http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ys-forbestailgate100809&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Discuss. I think it's nice to get recognized at the Texans being #1 at something. “Parking space, tradition, and family are three of the top four ingredients,” Cahn says. “The first two are obvious. Family is a lot else – especially for kids, because sports is the only thing where a kid can argue toe-to-toe with an adult and get away with it.” The fourth main ingredient is great food. Cahn can rattle off a list of magnificent dishes he’s had across the country – bratwursts, chili, gumbo, homemade tamales, and Maine lobster – and remember the place where he ate each one. “It’s an honor to be invited into someone’s home to eat, and the tailgate is the home brought to the parking lot,” he says. The list of stadiums here focuses on tailgating scenes that each offer a certain superlative something that you can find only at this location, and which makes it stand out in the NFL. In some cases that’s food. In other cases, it’s a unique fan factor or level of accessibility, or a combination of these things. Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City has long been a standout because it is the barbecue capital of America, August to December. To have eaten ribs or chops here is to have participated in a great time in American culinary history. But the one place that could give Arrowhead’s chefs a run for their money are the grill-masters down at Reliant Stadium, in Houston, where the Texas-style barbecue rules. Two other food hotspots – Miami’s Land Shark Stadium, for Cuban-influnced cuisine, and Gillette Stadium, in Foxboro, Mass., for fresh seafood – are must-go-and-eats. Fan intensity is another major factor in picking these tailgating scenes. For that, look to Lambeau Field, in Green Bay, where one of the great civic migrations of this country occurs, as nearly all the citizens of Green Bay get as close to Lambeau Field as they can or simply tailgate in their front yards in the communities nearby. Then there’s the Raider Nation, at the Oakland Coliseum, a sea of humanity including the fantastically costumed denizens of the end-zone-seated “Black Hole.” The fan intensity also runs high for the crowd in the parking lot at Lincoln Financial Field, in Philly. “The Eagles fans’ passion always impresses me,” Cahn says. “They might be the fans who are most knowledgeable about their team.” Cahn long ago gave up cooking his usual jambalaya at his tailgates so he could instead rove the parking lots, meet the fans, collect recipes and swap stories. Every city is his hometown when he’s there, he says, and he has a jersey for every team. On top of everything else – food, family, tradition – Cahn exhorts tailgaters to rove through the “neighborhoods.” “At one of your hometown games, just do appetizers, and then take the camera and walk around,” he says. “Go see other people. Go see other food. There could be someone you haven’t seen in years just two rows over, but if you don’t leave your tailgate you’ll never find them. Just walk around one game a year and you’ll come away with enough great food ideas for the rest of your life as a fan.” The top five: 1. Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas: Tailgating Texas-Style When the Texans began playing here, team management openly encouraged tailgating as a value added to the ticket price. Fan enthusiasm was immediate, and huge. The parking is big—there’s tons of room around Reliant Stadium and the adjacent Reliant Astrodome, allowing for numerous big vehicles and large tailgater groups. The huge steaks, beef briskets, giant piles of ribs, and some of the best jalapeno poppers in the country create a Texas-style culinary nirvana. 2. Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Kan.: Greatest Barbecue in the NFL The Chiefs have eight home games this regular season, and that many times the blue-smoke will hang in the sky over Arrowhead. The could-have-turned-pro chefs trailer in their grills and smokers as many hours as possible before the game starts, and this red-meat Food Network gets plugged in. The odor of barbecue wafts into the stadium if the wind is right. On top of that, KC fans are among the friendliest in the NFL, and will happily share some of their recipes… as long as you’re not wearing Denver orange. 3. Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, N.Y.: Greatest Parking in the NFL Buffalo always ranks high on the tailgating roster, partly because of the city’s incredibly long tradition of tailgating, but also because it offers the greatest variety of parking space for doing so. Arrayed around Ralph Wilson Stadium are lots for car tailgating, RV tailgating, bus tailgating, and limousine tailgating. The “Bills Army” takes maximum advantage of this every home game (lots open five hours before game time), and the party reaches a truly professional level amid the odors of kummelweck, hot wings, and chili. 4. Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis.: Hometown Hospitality on an Epic Scale The entire town of Green Bay tailgates, and the rest of America is welcome to join them—they’ll make room for you, in their lots and fields. Lembau has pretty good stadium parking, although much space is reserved for season-ticket holders. Fans easily accommodate their tailgating needs at various locations in walking or short-driving distance. A six-pack of Leininkugels will buy your way into all the bratwurst you can handle, and if you don’t have your own green-and-gold, someone will find some for you. Festivities can kick off as early as 8:30 a.m. 5. Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa. Most Complicated Love for a Team You will not find a more complex relationship with any home team than that between the Philly fans and the Eagles, their deep passion for this team tempered by two far-apart Super Bowl losses and major post-season letdowns from 2001 to 2008. All that translates to pre- and post-game debates that will school you thoroughly in how to stick with a team. Do your talking over Madden-sized, belly-pleasing cheese steaks (the original Philly cheese steak), local pizza, pretzels, Polish kielbasa, and some of the greatest Italian food on the east coast. Parking is pretty good around the “Linc,” too.
This is what we do when we go. Show up early, grill up a few quick burgers, fill up the cargo short pockets with beers, and walk around the rest of the time. That's the one thing about tailgating. NO ONE is ever in a bad mood. At least not before the game...
Does this take college football into account? I think Austin should be up there otherwise. No specific location, but pretty much everything around campus is covered with tents. I have never been to NFL tailgating though so i would not be able to compare. Dallas is pretty crappy from what I remember.
thats where I quit reading. Kansas City BBQ is immensely overrated. it doesn't come close to Texas BBQ.
