City: Boston, Massachusetts
Foodie: Rick Sawyer, Ryan Weaver, and Michael Femia, Bostonist.com


Venue: TD Banknorth Garden
Address: 100 Legends Way, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114
Teams: Boston Celtics (NBA), Boston Bruins (NHL)


Bostonist.com's Taste

Here's the first thing you should know before going to a Celtics or a Bruins game. Yes, it's called the Garden. No, it's not the same one.

People in Boston hate things to be different than they were in the past, so when Toronto-Dominion Bank wanted us to forget that a bank from Canada, from Canada, had bought the naming rights to the building where the Bruins play, the Fleet Center became the TD Banknorth Garden, in homage to the Boston Garden of old. That is, after the internet had bought 30 days worth of naming rights off of eBay.

Here's the second thing you should know. Only eat in the immediate vicinity of the building if a man is holding you by gunpoint and is having your family waterboarded at a remote location. The food in Boston's West End is nasty, and the restaurants are filled with douchebags.

As much as it pains us to say it, your best bet for eating before a game is a trip to tourist flytrap Quincy Market. Sure, it's full of chain restaurants and you may have to fight off a mime or two, but, with food ranging from chowder to Japanese noodle bowls (not to mention pizza and burgers), it's a good bet for feeding a group of people with fussy eating requirements. Besides, some of the chains (Wagamama) are legitimately good places to eat, and you can rub the head of the statue of Red Auerbach for good luck before heading to your game. (That may not work for Bruins games.) Plus, there's breakdancing buskers. And to get to the Garden you will have to pass Boston's City Hall, the World's Ugliest Building.


Do us and the people sitting near your seats at the Garden a favor and don't eat at Cheers.

If you are a gentleman or a lady, however, or if living statues trigger post traumatic stress symptoms, skip Quincy Market. For proximity to the Garden, your next best bet is Boston's historic North End.

Long a haven of the Mafia and once the victim of the world's worst molasses flood, the North End spent the second half of the twentieth century barricaded away from the rest of the city by a giant, elevated expressway. $16 billion and twenty years of the Big Dig has since joined the neighborhood to Boston. There are more tourists around nowadays, and the only wise guys you'll find have nicknames like "Cheese Man" and weigh several hundred pounds. It's a different neighborhood than it used to be, but you can still find some awesome Italian food.

The North End abounds with cheap Italian places serving tourists syrupy sauces out of cans, and you really have to know what you are doing to get something better than the same bland, substandard excuse for Italian that you can make yourself at home. A good option is Bricco, which is authentic Italian, served in courses, featuring handmade pasta and an excellent timpano, the meal from Big Night. Afterward, head down the street to Gelateria, a dessert joint owned by the same guy. Everything at both places is imported straight from Italy, including the staff.


If you drive a Prius or call yourself a "locavore," (or you are trying to impress somebody who does), check out Taranta, which serves its Peruvian-Italian fusion cuisine in the most environmentally friendly way possible. The chef-owner even buys carbon offsets to make up for the energy he burns cooking your food.

The North End is a good bet even if you are strapped for time. We may have once called their country "the soft underbelly of Europe," but there was always one thing that Americans and Italians could agree upon: eating pizza makes you into an extremely aggressive sports fan. Bostonians go on and on about Pizzeria Regina, but skip it if you need to get somewhere fast. Our pick for North End pizza is Ernesto's. The service is fast, the slices are as big as your head, and the pizza is wicked delicious. It's thin crust, New York style, dripping with grease and aggro molecules just waiting for their release in cheering/jeering form.

Now, if you are superlatively late to the game, or if members of Homeland Security won't stop waterboarding your kin, Halftime Pizza is your last chance for a bite before the Garden sucks you into its dry and scratchy maw. We cannot recommend Halftime Pizza. The slices come out fast—all they offer is cheese on game day—but the crust has that doughy texture that everybody is talking about when they bitch about Boston pizza. On the other hand, the restaurant plays a nonstop highlight reel of hockey fights before every Bruins game, a practice that we assume at least one hapless Habs fan has come to rue.

Once in the Garden, forget about eating. The food is terrible. But maybe you shouldn't take our word for it; some people can't get enough of it.

Take the people who are "Hungry for Hockey." It's a ticket package program that includes a clutch of Bruins tickets and the right to eat all that you can at every single game you attend. The only catch? You have to maneuver through a holding area that has been cordoned off by rope to contain you and your ravenous fellow fans as you gorge yourself in the Garden cafeteria of plenty. And it doesn't even include beer.

