Big Papi’s Grille a family restaurant
Image from WBZ Boston
David Ortiz, known to baseball fans as “Big Papi,” now has another revenue source — not that he needs one. Today marks the opening of Big Papi’s Grille, the Red Sox slugger’s own family restaurant.
“We decided to open a place that people can come and, without spending a lot of money, they can have a good meal and with their family, have fun, get to know the other part of myself, my teammates,” said Ortiz.
Business partners
The “we” that Big Papi is referring to there is Peter Sarmanian, his new business partner and the man who owned the restaurant that previously occupied the space that is now Big Papi’s Grille in Framingham, Mass.
Luckily for Big Papi and Sarmanian, they probably didn’t need to take out a personal cash loan to open Big Papi’s Grille. Big Papi has been playing baseball since right after high school. Now he plays for the Boston Red Sox, where he holds the team record for most homeruns in a single season. I don’t know what his salary is, but after leading the team to the World Series in 2004, I’m sure they are paying him handsomely to stick around. I’m sure he could buy all of the restaurants he wants.
Pretty classy
I think it’s admirable that Big Papi wants his restaurant to be affordable. It’s good that he recognizes that not everyone makes millions of dollars playing baseball. Of course, that made me curious as to what his idea of “not spending a lot of money” at a restaurant is.
I checked out the prices, and they are pretty average for a family grill. Still, it’s definitely not cheap. There’s an $11 burger on the menu. The restaurant is being advertised as capitalizing on Big Papi’s Dominican heritage.
Menu selections
Here are are a few selections from the Big Papi’s Grille menu, which is available online, that caught my attention.
Appetizers
Sirloin Empanadas: 3 empanadas, avacado sauce, pico de gallo, Big Papi en fuego hot sauce.
Wow, Big Papi’s Grille even has its own hot sauce! Sounds pretty promising.
Baja Chicken Egg Rolls: roasted chicken, poblano peppers, onions, cilantro, cheddar jack cheese, pico de gallo, Big Papi en fuego hot sauce.
Both of those appetizers as well as most of the others are $8.50. For some extra dough you can get fresh shucked oysters, shrimp ceviche or lobster and crab cakes.
Burgers
Hamburgers just aren’t the cheap fare they used to be. The $11 burgers on Big Papi’s Grille menu include a barbecue burger and Big Papi Burger, which has avocado, cheddar jack and pico de gallo.
You can also create your own burger from a selection of ingredients that includes mushrooms, bacon, several types of cheese and sauteed onions. However, that’ll run you $13. The All American is the least expensive burger at $9, and it comes with lettuce, tomato and onion.
Steaks & Chops
As indicated by the “grille” part of the title, Big Papi’s Grille specializes in steaks. At the high end of the price scale there’s a 10 oz filet mignon for $29.50 or a 14 oz New York Strip for $28.50. For smaller appetites or wallets, the “petite” rack of lamb is $17.
On the dessert menu, I definitely took notice of the ice cream eclair and the chocolate fudge cake.
