Fuel Pizza has designed pies for Giants and Pats fans alike. Photograph by Erik Uecke
Everyone loves a theme party, and a Super Bowl bash should be no exception. With the New York Giants and New England Patriots going head to head this year, we’re thinking oversized slices, Buffalo wings, stuffed lobster rolls, whoopie pies, and other signature eats from the near and far North. Here’s where to find it all.
For the Giants fans:
Nothing channels New York quite like a big old cheesy slice. We enjoy the classic pies at Flippin’ Pizza, but you can opt instead for a Buffalo chicken pizza with blue cheese dressing. Fuel Pizza is catering to Giants fans with a lasagna pizza featuring ricotta, ground beef, and marinara. (Full disclosure: There’s also a Fuel pizza for Pats supporters—it’s a white pie with roasted clams and potatoes.) Both pizzerias offer takeout and limited delivery.
What better way to embrace the Giants’ Garden State fans than with a few crispy-calamari-topped Jersey Shore pizzas from Graffiato? The restaurant opens at 5, exactly 1.5 hours before kickoff. You’ll have to order at the bar, but TVs will be tuned to the pregame—Mike’s a Giants fan—and here’s an idea: Volunteer to be the pickup guy or gal and make everyone back at the party pay for that beer or three you sip you wait.
Then there’s that other classic New York game-day fare: Buffalo wings. Duffy’s gets a lot of media props for its wings, and for good reason. They’re delicious. Order a party platter of 50 to 100 by Friday for carryout on Sunday, and you’ll have some very happy party people. Not in the neighb? Wegmans also makes a meaty wing, and its various locations stock everything else you’ll need for the party, too.
While you’re at Wegmans grabbing wings, pick up a few packages of Hofmann Hot Reds or “Snappys,” the much-loved Syracuse hot dogs. Dogs are also on offer at NYC-based Shake Shack, which takes advance orders for larger groups over the phone. The burgers, dogs, and thick shakes aren’t super-traditional Empire State fare, but who’s going to complain when you break out Vienna all-beef dogs smothered in slow-cooked onions, or a juicy Shackburger?
For dessert, embrace New York’s state fruit, the apple, and pick up a dozen or so apple “cuppies” from the newly opened Pie Sisters shop in Georgetown (for big orders, call ahead). The cupcake-size pies can be eaten with one hand, which leaves the other open for fourth-quarter fist pumping.
For the Patriots fan:
New England is a pretty big place, but if you’re going for emblematic eats, serve lobster rolls. Pats and Giants fans can meet halfway over the best local versions, including rolls from the New York–based Red Hook Lobster Pound, which sources its crustaceans fresh from Maine. Fresh lobster salad is $40 per pound, and a “kit” for a dozen lobster rolls can be delivered to your door—provided your door is inside or within five miles of the Beltway—for a $20 fee.
We’re also fans of New York import Luke’s Lobster, where you can pick up fresh Maine lobster, shrimp, and/or crab rolls on game day (order ten, and you’ll get $10 off). Can’t stand the idea of New York anything? Boston-based Legal Seafood makes a very tasty roll, and you can order a party platter with a choice of two sides.
Speaking of Legal Seafood, chowder—the chili of the North—is another great option for Pats fans, and you can order the signature creamy clam chowder by the gallon and quart (it’s been served at every inauguration since 1981, so Legal must be doing something right). The bacon-spiked New England clam chowder at BlackSalt is one of our favorite dishes in the restaurant, and you can order it to go from the fish market alongside a tray of freshly shucked East Coast oysters or crab cakes that’ll pay homage to the Northeast’s maritime roots.
Pizza isn’t just for New Yorkers: Channel Connecticut’s pie culture with New Haven–style “apizza,” a delicious variety boasting a thin, crisp crust. The aptly named Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza should do the trick; it offers a killer white clam pie as well as a pepperoni for the traditionalists. Perk: There’s delivery around all three locations in Clarendon, Columbia Heights, and Friendship. Not in the area? Another New England export, Vermont-based American Flatbread, is available in Whole Foods and other market freezers. The thin-crust pizzas reheat well in the oven and come with crowd-pleasing topping options like cheese and herb.
There are a few good choices for a fourth-quarter sugar boost. Though whoopie pies are the “state treat” of Maine, there’re no shortage of the frosting-filled confections around Washington. We recently taste-tested 20, and you can find solid buys anywhere from Whole Foods to Red Hook, which will deliver them along with a lobster roll order. Mom’s Apple Pie Company concocts an award-winning Boston Cream Pie for serious sweet tooths, which you can order in advance. Need dessert on the fly? Head to any grocery, where Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (Vermont) and Tollhouse cookies (Massachusetts) should do the trick.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