Speaking of beer, there are no beer deals at the Garden. Your best bet is to buy a Sam Adams, which costs $8. (There's also Harpoon, a localish micro-brew that will make you instantly vomit. And Guiness at the one Guiness stand, but it's $10 a beer.) You can get Sam Adams at nearly every food vendor on the ground and loge levels and at any of the various liquor stands (known, tactfully, as SHOTS), but if you're like us and have tickets in the balcony, go see our friend Jerry, near Section 315.

Jerry has poured beer at one Garden (or FleetCenter) or another for 42 years and he has spent every moment of that time perfecting his mustache. His beer tap is digital—don't ask us why—and he offers Sam Adams Boston Lager or Sam Adams Seasonal, both of which are delicious enough, considering the options. The best thing about Jerry? He always asks for I.D. and he always calls you by your first name.

Please tip Jerry.

After the game, there is only one place to take your sex partner. Back to the North End, to Neptune Oyster, where staff will shuck the aphrodisiac bivalves until 10:30 p.m. on weekdays or 11:30 p.m. on weekends. The oysters are written up on the menu as if they were wine, the bar is intimate, and the bartender has a heavy hand. Our favorite oyster joint in the city.

If you don't like it raw (or if you need some chocolate to make the oysters more potent) there's also Bova Bakery, which is open 24 hours a day. Calzones, cannoli, weird pastries shaped like pipes: Bova has it all.

If you are a coke whore, don't miss Alibi, a dance club inside of an old jail at the Liberty Hotel that features Lindsay Lohan and Frank Sinatra, in mug shot form. Like the North End, it's a short walk from the Garden.

Why all this walking? Boston is "America's Walking City," and if you drive around downtown on game day, you are insane. Visitors from out of town should take the T, our subway, as much as possible. You won't be able to navigate our roads, and you will not be able to compete with our moxie behind the wheel. Buy a weeklong T pass if you are going to be in town for more than a day. The 24 hour pass costs $9. The 7 day pass costs $15. You do the math.

Anyway, welcome to Boston! Don't stay on Causeway St. too long after a B's game if you don't want to end up in our crime blotter.

Garden photo credit: wallyg's photostream
City Hall: Joe Dunckley's photostream
Ernesto's: eyemyth's photostream
Gelateria: therewasonlyonecat ch's photostream
All additional photos taken & provided by authors.

City: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Foodie: Andrew Rosin, The Grand National Championships

Venue: Miller Park
Address: 1 Brewers Way, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53214
Team: Milwaukee Brewers (MLB)



Andrew's Taste

I look upon a condiment like some of you look upon your first love or big days of youth. I know. You see that first sentence and you may look upon me crossly. I do not care.

I have tasted Milwaukee's secret. It is evocative of wistful days of yore. It is as wonderful as a first kiss, as magical as your first slowdance. If you were so inclined? You could replicate the feelings of that one time you were able to steal the other teams mascot.

The only person who even has come close to cracking the secret is Midwestern Hipster Icon Chuck Klosterman. He does not know, but it does have certain similarities to an alchemy of Barbeque and Sweet and Sour Sauce. And yet? It's so much more.

"You like-a de sauce, eh? The sauce is guud, eh?"

The sweetest of Vidalia Onions and herbs and spices the likes of which you have never seen. I thought I detected cloves, but being as I was in Wisconsin, I could have been drunk. But I can tell you the real secret ingredient of the sauce.

Love.


So when you come to Milwaukee, you need to do what CC does. Any food that you order has to come with secret sauce. Hamburgers, Nachos, Sausage Meats. You could put it anything if you were so inclined. Why?

Because the sauce treats you right.

Miller Park photo credit: compujeramey's photostream

Sauce: katherine of chicago's photostream

City: Tucson, Arizona
Foodie: Dom, The Beardown

Venue(s): Arizona Stadium, McKale Center, or Sancet Stadium (pictured)
Address: 1 National Championship Drive, Tucson, AZ 85721-0096
Team: Arizona Wildcats (NCAA)

Dom's Taste:

Tucson, Arizona.

Located 100 miles South of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the Mexican Border, it's best known for a few things:

• JoJo's Bar featured in the Beatles hit "Get Back" (sadly JoJo's no longer exists);
• The site of fictional Adams College in Revenge of the Nerds; and
• Being the Wild Wild West where many old Westerns were filmed including Tombstone, Three Amigos, The Outlaw Josey Wales, El Dorado, Rio Bravo, and of course the 90's classic Hey Dude.

