Phillie Phoodie: NBC Sports Arena at XFINITY Live!

Outlet: NBC Sports Arena at XFINITY Live!

We were there: 6:14 p.m. (pre-game).

We waited: No wait to be seated.

We ordered: NBC wings; garlic-studded roast pork sandwich.

Cost: $19.

Update: The last time Phooderick the Great trucked across Pattison Avenue to the food-and-drink court known as XFINITY Live!, things didn't go so well, thanks to a miserable experience at the PBR Bar & Grill. There is far better news to report this time.

Here's why: The NBC Sports Arena (now there's a name to set the taste buds pulsing) is to the left and toward the rear as you enter the party pit that stands on the hallowed ground of the Spectrum. The fare is contemporary sports bar, but what I sampled was well above average for that type of eatery.

The $10 order of NBC wings was a generous helping of meaty mini-limbs slathered in what may be Frank's hot sauce. (They bore a culinary resemblance to those served by the Champp's Americana chain.) They had a nice kick of peppery heat that didn't overwhelm the taste of the poultry.

The wings came with four spears of properly chilled celery and an equally cool bowl of bleu cheese dressing.

The garlic-studded roast pork sandwich ($9) offered shaved pig resting on broccoli rabe and provolone whose pleasingly sharp flavor easily sliced through the other ingredients. Everything came cradled in a fresh, seeded Italian roll. The meat was flavorful and plentiful but a tad too dry.

Still, it was a fine offering, although not quite up to the gold standard set by Tony Luke's at Citizens Bank Park. Crisp and sensibly salted homemade potato chips completed the dish in a fine way.

Final score: Despite its silly, blatantly commercial name, the NBC Sports Arena is a solid alternative to ballyard grub. As such, we'll score it a DOUBLE.