The Sacramento Kings’ season is about to tip off. What’s new in Golden 1 Center’s concessions?
The Sacramento Kings’ season opener Thursday will feature a few new additions. No, not DeMar DeRozan and Doug McDermott.
Golden 1 Center’s concession stands will debut eight new food options as the season tips off — they’re priced between $8 and $18, and sit pretty with the downtown arena’s pledge to source 90% of ingredients from within 150 miles.
Lower Level
Light the Beam churros (Centro Cocina Mexicana, Section 101): A Sacramento version of Spain’s churros con chocolate, these Beam-like rods of fried dough are dusted with purple ube sugar and served with a spiced chocolate dipping sauce.
Grilled ham-n-cheese (Big Cheese Dog House, Section 108): This easy comfort food piles baked ham, Dijon aioli and a cheese blend from one of Golden 1 Center’s two main suppliers (Rumiano Cheese Co. in Willows and Petaluma Creamery) onto southeastern Sacramento-based Posh Bakery’s version of Texas toast. It’s served with a cup of tomato soup, ensuring that the players won’t be the only ones dunking.
Thai curry chicken bowl (Star Ginger, Section 112): One of the arena’s healthier concession options, this Southeast Asian-inspired grain bowl showers Foster Farms chicken in a medium-heat yellow coconut curry sauce atop the customer’s choice of True Origin Foods (West Sacramento) jasmine or brown rice. It can then be topped with kimchi, house-pickled do chua (Vietnamese carrot-daikon slaw), cucumber, kale, red cabbage and edamame.
Beef dip (Paragary’s, Sections 118 and 203): The apple of Golden 1 Center executive chef Brien Kuznicki’s eye, the beef dip is available at Paragary’s stands on both levels. Thin-sliced, grass-fed beef roasted in a pizza oven meets provolone and horseradish aioli on a roll from Davis-based Village Bakery, served au jus for dipping.
“My favorite right now is the beef dip,” Kuznicki said during Golden 1 Center’s media preview on Wednesday. “We’ve been R&D’ing, coming up with the best, because everyone’s kind of particular when it comes to a beef dip sandwich. Obviously, I’m biased but I think ours is going to be the best.
Porchetta sandwich (Porchetta House, Section 121): This original menu item from Golden 1 Center’s 2016 opening has returned with a few tweaks. Tangy salsa verde and pickled onions join herby roasted porchetta on a Village Bakery Roll.
Upper Level
Cajun chicken sandwich (Market Kitchen, Section 201): Former Kings shooting guard Marcus Thornton, nicknamed the Bayou Bomber, might well approve of this chicken rubbed with Cajun spice mix and served with cheddar, sauteed onions, lettuce and tomato on a Posh Bakery bun.
Chicken gyro (Petra Greek, Section 210): Slow-cooked chicken has joined beef and lamb in Petra’s gyro rotation, joined in its pita by tzatziki, Stockton-grown red onions, tomatoes and french fries.
Kings Kocktail (Union Wine, Spirits and Ale, Section 214): Not a new food (though it does include fruit) but a signature beverage, the refreshing Kings Kocktail combines tequila blanco, pureed and muddled blueberries, prickly pear juice and lime juice in a souvenir shaker cup finished with a dehydrated lime wheel.
Local restaurants and food vendors will also appear in the Kings’ Pop-Up Kitchen for theme nights throughout the season. Baboy Boys, Pain Pain Bakery, Oak Park Brewing Co. and other concepts have served from the stall in Section 201 (Market Kitchen on non-theme nights) in the past.