These are things that I'm sure you could figure out by visiting Tucson's Wikipedia page or searching for Tucson, AZ on imdb.com. But to those of us lucky enough to live in the Old Pueblo, Tucson is known for an additional three things: Great Bars, Great Food, and the University of Arizona.

Everyone knows about Phoenix. Tucson is just like Phoenix, but with better bars, less traffic, and better weather.

That said, visitors to Tucson are here for one thing: sports. Whether it is for Golf on one of the amazing courses out here, College Sports, Minor League Baseball or Spring Training. So here's a fans' guide to food and fun in Tucson...

Stadium & Arena-Area Bars

When attending a game at U of A at Arizona Stadium, McKale Center, or Sancet Stadium, there are more than a few places a short jaunt from those facilities for those looking to grab a drink.

Trident Bar and Grill. Located on the corner of Speedway and Campbell, Trident has been a fan favorite for years. ESPN 1490 and Jody Oehler can be found broadcasting before and after basketball games from the corner booth, giving away tickets and prizes. Get there early. It's usually standing room only an hour before tip-off, and the place is packed during major fall gamedays like the upcoming Duel in the Desert. A great atmosphere, not to mention the bartender who goes by one name, "Bones," who has been featured in the Arizona Daily Star as one of Tucson's top Bartenders.


Championship Dining. Less than a mile South on Campbell (at the corner of 6th and Campbell) sits a relative newcomer to the Tucson bar scene. Championship is the home of the local sports radio station on gamedays (official home of the Wildats), and you can usually find the guys from 1290 AM hanging out on the patio. Pretty busy at night, the place to go if you want to spend a few extra bucks.

Dirtbags. Billed as a part of growing up, Dirtbags is located on Speedway between Cherry and Campbell and is always packed to the brim. I've never personally had anything to eat there, but I've had plenty to drink there. The line forms early, so get there earlier. If you're not in by 12:30, you probably aren't getting a drink.


University Blvd.

Running right up the gut and into the campus of the University of Arizona sits University Blvd. Shops abound on either side of the street and eclectic food choices are everywhere. If the weather is right stop by Gentle Ben's Brewery, Frog n' Firkin, or No Anchovies Pizza. On game days these patios are packed with rabid fans in red. In the Fall the party starts on Friday night as ESPN 1490's Oehler hosts Beardown Fridays with fun and food for the whole family.


U of A Campus

If you're not into the whole restaurant scene and you want to get into the meat of it, skip the bars and head right to the Campus. The Mall, a long patch of grass located in between Speedway and 6th on Campbell hosts fans hours before fall contests. Tailgating Heaven. The Pride of Arizona marches right through the Red Army on it's way to Arizona Stadium, playing loudly the whole way through. If you don't know anyone but are looking for a place to enjoy the fans and fanfare, just head over to the mall. If you're wearing red, chances are you will run into someone more than happy to share a drink or 20. If you're lucky enough to know someone near the school or happen to be an alumni of a Fraternity, there are plenty of games of Beirut and Flip Cup happening on patio's, porches, courtyards, and backyards surrounding the school.

After the game is over you can't miss with Trident or Dirtbag's.

------

Now, if you're in town for the food, you can find anything your heart desires...

For great Chicago Hot Dogs, Polish Sausage, Italian Beef, Italian Sausage, or the Italian Combo (Italian Beef with an Italian Sausage jammed inside) stop by one of the local Luke's locations on Stone and Fort Lowell or Grant and Columbus.

If pizza is your thing there are 4 places to go in Tucson. Rocco's Little Chicago on Broadway and Plumer, Brooklyn Pizza on 4th Ave, and the aforementioned No Anchovies and Frog n' Firkin on University.

If you're in the mood for great sandwiches try Beyond Bread on Campbell for fancy sandwiches and great bread, Bison Wiches on 4th for the 6.50 Half sandwich and soup combo with chips (way too much food). There's a Cheeba Hut for "Toasted Subs" right next to Arizona Stadium, and a little further south a taste of the East Coast at East Coast Super Subs on Park and 9th. Get extra hot peppers on any sandwich you grab there. And of course there's the college town norms like Jimmy John's and Silver Mine Subs.

For a good burger Gentle Ben's and Trident are the best places near campus, and Lindy's packs a punch on 4th, a small hole in the wall where you can try to finish the 3 lb OMFG and get your picture on the wall and a free T-shirt.

For Mexican food there are plenty of amazing places: BK's on the Southside of Town, El Guerro Canelo off of Stone and Grant and El Taco Tote on the Eastside are just a sampling of some of the best authentic Mexican in town. You can't go wrong with a taco cart on the side of the road or one of the many Los Betos, Nico's, or Los Alazones (sp?) on Campbell and Grant.

