DINING OUT:Central Park Pizza, a grand slam

Batter up! Spring training is over. The outfield is green. And Major League Baseball has brought back the boys of summer for another exciting season. While everyone’s trying to figure out how to get out of the stadium parking lot, why not spend your time improving your swing and catching a great meal? Central Park Pizza may be hidden in the Batcade, but the food is definitely out of the park.

On my first visit to Central Park Pizza, I took a group of friends more interested in taking their cuts in the batting cages than eating from what they assumed would be typical concession-stand fare. If your line-up card included over-priced hot dogs and nachos, you should have headed for Chavez Ravine.

Central Park Pizza has an Italian-based menu that rivals that of any formal restaurant. Sure, there are plastic tables and chairs, but who needs linen tablecloths and a wine list when you can enjoy fettuccine Alfredo in a splash of white wine or chicken Marsala marinara with fresh basil in a sweet wine, tomato and herb sauce? Plus, they serve gourmet pizzas and sandwiches.

We ordered a couple of pizzas. I insisted on the World Series pizza. A pizza with that name has to be championship caliber. We were not disappointed. Made in the thin and cheesy New York style, this pie is loaded with sun-dried tomatoes, Mozzarella, basil, garlic and goat cheese. It melts in your mouth.

Our second pizza was the popular Hawaiian with Canadian bacon and pineapple. This pie also delivered a home run in flavors and texture. The list of toppings can out-pitch any pizza parlor. In addition to the traditional toppings, there are artichokes, jalapeños, zucchini, broccoli, eggplant, spinach, Gouda cheese, feta cheese and salami. The titles of the gourmet pizzas are creative, with names like “American League,” “Tommy Lasorda,” and “Grand Slam.”

I went back to Central Park Pizza for lunch with my mom. I know what you’re thinking, lunch with mom at the batting cages? Hey, my mom drove to Yankee Stadium from Burbank. Plus, she knows meatball sandwiches better than anyone I know. She has been on a life-long quest for that perfect meatball hero. Not only did she find it at Central Park Pizza, she was pleasantly surprised to see that it came with a green salad on the side.

The meatball hero is packed with seasoned meat and oozes Mozzarella cheese. The sauce balances the meat and cheese without dripping all over your batting gloves. She took half of her sandwich home. If you check the scores on ESPN at midnight like I do, trust me, that half a meatball hero, plus a few of Central Park’s spicy chicken wings, make a great snack. Just don’t tell my mom.

For lunch, I had the Italian-style calzone packed with Mozzarella and ricotta cheese, fresh-diced tomatoes, spinach and garlic in a pocket of perfectly toasted bread. Not even Jeter, A-Rod, and Giambi taking batting practice in the cage could have torn me away from that sandwich.

OK, they would have, but hey, this girl has only so much willpower.

Central Park Pizza has an all-star menu, but you do not have to be a swinger to enjoy it. They offer take-out, delivery and catering. Of course, if you want to burn off a few calzone or pasta calories, there’s always the batting cage.