Spicy News

Annual Hatch chile invasion of Dallas seems waayy over the top in 2021

Chuy's is a Hatch pioneer.

Photo courtesy of Chuy's

If it's August, then Hatch chiles must be here — and in 2021 they are here with a vengeance.

This annual, slightly contrived yet entirely enjoyable ritual sees Hatch chiles come in to Dallas from the hamlet of Hatch, New Mexico, starting at the end of July/early August — to spice up (in a very mild manner) various dishes at restaurants around town, all happy to celebrate this seasonal item.

There are two Hatch pillars in town: Central Market (who boast that they buy more Hatch chiles than anyone in Texas) and Chuy's, the Austin-based Tex-Mex chain, which paved the way with its on-site roasting and incorporation of the chiles into various limited-edition dishes.

Other restaurants have followed suit over the years, and Hatch fever has phased in and out. But in 2021, Hatch is in, in what seems like a bigger-than-usual way, with oodles of restaurants doing Hatch specials.

Hardcore chile heads like their chiles unbearably hot, and the Hatch chile is a letdown in that regard, coming in on the Scoville scale between 2,000 and 8,000 Scoville heat units. If you look on a chile pepper heat chart, they're still in the green band, just below jalapenos, and that won't do, must be in the red zone.

But the Hatch is a fun thing if you like to follow seasonality, and God knows we desperately need fun in 2021. Besides, things always taste better when you can't have them year-round.

Here's who's doing Hatch in 2021:

Central Market. The supermarket chain is hosting its 26th annual Hatch Chile Fest from August 4-24, and promise they're featuring more Hatch products and dishes than ever before. Highlights include

Hatch queso chicken mac & cheese casserole
Hatch twice-baked potatoes
Hatch crab cakes
Hatch pepper sausage kolaches
Brioche with roasted hatch pepper

Blue Goose Cantina. Restaurant chain is launching its 19th Annual Hatch Chile Fest featuring their Hatch menu which has a dedicated page on their website. Offerings include:

Hatchamole - guacamole with Hatch chile peppers, lime, & salt
Hatch queso - a white queso with freshly roasted Hatch chiles
Hatch salsa - mesquite-grilled Hatch chiles with cilantro, onion, garlic, and tomato
Hatch Trick - A combination of Hatchamole, Hatch queso, and Hatch salsa
Hatch can nachos - choice of ground beef or shredded chicken, Hatch queso, Hatch pineapple pico de gallo, and guacamole
Hatch Santa Fe quesadilla - with chicken, Hatch chiles, jack cheese, black beans, and corn, plus a side of Hatchamole
Hatch stew - New Mexico-style stew with Hatch chiles, pork, potatoes, and carrots
Hatch pulled pork enchiladas
Hatch street tacos
Skinny Hatch margarita

Blue Mesa Grill. Southwest restaurant chain is another Hatch veteran, hosting its 25th Annual Hatch Chile Festival, from August 4-September 5, with a special menu that includes:

Crispy fried Hatch strips with ancho mayo
Hatch Combo (two for $14 or three for $16): Hatch rellenos with jack cheese in a blue corn crust; creamy pulled chicken; or garlic-basil shrimp
Hatch steak taco with queso
Hatch brownie with cajeta and vanilla ice cream
Hatch Paloma cocktail with Puro Verde silver tequila, bourbon whiskey, Hatch, grapefruit juice & soda, lime and agave

Hatch Combos are available for takeout in Family Packs, plus a pan of Hatch brownies and the Hatch Paloma in a pouch.

Cane Rosso. Neapolitan pizza chain has a special pizza-of-the-month featuring roasted Hatch chiles, combined with mozzarella, herb mascarpone, peaches, prosciutto, and basil.

Chuy's. Hatch chile pioneer is a purist: They generally don't start their celebration until mid-August, but their Hatch items including their lip-smacking Hatch Green Chile Sauce have a rabid following.

