Dodger Blogger Luncheon

Getting the field ready - even the top of the foul pole

Shock top Brat

My favorite the Kings Hawaiian Dog

The Dodger organization kindly invited the various bloggers to preview the changes in the stadium, taste the new menu items, and preview the promotional items.  I was mostly intrigued by the new menu items especially with my obsession with baseball and food (see Blue Plate Specials).  Some of the rookies coming up to the plate are:

Levy Restaurants Menu Items

·      King’s Hawaiian Dog

o   All-beef quarter pound dog topped off with a pineapple salsa, served on King’s Hawaiian bread

o   Locations: Extreme Loaded Dogs: 248, 421, 736

·      Gouda Kobe Burger

o   1/3 lb. premium wagyu burger (“Kobe” beef) topped off with caramelized onions, pickles and special dressing (1000 Island)

o   Locations: Elysian Park Grill: 222, 223, 422, 747, 748

·      Chicken Verde Sandwich

o   Grill marked chicken breast on telera bread with jalapeno aioli, lettuce, tomato and tomatillo verde sauce

o   Locations: Healthy Cart: P420, P738; AMPM: 201; Marketplace: 205; Tony’s Stand: 420

·      Shock Top Bratwurst

o   Spicy pork bratwurst link infused with Shock Top beer served on a buttered and grilled lobster roll with caramelized onions and spicy brown mustard

o   Locations: Think Blue BBQ: 251 (Grill Area Only)

·      Specialty Nachos Verde

o   Crispy tortilla chips with tomatillo verde sauce, pickled jalapenos and fresco Cotija Queso

o   Locations: TBD

·      Smoked BBQ Wings Bundle

o   15 smoked chicken wings tossed in a BBQ sauce served with fries and veggie sticks with two soft drinks

o   Locations: Think Blue BBQ: 251

BBQ Wings

Salsa Verde Nachos

I really enjoyed the King's Hawaiian Dog and the Shock Top Brat.  The salsa verde chips got a little soggy and I thought that the BBQ wings were good, not great.  But everyone else was raving about the sauce.  The Kobe burger was nice as well.

They also had some promotional items that were on display.  Of course the bobbleheads were a big hit.  The AGon bobblehead and the replica stadium were neat to see and they look great.  Other items were the Turner Chia Pet and the Vin Scully Avenue T-shirt.  There was also a spacious cooler bag.  I always thought that a clear dodger bag would be a nice promotional item.  I think that fans would use them with the additional benefit of the security lines would be much faster as bags could be “searched” without opening them up.  I mentioned my idea, and hopefully they will act on it. 

Mock up of the Vin Scully Avenue shirt

Anon celebrating

Nice cooler bag

Replica stadium

More pins!

Dodger Promotional Items

www.dodgers.com/promotions

·      Adult Hooded Sweatshirt

Presented by Bank of America

April 13 vs. ARI, 7:10pm

·      Adult Replica Jackie Robinson Jersey

Presented by Bank of America

April 15 vs. SF, 7:10pm

·      Knit Cap

Presented by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

April 16 vs. SF, 6:10 pm

·      Clayton Kershaw Bobblehead

Presented by Security Benefit

April 25 vs. MIA, 7:10pm

·      Fleece Blanket

Presented by LG

April 27 vs. MIA, 7:10pm

·      Justin Turner Chia Pet

Presented by Cedars-Sinai

April 30 vs. SD, 6:10pm

·      Kids Corey Seager Replica Jersey

Presented by Hi-Chew

May 1 vs. SD, 1:10pm

·      Dave Roberts Bobblehead

Presented by State Farm

May 11 vs. NYM, 7:10pm

·      Replica Stadium

Presented by Farmer John

May 14 vs. STL, 6:10pm

·      Kids Batting Gloves

Presented by Kellogg’s Rice Krispies

May 15 vs. STL, 5:05pm

·      Welcome Mat

Presented by Farmer John

May 17 vs. LAA, 7:10 pm

·      Neck Pillow

Presented by Emirates Airline

May 23 vs. CIN, 7:10 pm

·      Adrian Gonzalez Bobblehead

Presented by Time Warner Cable

May 25 vs. CIN, 7:10 p.m.

