job.  There are so many people out there that believe women cannot or should not be playing the sport.  We get lots of emails from girls around the country trying to play on boys teams and the hazing is pretty bad.  You have to admire their love of the sport to put up with some of the stuff that goes on.

Still it is fun to be a part of and I love the road trips because that means road food!

nysharks

Foodbme

nysharks


Women's football is quite large.  Over 80 teams and 2 leagues in North America and there are leagues in Europe too.  This summer there will be an international women's football tournament being played in Sweden.  The United States will be represented with an all-star team made up of players from the Independent Women's Football League.  The Sharks have a few players that were picked for the team.

I don't think I will be going to Sweden, unless there is a website for Swedish road food...

They need to hire a First Class Marketing firm to generate more public awareness and get the ESPN's of the world involved. Sports Marketing Drives the Revenue! If Extreme Fighting, Skateboarding,  Roller Derby, Monster Trucks etc. can do it, so can they!

Believe me, this is a discussion that we have had and continue to have.  There hasn't been too many ideas out there that hasn't been tried.  There are plenty of bodies out there of people who have tried to market the sport quickly.  Especially with this economy, the slow ground roots approach is probably best.  Many teams have developed relationships with NFL teams and are trying to build from there.

ESPN and most media outlets are not interested in the sport itself.  They are only interested in the human interest side of the story.  Part of it has to do with women's sports, which does not get more coverage at the pro and semi-pro level.  At best, women's sports are covered at the college level and that is it.  Just look at all of the other women pro-leagues out there.  They are all barely surviving.

Trying to get the word out and in a positive note is the toughest part of the job.  There are so many people out there that believe women cannot or should not be playing the sport.  We get lots of emails from girls around the country trying to play on boys teams and the hazing is pretty bad.  You have to admire their love of the sport to put up with some of the stuff that goes on.

Still it is fun to be a part of and I love the road trips because that means road food!

If everyone associated with the Sport has the same defeatist attitude as you and thinks it can't happen then it never will.   That's STINKIN' THINKIN'. Is it Reality? Sure----As long as no one is willing to take the Challenge. Get out of the DISCOMFORT ZONE!The Sport needs a LEADER to step forward. Someone who will Operate "OUT OF THE DEFEATIST BOX" and make it happen. Are there obstacles, Sure.  The sport needs someone that IGNORES the obstacles and gets it done. Call Donald Trump or Vince McMahon. They will get it done! "the slow ground roots approach is probably best." Do you know what happens when you take the "Slow Ground Roots Approach?????? NOTHING!

Sometimes I forget, but we have to thank people for their ideas as they are showing interest and support for the sport.

But that being said, here is my reply for foodbme.  I have been in this business for over 10 years and there are no short cuts.  If you believe that, you are bound to fail.  I have seen too many people think that if we only did this or that, things would be completely different or too many people who were gung ho going in but then get burned out after a year or two, never to be heard from again.  This is a sport that needs time to grow.  Football is not a sport that one can master on talent alone, it takes lots of practice and playing time.  Females rarely play this sport after they become teenagers.  To consistently put a good product out on the field we need to gets girls involved at an earlier age.  The Sharks are one of the few clubs trying to do that by teaming up with the NFL and the New York Giants with a junior player development program.  This year we had over 150 girls participate in the free program, a number that has been growing over the past 4 years.  In the past we have actually picked up a few players that participated in the program.

I don't feel it is a defeatist attitude, but it is one where I think the focus needs to be more on promoting girls to play football and not just women playing football.  Getting leaders with money or name recognition is not the answer.  They have been tried and some of the teams have been owned by famous sport stars from pro-bowl football players to boxing champions.  Just look at women's professional soccer.  It tried to be big right out of the box and lots of money was spent early and it burned out fast.

