New food items on the menu of AAC restaurants in Dallas during the NBA Finals

DALLAS – Read this story and more North Texas business news from our partners at the Dallas Business Journal

The Dallas Mavericks head home for two more games in the 2024 NBA Finals.

Even for those who aren’t basketball fans, it’s hard to miss the endless support from the city of Dallas and the excitement for the host team, who haven’t secured a Finals victory since beating the Miami Heat in 2011.

And since the Dallas Stars completed their NHL playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers, there’s more pressure than ever on the Mavericks. But the American Airlines Center, home of the Stars and Mavericks, tried to give the team and its fans a playoff experience the likes of which the city had not seen in 13 years.

“Since the Stars recently ended their playoff streak, we have been focused on elevating the Mavs to ensure a strong finish to the 2024 NBA Finals.” – said Chelsey Oliver, AAC Chief Marketing Officer. “It has been 13 years since the Dallas Mavericks played in the Finals, so the city of Dallas has truly come together to support our team.”

Debuting on June 12, the new AAC menu items will be available to munch on during the Mavericks’ home game against the Boston Celtics.

Oliver said that with the new menu items, the arena allowed fans to watch away games on the big screen for $10, especially as tickets for Mavericks-Celtics games reached record highs. Restaurants and other businesses also showed their support across the city, including a pizza inspired by player Luka Doncic and his native Slovenia.

“The NBA Finals is a special time for Mavs fans, and like the entire team, we’re leaving everything out there to make it an incredible celebration,” said Scott Hargrove, chief operating officer of Levy Restaurants at AAC. “We started the playoffs with a menu game plan that presented unique, compelling offerings in each round. Think elevated ingredients and presentations. This is our chance to bring out things you won’t find in any other game.”

For a limited time, AAC has added seven new items to its menu, some of which draw inspiration from New England flavors combined with old-school Southern hospitality.

Urban fusion starts with a corn dog with a lobster tail – yes, you read that right. Priced at $40, the lobster tail will be breaded and fried, topped with spicy aioli and lemon herb butter, and served with truffle potato chips.

Surf-n-turf grilled cheese has also been added to the list. For $50, the cheese and sourdough bread will be stacked in three layers with layers of grilled ribeye steak, melted Gruyere and American cheese, Fresno peppers and butter-poached lobster.

Also on the menu will be a Texas-sized beef short rib burrito for $40. Two birria-seasoned short ribs will be stuffed into a flour tortilla along with cilantro-lime rice, charro beans, pico de gallo and grated Colby Jack cheese.

Other items include a $18 bacon-wrapped baked potato and a $23 brisket sandwich with fried onion ring, macaroni and cheese, and a hot link, topped with a bacon-wrapped jalapeño stuffed with cheese. Candied charred pork belly ends are also on the menu for $14, with the option to add them to an order of macaroni and cheese or baked potatoes.

For dessert, AAC added a $23 nacho dessert featuring cinnamon sugar sopapilli topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, strawberries and white chocolate chips.

“When we create menu items, we draw inspiration from many places…” said Andres Dominguez, Levy’s executive chef at AAC. “Our culinary team puts each product through multiple rounds of taste testing to ensure that each dish tastes great and, just as importantly, can be cooked consistently perfectly on an arena scale.”

The limited menu items will debut during Game 3 on June 12 and will run throughout all remaining home games during the Finals. The Celtics’ home arena, TD Garden, also revealed its NBA Finals menu items, including a $150 gold-embellished lobster roll.