Eataly Dallas. Italian marketplace in NorthPark Center is celebrating August 9-15 with food-and-drink specials at Terra, their in-house Italian restaurant:

Hatch Peperonata – side dish with hot & mild hatch chile grilled over the open flame and marinated, served with Agostino Recca Anchovies and thyme
Hatch & Not So Heavy - a bright cocktail with Hatch green chile-infused Ford's Gin, Caffo Limoncello, and lemon
Some Like It Hatch - Hatch Green Chile-Infused Texas Silver Star Vodka, Luxardo Maraschino, pineapple, grenadine, and lemon

Eatzi's Market & Bakery. Gourmet market has a selection of items available for a limited time that include:

Hatch Chicken Salad, traditional chicken salad mixed with hatch chile peppers
Hatch Chile Empanadas with chicken, roasted hatch green chiles and queso fresco inside a flaky crust
Sausage & Hatch Pepper Pizza

Fuzzy's Taco Shop. Taco chain has a special taco available through Sunday, August 29. The Hatch Green Chile Taco features shredded spicy pork or shredded chicken with garlic sauce, avocado slices, feta, and cilantro with a Hatch green chile sauce on a warm flour tortilla.

Meso Maya. Mexican restaurant chain is doing a special themed cocktail for $13. The Hatch Cantorito has Casa Noble Tequila Blanco, Cointreau, hatch chile, lime, and pineapple, with a lime-chile chamoy rim.

Village Burger Bar. The burger chain is doing a special $6.50 Hatch Margarita, consisting of a frozen margarita swirled with hatch chile puree.

El Fenix. Starting August 16, the Tex-Mex chain is doing a whole special Hatch chile menu, as follows:

Hatch Chile & Chicken Quesadilla. New Mexico green chile seasoned chicken, Monterrey jack, roasted diced chiles on a flour tortilla, with charro beans, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo
New Mexico Hatch Chicken Enchiladas. Roasted green Chile, Monterrey jack cheese, sauteed onions, topped with queso blanco and roasted Hatch green chile salsa, with rice and pinto beans
Hatch Queso Blanco Enchiladas. Two enchilada tortillas filled with Monterrey jack and fresco cheese, diced roasted hatch Chile, and onions, topped with queso blanco, served with pinto beans and rice
Hatch Chile Queso Blanco

Snuffer's. Starting August 16, burger chain is doing two special sandwiches, and a special margarita, all starring Hatch chiles:

Hatch Chile Sloppy Burger. Beef patty cooked with diced Hatch chiles, onions, topped with aged cheddar on a poppy seed bun, with tomato and chipotle mayo
Crispy Hatch Chicken Sandwich. Fried chicken and melted jack cheese on a poppyseed bun with green cabbage slaw, tomato, Hatch sauce, and chipotle mayo
Hatch Margarita. Blue agave tequila Blanco, Hatch chile puree, lime, pineapple juice, and Cointreau orange liqueur on the rocks with lime Chile tajin rim

tex-mex

Stadium Food News

Dallas' American Airlines Center intros new menu with fancy pizza

AAC

American Airlines Center is debuting a new menu.

Amerian Airlines Center has unveiled a new food menu in time for the 2024-2025 season that includes pizza and chicken from some high-end names.

According to a release, the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars have partnered with Levy, American Airlines Center’s hospitality partner, and 50 Eggs Hospitality Group to upgrade the food experience.

Patrick Dumont, governor of the Mavericks says in a statement that "these enhancements are the beginning of our effort to reimagine the experience at American Airlines Center," while Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts says that “championship-level teams on the ice and on the court go well with championship-level food."

Upgrading menus has been a trend at sports venues in recent years, one that AAC has not followed until now, says John Kunkel, founder of 50 Eggs Hospitality Group, who helped introduce the menu at an event at the arena on October 11.

