The Nationals Food Experience on $40 a Day

As Greazy has stated below he and I went out for a day of baseball in our nations capital yesterday. The weather was amazing and as you can see from his post the views were amazing as was the ambiance. I'll mention now before I forget that the Nats lost this game 3-0 to Tim Hudson and the Braves. We didn't really go for the game but for the experience of the stadium and to see what types of food they had to offer.

After perusing around once we noted that one of our favorite chains, Five Guys had a stand out in center field. The Nats also have incorporate in another local staple of the are in Red Hot & Blue which specializes in barbecue among other things. Not being a resident of D.C. I also understand that Dave's Famous Chili Bowl is a staple of residents in the area. The Nats also have their own stands with clever names such as "Slice Down the Line Pizza" and my personal favorite "Senators Sausages" which Greazy and I got a kick out of. I mean who would want Trent Lott's sausage? The other interesting thing about the food/beverage selection in this stadium is they have actual bars throughout where the non beer drinker can get a gin and tonic or crown and coke.

Greazy and I decided to go to the Hard Times Cafe for dinner where I got wings and a dog while Greazy got a hot dog and nachos. We were both pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food although I have to say this is one of the most expensive ball parks I've ever been to. A sandwich at Red Hot & Blue would run you $10.50 without any baked beans ($3.50) or non alcoholic beverage ($4.50). The wings and nachos were $9 each but were both very filling. An all beef dog is also $4.50 which I guess is the most comparable to anything else I've seen at other parks. The prices at 5 Guys were also kind of surprising. A hamburger was $7 while a cheeseburger was $8 and a bacon cheeseburger was $9, the best value on their menu are the $5 fries. Their fries are very similar to board walk fries and are delicious with some vinegar and salt. If you're a beer drinker and want to get drunk at this ball park it will run you $7.50 a beer draft or bottle.

All in all the experience was great, I "caught" a ball in batting practice, the weather was phenomenal and the game was close. There are many good views and it's hard to imagine a bad seat in the house although there are a few sections that would have some blind spots. I think next time though I'll try to eat a little more before I go and definitely see if I can sneak in my own bottle(s) of water being as they also run $4 a pop.