What to Eat at a Vegas Golden Knights Game

Vegas is capable of satisfying your indulgences for excess in virtually any area, including at T-Mobile Arena, the new home of the Golden Knights. On the night of the NHL expansion team’s emotional first home game, the arena’s executive chef gave me a rundown of their operations. BY MITCH GOLDICH

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Oct 12, 2017

What to Eat at a Vegas Golden Knights Game

Prime Rib Sandwich ($13)

The arena’s food and beverage partner is Levy, a Chicago-based company that also manages the grub at venues from the Staples Center to Wrigley Field. But that doesn’t mean the food here is the same you can get anywhere else. Executive chef Garry DeLucia interviewed more than 400 candidates to find about 40 cooks who he entrusts to handcraft meals for a hungry audience. This sandwich offers 6 oz. of prime rib in a New England style lobster roll. It’s topped with giardineira (pickled veggies, like Italian hot peppers) and a horseradish cream sauce. Be prepared for a little kick, from both the peppers and the horseradish. This is one DeLucia considers a “Wow item.” Many arenas would give you roast beef, he tells me, but they give you prime rib. The quality shows. (Trust me, I ate one.)

Cheddar Stuffed Brat($9)

You can indeed come to T-Mobile stadium and get a hot dog. But if you’re looking for something a little extra, the arena also offers a cheddar-stuffed bratwurst topped with peppers and onions. Apologies in advance if you never want to eat a regular hot dog again.

Behold The Gold ($18)

The arena’s signature cocktail is the perfect shade of yellow. There’s no coloring added, they just spent considerable time mixing quantities of fresh passionfruit, pineapple, lemon and agave juices until they got the shade just right. They also pour in some single barrel Patron Reposado, and garnish it with a dehydrated pineapple leaf that’s been brûléed to look like a golden replica of the team’s secondary logo. $18 is pretty steep for a cocktail, but it’s a tasty and fruity drink that would work inside a chilly hockey arena or by one of the Strip’s outdoor pools.

SUITE LIFE: Italian Grinder ($11)

The first three items above are available throughout the entire arena. If you're a high roller, you'll have a few extra options in the suites. I visited three lounges within the arena—the Jack Daniels Lounge, the Bud Light Lounge and the Goose Island Lounge to see what extra gastronomical options abound. This beauty is overstuffed with three types of meat: imported salami, capocollo and mortadella. All are hand-sliced on a Berkel hand-cranked slicer, because you deserve a little show with your sandwich. Provolone is the cheese of choice here, and this sandwich eschews lettuce for some crunchy Italian coleslaw and a little virgin olive oil on top.

SUITE LIFE: Roasted Turkey Sandwich ($11)

Get ready for Thanksgiving in your mouth all year round. This new menu item is a sandwich of thick slices of turkey breast topped with cornbread stuffing and cranberry aioli. I had to attack this one from the top down to avoid spilling the toppings all over myself, but my last few bites of turkey in the big roll were still delicious.

SUITE LIFE: Dessert Cart

The arena has three fully-stocked dessert carts that roll around to all the various suites and lounges so that you can get your dessert fix without even moving.

The cart offers every variety of cookie, cake or brownie you could ask for, and even a scoop of edible cookie dough.

SUITE LIFE: Chocolate Shot Glass (2 for $12)

bailey's-vegas-golden-knights.jpg — Mitch Goldich

The cart also has some dessert booze, of course, which you can take in a chocolate shot glass. You will be forced into a tough decision here, though. Some people take the shot and then eat the chocolate, while others put the entire shot glass full of booze in their mouth in one fell swoop. Yours truly took a shot of Bailey’s and then ate the shot glass immediately after because I have class, OK? Shots are two for $12, and other liquors included Disaronno and Patron XO Café.

LOCAL FAVORITES: Shake Shack

If you’re one of us regular folks instead of a suite-dweller, the arena also has food options from several local favorites. You can check out Chronic Taco, Rollin’ Smoke BBQ, Pizza Forte and even a Shake Shack.