·      Don Newcombe Bobblehead

Presented by United Healthcare

June 8 vs. COL, 7:10 pm

·      Cooler Backpack

Presented by Your SoCal Honda Dealers

June 20 vs. WSH, 7:10pm

·      Reusable Tote Bag

Presented by MLB Network

July 30 vs. ARI, 6:10pm

·      Retired Numbers Pin Series (10 pins)

Presented by 76

May 9: Pee Wee Reese #1

June 4: Don Sutton #20

June 16: Duke Snider #4

July 5: Roy Campanella #39

July 7: Walter Alston #24

July 31: Jim Gilliam #19

August 8: Jackie Robinson #42

September 4:  Sandy Koufax #32

September 7: Don Drysdale #53

September 22: Tommy Lasorda #2

We then got to go on a tour of the stadium, from the Top Deck to down on the field.  We saw all of the awards and got to sit in the dugout.  It was a very windy day, but that made for clear pictures.  Seems like they were doing a lot of sprucing up the place from washing the seats to fixing up the dugout club.  They were also installing new palm trees along Elysia-- I mean Vin Scully Avenue.  It looks really nice.  

Hi Dad!

I thought that the pictures on the newer gold gloves looked pretty lame

I guess they fixed Ethier's rage dent

Old visitor's locker room

No more Nancy Bea (cries)

From the Vin Scully Press Box

In all it was a great time, and got me excited to get the season started.  Remember, Dodger opening day is on April 12^th!  Go Blue!

Blue Plate Special: Dodger Stadium

Last night the Dodger organization was kind enough to allow some of us bloggers to come and try some new food items and speak about the upcoming promotions.  First I would like to thank David Siegel, the VP of Ticket Sales, and his team for coordinating this wonderful event.  In addition, the Senior VP of Planning and Development, Janet Marie Smith was there to speak to the improvements of the stadium (the WiFi rocks!).  Then executive chef Jason Tingley and his staff delighted the taste buds with culinary ballpark fare.  As you know, I like to try the food items at the stadium, so this was right up my alley.  And in preparation for the event, I made the sacrifice and worked out and fasted for 8 hours as to prepare the stomach for the festivities.  

First up, the nachos and corn.  Yum.  this was probably my favorite item.  Sometimes, I just don't want the cheese all gooped on the chips.  And this solves the problem, especially with the extra spiced corn on top.  A home run in my book.  This can be found at the La Taqueria stands.

Next up, the famous nacho with carne asada in a Dodger helmet.  This is enormous, probably enough for one family (or one Uribe - what too soon?).  I have had this one before, and it will definitely fill you up.  I could go with more chips though, although where to put them would be a difficult decision.  This one gets a stand up double.

Next, we have one of the extreme loaded dogs with flaming hot Cheetos.  Wow, this one is crazy.  I actually didn't taste this one, since my ulcer was acting up already.  It looked (and I heard from someone else) like this one was pretty spicy.  I'll stick to the frito dog.  This one gets an intentional walk.

The next one was the corn on a stick that they sell at Think Blue BBQ.  Since I didn't want corn all over my face when I spoke with the Dodger representatives, I again passed.  I have heard great things though.  Maybe a little less mayo if anything.  This one gets a passed ball.

Here are three of the many extreme loaded dogs, of which I tried the top right one.  Yum.  This one was great, meat on meat.  Carne asada on the Dodger Dog topped with onion rings.   I liked the crunch with the dog (like the frito dog), so this one gets a triple, with an error, so you get to plate the run.

Finally, the BBQ chicken wings.  Another winner.  Sweet and messy with plenty of meat on the bone.  As long as you have enough napkins, this was great.  The meat fell off the bone nicely with just the right amount of sauce as to not overpower the taste buds.  This is a ground rule double with the bases loaded.

I also got to try the food in the stadium as well.  I got the beef brisket that I thought had too much sauce thus overpowering the flavors.  Also, if they could have toasted the bun it would have been nice.  I popped out in my book.

And for dessert, the good old Cool-A-Coo.  Simple.  Chocolate crunch with a oatmeal cookie and sweet vanilla ice cream.  For some reason, to me they taste a little different than the old school ones, but I can't put my finger on it exactly.  In any case, a solid dessert and I rate as a double off the wall.

So there you have it, Dodger fans.  Some great menu items for your curious culinary pleasure.  There was also a pepperoni pizza that was good.  In addition, Chef Tingley said that there was a surprise combination pizza in the works!  Stay tuned!!!

Blue Plate Special: Dodger Stadium

I was able to get down to the field level for the May 2nd game and sample some of the food fare.  First up, the Bacon Wrapped Dodger Dog.  Bacon on a Dodger Dog?  Yes, please.  Side of jalapeño?  Yup.  This was a nice twist on the world famous Dodger Dog.  I have tried at home to grill Dodger Dogs wrapped in bacon before, and it was kind of difficult because all of the grease from the bacon dripped down into the hot bricks, which then started a mini fire and burned the dog.  So, I will let someone else do it.  I could do without the mayo on top, but I guess it gives it a little bit of sweetness.  I will rate this one a stand up double.