Don't get me wrong, Tucson offers much more than the typical game day fare. For modern Italian head to the Northside and visit NoRth. For a good steak take your pick from McMahon's, Fleming's, or Sullivan's.

Of course if you want to avoid the occasional line or having to hear "Sweet Caroline" belted by drunk sorority girls you can always venture a little off the beaten path and head to the Golden Nugget or the Home Den off of 1st, the Buffet off of 4th Ave (open at 6am!!!!), the Red Garter Saloon (featured in a Jack Daniels Commercial) or the Bashful Bandit (any Night but Tuesday, College Night). Or if you really want something different head out East to The Home Plate: it's a bar and batting cages all in one.

In contrast, if you are looking for the bars with the guaranteed lines out the door, head to Maloney's or O'Malley's on 4th or Dirtbags around 11 PM.

Disheartened by the lack of tailgating coverage in the previous Foxboro post, our sister blog's resident Masshole, the chief, agreed to document his pre-game experience at this week's Pats-Steelers game.

City: Foxboro, Massachusetts
Foodie: the chief, Hugging Harold Reynolds


Venue: Gillette Stadium
Address: 1 Patriot Place, Foxborough, Massachusetts 02035
Team: New England Patriots (NFL)

Yesterday, my buddy Dave and I headed to the one and only Pats game either of us will make all year. It is an annual tradition of sorts that I go to a game with Dave where it rains and our team loses. However, at least Father Time was on our side, as the Pats didn't start until 4. That gave us an extra three hours of tailgating, where I assure you no member of the animal kingdom was spared. Here's a quick overview of the tailgate: 3 tents, 1 TV, 2 tables, 2 grills, 1 open fire pit, 1 deep fryer, lots of free booze and beer, and several jealous looks from wet dudes who were pissed that the guy who showed up in a Prius was eating a leg of lamb right off the fire.

As for the menu: One whole deep fried turkey, Chili, Leg of Lamb, Spicy Lamb chops, Burgers with eggs and hot sauce on top), Chicken Wings (1/2 hot wings, 1/2 bbq), and a every kind of drink you can imagine.

Or you could just pass all this up and go to Legal Sea Foods. Yeah. I'll get right on that.

The Essentials of a Tailgate. Notice what's not there?
Money. That's because I'm broke now.

Filling up the fryer for deep frying everything.

The Turkey's last meal request was for a shot of Captain.

It seems no matter where I am, I cannot escape women in golf carts trying to tell me that my Boston Beef is the winner.

Chicken on the grill. Side Note: Pam "Grilling?"
We are a nation of idiotic consumers

So Fried. So very very fried.

I really love these large walk in bathrooms.

Some folks were not as lucky and made make shift tents.

R.I.P.
Piece of Shit Tent
2008-2008

Our walk from the tailgate lot to the stadium
requires you to walk through a train.

Bizarre.

But the other side is pretty sweet.

Finally, we're in.

Some guy named Dennis was listing a little to his right.

Second row seats. Great for watching certain kick returners
drop the ball at the 8 yard line.

Margaritas. $1 more than a beer and a hell of a lot stronger.

Or you can go to Dunkins. Note: That food review makes me
angrier and angrier every time I read it.

I am not sure why, when, or how I took a picture from the men's room.

I blame the margaritas.

I want to know who the Cheer-tator is for this squad who makes the Cheer-cisions about donning hats and track suits. What a bunch of cheer-shit.

They failed to notice my Pheeeeel Seeeeeems sign.

If you ask how much of a colassal douchebag your

average Steeler fan is, Pat Patriot has the answer.

1/4 pounder. No idea how much this cost. But according to the wet, rumpled ones and fiver I found in my pocket later, two of them cost less than $15 dollars. So that's good, right?

City: Memphis, Tennessee
Foodie: MoonDog, The World According to MoonDog

Venue: FedEXForum
Address: 200 South Third Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38103
Teams: Memphis Grizzlies (NBA); Memphis Tigers (NCAA)


MoonDog's Taste:

Located at the corner of South Third Street and historic Beale Street, The FedEXForum was built in the heart of downtown Memphis at a cost of $250 million and has been the home of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and the University of Memphis Tigers since 2004.

There are four primary restaurants and 18 concessionaires within FedExForum with bills of fare ranging from the exclusive to the average grub found at most any sports bar.

