Scotiabank Arena unveils 33 new menu items for Leafs, Raptors fans
· Toronto Sun
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With new seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors already underway, Scotiabank Arena gave a sneak peek at some of the new eats fans will be chowing down on this year.
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The 33 new food and beverage options available this year include a Grana Padano Crusted Grilled Cheese from Cheese Boutique, a Maple Chicken Sandwich from Aloette Go, a Red Wine Braised Meatball Sandwich and a Smoked Beef Salami Sandwich from Cherry Street Bar-B-Que.
Lemon pepper wings have also been added to the menu thanks to the Raptors.
“Going back 17 years, the lemon pepper wings have been a mainstay on our Raptors menus,” MLSE culinary director Chris Zielinski told the Toronto Sun . “In the old days we used to have one of those phones with the cord on it and it would ring and they would be like, ‘Lemon pepper wings,’ every time. The guys love it. Even to this day, it’s super popular with them. So we thought, if it’s so good that the players want it, it deserves its own spot on the menu,” he said.
But fans get a more decadent version than the one served in the Raptors locker room, with the wings finished in a lemon garlic butter sauce.
“Normally, we’re not putting butter on things that we send down there,” Zielinski said.
Keeping with the Raptors’ theme, franchise great Kyle Lowry, whose No. 7 jersey will be retired in January, will also be honoured with the G.R.O.A.T. drink — which consists of Smirnoff Raspberry vodka, cranberry juice, grape juice, and ginger ale.
The three things every fan needs to try this year
With 33 new items to try, Zielinski didn’t hesitate — well maybe for a moment — when pressed to pick his top three.
“If you ask me tomorrow, I might have a different top three. But if you were only going to try three things here, I’d say the meatball sandwich. The meatball is outstanding. It’s got garlic butter on that bun, it’s slightly toasted and you’ve got Nonna’s sauce on there. The Maple Chicken sandwich from Aloette Go is also awesome. I think the little bit of sweetness that the maple adds to it is next level. The double smash burger is insane. The fact we can serve something of that quality is amazing. I’m excited every time I eat it. I can’t eat it every day, but in my mind I do.”
Michelin-recognized resto offers new twist on smoked meat
Barbecue pit master Lawrence La Pianta, whose Cherry Street Bar-B-Que in the Port Lands has received a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Group, will again offer up signature items from his downtown restaurant — including a new smoked beef salami sandwich.
“Change is great. We’re always pushing ourselves to make new stuff … We took our brisket that we’ve been cooking all summer long and from our trim we actually grind it down and make our own beef salami,” La Pianta said. “We wanted to do an homage to a traditional deli sandwich, so we took our beef salami and cut it up a little extra thick and we’re searing it on a flattop and finishing it with caramelized onions and our very own barbecue sauce.”
Cheese please
Fans of Toronto’s perennial cheese man, Afrim Pristine, who runs Cheese Boutique, will be able to sink their teeth into two new offerings from the west end shop: Ventaglia alla Vodka and a Grano Padano Crusted Grilled Cheese.
On game nights, Pristine’s chefs will make their vodka sauce in-house and send it down to the arena. “Inside there’s aged mozzarella, aged provolone and it’s all coated with more cheese,” he said. “Because you can never get enough cheese.”
Alongside new food, Scotiabank Arena has a new look
In addition to an expanded menu inside the venue, Scotiabank Arena marked the completion of the fourth phase of its $350-million Reimagination project.
Now 60% complete, the ongoing transformation includes changes to its 600-level suites and a revamped Galleria outside Gate 1 that features 14 glitzy LED displays, totalling approximately 4,500 square feet of digital signage positioned across the ceiling and sides as crowds make their way into the arena.
“This is all about creating a first impression when they come to this venue,” said Nick Eaves, Chief Operating Officer of MLSE. “It’s hard for fans to not be pretty inspired and energized as they’re getting here for the Leafs or Raptors.”
The remake also incorporates some of the architectural elements from its original home as a postal delivery building that was commissioned in 1938.
“We’ve preserved a bunch of the historical and protected iconography and artifacts that were a part of that building,” Eaves said. “It’s a nice marrying of the old with the new.”
Eaves said MLSE thought of building a new arena for the Leafs and Raptors before embarking on its multi-year renovation instead.
“There’s no better location than this spot in downtown Toronto,” he said. “We doubled down on making sure this is the best major market, metropolitan arena anywhere in North America.”