In 2022, my post about “The USTA Food and Wine Festival” described how the organization intentionally constructed the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center as a festival venue. That insight allows the organization to maximize the revenue generated by the event beyond the actual tournament itself. Today, I am exploring how television viewers can try to capture the essence of the culinary experience.
During the US Open, fans are offered diverse food options featuring trendy restaurants and chefs from New York City. In addition to the iconic hamburger, which has a long-running association with the venue, casual options include comfort foods, fresh poke bowls, and Italian specialties. Additionally, fans can enjoy premium dining experiences with options like sushi, seafood, and steaks. The US Open organizers bill the culinary experience as equally exciting as the tennis itself.
Of course, the fundamental question is what fans should eat alongside their Honey Deuces. The quintessential answer is a hamburger, which I can personally attest pairs perfectly with the cocktail. BBQ also goes extraordinarily well with the drink. While the “Hill Country” concession stand is billed for its “authentic” Texas chopped brisket sandwich, baby back ribs are probably not on the menu. However, since the US Open occurs across the traditional grilling holiday of Labor Day, it is fortunate that almost anything grilled or smoked works with the Honey Deuce.
This year, I have been wondering how fans at home can partake in some of the trendier culinary experiences offered at the tournament. The US Open official site doesn’t provide much help as it does not publish menus for its dining options. This is where Wimbledon is the gold standard, publishing precise menus for every food vendor and even a few recipes from the chefs each year. That certainly eliminates much of the guesswork.
In any case, I have been combing through press releases leading up to this year’s tournament to select a trendy food item to try at home during this year’s event. There is a lot of excitement about Simon Kim’s Korean fried chicken restaurant, COQODAQ, which will deliver stadium fare this year. On the menu for the US Open is the “Golden Set with 24 karat,” which tops a six-piece order of Kim’s signature crispy chicken nuggets with caviar, black truffle shavings, and truffle mayo.
Setting the caviar and truffle shavings aside for the moment, the chicken nuggets are relatively straightforward to duplicate since Kim appeared last month on the “Today” show with that signature dish. The recipe for his “Gochujang Fried Chicken Nuggets” was published on the show’s website. I will sample that dish while watching the tournament this year from my home.
The US Open is built around the idea that people who attend are there to engage with tennis in ways other than simply watching matches. The event provides many opportunities for dining, drinking, shopping, art exhibits, and people-watching. We are meant to soak it all in. That is precisely what I plan to do over the next three weeks.
