Report From the Rock

Finally made it to the Prudential Center in Newark, new home of the Devils, rock concerts--and great pastrami sandwiches.

We saw the Devils break out of their home swoon with a 6-2 victory over the LA Kings. But the real star of the evening was the building itself.

The glass entry tower is visually dramatic yet efficient in moving large numbers of people. The concourses are spacious, inviting, brightly and beautifully lit. Everything flows. The arena itself has excellent sightlines, comfortable seats and a sense of drama heightened by the pitch of the rows and the dazzling 360-degree electronic signage. Like NJPAC a few blocks to the north, the Rock makes you feel part of its glamour and proud of its state-of-the-art design.

The staff are incredibly pleasant, helpful and polished, whether they're bartenders, ushers, food servers or security people. You feel safe, you feel welcome, and you feel you're in on something special.

And the food is exciting. I never thought I'd say that about stadium concessions, but the area on the upper concourse called "A Taste of Newark: Specialties From Newark's Famous Wards" isn't your average concession stand.

The hot pastrami sandwich from Hobby's Deli was well worth standing in line for, even though the sandwiches were put into clear plastic clamshells and stacked behind the counter to speed service. This was moist, meltingly tender, thin-sliced pastrami, full of flavor, better than the last couple of pastrami sandwiches I've had at the famous Katz's on Houston Street in New York.

The line for Jimmy Buff's deep-fried Italian hot dogs was a little longer than the Hobby's line, but again worth the wait. I had to disassemble the hulking sandwich to get the right combination of hot dog, sauteed pepper and onions, soft pizza bread and fried potato into each bite. But with a Stella Artois draft and a seat at a table overlooking our section of seats, it all went down very pleasantly.

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