Stadium Food Power Rankings: Buffalo Bills Vs. Miami Dolphins
With two more weeks in the regular season and four games to go (this one included), we are wearing our seven wins and four losses with pride, and not admitting to any sort of failure, as food-wise, we have won consistently. With that information settled we can zone in on the matchup at hand, between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins, of Ralph Wilson Stadium and Sun Life Stadium, respectively. And prepare yourselves, because next week, we have three matchups, just to finish off the season on a high note. Now, down to business.
Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the Buffalo Bills, is located in Orchard Park, N.Y., a suburb of Buffalo. The stadium has an AstroPLay surface, with sub-surface drainage pipes, and just more than 73,000 seats, and it's named after a Pro Football Hall of Famer, the Buffalo Bills founder and current owner Ralph Wilson. Food at the stadium is run by Sportservice, a previous matchup contender; let's see what's in store for us this week in Buffalo.
Ralph Wilson Stadium's Buffalo Mac & Cheese and Bacon Sloppy Joe. Photo courtesy of Sportservice.
Unique/Popular Items
Two of the most popular food items at the stadium are the Beef on Weck sandwich, with seasoned, slow-roasted, and thinly sliced roast beef, au jus, and spicy horseradish on a kimmelweck kaiser roll, and the Buffalo Chicken Tender Sandwich, with crisp chicken tenders tossed in spicy Buffalo sauce, served with blue cheese, lettuce, and tomato on a hoagie roll. Unique items include the Buffalo Dog, a grilled footlong Sahlen's hot dog with a choice of onions, tomato, peppers, chili, cheese, relish, and other assorted traditional condiments; the Bacon Sloppy Joe from the stadium's partnership with Food Network, made with ground beef and bacon slab chunks that are slow cooked with tomatoes and topped with shredded Pepper Jack cheese and fried onions, and served with corn chips and a pickle; and the Buffalo Mac and Cheese, also from the Food Network partnership, where macaroni and cheese is tossed with spicy Buffalo chicken and topped with blue cheese and breadcrumbs.
Other major stadium partnerships include Sahlen's Hot Dogs (the stadium's number one seller); La Nova Pizzeria, a local vendor; Upstate Farms ice cream; and Red Osier restaurant, also a local establishment.
Ralph Wilson Stadium's Buffalo Dog. Photo courtesy of Sportservice.
Ralph Wilson Stadium's Deli Sandwich. Photo courtesy of Sportservice.
Healthy/Allergy-Friendly Options
Healthier stadium options include the deli sandwiches, which come with your choice of meat served on a whole-grain roll. Gluten-free pizza, hot dogs, and beer are also available.
The Miami Dolphins' home, Sun Life Stadium, is situated in Miami Gardens, Fla. The stadium, host to five Super Bowls since its construction, boasts seating for more than 75,500 fans and a Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT) system with a drainage system for its natural grass — a system that allows a firm, dry playing surface within a half-hour of as much as a 3-inch per hour rainfall. Food at the stadium is run by Centerplate, a previous stadium concessions contender. Let's see how they fare.
Sun Life Stadium's BBQ Loaded Baked Potato. Photo courtesy of Centerplate.
Unique/Popular Items
Unique favorites at the stadium include the Everglades BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos, with house-smoked pork with a secret stadium spice rub piled on corn tortilla chips with Cheddar cheese, citrus-chipotle barbecue sauce, and pickled red jalapeños; the BBQ Loaded Baked Potato, an oven-roasted jumbo Idaho potato seasoned with olive oil, cracked black pepper, and chopped garlic, and filled with stadium-smoked Everglades BBQ pulled pork, Cheddar cheese sauce, citrus-chipotle barbecue sauce, and pickled red jalapeños; the footlong slaw dog, slathered with creamy cabbage coleslaw and topped with pickled red jalapeños; the fish sandwich, with hand-breaded and fried haddock fillet served on a baked, corn-dusted kaiser roll with apple-jalapeño coleslaw; the pastrami sandwich, with hand-carved beef brisket piled on fresh-baked marble rye with red bliss potato salad and spicy brown mustard; the Cuban sandwich, a Miami classic, with Mojo-marinated slow-roasted pork shredded and piled on Cuban bread with sweet ham, Swiss cheese, sliced pickles, and yellow mustard, and grill-pressed; and the miniature ice cream-filled Dolphins souvenir helmets, with soft-serve and chocolate sprinkles.
Sun Life Stadium's BBQ Nachos. Photo courtesy of Centerplate.
Sun Life Stadium's soft-serve and sprinkles in souvenir helmets. Photo courtesy of Centerplate.
Healthy/Allergy-Friendly Options
Healthier stadium options include fresh-cut watermelon and pineapple fruit cups, and freshly made salads with selections of tomato, cucumber, carrot, assorted shaved cheeses, grilled chicken, and chilled gulf shrimp, as well as low-fat and fat-free dressings.
We've been won over with your elaborate stadium fare, Dolphins, and have to declare you the winner this week. Sun Life Stadium's unique food sizzled with flavor and a kick from their ubiquitous jalapeños, and we couldn't say no to a Sun Life Stadium win. Will we be disappointed? Tune in this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. to find out.
Look out for our three final match-ups of the Stadium Food Power Rankings series, closing out week 17 of the regular season with the Oakland Raiders vs. the San Diego Chargers, the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the New York Giants, and the Washington Redskins vs. the Dallas Cowboys.
Tyler Sullivan is The Daily Meal's assistant editor. Follow her on twitter @atylersullivan.