This is supposed to be a thread about food so I will leave it here, but if you think you have any ideas that you would to toss out, please feel free to contact me at: www.nysharksfootball.com/contact.  Drop a liine to the webmaster.  Or if you wish to discuss the topic further, also drop me a line.  I have had this discussion with lots of people and there are so many things that people don't realize that we do or have done.  This year the Sharks will be the first team to play their 100th game.  We are one of the most successful women's football team on and off the field.  You don't have success like that taking short cuts.

Oh, and more thing, a very shame less plug.  The New York Sharks start their 11th year of football next Saturday (April 10th) against the Philadelphia Firebirds.  You can listen to all of the hard-hitting action at www.blogtalkradio.com/wfnradio.  Kick-off is at 6pm (EDT).

Go Sharks!

nysharks


Sometimes I forget, but we have to thank people for their ideas as they are showing interest and support for the sport.

But that being said, here is my reply for foodbme.  I have been in this business for over 10 years and there are no short cuts.  If you believe that, you are bound to fail.  I have seen too many people think that if we only did this or that, things would be completely different or too many people who were gung ho going in but then get burned out after a year or two, never to be heard from again.  This is a sport that needs time to grow.  Football is not a sport that one can master on talent alone, it takes lots of practice and playing time.  Females rarely play this sport after they become teenagers.  To consistently put a good product out on the field we need to gets girls involved at an earlier age.  The Sharks are one of the few clubs trying to do that by teaming up with the NFL and the New York Giants with a junior player development program.  This year we had over 150 girls participate in the free program, a number that has been growing over the past 4 years.  In the past we have actually picked up a few players that participated in the program.

I don't feel it is a defeatist attitude, but it is one where I think the focus needs to be more on promoting girls to play football and not just women playing football.  Getting leaders with money or name recognition is not the answer.  They have been tried and some of the teams have been owned by famous sport stars from pro-bowl football players to boxing champions.  Just look at women's professional soccer.  It tried to be big right out of the box and lots of money was spent early and it burned out fast.

This is supposed to be a thread about food so I will leave it here, but if you think you have any ideas that you would to toss out, please feel free to contact me at: www.nysharksfootball.com/contact.  Drop a liine to the webmaster.  Or if you wish to discuss the topic further, also drop me a line.  I have had this discussion with lots of people and there are so many things that people don't realize that we do or have done.  This year the Sharks will be the first team to play their 100th game.  We are one of the most successful women's football team on and off the field.  You don't have success like that taking short cuts.

Oh, and more thing, a very shame less plug.  The New York Sharks start their 11th year of football next Saturday (April 10th) against the Philadelphia Firebirds.  You can listen to all of the hard-hitting action at www.blogtalkradio.com/wfnradio.  Kick-off is at 6pm (EDT).

Go Sharks!

I repeat--- If your perception of your sport reflects the opinion of others who can influence the future of the sport, It will never grow beyond where you are today. Not going to waste any more of my time listening to all the excuses as to why You can't get it done. Loser Attitudes Produce Losers! I'm out!

nysharks


Sometimes I forget, but we have to thank people for their ideas as they are showing interest and support for the sport.

But that being said, here is my reply for foodbme.  I have been in this business for over 10 years and there are no short cuts.  If you believe that, you are bound to fail.  I have seen too many people think that if we only did this or that, things would be completely different or too many people who were gung ho going in but then get burned out after a year or two, never to be heard from again.  This is a sport that needs time to grow.  Football is not a sport that one can master on talent alone, it takes lots of practice and playing time.  Females rarely play this sport after they become teenagers.  To consistently put a good product out on the field we need to gets girls involved at an earlier age.  The Sharks are one of the few clubs trying to do that by teaming up with the NFL and the New York Giants with a junior player development program.  This year we had over 150 girls participate in the free program, a number that has been growing over the past 4 years.  In the past we have actually picked up a few players that participated in the program.