Menus are available for fans seated in the lower bowl and the wait staffs from all of the concessionaires will take your order from your seat. Fans can order just about anything they'd expect and perhaps a few items they wouldn't normally find on an arena menu. Snacks, beer and soft drinks are available at every concession location.

Fans attending a game at the FedEXForum can expect to pay anywhere between $20 for a burger, nachos and a beer to $150 for the prime rib at the Opus Restaurant.

The FedEXForum also provides party suites with typical menu selections and varying prices. To view the menu packages and cost of renting a suite for a Grizzlies' game, click here.

The most upscale of all the restaurants found within FedEXForum is the Opus, located on the First Tennessee Club Level with seating for up to 350 guests. The menu features prime meats, chicken, seafood and gourmet salads and prices range from $140 to $150 per guest.

Also located on the First Tennessee Club Level, the Blue Note Lounge offers light food including hand-carved sandwiches and sushi. The Blue Note can seat up to 200 guests and meal prices range from $90 to $120 per guest.

The Opus Restaurant and the Blue Note Lounge are available only to premium seating ticket holders.

The most popular bar at FedEXForum is Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Sports Bar. Located on the Plaza Level near the Grand Lobby, the bar is accessible to all guests and offers an outdoor patio.

Jack Daniel's is a true sports bar with 22 TV's to watch the game while you enjoy a sandwich, wings or a cold beer. You can spend the entire time at the Forum in JD's place and you won't have to spend a lot of money doing so. A meal with a few drinks will cost you less than $35.

Lexus Lounge is located on the Event Level and is another casual restaurant featuring a backstage view of the hallway leading from the locker rooms to the court. Lexus Lounge is open to ticket holders in the first seven rows at the Courtside level.

Lexus, like Jack Daniel's, has TV's to watch the game and offers a fairly similar menu at the same cost.

Here's a list of all the concessionaires and their locations within the arena:

Plaza Level

Snax, Delta Grill, and Flip Side Diner has grilled burgers and other fan favorites, including BBQ Nachos. Rock Around The Clock features grilled burgers, BBQ specialties and Memphis Hot Wings.

The Metronome Bar offers specialty cocktail or frozen drinks. Beale Street Eats and Crossroads Café offer the Fork and Knife Chili Dog, specialty sandwiches and ice cream.

Spin Pizza serves up pizza and flatbread sandwiches, while Juke Joint Subs offers oven toasted subs and salads.

First Tennessee Club Level

UpTempo Grill and 4/4 Grill feature grilled burgers and hot dogs, French fries four ways, BBQ sandwiches and BBQ nachos.

Terrace Level

Open Mike’s Grill, High Note Grill and Rock-A-Belly’s offer flame broiled burgers and hot dogs, fries and BBQ nachos.

Lucille’s Kitchen has local favorites including fried catfish, popcorn chicken and Memphis Hot Wings. Chart Toppers offers up pizza, hot sandwiches and salads.

DJ Dogs proves that there is more than one way to enjoy a hot dog. The Remix Bar offers the opportunity to sample frozen specialties and cocktails.

Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous

If arena food isn't your thing, fear not, there are plenty of options available to you within a short walking distance from the FedEXForum.

Whether you reside in Memphis or are just visiting you'll soon discover the Bluff City is all about one main food item - BBQ. Recognized as the BBQ capital of the Milky Way, Memphis has over 100 restaurants specializing in BBQ.

My personal favorite is a Memphis landmark, the Rendezvous. Located at 52 South Second Street, just four-tenths of a mile from FedEXForum, the Rendezvous offers the best dry ribs in Memphis.

If ribs aren't your thing you can try the chicken or smoked sausage. Everything on the menu is good and comes with sides that include BBQ beans and cole slaw.

Add a cold beer or two into the mix and you've just had a great meal for less than $25.00. The Rendezvous is family friendly and the service is among the best, if not the best of any restaurant in Memphis.


Beale Street

If you feel like bar-hopping before or after the game, walk along Beale Street and discover any number of merchants offering a wide range of food, drink and music.

Beale Street can be easily accessed from the main entrance of FedEXForum. The street is barricaded to allow patrons safe walking between merchants and the only motorized traffic you'll find will be the Memphis Police Department, and most of them are on bicycles or horseback.

Beale Street offers family entertainment as well as fun for the adults. To view a list of all Beale Street merchants, click here.

For fans visiting Memphis for a Grizzlies' or Tigers' game, the menu options, drinks and other forms of entertainment are plentiful. You can enjoy just about any type of food you like and the costs aren't going to put a major dent in your wallet.