We then moved on to try to eat something healthier and sampled the marketplace, where they sell fruit cups and salads (sorry no pictures).  We had the mango cup which comes with the spice which was nice.  However the veggie salad was old and we had to pick out about 1/3 of the pieces.  The dressing for the salad was nice, but overall disappointing.  I rate this one a bloop single for the mango cup and a pop up bunt for an out for the salad.

Still hungry, the scoreboard flashed the home stand special Caribbean spicy ribs with ghost chili sauce and pineapple cole slaw.  This was sold at the Think Blue BBQ stand behind left field.  This one was good, a little too spicy for me with a strong kick at the end.  And very messy.  But there was plenty of meat on the ribs and tasted really good with a cold coke.  The cole slaw was delicious too.  I rate this one a stand up triple.

So there you have it.  I ate a lot that day (including some frozen ice cream).  I also got an autographed baseball from Brett "my twitter game is strong" Anderson and almost caught a ball thrown into the stands by Joc Pederson (deflected off the guy in front of me, hit my right arm, glanced off Mrs. Cora's hand and into the hand of guy next to her - DAMMIT!)  Maybe all of that food caused my reflexes to slow.  But was good to see the comeback win!  Go Blue!

Blue Plate Special: Cofax

In this installment of Blue Plate Special, Mrs Cora, Mamma Cora, I visited Cofax coffee shop.  Why you ask?  Well, Coffee + Speciality Burritos + Dodger Theme = YES SIR!  Cofax is located at 440 North Fairfax Ave between Melrose and Beverly in Los Angeles (www.cofaxcoffee.com).  Speaking with Adam, one of the managers, the place was started by 3 Dodger fans and while thinking about the name for the place, came up with COffee on fairFAX, leading to COFAX with the homage to Sandy.

They have an assortment of coffee selections, both hot and cold.  In addition, the kitchen makes two types of burritos, veggie and chorizo.  Being a thorough reviewer, I opted to try BOTH of them just for the sake of completeness (ah yes, the SOSG sacrifice).  Both are jammed packed with flavor goodness, but what separates these from other burritos seems to lie in the smoked tomatoes and the integrated chips which gives them both a rustic and whimsical taste.  Plus the wrapped tortilla is grilled to just the right amount of crispness so you get that satisfying crunch when biting into the burritos.  They also come with a spicy red sauce and a milder verde sauce.  I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but Mrs. and Mamma Cora said the coffee was spot on.

And, of course, the Dodger decor could not be beat, with a Dodger blue painted espresso machine, bobbleheads above the counter, and specially commissioned original art of Dodger legends, both past and present.  The Cofax logo resembles both the Dodger script on the signage and the Brooklyn Dodger logo on with window and hats.  So give a local Dodger coffee shop a try, and if you mention that you heard about them through SOSG, you will probably get a quizzical look and a "uh ok, what would you like to order."  You can also follow them on what mamma Cora likes to call "The Facebooks and Instant Grams".  Try it and let me know what you think!  Also, if you know another place with Dodger memorabilia, I will again sacrifice the stomach, put on the stretchy pants, and review it.  Enjoy and bon appetit!

Bobbleheads!

Original Dodger Artwork

Commissioned For The Store

Specially Painted Dodger Blue Espresso Machine

Veggie Burrito

Chorizo Burrito + Avo

Cofax Logo Hailing The Brooklyn Dodgers

Coffee Signage in Dodger Script

One Of Many Speciality Donuts

At-Game Recap: Tigers @ Dodgers (April 8, 2014)

Finally, my first game of the 2014 season at Dodger Stadium and boy was it a doozy.  Mama Cora and I braved the elements in the 80 degree sunny and mild spring day.  We tried to show up early, but even at 5:30 pm, the traffic on Sunset was pretty congested.  When we arrived at the parking booth, our prepaid season ticket holder parking pass would not register on the scanner.  Security told me to pull my car to the side while they took 15 agonizing minutes to figure out that they could just give me the yellow sheet for my dashboard and send me on my way while they resolve the situation later.  But we finally got inside the stadium and picked up our nice, soft Dodger hoodie.  Unfortunately the right sleeve has the Time Warner Cable insignia on it, but I am hoping to scratch that off.  (On a side note, I am trying to tweet snarky comments to every Sportsnet LA tweet they put out).