I don't feel it is a defeatist attitude, but it is one where I think the focus needs to be more on promoting girls to play football and not just women playing football.  Getting leaders with money or name recognition is not the answer.  They have been tried and some of the teams have been owned by famous sport stars from pro-bowl football players to boxing champions.  Just look at women's professional soccer.  It tried to be big right out of the box and lots of money was spent early and it burned out fast.

This is supposed to be a thread about food so I will leave it here, but if you think you have any ideas that you would to toss out, please feel free to contact me at: www.nysharksfootball.com/contact.  Drop a liine to the webmaster.  Or if you wish to discuss the topic further, also drop me a line.  I have had this discussion with lots of people and there are so many things that people don't realize that we do or have done.  This year the Sharks will be the first team to play their 100th game.  We are one of the most successful women's football team on and off the field.  You don't have success like that taking short cuts.

Oh, and more thing, a very shame less plug.  The New York Sharks start their 11th year of football next Saturday (April 10th) against the Philadelphia Firebirds.  You can listen to all of the hard-hitting action at www.blogtalkradio.com/wfnradio.  Kick-off is at 6pm (EDT).

Go Sharks!

I admire your enthusiasm and devotion to the game! I am sure there are many obstacles in regard to this sport that naturally do not exist when men are playing football. My parents would have never let me play football...and today I am sure my children would not have it.

Go Sharks!

Thanks for the kind words, CC.  By the way, the Jersey Justice shut out the Manchester Freedom this evening 32-0.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

I must admit that when heading to Philadelphia, I have a lot of favorite stops in the South Jersey area.  Since the football game was at night, I left New York early on Saturday morning.  My first stop was to Mart Soft Pretzel Bakery in Cinnaminson, New Jersey.

In New York City there are those ubiquitous hot dog vendors.  Affectionately(?) they are referred to as dirty water dogs since they are usually cooked boiled.  In the Philadelphia area there used to be lots of kids selling large soft pretzels in paper bags.  These also had a not so pleasant nickname of "armpit pretzels" since the kids would hold one up in one hand and the rest of the pretzels would be tucked under their arms.  You would often see them at intersections as you drove around town.

While many think cheesesteaks are big in the Philly area, it is really the big soft pretzel that is king.  And in my opinion one of the best pretzels is baked at Mart Soft Bakery.  This bakery used to have a location in Pennsauken Mart a huge indoor flea market.  I remember going there as a kid and being fascinated by a framed set of unused tickets to the World Series for the Philadelphia Phillies.  Unfortunately they were for 1964 when the Phillies collapsed the last week of the season.  The Mart was closed about a decade ago when local politicians thought that the land would be better suited for a minor league hockey arena and they kicked everyone out.  It was a sad day as hundreds of vendors were kicked to the street.  Some found other storefronts, others went out of business.  And to make matters worse, the arena was never built and the land remains vacant to this day.

The bakery is in a small strip mall in which Pep Boys Auto Parts store is the anchor store.  What I find fascinating is the number of people that go into this bakery.    All they sell are pretzels and they have even more traffic than the Subway restaurant next door.  People driving up just to get their fix of pretzels.  Something you don't really see elsewhere in the northeast.  These pretzels are big and soft on the inside with a nice chewyness on the outside.  They are best complimented with mustard.  And when eaten right there while they are still nice and hot, it is ambrosia in your hand.

Since pretzels were only the appetizer, my next stop was Di'nics in Mt. Ephram, New Jersey.  There I orderd another Philly favorite, the roast pork sandwich.  This sandwich contains roast pork, with sharp provolone cheese, and your choice of spinach or broccoli rabe.  They  are not affiliated to the Di'nics in Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia but the owners are related.  To bring controversy to this thread I will make the statement that I think it is better than Tony Luke's.  Tony is very good, but I like Di'nics better.  It is loaded with stuff and the roast pork is very juicy.  The combination of the bitterness of the broccoli rabe and the tangyness of the sharp provolone make for a flavorful treat.

