Ultimate Baseball Road Trip (39 page)

1811 Piedmont Rd.

www.fatmattsribshack.com/

If you’re looking for fine dining, Fat Matt’s may not be the place for you. In fact, this might not be the book for you. But if you want good food, get in line. After ordering, instead of getting a number, you get a picture of a blues/jazz musician to place on your table so the wait staff can find you when delivering your order. We highly recommend the baked beans, which are made with a special rum sauce, and the country style ribs. And for local effect, you have to order a sweet tea.

25 Irby Ave.

www.onestarranch.com/about.html

Featuring award-winning beef ribs, baked beans, Mexican cornbread, brisket, smoked turkey, homemade sausage, and more, the One Star is another joint that’s sure to satisfy. We sat on the outdoor patio next to the stack of split hickory that fuels the brick oven. We give our highest possible marks to the brisket, beef ribs, and baked beans.

295 Ponce De Leon Ave.

www.krispykreme.com/home

If you’re a donut connoisseur, Krispy Kreme is worth a visit. This chain ranks with CNN and Coke as famous Atlanta institutions. There are stores throughout the city, but this midtown location is the one that’s considered the franchise landmark. Look for the neon red “Doughnuts” sign. Krispy Kreme was actually founded in North Carolina in 1937. Now based in Georgia, the company is an international sensation, even if its stock price had plummeted from $40 a share when we first visited Atlanta in 2003 to $7 in 2011.

Kevin:
Hmm. You rattled off those numbers awfully quickly.

Josh:
Unfortunately so, my friend.

We encountered a fair number of street vendors, hocking Braves gear and hot dogs outside the park. The streets around Turner don’t offer the taste orgy that Baltimore and Boston do, but they’re not the black hole that Kansas City is. During our recent visit we observed a new addition we hadn’t seen in Atlanta before: food trucks parked outside, selling Po’ Boys and other goodies.

On a tip from a friend, Kevin bought a tub of boiled peanuts. That’s right, boiled. Jimmy Carter may like this Atlanta original, but we give boiled nuts four thumbs down. And if we’d eaten more than a few each, we might have had to give them two fingers down, too—down our throats! Boiled while still in the shell, these nuts become soggy and grainy, kind of like mushy lima beans.

Kevin:
When Jack Norworth wrote, “Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,” I bet he didn’t have boiled nuts in mind.

Josh:
Who?

Kevin:
The vaudeville entertainer who wrote “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” while riding a New York subway car in the early 1900s.

Josh:
I wonder if they boil their Cracker Jacks down here too.

Everything about Turner Field contributes to a pleasant experience. The seating areas and concourses are well maintained, while the ushers are friendly and helpful. Peripheral attractions keep fans busy before the game. The concessions are as excellent as they are diverse. And the playing field is a beautiful patch of lush green Bermuda grass, accented by the rich red clay for which Georgia is famous. Georgia’s clay derives its color, in case you’re wondering, from the oxidation of iron in the local soil.

The playing surface is several feet below street level so fans entering through the center-field turnstiles are already on the first-level concourse above the Field Level seats. We liked this effect. Rather than having to climb a winding ramp to get to the stands, as at many parks, fans can just walk through the gates, head through the festive inner plaza, and then head down to “batting practice seats” in the left-field Pavilion. As for us, we took some time to linger in the plaza where, in the shadows of a one-hundred-foot-wide picture of Hank Aaron’s 715th home run ball, we sampled food while keeping our eyes on the interactive pregame show.

Behind the first-level left-field seats, Scouts Alley provides an insight into the inner workings of player evaluation and talent development that you just can’t find at other ballparks. We found a report on Greg Maddux filed by a scout in 1986. It read, “This young man could be a good one, with a great change-up. He will not be real fast but will improve his curve ball.” Dale Murphy’s report, dated 1974, read, “Ideal build for catcher. Team leader. Great arm. Should get better with age and experience. Has good still bat and short stroke. More of a line drive type hitter. Would like to see him be more aggressive. Works hard.” Reports are also posted for former Braves like Andruw Jones, Mike Hampton, Rafael Furcal, and Paul Byrd. There are more than two hundred in all. Displays beside them pay tribute to legendary scouts like Connie Ryan, Paul Snyder, and a bunch of other “bird dogs” you’ve almost surely never heard of.

