AT&T Stadium goes full flavor with new menu
Dallas Cowboys fans will get to grub on several new upscale menu items at the season opener Sunday.
How about a Texas torta topped with a bacon-wrapped fried jalapeño? Maybe a plate of spicy surf-and-turf sushi rolls? Or may we suggest crispy chicken and waffles? They are among six new menu items available at AT&T Stadium this season.
Executive chef Orazio La Manna of Legends Hospitality teamed up with the stadium’s director of food and beverage to craft the new entrees using local farms and organic produce suppliers.
“The palate is getting more sophisticated. Let’s be honest,” La Manna said. “… The hype is getting that much bigger.”
La Manna’s reference is to the “foodie” revolution that has grown the past five years at sports arenas, where people are looking beyond hot dogs, a bag of popcorn and nachos laced with liquid cheese.
To satisfy those new cravings, check out these new offerings (and bring some cash):
Texas chicken and waffles, $20:Fire-roasted turkey burger, $15:
Fire-roasted double cheeseburger, $15:
Texas torta, $12:
For club members only:
Cowboys surf-and-turf sushi, $20:Hot dog sliders, $12:
Thinking inside the box
To come up with the new menu, La Manna teamed up with George Wasai, who is over food and drinks at the stadium, various chefs, the management team and fans.
“We all come up with new concepts and put them in the ‘think box,’ ” Wasai said.
Only the best products emerge and are served at concession stands across the stadium, Wasai said.
About 200 chefs can be found on any given day dicing and chopping in the stadium’s 12 kitchens. The new menu items will also be available at other AT&T Stadium events, such as concerts and rodeos.
“Fans want to make a day out of it,” La Manna said of the dining and entertainment experience.
The bakery team has even whipped up some new cupcake flavors that change with the seasons, including Belgian-chocolate ganache-topped Texas sheet cake, chocolate chip cookie dough and pumpkin praline for $6 a pop.
The old favorites will still be around, like one of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ favorites — the Cowboys cheesesteak with sirloin, jalapeño jack cheese and sauteed onions.
Legends Hospitality gets much of its food from Texas growers like the WE Over Me Farm at Paul Quinn College in Dallas. The farm sprouted after the college converted its football field into an organic farm. Ten percent of its produce is donated to charities.
“We are in the most extraordinary building in the world, and our food follows that theme,” La Manna said.
This story was originally published September 5, 2014 at 5:02 PM with the headline "AT&T Stadium goes full flavor with new menu."