Despite all of this eating, I was still ready for one more thing.  I had heard about the Philadelphia Cupcake lady.  There is a women who sells cupcakes out of truck and drives around town.  You can find out where her location is because she sends out updates using Twitter (http://twitter.com/buttercreamphl).  Being a bit of a techno geek, it sounded too good to pass up.  I was able to track her down in a park in North Philadelphia around 3pm and got two cupcakes.  There were not a lot of people around at the time and I was able to talk her.  Her back story is almost as good as her cupcakes.  Kate Carrara comes from a family of lawyers and became one herself.  After 7 years of practicing law she decided that it was not the life for her and she decided to sell cupcakes.  For her truck, she got an old mail truck with a window on the side.  She bought a used one off of Craigslist for $3,600.  Kate is very friendly and personable and the cupcakes are great.  The menu changes daily and the ones that I got were the chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream and vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream.  The cakes were moist and tender but for me it is the richness of the buttercream that really is the standout. 

I don't have any pictures of the cupcakes as I ate them before I remembered to photograph them.  But for more info and better pictures of the Cupcake Lady go to: www.buttercreamphiladelphia.com

While driving to the ballfield, I did not see anyone selling pretzels on the street but I did drive by a man that was selling pies in the middle of the street to cars going by.  I think that is the first time I have seen that.  Not the strangest sight though, in New York there was someone selling slabs of beef.  He was holding the carcasses up for people to see.

I gave a big smile to everything in your day's eats, and that is a wonderful story about the cupcake lady.

nysharks, great report!  I love the updates and the detail you give on the places you visited.  I didn't know there was a women's football league.  Thanks for all of the great info.

The Sharks will be playing against the Jersey Justice this Saturday in Cartaret.  It should be an exciting game with both teams at 3-0.  One site picks the Justice (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvP49g-NtXs) but of course I think he is wrong.

But I am also excited because I plan to go to Harold's New York Deli in Edison, New Jersey.  From some of the reviews I have seen, Harold's has the best pastrami.  Katz's is my gold standard so I am quite dubious of Harold's claim, but I have got to go taste for myself.  It is very rare when I have been to a place that someone has raved about that tops my gold standard but it has been done before.

I promise to remember to take a picture before I eat.

I am also planning on stopping over at Tommy's Italian Sausage and Hot Dogs in Elizabeth, NJ.  Since I need to save some room for the pastrami at Harold's, does anyone recommend the Italian sausage or the Italian hot dog at Tommy's?  I fear that I may not fit in the press box at game time.

The Sharks had a night game in Carteret, New Jersey.  Normally it would only take me about 45 minutes to get to the game, but I decided to go around lunch time to explore New Jersey and get some good eating in.  

One thing New Jersey is known for is their hot dogs, especially their Italian hot dogs.  This specialty consists of a hot dog served in a half round roll with grilled peppers, grilled onions, and fried potatoes.  After looking around, I found lots of different places to try in the upper Jersey area, but which one to pick.  I finally decided upon Tommy's Italian in Elizabeth, New Jersey.  Partly it was close to where I wanted to go, good reviews from here and from HollyEats.com, and the fact that they made their own sausage.  This led to my next dilema, to order the Italian hot dog or Italian sausage sandwich.  Since this was not going to be my only stop, I didn't feel that I could order both and still be hungry enough later to enjoy my other stop.  I kept debating sausage or hot dog, sausage or hot dog, but when I got to the little stand, they had the perfect solution for me.  They offered a combination of hot dog AND sausage.  I quickly ordered one to go and in a few minutes they handed me a brown paper bag that felt liked it weighted about 3 pounds.

I went across the street and ate the sandwich on a park bench.  It was quite big and quite hot.  The potatoes were scalding to the touch and I had to wait a few minutes for it to cool off to eat.  The sandwich was so messy that I started to eat it with my fingers.  It was very good and the sausage was very flavorful.  The hot dog was very good too.  It was more than enough for me to finish and so I put over 1/2 of it away in a cooler I brought along for the trip.  Overall I enjoyed the sandwich and would get one again if I was in the area, but the balance between messiness and flavor would preclude me from going too far out of my way.  I think I would rather go to Rutt's Hut instead for one of their deep fried hot dogs.

