Pilot Pen food and drink experience - in New Haven, CT)
People on Chowhound have asked where to dine in New Haven while attending the Pilot Pen tennis tournament. We have attended the tournament for many years and always have four season's tickets for good seats.
Monday we went into downtown to eat, only to find the major restaurants closed, as usual, even with the "Mayor’s Passport to Downtown Dining" where players are invited to dine, for free, in 25 of the downtown restaurants. Others have complained about eateries being closed for lunch on the weekends.
We have taken to picnicking frequently when we attend the Pilot Pen so we will not have to miss much action and so we can avoid the food court. We have picknicked outside, in the Gold parking area, where there is plentiful grass and shade. It is a shame that the venue is so driven by the vendors, that for most paying attendees, there are no other picnic tables than those in the food court area. You can bring food or a small cooler into the stadium, however, you cannot bring in alcohol or glass.
I was disappointed to see that at several locations in the stadium, water fountains didn't work. One was right next to an isolated bar, and another near a concessions area which makes me wonder if it was intentional. They sell only Anheuser-Busch brands of beer and don't allow any premium beers. Bud and Mic is the best they have.... which is pathetic. They also offer, or allow, only Wolf Blass wines and they offer only one red wine, a genric Shiraz. All the more reason to leave the premises or picnic outside.
Food in the food court is a mixed bag. So far, this time, we've had a couple of meals there. One year the crepes were awful. This year, I was looking for a breakfast/brunch kind of food and had a smoked salmon crepe which wasn't half-bad if you excuse and ignore the fact that it was mostly cold inside. Yesterday I had a very good hamburger, which was rare! It is rare to get a good burger in the food court and it WAS rare. It wasn't supposed to be rare, nor did I ask for it that way, but that was how it came. We shared a cheese and tomato personal pizza. It was undercooked, as well. The chicken ceasar salad (from the same place as the pizza), was good, if you don't mind a slightly sweet, strange tasting dressing and dry tasteless chicken. Basically, a decent salad.
I think if we were eating at the stadium restaurant we might get better food but it is very expensive and you have to have a premium ticket (which we have), to gain entrance. The one time we tried it we were wholly unimpressed with the experience. I also boycott it because I dislike the addition of the restaurant to the stadium along with the proliferation of rentable suites, which, all-together, have increased the noise from the air conditioning units (and loud a/c fans), and the well-lubricated fans (if you can call them fans), that are in these private suites. Sometimes their laughing, yelling and loud talking is a disruption to the match. I think that, within the stadium, it should be about tennis.
I love seeing the tennis but wished the concessions and food were better and that Pilot Pen (and the City's restaurants) would be more flexible and considerate of those that want better food and drink during the tournament. For the downtown restaurants, more of them staying open on Mondays and the weekend would be a nice start.
By Scargod
on Aug 20, 2008 10:18 AM
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The lobster rolls in the food court at PP aren't half bad...
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Well, that's a glowing endorsement! I had one a year or two ago and it didn't make me ill. :) It didn't make me want to rush to get another one. I know the food can vary from hour to hour. Like I said, I had an amazingly good rare hamburger.
I am at the PP almost 24/7 and I/we really get tired of the food court!
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The food at the restaurant is very good. Abilgail Kirsch is the caterer and they are very upscale, well known for their great food. They always have a ton of options and we've always been pleased. It is more expensive, but I think it's worrth it.
I know what you are saying about the noise from the suites, but the restaurant suite is the only one that is not open to the stadium, so there is no noise coming from that one...the other ones however can get quite loud!
Like you, we are there 24/7. I don't mind the occasional pizza or salad from the concessions and I think they've been getting better there every year. We rarely venture into NH because the timing just never works and you end up missing most of the match.
They usually have a survey they send out after the tournament, if you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see, I'm sure they'd at least be open to hearing it!
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Have not received any survey this year and we cannot remember ever getting one. We have season box seats with a placard and all that. We used to sit on the restaurant side till we found the restaurant proximity noisy and distracting. People seemed to think that they could come and go from it, as they pleased. I am not against the restaurant but it and all the suites are in, what I would call, temporary buildings, that are essentially glass-fronted tents. There is only a thin layer of fabric on top between the people and the stadium. During the tournament, I recall at least six instances of the chair asking for people on the decks of the suites to be quiet. Those inside must assume they are not being heard.
