Comcast Spectacor invited selected media, asshole bloggers and apparently every freeloading employee in the Wells Fargo Center to try out the new food selections today.

I got to try Shake Shack, the Braciole sandwich, the short rib panini and wild mushroom grilled cheese (at least I think I tried both because I’m not sure I could tell them apart), and the fried pickle spears, which gave me a boner. Some of the fancy fries and, apparently, artisan pretzels were not available to sample (that I could find), but here’s how I’d rank the foodstuffs I was able to push firmly into my mouth hole:

Fried pickle spears

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Actual boner. The cajun remoulade is ridiculous and these will be a favorite drunk food that is difficult to screw up.

 

Shake Shack

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I’ll be honest– Shake Shack is not my favorite burger. I always feel like it needs more seasoning or salt, or fucking spirit. It’s buttery smooth – great texture! – and the fries are fantastic, but I prefer something like Charlie’s or maybe even Five Guys to Shake Shack. That said, the burger was good and the prices are reasonable (though a burger and fries will run you $12).

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Braciole

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I made the mistake of man-murdering the burger first, thus bringing down my appetite, otherwise this may have been my favorite. The short rib is decent, the cheese is better, and the Italian sausage waiting for you behind all that goodness is maybe the best October Surprise you could find. I FOUND THE SAUSAGE:

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Braised short rib panini-wild mushroom grilled cheese

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These looked so much alike I’m not even sure I could tell them apart, partly because they were both positioned like turtles fucking (CLICK, CLICK, NEEEEECCCCCCCCCCHHHH). I think I had both – they tasted similar – but I hate paninis and was generally stuffed by this point and found them to be lacking in flavor and that all-important mouth-feel (nothing like the joy of finding the sausage). There are better options.

I didn’t get to try the Heart Attack Tots, BUT I’M SURE THEY ARE GOOD FOR YOU:

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I advise eating these near the closest defibrillator or in the first five rows, because presumably that’s where the doctors sit.

I bumped into Ike Richman, who basically runs the Wells Fargo Center, and he immediately sent an Aramark rep over to talk to me and then reminded me “only good things today.” As if I have a reputation for being a critical prick. Anyway, not much to complain about. I’ve always thought the food at the Wells Fargo Center – the Campo’s cheesesteak is maybe the best cheesesteak in the sports complex – and Citizens Bank Park has been pretty solid, much better than the rubber rations they flop in your direction at Lincoln Financial Field. But, I was able to find out a few things.

Does Aramark run Shake Shack?

They will, yeah. Shake Shack will oversee the transition, but it sounds like everything will be made by Aramark employees using all of Shake Shack’s ingredients, processes and such. This is the case for all the name brand locations, though each will have varying degrees of hands-on-ness (word?) depending on their contract, with some having a manager on location to keep an eye on things. Obviously today the quality was top-notch, but we’ll see how consistent things are. I’d like to give Aramark the benefit of the doubt, because generally speaking the food at the Wells Fargo Center is good, but with a quality brand like Shake Shack, you never know how things will go.

Will Chik-fil-A be closed on Sundays?

Yep.

What happened to that delicious roast beef sandwich next to P.J. Whelihan’s?

If you’ve read this site long enough, you probably know that my favorite sandwich at the Wells Fargo Center was the roast beef sandwich served by two little old ladies first at the Red Bell Brewery, then Finnegan’s Wake, and now P.J. Whelihan’s. Two years ago they stopped serving it at Sixers games, and last year they stopped at Flyers games, too. I asked Aramark about this and was told that the location moved last year (I believe he was mistakingly referring to The Carvery roast beef sandwich WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY NOT THE SAME!), but whether it remained or not, it will be replaced this year by Nick’s Roast Beef, which is certainly not a step down. But I’m still mad upset about my little old lady beef.

Oh, and Tim Panaccio and most of the other Flyers beat writers were there, because they never turn down a free lunch.

See the full list of new items here and more pictures and video here.