Photos, Story and Review by Janet Schultz, NYHOL
There’s more to the Buffalo Sabres than what is on the ice and it’s for the fan experience at a game. New food, new venue, upgraded areas and new merchandise. The team at Delaware North Sportservice introduced the new items to members of the media.
Let’s talk food!
Two player-inspired items lead the line-up with The Dough-ner inspired by Josh Doan and the Benson BarnBurger inspired by Zach Benson.
The Dough-ner is a fresh pizza dough pocket filled with birria cilantro, onion, Monterey Jack, mozzarella and tomato served with birria gravy. (Birria is a beef that has been marinated in Mexican style spices and slow cooked til tender.) (Editor’s note: this was Janet’s favorite since the meat was so tender it melted in her mouth and it was spiced just right for a slight tang.)
The Benson BarnBurger is a beef patty topped with pulled pork, bacon, roasted garlic mayo, Canadian chedder and Benny (it’s a secret) sauce on a brioche roll.
The Dough-ner will be available in the LaNova stand at Section 116 and the Benson at the Coca-Cola stands near Section 101 and 305.
As they did last year Sportservice will be changing new items every 10 games.
“This gives fans something new to discover throughout the season,” said Executive Chef Michael Buonopane.
Among those items are:
The Heater, a double burger with pepper Jack cheese, ghost pepper bbq sauce, candied bacon and chipotle mayonnaise at Grill Stands near Sections 118 and 321.
Spice Bomb, a 2-foot nacho topped with chorizo, spiced chili, queso, bbq sauce, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, jalapenos and picked red onion. Available at the Party Nacho near Section 114 and Southtowns BBQ, section 313.
Brunch Nachos, a game-day-only offering with bacon, breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, beer cheese, maple syrup and green onion. Available at Party Nacho and Southtowns BBQ. (Editors note: Randy had this and said it was quite good with a touch of spice and a hint of the sweetness of the maple syrup.)
The Hangover, also a game-day-only item, is a double burger with bacon,egg, pepper jack cheese and chipotle cream cheese. Available at the grill stands near Sections 118 and 321.
Taco Pizza, a LaNova pizza topped with queso, cheddar cheese, taco meat, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo and mozzarella. Available at LaNova stands.
Peach Crumble Fried Dough, fried dough topped with peaches, brown sugar, biscuit bites and Dulce de leche. Available at Let’s Dough stands, section 116 and 322. (Editor’s note: Janet loved this, especially with the in-season peaches.)
Beaver Tail and Chocolate Bacon Milkshake: A milkshake topped with cinnamon sugar fried dough, chocolate covered bacon, maple syrup and whipped cream. Available at Let’s Dough Stand. (Editor’s note: Janet loved this, especially the chocolate covered bacon which is so rare to find; the milkshake was on the sweet side with a great maple taste).
Bear Claw Pretzel: Finished with almond frosting, toasted almonds and powered sugar. Available at the Power Play Pretzel Portable near section 107.
For Club level fans there is a beef and cheese empanada with chipotle aioli which Janet found excellent and spiced just right with the kick coming at the end.
For Suite occupents there is a churrascaria menu with Brazilian pork loin, Cornish hen , cheese bread, Brazilian beans and squash medley served with meat on a sword and other items around it on a large platter; chicken riggies with hot and sweet cherry peppers in a tomato-cream sauce and brioche bread pudding made with cinnamon-brown sugar custard, dried cranberries and white chocolate.
Janet tried all of these items and again they were excellent. The Riggies had a slight heat to them but not overwhelming, the bread pudding was very moist, the empanada meat also has a hint of heat but was very good and she only tried the squash medley but found the churrascaria to be very good an item that needs to be tried to enjoy since they will cut the meat off of the sword right in front of the customer.
The Aud Club is gone and in its place is the Michelob Ultra Lounge. This is open to all fans attending events at Key Bank and includes an expanded food and beverage experience. There is a live-action grill with hand-carved beef on weck and fried bologna.
This is the place to meet up, grab a drink and something to eat.
If you are looking for grab and go food and beverage go to The Market sponsored by Sahlen’s. Located on the 100 Level near Section 100 there are hot dogs, nachos, pretzels with cheese, popcorn, assorted soft drinks and canned beer.
Delaware North with provide all-inclusive food and beverages in the re-imagined 1970 Club. This is for Signature Seat members, which are sold out for the season. The Club has been refurnished with an upgraded sound system and 10 new 75-inch TVs.
The Sabres also announced that the Sword with beer is returning during the regular season and a hockey stick filled with a slushie for the younger fans will also be available. There is also a hot dog combo meal that will be served in a tray featuring the Sabres logo.
Along with all that the Sabres Store will be featuring new items throughout the season. A couple of items that stuck out at the introduction were the stuffed beef-on-weck, periogi and chicken wing. There is a Mystery Puck box where you will not know what you are getting for a puck but each box provides you an opportunity to collect the set.
(Editor’s note: NYHOL tried most of the items and found all to be tasty. We did not try the burgers which are very large but looked great. With all the ingredients on them, they aren’t something we aspire to. They are a meal. The menu seems to be leaning toward a little more spicy and heated taste but none of those tastes were overwhelming. We found all the items to be very creative and they were presented beautifully.)
