DALLAS — Read this story and more North Texas business news from our partners at the Dallas Business Journal
The Dallas Mavericks are headed home for the next two games in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Even for those who are not basketball fans, it's hard to miss the city of Dallas’ endless support and excitement for its home team – which has not secured a Finals win since its 2011 victory against the Miami Heat.
And since the Dallas Stars ended its NHL playoff run against the Edmonton Oilers, there’s more pressure than ever for the Mavericks. But American Airlines Center, home to the Stars and Mavericks, has worked to give the team and its fans a playoff experience the city hasn’t seen in 13 years.
“Since the Stars recently wrapped up their playoffs run, we have been focused on uplifting the Mavs for a strong finish in the 2024 NBA Finals,” Chelsey Oliver, marketing director for AAC, said. “It has been 13 years since the Dallas Mavericks have been in the Finals, so the city of Dallas has truly rallied to support our team.”
Debuting June 12, AAC’s new food menu items will be available to munch on as the Mavericks take on the Boston Celtics on their own turf.
Oliver said along with the new menu items, the arena has welcomed fans to watch away games on the big screen for $10, especially since Mavericks-Celtics tickets have hit a record high. And across the city, restaurants and other businesses have also shown their support, such as a pizza inspired by player Luka Doncic and his hometown of Slovenia.
“The NBA Finals are a special time for Mavs fans, and just like the team, we’re leaving it all out on the floor to make it an incredible celebration,” said Scott Hargrove, director of operations for Levy Restaurants at AAC. “We started the playoffs with a menu game plan to showcase unique, craveable offerings each round. Think elevated ingredients and presentations. It’s our chance to break out things you might not find at any other game.”
For a limited time, AAC has added seven new items to its menu, some of which take inspiration from New English tastes fused with some good ole’ Southern hospitality.
The fusion of cities starts with a lobster-tail corn dog – yes, you read that right. For a cost of $40, a lobster tail will be battered and fried, topped with spicy aioli and lemon herb butter and served with truffle potato chips.
A surf-n-turf grilled cheese was also added to the list. For $50, cheese and sourdough bread will stack into three tiers with layers of grilled ribeye steak, melted gruyere and American cheese, Fresno peppers and butter-poached lobster.
A “Texas-sized” beef rib burrito will also be on the menu for $40. Two birria-seasoned short ribs will be stuffed inside a flour tortilla along with cilantro lime rice, charro beans, pico de gallo and shredded Colby jack cheese.
Other items include an $18 bacon-wrapped baked potato and a $23 brisket sandwich with a fried onion ring, mac and cheese, and a red-hot link, topped with a bacon-wrapped pimento cheese-stuffed jalapeno. Candied pork belly burnt ends is also on the menu for $14 with the option to add it on top of an order of mac and cheese or baked potato.
For dessert, AAC added a dessert nacho for $23 which is made of cinnamon sugar sopapillas topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, strawberries and white chocolate chips.
“When we create menu items, we take inspiration from many places…” said Andres Dominguez, executive chef for Levy at AAC. “Our culinary team puts each item through multiple rounds of taste-testing to make sure each dish tastes great and, just as important, can be made consistently great at the scale of an arena.”
The limited menu items will debut during Game 3 on June 12 and will run for all remaining home games during the Finals. The Celtics' home arena TD Garden also revealed its menu items for the NBA Finals including a $150 gold-garnished lobster roll.
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