Eat Like a Baller
Every gameday is a good munchies moment, but today especially
By Roberto Santiago
Wheaties is the breakfast of champions. According to the 1990s, beef is what’s for dinner (though you may feel like chicken tonight, chicken tonight). Whether or not your bologna has a first or second name, or if you were housing hot dogs while you had the pox, people gotta eat. People drank Gatorade to Be Like Mike, but what about those of us who aspire to something even better? What about eating like a Baller? After all, if we could all eat like champions, there’s a chance we could become champions. Or maybe we’re just extra hungry before or after a game…
Here’s a sampling of Ballers’ recommendations from players past and present, front office brass, and coaches in case you’re hungering for a bite in and around Raimondi and Oakland:
“I Stay Home”
Maybe you want to / need to head home right after the game. Former B’s pitcher Gabe Tanner isn’t big for eating out. “I’m not the biggest go out to eat guy. Big meal prep guy,” Tanner says. OK, what do you prepare? “I love Trader Joe’s.” Tanner likes rice and proteins. Chicken, steak, salmon, it all goes great with rice and at an affordable price at TJ’s.
Tastes of the Town:
For Esai Santos, the go-to spot is Saigon Express in Berkeley for a bahn mi sandwich.
Langston Burkett says it’s not a trip to the East Bay without a stop at Zachary’s pizza, which team president Yeshayah Goldfarb also shouted out along with Bakesale Betty.
Tremayne Cobb is sweet on Touch of Soul.
For former Baller and Fremont native Damian Stone, it’s all about, “a walk down International Blvd” to see what strikes you.
Los Peloteros:
Pero por el sabor verdad del este equipo, que necesita buscar la comida Mexicana. This is California after all. The Mexican food tradition here goes back to when we were literally Mexico. The mission style burrito was invented in the Bay Area. Mission Burrito in SF invented the California burrito with those french fries inside. So it’s no surprise many in the Ballers organization chose Mexican food as their favorite.
For co-founder Bryan Carmel, it’s the classic, Gordo’s on College Ave. Carmel’s childhood friend Goldfarb also put Gordo’s at the top of his list. But in true Goldfarb fashion, he couldn’t let himself name just one place. His #2 is Cholita Linda (locations in Berkeley and Oakland).
Ballers Manager Aaron Miles swears by The Burrito Shop, also on College Ave. “We always win when I go there,” he says. (Hey Skip, can you go there more?)
GM Laura Geist loves Cafe Noir in Prescott Market. “BBQ chicken taco salad,” she says, “10/10. No notes.”
“Anything in a Helmet”
It started last year as a Raimondi promotion—you can get anything sold in the stadium placed in a B’s helmet (beer, ice cream, fries, you name it)—but it has since spread to Fast Times Burgers in Prescott Market. (It’s also home to the official Ballers’ Burger.)
The Last Word*:
All of these are great, but we had to let Ballers bench coach James Harris have the last word. Harris knows every great food spot at home and away, no town too big or small. (He introduced Dispatchers to the glory of huckleberry-everything in Kalispell, Montana.) When asked for the best lunch spot in the East Bay, Harris thought for a moment before opining, “Raimondi Park, from 6:30-9:30 PM.” OK. If you’re having lunch at 6:30 PM, you are on a very different schedule than this reporter and are likely leading a much more adventurous life. Or perhaps you are merely feasting on your opponents. Hennything is possible.
*One Ballers exec wouldn’t go on record, but wrote in to say that his favorite meal is when he steals a hot dog from the hot dog toss and eats it next to the dugout during the game. Your secret is safe with us, Schmasey. FYI newcomers: the hot dog toss is the middle of the fifth inning, way down the right field line next to the bullpen; follow the sound of the Oakland 68’s drums.
Also check out our Taste of the Town tab below for reviews and interviews, including our recent talk with the family-owned Pizzeria Violetta in Prescott Market and on Piedmont.
Roberto Santiago is a third generation Berkeley boy currently raising the fourth generation. Roberto’s writing has appeared in Latina, Parents, and various online outlets. A lifelong baseball fan, Roberto worked briefly with the Boston Red Sox and once hit an RBI single off Spaceman Lee on a 2-2 changeup. It was his only at bat ever in a real baseball game. Find him on Instagram.
