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The big narrative on the field in Super Bowl 46 is Rematch. Four years ago Manning put the kibosh on a perfect Pats season with a Houdini-like escape and long toss to David Tyree. Off the field, there isn't much contest: Boston is an historic sports town, but it's also the kind of place where you go to a bar and order egg rolls and hot wings from the same menu; it's like the chef got concussed by Jason Pierre-Paul and then tried to cook. We don't have that problem here in New York, where there are plenty of places to catch good grub and watch the game. At home or out at a bar, here are some fine options.
Parties
Studio Square
An important criterion for this year's list is the “unlimited” factor. It feels like a buffet kind of year. Long Island City beer destination Studio Square has large quantities of lots of things: elbow room, 60”+ flatscreen teevees, beer, and chew. The buffet includes chicken wings, angus beef sliders, hot dogs, five-spice fries, chicken fingers, and mac & cheese. Drinks are also theoretically limitless on beer, wine, sangria, and hard lemonade and iced tea, should you mistake either of those for a suitable wing pairing. Tickets are $50 ahead, $60 at the door. (35-33 36th Street, 718-383-1001)
Bark Hot Dogs
Last year we suggested Bark for take-out; this year the Slope dog slingers have gone off the deep with a menu more aggressive than the 49s defensive line (admit it). The Bark & Sixpoint tailgate is a $75 proposition for serious consumers only. It begins an hour before kick-off with chips and cipollini onion-sour cream dip; continues with dogs, sausages, wings, and jalapeno-cheddar croquettes at 6:30 p.m.; hits choucroute garnie at halftime, along with shells and cheese, nachos, beans, and slaw; and then returns for more first-half grub in the second, all the while pouring Sixpoint brews from the tap. The game will be playing on two 50” flat screens. (474 Bergen Street, 718-789-1939)
Hill Country Chicken
In a perfect world we'd be watching the game in our own basement rec room with a real life grandpa, but in a just slightly less perfect world we'd settle for the downstairs rec room at Hill Country Chicken. The retro Texas chicken joint is showing the game there and offering several meal plans like the Grand Coop, which includes 16 mixed pieces of fried chicken, eight buttermilk biscuits, four large sides, and eight pie cups. (1123 Broadway, 212-257-6446)
Pilsener Haus & Biergarten
Football fans who aren't especially loyal to a sports bar should consider the five-minute train to Hoboken where they'll find Pilsener Haus & Biergarten waiting with three massive projection screens, each 20 feet wide. That's like 5x the wheel base of a Ford F150 SuperCab – of football – not to mention $4 ½ liters of Radeberger during the game and a menu of ideal snacks from the grill like smoked Polish kielbasa, brats, jalapeno-cheddar frankfurters, weisswurst, burgers, and rotisserie chicken. (1422 Grand Street, 201-683-5465)
Where the die-hards will be
With Pat O'Briens closed (RIP) there's one fewer place for Boston-area natives to play Beirut and get sloshed watching sports, which – make no mistake – they do with more enthusiasm than most. That leaves The Hairy Monk, a Gramercy bar with 19 beers on tap, Irish breakfast all day, chicken pot pie, ten different burgers, and enough sports memorabilia to let you know you're in the Bean. (337 3rd Avenue, 212-532-2929)
Okay, so there will be die-hard Giants fans at pretty any bar you walk into: The Hill, The Ainsworth, Third & Long, Stone Street, Village Pourhouse, so on. But if by “die-hard” we mean just there for the football, the friends, and the blow-up beer paraphernalia – and not the Korean-fried chicken and pigskin-infused cocktails or whatever mixologists are up to – then head to Old Carriage, the the the John McClane of sports bars. Old Carriage Inn Sports Lounge (312 7th Avenue, 718-788-7747).
Takeout
The Meatball Shop
For the second year in a row we're siding with the guys with the biggest balls. And guess what? He is I am him, slim, with the tilted brim. What's my name? The Meatball Shop. Now with three locations across two boroughs, they're bringing back the buffalo chicken balls with blue cheese and Frank's Hot House for game day, available to-go by the Bucket “O” Balls (25 servings). Order in advance.
(84 Stanton Street, 212-982-8895)
(64 Greenwich Avenue, 212-982-7815)
(170 Bedford Avenue, 718-551-0520)
Lowcountry
South Carolina (and bourbon) inspired Lowcountry may not have much of a provincial stake in Sunday's game, but all southerners take interest when it comes to feeding people. Now with a new chef on the pans, they're running a take out opp with various combinations of fried bird, ribs, baked beans, mac & cheese, spicy scallion corn bread, and deviled eggs with or without bacon. (142 West 10th Street, 212-255-2330)
Num Pang
A big hoagie that feeds 10 people is an obvious Super Bowl choice, but you can't get that from Jared Fogle. Well, you could, but it would smell like band-aids and taste about the same. A better option: Super Pang, Num Pang's 3-foot renditions of its Cambodian sammies, including options like five-spice glazed pork belly, pulled duroc pork, peppercorn catfish, and hoisin veal meatballs – typically bundled with pickled carrots, cukes, chili mayo and cilantro. Each comes with a side of grilled corn on the cob and is available for delivery.
(140 East 41st Street, 212-867-8889)
(21 East 12th Street, 212-867-8889
Nuchas
We've got all of the classic Super Bowl provisions covered: nachos, dogs, burgers, wings, endless beer. That leaves a take-out wild card, which is Times Square newcomer, Nuchas, a gourmet empanada slinger now thankfully delivering outside the de facto weekend DMZ. What's happening there is four types of meat empanadas (Argentine, short rib, spicy chicken, pulled pork), two veggie (portobello mushroom, spicy cheese), and one dessert (with apple, pear, cranberry, and Nutella) – all boxed up by the 12-count in time for the kick-off. (Note that delivery is available between 34th Street and 54th Street and between 6th Avenue and 8th Avenue.) (Broadway b/t 44th and 45th Streets, 646-477-8247)
The Dutch
Finally, for the type of fan whose junk food must come from an acclaimed chef (or who wants to do some quick re-plating and impress in-laws), The Dutch will offer AC's Super Bowl Fried Chicken Feast, a take-out jobby with 16 pieces of fried chicken, honey-butter biscuits, collard greens, mashed potatoes, slaw, and hot sauce. (131 Sullivan Street, 212-677-6200)
