Vegan News

Dallas Stars host special vegan event featuring crazy-convincing corned beef

This corned beef is unreal.

Photo courtesy of Unreal Deli

Operating under the theory that nothing goes better with vegan food than puck action, The Dallas Stars is hosting a "Vegan Night" on February 11 wherein attendees can feast on a plant-based meal while cheering on the team in their battle against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The event includes a ticket and a choice from three plant-based meals:

Unreal Reuben made with Unreal Corned Beef
Vegan Brat made with Beyond Sausage
Beyond Burger

According to a release, the theme is to give hockey fans a chance to meet others who are into plant-based eating. Stars executive VP Matt Bowman says that the idea came from a Stars employee, Samantha Parrish, who worked with Dallas Vegan Meetup, a group that coordinates vegan social events including a monthly drink meetup.

"All the credit for the 'Dallas Stars Vegan Night' goes to Samantha Parrish, a member of our team who was inspired by her vegan roommate," Bowman says in a statement. "Sam connected with Dallas Vegan and was thrilled that they were as excited as we were to have an event together."

Dallas Vegan founder Jamey Scott is a well-known hockey fan and Stars supporter.

One of the big players in the event is Unreal Deli, a Los Angeles-based vegan meat company known for its convincing faux corned beef that's been a buzzy item in the vegan world.

Unreal caught the attention of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on an episode of Shark Tank, and he's invested $250,000 in the business. Cuban recently changed to a vegetarian diet.

Unreal Deli's corned beef is made from beets, chickpeas, and tomatoes. It's sold at an increasing number of Whole Foods Markets, and was just added for a limited time to the menu at Mendocino Farms, the California-based "better sandwich" shop that's opening its first Dallas location at the 2000 Ross building in the spring.

On her episode of Shark Tank, Unreal Deli founder Jenny Goldfarb said, "This business is a cash-cow. We're making cash, and we're saving the cows." That's cute.

American Airlines Center has shown an increasing commitment to vegan diners. Plant-based options are regularly offered at Stars and Mavericks games, inside the Valor Bar & Burger stand.

Tickets are $25 per person for 300-level seating and $75 for lower bowl seating. Seats in dedicated "Vegan Night" sections are available for a limited time and can be purchased online at www.fevo.me/vegan. Doors for the event open at 5:30 pm, and the game begins at 7:30 pm.

vegan sports

Sushi News

Frisco sushi restaurant Hinoki does a slimmed-down twist on omakase

Thanin Viriyaki

Hinoki

A new sushi restaurant has debuted in Frisco with a mini version of omakase: Called Hinoki, it's open for lunch and dinner at 8050 Preston Rd. #106, in a space previously occupied by another short-lived Asian restaurant called Imura, and is serving seafood both raw and cooked.

Hinoki is from chef Leo Kekoa, who previously worked for the acclaimed Nobu chain and who also owns the popular Kinzo Sushi in north Frisco, which he opened in 2022 to bring omakase to Frisco.

Omakase is the dining experience in which the chef prepares a multi-course tasting menu of small bites made to order, often at a premium price. While omakase has no set number of dishes, it usually ranges from 10 to 20 courses depending on how excessive the chef/restaurant is.

Hinoki offers a six-course menu they describe as omakase for $75. It's a starter version that rotates but usually includes a sushi course, oyster topped with caviar, soup, galbi, and mochi dessert. The restaurant also has a regular a la carte menu featuring sushi, hot items, and composed bentos boxes for lunch.

Hinoki sushi HinokiThanin Viriyaki

"Kinzo is my fine-dining omakase restaurant," Kekoa says. "Hinoki is designed as its more casual counterpart — still rooted in discipline and detail, but more accessible."

Kekoa created the menu but he says it’s a team effort, with two veteran chefs: Chikau "Harry" Kikuchi, who brings 25-plus years of experience to the sushi counter (he and Kekoa worked together at Nobu); and chef Sachiko Hashimoto presiding over the hot line and overseeing the preparation of Hinoki's home-style and regional Japanese dishes.

No sushi restaurant can ignore basics like the spicy tuna roll, California roll, dragon roll, and shrimp tempura roll, but Hinoki also has a few of distinctive rolls such as the Kumo roll with crab, avocado, and chipotle aioli, wrapped in soy paper, which has a pleasing texture that's a little more toothsome than the standard crisp seaweed wrapper.

There are creative bowls as the Sake Dashi, featuring sushi-grade raw salmon, Asian pear, crushed marcona almonds, yuzu shirodashi, and truffle oil; and hot dishes such as miso black cod, teriyaki salmon, and Kushiyaki skewers with chicken thigh, kurobuta sausage, and shishito pepper. Most items average about $20.

Kekoa calls his lunch offering "honest and efficient."

"We’re bringing back the Japanese bento [referring to the cute boxed lunch with compartments for courses], such as our chirashi bento with fish, sushi rolls, and seaweed salad," he says.

Hinoki also has a full bar with sake, wine, beer, and cocktails.

Kekoa lives in Frisco and is bullish on his hometown.

"With Universal Studios on the way and PGA nearby, I believe this city deserves a neighborhood sushi spot done right," he says. "I want Hinoki to bring fine-dining service at a price more people can enjoy."

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