Rob Shaw said the Tennis Foundation of Connecticut made sure everything was ship-shape in the stadium so I intend to give them a call. We called "Pilot Pen" last year and nothing changed and my email went unanswered.
Again, I wished there were not a lock on the food and beverage concessions. To my knowledge, it has not changed in the five or six years I have gone with season tickets.
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So you didn't go to the Food & Wine Festival that was at the Pilot Pen?
http://www.nhregister.com/articles/20...
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No. I was not impressed with the Blass wines served at Pilot Pen. The shiraz was acceptable. We've been to all the restaurants represented (and some many times), except for Claire's Corner Copia and Foster's. I would have liked to have met Jacques Pepin but this was a sold out event with 250 people there. That's not my style and I can't imagine (unless you've never been to one of the represented restaurants), that you would want to eat their food from a steam table. SO is adamantly opposed to buffets. I like more intimate, wine tasting dinners at the restaurant, like we have attended at Union League Cafe.
We had a great time having "picnics" which included wine and fresh tomatoes from my garden. I guess the security people liked us; we brought in our favorite wines, in plastic containers and even a few bottles of beer and nothing was said.
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That's strange, I get a survey every year after the tournament. Like you, we also have season box seats with the placard, etc, and are on the side with the restaurant. I find that the other suites which have open "patios" are very loud, totally agree with you there, but I never hear anything from the restaurant.
The concessions have changed a little bit since we've been going, they added the salad and sandwich place a few years ago...other than that, it's pretty much the same as it's been, all mediocre stadium food at best. Maybe they could get some tips from the US Open since they seem to have so many interesting choices!
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We have not received a survey, as of yet. They are going to the office and lost as junk mail, I think. SO spoke to a Pilot Pen representative after last years event. We are giving them feedback that way and via email. We are trying email again this year.
I must clarify and make a partial retraction: The noise from the restaurant is more of a talk hum and occasional clink-clank of tableware. The suites are just glorified tents, so sound gets out. We were fairly close to the restaurant. They did remove the offensive power trailers that made noise and belched diesel fumes and there were no wasps this year. Yes, the sandwich/salad place is fairly new and decent.
We hope they will open up the concessions a little more (to others), and have more variety from their alcoholic beverage and food concessions. It would be nice if the could have some Long Trail or Sam Adams.
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I thought I'd revive this for this year's Pilot Pen. As I mentioned, we got to taking sandwiches and having an elaborate picnic lunch in the parking lot (much akin to tailgating except we spread a blanket where there's shade). Then we can drink the wine or beverage of our choice.
Yesterday we ate from the food court. Same ol' stuff. Some is halfway edible. Sometimes that means you can get halfway through it. Yesterday's lobster roll and fries were good. SO had a burger, which was cooked too well for her or me. Funny how they only have Bud, Bud light, Bud Light Lime and Bud Select. No Bud American Ale. Nothing tasty. :(
I ordered a Bud and it was flat. The next one was slightly better, but had no sound when they opened it. One in the stadium was fine. Still Bud..p-tooey!
After the tournament was over we wanted to try something new or a place we haven't been to in a long while. We first went to Barcelona, but they were having a private party; reserving the whole restaurant. We went to Basta instead, where I have only been once before, a while back. It was very good with large portions. The Sicilian Calamari was excellent as was the Caesar salad with rare, grilled wild salmon. I had a martini which was too sweet, and the Pinot Grigio, Bortoluzzi, which I thought, again, a little too sweet for my taste. SO liked the glasses of Campofiorin, Masi, a decently big red wine they serve by the glass. I did not care for my fish and they voluntarily took it off my bill. I do not like dishes with canned black olives. The dessert of chocolate with habanero was weird! Cool chocolate up front with heat at the back of your mouth and throat only. It was too much. It needed some vanilla ice cream, pastry or something...
Speaking of fish.... Mardy Fish and five others were there at one table. His somewhat new wife is beautiful. A number of tables were occupied with tennis people.
