San Jose Sharks fans: Boozy slushes, dessert tacos and an SAP Center first, poutine

Chomp takes on new meaning this season as the San Jose Sharks, SAP Center and their culinary partner, Aramark, unveil a huge new lineup of food and drink choices for hockey fans.

Good thing it’s a sport with two intermissions.

Joining all the popular, locally owned restaurants are several new Aramark concepts. “We owe it to our fans to come out strong and elevate the experience overall,” said Gordan Kalinic, general manager of SAP Center. “The name of the game is innovation.”

And innovate they have, from new desserts — created after fans in tasting sessions told SAP they wanted more sweet options, especially for the second intermission — to themed popcorn and cocktails to over-the-top creations like the Pastrami Burger and the Mac ‘n’ Cheetos Burger.

And Canadian classics will have an increased presence at the Shark Tank this season, including what’s believed to be the first Quebecois Poutine served at a National Hockey League arena south of the border. Squeaky cheese curd alert!

Here’s a sampling of new and returning eateries. For details on vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and keto options, check www.sapcenter.com/guestservices/arena-food-beverage.

NEW SIPS AND COLLECTIBLE CUPS: 

Slush Cantina: SAP Center is joining the boozy slush trend. The frozen cocktails come in flavors like classic margarita, peach mango margarita, blue raspberry margarita, fruit punch rum runner and piña colada, and are served in yard cups. Kalinic calls them “17 ounces of pure happiness.”

Sharkarita: Made with Milagro Silver Tequila, the arena’s signature margarita is now served in a collectible, cocktail-shaker-style cup (with a shark fin, of course) for home use.

Cool new cups: The collectible 100% aluminum cups with the shark fin design or SAP logo are also 100% recyclable. You can take them home or you can safely discard them at the arena and know that they will be sorted and recycled by SAP’s recycling partner, Kalinic said.

BRAND NEW TO SAP CENTER:

Pana: The popular Santa Cruz food truck from proprietor German Sierra is introducing hockey fans to Venezuelan stuffed cornmeal pockets: The Pabellon, with beef, cheese, black beans and plantains; the Sifrina, with chicken, cheese and avocado; and the PB, a plant-based one filled with black beans, avocado, plantains and tomato.

Izzy’s Cheesesteaks: The Izzy’s folks — that’s Mary Anne and Marvin Reyes — specialize in Philadelphia cheesesteaks on Amoroso rolls from Philly but with what they call a “a Bay twist.” That means besides The Classic, they are grilling up a spicy number called  The Srirachacha and The RGM, with Christopher Ranch roasted garlic, mushrooms, grilled onions and house-made cheese sauce.

ABVE the Basics: The chefs from this restaurant inside downtown San Jose’s Rec Room are making Street Bowls and Churro Doughnuts drizzled with caramel.

El Halal Amigos: Chef-founder Hisham Abdelfattah introduced halal Mexican cuisine to the Bay Area via his food truck, then opened a brick-and-mortar in San Jose’s Willow Glen. At SAP, he’s offering street tacos filled with a choice of Brisket Barbacoa, Pollo A Pastor, Carne Asada or Butternut Squash & Crispy Kale, plus nachos and chips with queso.

THEMED POPCORN AND COCKTAILS:

Fan can expect lots of flavored fun this season.

Aramark’s come up with a popcorn of the month and a popcorn of the game. November’s flavor is Autumn Feast, made with cranberry maple seasoning; in December it will be Winter Snowstorm popcorn, made with sugar cookie crumble, powdered sugar and red and green sprinkles; and for January, Hot Chocolate Liquid Happiness, made with Oreo crumble, chocolate syrup and mini-marshmallows.

Themed cocktails will include the “Fallen Kings,” a Ketel One Vodka concoction, when the Los Angeles Kings come to town Nov. 25, and “Up In Flames,” made with Jack Daniel’s Fire Whiskey, for the Dec. 18 game against the Calgary Flames.

THE DESSERT COURSE:

Barn Burner: What’s a Dessert Taco? This SAP stand starts with a cinnamon-sugar dessert shell, then loads it up with strawberries and whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Fizz Factory: An appropriately named stand for fans of root beer floats and other effervescent drinks.

CREAM: There’s a new Brownie Sundae from CREAM (Cookies Rule Everything About Me), the folks with the ice cream sandwiches made with freshly baked (and cooled) cookies, as well as an Affogato, espresso and ice cream.

Rita’s: The Italian ice specialist is offering customizable sundaes with a variety of toppings this season.

Twist & Crisp: This Aramark stand is serving Dessert Pretzels topped with cinnamon-apple compote.

Cookie Nachos: First introduced last season, this cookie, ice cream and candy concoction from Aramark is making a return appearance.

NEW CONCEPTS FROM FAN FAVORITES: 

Augie’s Montreal Deli: Thanks to Augie’s, the Shark Tank is believed to the only NHL arena in the United States now serving  Quebecois Poutine, made with triple-fried red potatoes, cheese curds and gravy. The stand run by Lex Gopnik-Lewinski has a wider presence at the arena this year, which also means more fan access to his Montreal Smoke Meat sandwiches. He’s also making Montreal-style Smoke Turkey, breast meat cured and seasoned with his signature spice blend and served on rye.

Sushi Confidential: A move to a larger stand on the concourse allows chef-owner Randy Musterer to add four new hot dishes for SAP customers. Look for Sweet and Sour Chicken Karaage, Unagi Waffle Fries, Spicy Poke Tots and Chicken Skewers to join the sushi, poke and gyoza lineup. The tuna/salmon Sharks Roll that “Sushi Randy” developed — with its brilliant teal color and cucumber “fin” — naturally is back this season.

Konjoe Burger: New from Santa Clara restaurateur Joey Camacho and his team is the Pastrami Burger. For this spicy number, they start with a patty that blends ground pastrami, ground beef and Swiss cheese, then top it with kimchi and Korean-style Thousand Island dressing. They are also making Bacon Deluxe burgers.

Smoking Pig BBQ: Pitmaster Paul Reddick has added Brisket Nachos to the lineup of brisket, pulled pork and chicken sandwiches and side dishes. The popular (and easy to eat) Burnt Ends — those saucy brisket nuggets — are back too, and they sell out early.

Burger District: This Aramark stand is where fans will find the Mac ‘n’ Cheetos Burger, a wild creation courtesy of Aramark chefs Kevin Fong and Sam Guevarra. The key ingredient is a crispy fritter made from Flaming Hot Cheetos and macaroni and cheese, placed atop the beef patty, along with applewood-smoked bacon, American cheese, jalapenos and the chefs’ signature Sharks Sauce.

ALSO RETURNING:

Look for the Blue Line Pizza deep-dish individual pies; the Nourish stand with its build-your-own-salad concept; the Barn Burner for Silva sausages and Miller’s hot dogs; Tenders Love and Chicken for wings and tenders; Twist & Crisp, for helmet nachos; and The Carvery, for sandwiches. For the rest of the lineup, go to www.sapcenter.com/guestservices/arena-food-beverage.