The Aaron Judge-inspired 99 Burger will be on the menu at Yankee Stadium for the Bronx faithful on Opening Day and thereafter.
Matt Gibson has always been a big fan of burgers. The senior executive chef at Legends Hospitality liked to say that he was “a big burger guy.”
In particular, he missed the taste of an In-N-Out burger from when he lived on the West Coast. But he never found one that tasted the same. So, he made his own version and put it on the menu at Yankee Stadium. This is where the Aaron Judge-inspired 99 Burger got its start.
Two patties made of American Wagyu beef from Lobel’s of New York, New School American cheese, a secret sauce, pickles, and caramelized onions are all on a brioche bun to make the Aaron Judge-inspired 99 Burger. Lettuce and tomato can be added as extra toppings.
The price is $19.99. Each home game will only have 99 of them for sale.
It’s a California-inspired culinary dish named after Aaron Judge, the Yankees‘ California boy, and one of the new menu items — along with a trio of new partners — that will debut in The Bronx for the 2023 season.
“The core is always gonna be there,” Gibson told The Post on Wednesday on the occasion of a culinary presentation at Yankee Stadium. “Chicken fingers, hot dogs, and french fries — like tried and true, works. … Nothing crazy [with the 99 Burger]. Nothing super fancy.”
“The best products that we can use, cooked fresh, and we’re only offering 99 just to make sure that we keep it coming fresh.”
Gibson’s plans for new partners, such as Fuku, Mac Truck, and Food Network chef Christian Petroni’s cheesy, loaded garlic bread, as well as new menu items like the Aaron Judge-inspired 99 Burger, began soon after the 2022 season ended.
He began to dine out, seeing which ideas were popular and which names dominated the market.
“Just because their concept works at their restaurant, doesn’t necessarily [mean] it’s going to work at Yankee Stadium,” Gibson told The Post.
The O.G. Spicy Chicken Sando from Fuku, macaroni and cheese with charred corn pico de gallo and crushed tortilla chips as a topping, and a Bronx Burrito are some of the other new dishes.
Gibson called Mark Lobel to talk about different kinds of meat to use in the Aaron Judge-inspired 99 Burger.
Gibson thought the American Wagyu that Lobel’s sent him was very tasty.
Eric Greenspan and his cheese (aged cheddar, real cream, real butter, and salt) were the next things to do.
And on Wednesday, the Aaron Judge-inspired 99 Burger was on display: a white 99 flag with a baseball in the middle of each half. Workers were preparing the field below the Yankee Stadium Audi Club, where Judge hit some of his record-setting 62 home runs in 2022.
During the tasting event, Petroni, who grew up 15 minutes away at 241st St. and White Plains Rd. in the Bronx, talked about going to games at the old Yankee Stadium.
He and his family went to a nearby restaurant often, and Petroni saw how much care was put into the garlic bread. It came in wicker baskets lined with foil, with warm marinara sauce and cheese-covered garlic bread.
That gave him the idea for his cheesy garlic bread, which is made with Bastone from a wholesaler in the Bronx.
The cheeses are mozzarella and Parmesan. There is oregano and a sauce called marinara.
Even pepperoni is on there.
Gibson saw Petroni’s garlic bread online, and then he sent him a message about trying to work together. Petroni even has a tattoo under his lip that says “THE BRONX” to remind him of his borough and, indirectly, everything related to it, like its place in baseball history.
He joked that it would be gone in two years, but about 20 years later, as he stood with other chefs and talked about how the next part of his cooking dream came true, Petroni could still show its ink.
“I’ve been crying for three weeks straight as I’m driving in and out of the stadium doing training with the team,” Petroni said. “I can’t believe this is even real life.”
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