 I then got to witness the glory that is Think Blue BBQ and the seats over looking the bullpen.  Mama Cora wanted to find an opening day pin, but the left field team store ran out and they directed us to the right field store.  While walking behind centerfield, I heard a "clunk clunk" and to my right a ball was rolling down the stairs.  So I ran over and picked it up.  Woohoo!  It seems like it was a batting practice home run ball by a Tigers player to left centerfield.  This was my second HR BP ball I have snagged, bringing back memories of the first one I snagged at Oriole Park in Baltimore.

Batting Practice HR Ball

Feeling elated, we walked over to the RF Team store and bought the last opening day pin for Mama Cora, which made her day.  Of course, we had to stop by Tommy Lasorda's Italian Trattoria and try the meatball sandwich.  Impression:  Meatballs were thick and juicy, but bread was kinda stale and I feel that the sandwich could use more sauce.  A 6/10 of the Blue Plate Special o' meter.  We stopped to admire all the statues: Dodger dog, Rawlings glove, Tommy bobblehead, and the World Series ring.  I thought it was very cool to be able to walk all the way around the field level section.  What a treat.

Tommy's Meatball Sandwich

Much has been said (unfortunately not seen, thanks to Time Warner Cable) about the game.  One of the new Dodger sponsors is Forest Lawn Mortuary.  Kinda gruesome and I'm sure there are going to be a lot of jokes about that if we don't win the World Series.  Around the 8th inning, there was a Detroit Tiger fan down the 3rd baseline who would just stand and hold up her right hand while the Tigers were rallying.  She continued to do this for the whole inning and then around the end of the 9th she left.  What was funny was that after the walk off win when all of the Dodger players were coming back to the dugout, Uribe was looking for her and holding up his right hand and smiling.  It was great to see the boys in blue back in action.  Nice to get that walk off win!  Go Blue!

Forest Lawn: Plan Ahead.  Really?  That's our sponsor?

Miggy and Matt

Walk off baby!  Puig and CC hug it out!

Blue Plate Special: Philippe the Original

Welcome to the first edition of Blue Plate Special. I thought of combining my two favorite pastimes - baseball and food. I wanted to try to find some places around town that feature great food and Dodger pride. And the first place that came to mind was Philippe.

I know that Steve Sax already featured the Los Angeles staple in 2008, but I thought I would recap a little. Philippe The Original was established in 1908 and lays claim to creating the French Dipped Sandwich by mistakingly dropping the french roll into a roasting pan filled with hot beef juice. He offered it up to a customer and history was made. They moved to their current location in 1958.

The atmosphere is great and it is usually crowded with the lines from the counter reaching the back wall. You get up to the counter and you are greeted by a "Carver" who kindly takes your order and prepares your meal. It is CASH ONLY so be prepared (although there is an ATM in the back). They have a variety of french dipped sandwiches, including beef, pork, ham, lamb, and turkey. They dip the bread themselves and stack the sandwich with the meat of your choosing. The roll itself is crunchy on the outside, yet soft on the inside thanks to the juice. The side salads are great as well. We selected the potato and the cole slaw. The slaw had just enough vinegar to give it a nice kick. Finally, the drink selection is nice, with prices that herald back to yesteryear. Iced tea and lemonade are 65 and 75 cents respectively! Take that $5.00 Dodger stadium water! We topped our meal off with a freshly baked donut for dessert.

The atmosphere creates a sense of cohesiveness with family style long tables and sawdust on the floor. Inevitably there is a child on his or her hands and knees making a sawdust mountain. There is a nice flatscreen television above the Philippe store which, when we went, was showing the Dodger game. There is an upstairs as well, which is a little quieter, with brick walls etched with names of patrons.

Dodger pride is displayed as well. They have a nice framed display of Roger Owens, the Dodger stadium peanut bag throwing vendor. There are also a lot of autographed baseballs on display - Pete Rose, Connie Mack, Tommy Lasorda, Steve Yeager just to name a few. Some of the more curious items were the 1962 Dodger Stadium admission coins and a Joe Biemel bobblehead that seemed out of place next to all of the classic memorabilia.

Philippe is located at 1001 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, open 6am to 10 pm everyday except Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is free parking behind the restaurant and across the street. Enjoy!

The view from the crowded parking lot.

The main event - French dipped roast beef, cole slaw, potato salad, donut and iced tea.

Ode to Roger - A LAT article about Owens was adjacent.

1962 Dodger admission coins - can you only imagine how this would work today?

Willie Stargell, Manny Mota, Connie Mack signed baseballs.

All I can make out was Dusty Baker's autograph on the front baseball.

Tommy Lasorda and Pete Rose autographed baseballs.

Steve Yeager autograph next to a Joe Beimel bobblehead (huh?)