After a few hours of exploring Elizabeth and surrounding towns...

Number one on my list on going to Jersey, besides the football game, was to go to Harold's New York Deli in Edison, New Jersey.  There were many reviews on the web that extolled the virtues of their food and some raved that their pastrami was the best, even better than Katz's.  I was really looking forward to seeing if this was true.  Harold's is located in a Holiday Inn in what looks like an industrial complex in Edison.  From the outside you really wouldn't know that there was a deli there, let alone a really good one.  But I guess you would know that there was something good there as the parking lot was pretty busy around 4pm on a saturday.

As I was being seated, I walked past customers with their table covered in huge portions of food.  It reminded me of the large portions you get at Carnegie Deli and the prices reflect that.  I ordered a large pastrami sandwich for $18.  The menu says that it can feed from 2-3 people.  While I was waiting for my meal, I went over to their pickle bar.  They had about dozen different items at the bar, including sour and half sour pickels, cherry peppers, a "health salad", and sliced of rye bread.  I love half sour pickles and grabbed those and few slices of the bread.

While waiting for my food, I overheard one patron gasp as she came back from the pickle bar to her table.  I turned around to see the largest matzo ball I have ever seen.  It was about the size of a small cabbage sitting in a bowl of chicken soup.  I don't know how good it tasted because at that time my food arrived and quite frankly I forget about everything else.  And one of those things was taking a picture.  The meat was piled on high and the pastrami was thinly cut by machine instead of hand sliced ala Katz's.  I took some of the meat and made a smaller sandwich with the rye bread I got from the bar.

I was really looking forward to my first bite and it was very good.  It was juicy, moist, and had a nice peppery flavor but it didn't top Katz's for my taste.  I can see why people like it as it is very good but with the deli's in New York being closer there is no need for me to head back there for the pastrami.  The disappointment of not tasting the best pastrami kind of brought me back to Earth and I then remembered to take a picture of the sandwich.  I ate about 1/4 of the pastrami in the sandwich and took the rest home.  My cooler was getting pretty filled with my leftovers.

As for the game, the Jersey Justice were undefeated and so was the Sharks.  The Sharks were the veteran team and were favored, but early in the first quarter their safety intercepted a New York pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to give them an 8-7 lead.  But from then on it was all New York as they won 50-8.  The game ended around 10pm and even though I wasn't that hungry, the Justice had a post-game party at a local Knights of Columbus.  I went over there to talk some football with the players and the broadcast crew, but was surprised by the amount of food they had there.  It was buffet style and they had dozens of dishes like green salads, pasta salads, chicken cutlets, sausage and peppers, lasagna, baked ziti, chicken wings, eggplant parmigiana, meatball subs, sandwich wraps, and more.  Funny how I forgot that I wasn't hungry anymore.  Hopefully we play again in Jersey next season.

You shoulda just brought your cooler into the post game party with you and chowed down.  :)  Great descriptions sharks!  (And I think it's OK to call somebody a stud here.)

Tommy's Italian hot dogs joint in Elizabeth NJ with an old Cadilac parked in front. how appropriate.
that dog looks great.
nice report, keep it coming.

Nancypalooza


You shoulda just brought your cooler into the post game party with you and chowed down.  :)  Great descriptions sharks!  (And I think it's OK to call somebody a stud here.)

You had better believe I was eyeing the leftovers, but since I was a guest there I felt too self-conscious to go ask what they were going to do with all of that food.  The Sharks usually have a pizza party after their home games at a bar.  And there I don't have any guilt on taking any leftover swag home.