Not far away, fans learn just how high an outfielder has to jump to rob a hitter of a home run at Turner Field, where the fence is eight feet high, take a few swings, test their pitching speed, and test their throwing accuracy thanks to some interactive exhibits.

Kevin particularly liked the interactive Braves trivia game, which allowed him to prove to Josh, rather definitively, that Josh does not, in fact, know everything there is to know about the game.

High above left field, a base path with real grass and the same red dirt the players run on provides a nice place for
a ninety-foot dash. Josh challenged Kevin to a sprint and handily defeated his overheated, hot-dog-stuffed partner.

Kevin:
Was the head-first slide necessary? You were six steps ahead of me.

Josh:
I needed to be sure.

Fans looking to toe the rubber can saddle up to the slab atop a mound that also appears on the Sky Field. Just don’t unleash a ball from here or it’s apt to land on the field far below.

A viewing deck nearby provides mounted telescopes aimed at downtown. If you were too lazy to walk over to the Green Lot to check out the Hank Aaron Wall before the game, this might be your best chance to sneak a peek before it’s too late.

While visiting the Sky Field check out the thirty-eight-foot-tall faux Coke bottle made from baseball equipment like gloves, bases, bats, balls, shoes, pitching rubbers, chest protectors, hats, batting helmets, and Braves jerseys. Coca-Cola has pledged $1 million to the first fan who catches a home run in this area. Never mind that only one-eighth of the area is in fair territory or that a statistician from Yale said there was a one-in-a-zillion chance it could happen. This area of the Sky Field is an estimated 475 feet from home plate and 80 feet above the ground.

Josh:
Are you going to stay up here all game?

Kevin:
I could really use the cash.

Josh:
It’s practically impossible.

Kevin:
Oh ye of little faith.

Numbers on the face of the Sky Field honor the same players whose retired numbers appear on the plaza outside the park. Each of these is fashioned in a font distinctive from the others.

Kevin:
Do you think they consulted the players first, like the Hall of Fame does before deciding which hat to put on a player’s plaque?

Josh:
Definitely not. If they had, Aaron’s 44 would almost certainly be in Book Antiqua.

Kevin:
Say what?

Josh:
I recall reading that Mr. Aaron is an avid reader … of books … and that he likes antique cars.

The center-field plaza offers access to a diverse array of treats, while usual ballpark staples can also be found throughout the park. With Turner’s many points of sale, the lines rarely grow deeper than a few people. Everything we tasted was fresh, hot, and fell into the “good” or “very good” category. We consider Turner one of the better eating parks and recommend that you do indulge.

What would a trip to the Coca-Cola capital of the hemisphere be without an overpriced ballpark fountain soda? If you’re going to shell out five bucks for a pop anywhere, this is the place to do it. Coke’s roots in Atlanta can be traced to 1900 when the company was founded in the same building that still stands at 125 Edgewood Ave. Not long after, Ty Cobb made a fortune investing in the company’s stock—much more than he ever made playing baseball. So drink up.

Josh:
You can really taste the molasses in the syrup. And it seems much more carbonated than a regular Coke.

Kevin:
I wouldn’t know. I’m drinking Tomahawk Amber Ale.