"The arena here has been so focused on winning and excellence in their teams, the food was really just never a focus," Kunkel says. "When new ownership came in, we looked around at other stadiums coming alive and revamping menus, and wanted to continue to provide a great experience for the fans and keep pushing things. Particularly with new ownership having such an understanding and long background in hospitality and luxury hotels and restaurants, they knew immediately what they wanted to do. We had been partners on other projects for years, so it was a natural progression to get into."

Highlights include:

Chicken tenders: 50 Eggs Hospitality (Yardbird, Chica, Wakuda), will roll out chicken tenders from their popular Spring Chicken restaurant. The group has been instrumental in developing the vision for the new elevated menu alongside Levy and the American Airlines Center.

Pizza: 50 Eggs brought in Bonanno Brothers Pizzeria, from award-winning Denver-based chef Frank Bonanno (Mizuna, Luca, French 75, Osteria Marco, Salita Vesper Lounge) to do a freshly spun and hand-stretched pizza available in cheese and pepperoni, at Bonanno Brothers Pizzeria throughout the arena.

"Across the country, chicken fingers and pizza are the number one seller in every stadium," Kunkel says. "Doesn't matter if you've got sushi or Middle East — it doesn't matter, people love those two items. So we put a big focus on trying to make those the best we could. In this cse, all Italian imported ingredients and amazing pizza prepared by an award winning chef."

Other upgrades include a Texas-sized Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich, Niman Ranch hot dogs, jumbo pretzels, dulce de leche churros, street tacos, a smash burger, and BBQ.

The new menu rolls out Saturday October 12 at the Dallas Stars’ regular season home opener against the New York Islanders.

The 2024-25 American Airlines Center signature food menu:

Bonanno Brothers Cheese and Pepperoni Pizza
Chef Frank Bonnano will use ingredients such as Caputo 00 flour, Italian mozzarella and parmesan, Burke pepperoni, and fresh full red tomato sauce for a new take on pizza, the most popular food item ordered at American Airlines Center.

Chicken Tenders by Spring Chicken
Hand-breaded fresh chicken tenderloins created in collaboration with the James Beard award-winning recipe from 50 Eggs Hospitality's Yardbird restaurant.

All-Beef Hot Dog
Niman Ranch all-beef hot dogs are smoked over hickory wood without added nitrates or nitrites, served on brioche buns baked by Signature Baking Company.

Zavala’s BBQ
Consistently ranked as one of the best BBQ joints in the DFW area, Zavala’s will bring brisket, sausage, ribs, and more.

Artisan Soft Pretzels
Handmade on-site using an authentic Amish recipe, these premium soft pretzels from Ben’s Pretzels are light, fluffy, and lightly salted with an imported German pretzel salt. All pretzels are egg-, dairy-, and nut-free.

Dulce de Leche Churros
Created in collaboration with local business The Churro Factory, these treats will have the perfect blend of crispy, golden dough and rich, creamy sweetness.

Texas-Sized Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
A Texas-sized rendition of the Philadelphia classic, the sandwich will include all-natural black angus beef from 44 Farms, a Cameron, Texas, family-owned operation with more than 100 years of experience providing a delicious, wholesome, and enjoyable eating experience. The sandwiches will be served with white American cheese and provolone cheese, sautéed white onions, and wrapped in a signature baking fresh French baguette from Signature Baking Company.

Street Tacos
Using corn tortillas from La Norteña Tortillas, fans can choose from three different options:

Carne Asada: Carne asada, cilantro-onions, avocado salsa
Chicken Carnitas Taco: Chicken carnitas, cilantro-onions, tomatillo salsa
Tacos al Pastor: Shaved pastor meat, cilantro-onions, grilled pineapple, salsa taquera

Smash Burger
The burger has been reimagined with a custom beef blend from Buckhead Meat Co. and includes American cheese, Levy secret sauce, and bread and butter pickles on a brioche bun from Signature Baking Company.