The New York Sharks play their home games at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn.  When the complex was first opened, it had facilities for basketball, football, soccer, ice hockey and other sports.  They also were to have a food court that represented Brooklyn, like cheesecakes from Junior's, pizza from Grimaldi's, hot dogs from Nathan's, and chocolate from Jacques Torres.  That reason alone was good enough to go to a game, but for whatever reason those vendors did not stay long at the complex.  The food court still sells food but it is rather pedantic and they sell Glat Kosher hot dogs out of a vending machine.  And next to the kosher hot dogs is a vending machine for ice cream.  That just doesn't seem right.

The Sharks will be making history this saturday as they will be playing their 100th football game.  No other women's team has played as many.  The game will be held at the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn.  Kick-off time is 7:30pm (EDT).  More info at: www.nysharksfootball.com

No, it does not seem right. :)

Especially if there is no beer to go with it...

The New York Sharks finished the season with a 7-1 record and are now heading to Boston to play the Militia (8-0) for the North Atlantic division title this saturday.  The winner will go on to the Eastern Conference Championship and then to the IWFL Championship game.  I have been way behind on updating my road game eats, so I figure that I should at least recount the team's last trip to Boston on May 15th.  Of course that wasn't a good trip as the Sharks suffered their only loss of the regular season.
The Sharks game was in the evening so I left New York just before lunch.  I planned to get lunch somewhere north of the city, something like a hot dog.  Just NE of NYC are so many hot dog joints to choose from.  There is Walter's, Super Duper Weenie, Swanky Franks, Rawleys, Danny's Drive-in, etc.  I had been to many of those places so I decided to go to two new places that were written up on Road Food.  I ended up in Port Chester, New York and went to Texas Chili and Pat's Hubba Hubba.  Both places are noted for their chili dog and are only 1 block apart.  I found a good parking spot right near Texas Chili and went inside to order one hot dog.  Texas Chili was a small place with some tables up front and a small counter in the back near the grill.  Behind the counter the wall is covered with dollar bills that customers gave to the restaurant for good luck.  I then walked over to Pat's Hubba Hubba to get my other hot dog.  Hubba Hubba was small too but much more narrower.  They also had a wall of dollar bills but this one was on the wall across from the grill.
 

  

 
I went back to my car to eat.  Both hot dogs were not very large and were split down the middle and covered with a bean-less meat chili.  They were both spicy with some red pepper flakes mixed into the chili.  Overall they were OK, they tasted similar to the chili dogs you get in upstate New York, like Tony's Texas Hots but not better.  The area they are located in seems to be an hispanic neighborhood and there were a lot of rotisserie chicken places that looked a lot more interesting.  The Texas Chili hot dog is on the left or is it the one on the right?  They both look pretty much the same and they tasted about the same to me as well.  The Hubba Hubba one is on the right.
 

 

 
I didn't eat as much as I normally would or should for that matter, but I was also planning to have my big meal in Rhode Island.  I planned to meet Fred, the league's photographer in Warwick, Rhode Island for Iggy's Doughboys.  Iggy's is located right near the water and you can eat on tables outside overlooking Narragnsett Bay.  I ordered fish and chips, which comes with cole slaw and clam chowder and costs $10.  I also got a free order of their famous doughboys by using a coupon they email to you for signing up on their website.  The fish was a nice size and quite tasty.  It is not as good as Ye Olde English Fish & Chips in Woonsocket, RI but for the view and price this is a place to go to.  And there are quite a few people that think so too as the line to order can be very long.  It couldn't just be the location either as thre are a few other restaurants next to Iggy's and they are empty.  As for the doughboy, they are a piece of fried dough dusted with sugar.  They are kind of thick and reminded me more of a zeppole than a beignet.  They are good but with all the fried food I was eating I just had one, shared one, and took the other 4 home.
 

 

 
As for the game, ugh.  The Sharks got shut out.  After the game, the Militia provided pizza from a local restaurant.  It was edible...
 
Next is the road trip to Pittsburgh.  That was pretty cool.