Food & Drink

Grand eats: More than racing at new Meadowlands

The Jets and the Giants won’t be going to the Super Bowl at their MetLife Stadium, but their fans can still get into the spirit of playoff football at the new sports bars, lounges, cafes and food courts at the just-renovated Meadowlands Racetrack right across from the stadium.

Never mind the horses: Chow down on a pulled-pork sandwich ($13.95) at the Victory Sports Bar, part of the redone Meadowlands.Zandy Mangold
Wash it down with a bourbon and ginger “Hambletonian,” also at Victory.Zandy Mangold

Several Giants stars, including Terrell Thomas and Andre Brown, are set to mingle with fans Saturday and Sunday at the track’s Victory Sports Bar — where they’ll watch the other teams’ playoff games on big TVs. And Saturdays at 11 p.m., Victory sheds its sports-bar feel and turns into a nightclub.

The $88 million refurbishing is intended to make the track more attractive to denizens of the Meatpacking District, as well as toBrooklyn hipsters (no offense to the rumpled old-timer trackies with their fedoras, stogies and underlined Racing Forms).

“Once they walk in, they’ll experience everything the facility has to offer and keep coming back,” says Meadowlands Racetrack exec Jason Settlemoir. Among those experiences are year-round live racing on weekends (except Super Bowl weekend), and culinary and cocktail spots open seven nights a week.

Chef David Waltuck, owner of the now-shuttered restaurant Chanterelle in Tribeca, created the menus. Here’s a roundup of some of the newest offerings:

VICTORY SPORTS BAR

You could forget you’re at a racetrack here, if not for the occasional two minutes of live race sounds. The 275-seat venue has nine 280-inch TVs, two dramatic chandeliers and 12 more not-quite-as-big screens.

Order the signature cocktail, the Hambletonian ($13), made from Woodford Reserve bourbon, ginger liqueur and fresh lemon juice. The booze is a nod to Kentucky horse country, the name to harness racing’s biggest stakes race, held at the Meadowlands every year.

Pair your cocktail with the pulled-pork sandwich ($13.95) or grilled jerk-spiced chicken wings ($9.95) — with a side of beer-battered onion rings ($3.95) — and you’re ready for the races.

THE CAFE

This is the first sign you’re not at your grandpa’s betting parlor — it’s sleek, modern and smoke-free, with seating for 700. Besides the cashiers, who can take your bets or sell you vouchers to use at the machines, the cafe offers appealing pre-packaged salads, sandwiches and wraps ($7 to $9) and a variety of desserts from local favorite bakery Calandra’s ($2).

THE FOOD COURT

Bright yellow tables and 250 chairs offer a front-row view of the track. Brick-oven pies from pizzaiolo Mauro Camporeale are a good bet (try a white slice with mozzarella, provolone, Gorgonzola, ricotta and Parmesan, $3.95). Or put your money on tasty pollo tacos — chili-lime pulled chicken in soft flour tortillas filled with pico de gallo, sour cream and a wedge of grilled lime ($6.95).

THE LOUNGE

Overlooking six of Victory’s mega-screens and the racetrack itself, the second-floor lounge has a full bar plus low tables, upholstered chairs, couches and ottomans with seating for 250 people. And, of course, more TVs. Order wine, beer and cocktails to wash down charcuterie and cheese boards.

PINK

This massive, 5,475-square-foot, third-floor restaurant is named for its 300 hot pink chairs, all of which have views of the track. For $39.99, you get enough food to feed a horse: bread, an amuse-bouche (think bacon-wrapped scallop or crostini), soup or salad, an entrée (we loved the sirloin with fingerling potatoes and nutmeg-accented creamed spinach) and a dessert. Wine starts at $7 per glass (Vicolo pinot grigio) and $36 per bottle (Ferrari-Carano fumé blanc). Beer from $6. Reservations necessary.

TROTTERS

This private club is reserved for members and anyone with a horse racing that day. If you know someone and are able to get in, you’ll find a variation on Pink’s menu and a view of the track.

THE ROOF TERRACE AND PLAYSCAPE

Warmer weather will bring the opening of the roof terrace — with views of Manhattan and the racetrack — and the Playscape, a beer garden with bocce and pingpong. Even if your horse has a bad race, there’s still plenty of fun to be had — and plenty of good food to eat.

Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment, 1 Racetrack Drive, East Rutherford, NJ; meadowlandsracetrack.com. Free general parking; the racetrack is also a 10-minute ride on the 164 bus from Port Authority. Free admission.