The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers have one of the fiercest rivalries in the National Hockey League. But that’s nothing compared to New Jersey’s own culinary civil war — Taylor ham versus pork roll.
While the Devils and Rangers won’t meet in the regular season until Dec. 2, New Jersey’s professional hockey team has already taken sides in the Garden State’s food battle. Come opening night at Prudential Center, fans will be able to order ... Taylor ham.
The Taylor ham sandwich was one of several new food options on display last week at The Rock as the Devils hosted a food preview event for the media. Some were classic stadium food offerings like spicy chicken tenders, cheeseburgers and hot dogs. Others had a bit more Jersey flair like boardwalk-centric funnel cake fries.
READ MORE: New Jersey’s 20 greatest Taylor ham/pork roll sandwiches, ranked
But the star of the show was unquestionably the Taylor ham sandwich. New Jerseyans order these at all hours of the night at diners, so having for dinner at Devils game really isn’t that far-fetched.
The Devils calling it a Taylor ham sandwich, on the other hand, is a tad more controversial. It stands to reason that a team playing in North Jersey would call it by that name — if the Devils played their games in the Pine Barrens, where their namesake is from, this would be a different story.
So Taylor ham makes sense here. But that doesn’t mean Old Bridge native Aron Zaks, the executive chef of Prudential Center’s newly launched Eastback Kitchen, didn’t try to get “pork roll” on the menu.
“Oh yeah, I understand we’re in North Jersey,” Zaks told NJ Advance Media. “I think I lost that battle.”
Whatever you call it, it’s gotta be done right. And the Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich I had at Prudential Center last week was the best I’ve ever had at a hockey arena.
Fine, it was the only Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich I’ve had at hockey arena.
But it’s clear Zaks and the staff here understand how important it is to get this sandwich right, and they nailed it. There was plenty of salty, tangy Taylor brand pork roll on top of melty American cheese, a nicely cooked fried egg and a healthy spread of ketchup on a fresh kaiser roll.
A little hockey stick-shaped toothpick holding the sandwich together didn’t hurt, either.
The sugary funnel cake fries were another impressive item at the preview, a perfect treat to celebrate a Devils victory or to sweeten a loss. The “devil dog” with bacon, jalapeños, sriracha slaw and spicy sauce was a fun take on the classic hot dog and the steak sandwich with New York strip steak from Pat LaFrieda is sure to be crowd-pleaser.
The Devils’ take on the Taylor ham sandwich costs $13.99 and will be available at the Downtown Diner and in Sections 1 & 118 this year, as well as at all events held at the arena. New Jersey kicks off its home schedule on Oct. 10 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Related coverage:
• We tried pork roll, egg and cheese vodka, made by a N.J. distillery. Here’s our review.
• Yankee Stadium’s best food is finally easier to get. Here’s where to find it.
• Devils ‘motivated’ to show they can compete at top of NHL after disappointing last season
• One man’s impossible pork roll dream: Eat every Taylor ham sandwich in N.J.
Stories by Jeremy Schneider
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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.