More to come as the week progresses.
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When I used to work at the tournament (when it was WTA-only event) the steak sandwiches were the best thing to eat there. The crab cake sandwich was pretty good, too. The crepes were leaden, the salads little more than a pile of indifferently chopped Romaine.
Picnic is definitely the way to go.
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Last night we ate at Wild Ginger for the second evening. This time Kattyeyes and BF were not with us. We went kind of early since we wanted an unhurried meal and still get back to the tennis by 7PM. We were the first customers of the evening and the owner was very courteous and we talked for a while and he waited on us for the meal.
If you have never been in Wild Ginger you might like to know that it is a very pleasant restaurant with nice interior decoration without being overly kitschy as some Asian places can be. It is quiet and you can hear water flowing and there is a tank of koi.
SO had dumpling soup and shared. The dumplings were soft and unctuous. The broth was good. The owner brought us chile sauce and also a powder called Shichimi Togarashi to put in the soup. This made it hotter and more flavorful. SO then had the spicy tuna salad. This is chopped raw tuna with spices mixed in. Very good and different.
I ordered the sashimi dinner which is twenty pieces of four or five different fish. I had a couple I have never had before; white tuna was one. This was a very satisfying, pretty and big bowl of fish. It came with a simple but very fresh salad and a unique dressing that was slightly Thousand Island like, but not.
We had Cambria, Katherine's vineyard, chardonnay and SO had a glass of cab with her spicy tuna. He has a decent wine list that excels for an Asian restaurant.
I hope you will try this place. The food is very good and I have been very pleased with the sashimi! I will do separate post with more pictures.
As is often the case we dig in and then go "oops!, we forgot to take pictures!" Some dumplings are missing and a piece or two of fish off my sashimi dish.
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Heirloom for dinner last evening. Pilot Pen: what a great excuse to eat out for a week!
We had a really nice meal. It was perhaps a little early, at 6, but the place only had two tables occupied besides us. It's a shame since the food is very, very good! See my review: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5771...
Tease: Best whole-bellied clams I have ever had!
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anthing decent on premesis at the tournament this year?
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As I mentioned, the lobster roll was good. I haven't had much more this week. The crepes were awful last year. I did the sandwich-salad area a while back and it was passable as was the pizza and burgers. It's not that the food is bad, it's just generally boring, average and dare I say "mundane"? Choices for beer and wine are very limited. This year they have a BV Pinot Noir that is OK, but that's it for reds. Anheuser Bush supplies the beer related beverages and they did not bring anything good to the party, IMHO.
I have not set foot in the restaurant in years. It thought its exorbitant prices and poor service not worth it at all. YMMV. I still think the noise from the restaurant (located now for a few years in the stadium), and the cooling system fans for it, and fans for the other suites, is atrocious. We had to move our seats after they installed the restaurant because of the added noise (perhaps that's why I boycott it?).
The staff of PP has never acknowledged our communicatiod to them though we are long-time box holders. Though ignored, they did move the diesel generators to more remote locations and now seem to be clamping down on smoking which was going on earlier in the week. All the added stadium suites have canvas roofs. Once inside (or outside), liquored people feel obligated to be very noisy and much of that carries into the stadium. We don't like the loud talk and laughter all during play.
Monday night set an all-time attendance record, yet stadium conditions show the effects of the economy and possibly lowered ticket sales. It gives the appearance that they are scraping by. I hope they make it.
Yesterday we went to Thali for lunch and Delaney's for dinner. Delaney's is very close by the tennis and we recommend it. Separate thread on it to follow.
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Did anyone see the silly bit of fluff that Patrick Ferrucci of the New Haven Register did today on the Food & Wine Festival at the Pilot Pen? Pretty meaningless if you listen to his perspective on food, but he liked Thali the best!
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We finished up the finals by having dinner at Barcelona. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6486...
It was a very nice meal and reinforced our enjoyment of tapas. The restaurant is beautiful.
When we went back to the Pilot Pen for the last match virtually all the A/C fans were off (it was so cool). What a difference in sound level! The remaining squeaky fan (which really stood out as it was the only noise), was from the restaurant.
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