Burger News
Dallas' American Airlines Center flips burgers into restaurant lineup
It's hard to believe that burgers were not already in the lineup of vendor stands at American Airlines Center, but that glaring omission has been remedied. Valor Bar & Burger is a new restaurant opening in time for the 2017-18 season with burgers, cocktails, wine, and beer.
Valor joins other in-house eateries such as — well, do we even need to list them? Surely these are places we all know by heart. We're talking about such concepts as Effen Vodka Bar. Tequila Patron VIP Lounge. Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Club. Gentleman Jack Lounge. Jack's Place. Boy, there is a whole lot of Jack happening at AAC.
To mark the opening of Valor Bar & Burgers with the proper fanfare, American Airlines Center is hosting a "craft burger" recipe competition. These will not be just any burgers, they will be craft burgers.
Three finalists were chosen from over 40 submissions: Mark Nichols, Gabrielle Faust, and Brett Cranfill. They'll create their specialty burgers for a panel of judges including Dallas Mavericks player Yogi Ferrell, Dallas Stars player Adam Cracknell, WFAA's Good Morning Texas co-host Alanna Sarabia, and KTCK’s BaD Radio producer Jake Kemp.
Burgers submitted must onsist of a one-third pound beef patty. All other ingredients were up to their discretion. Will there be bacon? Surely there will be bacon. The judges will decide on September 27, and the winning burger will be featured as the Burger of the Month for October.
Valor Bar & Burger is located on the main concourse of American Airlines Center. The menu has five burgers, a chicken sandwich, a veggie burger, a Cobb salad, and milkshakes, says supervising chef Mark Mabry.
"The burgers are all beef, and they're all hand-pressed," Mabry says. "The signature burger comes with lettuce, tomato, shaved red onion, and our 'Valor sauce,' on a brioche bun from Signature Baking. We also have a green chile burger, a smoked brisket burger, a Texas chili burger, and we'll have the burger of the month. The chicken is a 'Dallas hot chicken,' our spin on the Nashville hot chicken."
The veggie burger is a spicy black bean burger by MorningStar. All burgers are $12.50 and served with waffle fries.
For their opening, they have milkshakes in the classic trio of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla; they'll add "fun" new milkshake flavors as the season progresses. And saving the best for last: All milkshakes can be upgraded to an "adult" version with alcohol.