Billing itself as Hot Dog Heaven, Turner Field serves nearly two dozen different hot dogs or hot dog variations. We should mention that some of the “dogs” aren’t really wieners, per se. One is a smoked sausage, another is a bratwurst, another is an Italian, another is a turkey sausage, another is a veggie dog. But don’t worry, there are plenty of pedigreed options on the list, including the very tasty standard dog. The most unique dog we tried was the Bison Dog, which is also called the “heart-smart” dog, because it is lower in cholesterol than the average frank. Our buffalo wiener tasted refreshingly gamey and was much firmer than an ordinary hot dog. We liked it, but we wouldn’t recommend it to older fans who don’t have their original choppers. The kosher dog was also delicious, as was the Jumbo Georgia Dog, which came topped with coleslaw and sweet Vidalia onion relish. Try as many different dogs as you can. If you can’t find one you like at Turner Field, here’s betting you just don’t like dogs. And if that’s the case, shame on you.

The
New York–style pizza
ranks a clear cut above typical ballpark pie. Large thin slices come heaping with sauce and cheese. Fold your slice in half and pretend you’re in the Big Apple.

The
Smokehouse Barbecue
serves turkey legs, ribs, a variety of pulled meats, and home-style sides.

If you like
Cuban,
we recommend the sandwich at Cubans and Reubens stand. The tasty Turner Field Cuban consists of spicy ham, sausage, and cheese served on grilled bread.

If it’s Mexican you crave,
La Taqueria
serves freshly made tacos, burritos, and nacho plates.

Desperate to sneak some veggies into his diet after a week on the road but philosophically opposed to eating a veggie dog, Josh ordered an ear of
roasted corn
from a stand on the third-base side. The corn attendant removed an ear—still in its husk—from a smoking chamber, shucked the husk off, seasoned the ear with salt, pepper, and butter, and then handed it over. It wasn’t the sweetest corn Josh had ever tasted (that being the butter-and-sugar corn he grows in his backyard in Maine), but it was very good.

The
Taste of the Majors
stand on the plaza offers a different treat for each Braves series, in honor of whatever team is visiting Turner Field.

The Braves also provide options for those preferring a sit-down meal.
The Chop House
and
Top of the Chop
are located in right field. The menu is less expansive up top than it is at the more formal Chop House below, but the view of the game is better upstairs. If you have the misfortune of holding an outfield upper-level ticket, visit the Top of the Chop to upgrade your view for a few innings while you sip a beer. And when you get hungry, hunker down on a turkey leg or a barbecue pork sandwich. As for the Chop House proper, it offers baby back ribs, fried popcorn shrimp, and different salads. Expect to spend more time here though, and unless you happen to get a window seat, expect to miss a good part of the game.

For kids, interactive
Tooner Field
in the east corner of the plaza serves Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches and other tried-and-true faves. This colorful cartoon-character-strewn playhouse provides ample activity for young children to enjoy. So be sure to visit with little junior before the game.

The Braves sell twenty-four-ounce cans of macro in assorted varieties. Hey, it’s not quite a forty, but it’s a good gulp. Tomahawk Amber is the local specialty choice. Kevin gave it a lukewarm review, but only after he’d learned that Anheuser-Busch brews it for the Braves, so take this tepid endorsement with a grain of salt.

With some not-so-subtle prodding from the effects crew, Braves make a lot of noise when their team is closing in on the postseason and during the playoffs. You’ve surely noticed the Tomahawk Chop and its accompanying ritualistic chanting while watching a game on TV.

As for the atmosphere inside the park: well, it’s a little too corporate for our tastes, considering the many nods to Coke and other companies that advertise. When we visited, a bank of TVs on the center-field plaza was showing all of the stations in the CNN family simultaneously. Meanwhile, Cartoon Network characters blend with baseball culture, which is odd, but good for the younger fans we suppose.

Controversial? Perhaps. A rip-off of Florida State Seminole fans? Maybe. Unique in the universe of Major League Baseball? Yes. Braves fans are famous for their Tomahawk Chop and the chant that goes with it. Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, ooooh ooooh oh.

All right, maybe it doesn’t translate well into text. But it does steep the ballpark in a tribal-war-is-about-to-begin vibe when fans start making the guttural sounds for which they’re known. The Chop usually begins with prompting from the twenty-seven-foot-long flashing neon tomahawk above the scoreboard.