Jon and I love food. So naturally when we were asked by the good folks at Delaware North to sample the specials for this weekend, we jumped at the chance. Executive Chef Wade Gnann has been calling the shots for the last five years, and has been given free reign to create special items for events like this.
BEHOLD:
“Tres on Tres Tortas” – Classic Mexican Street Food Sandwich filled with choice of Cilantro Lime Chicken, Pork Carnitas or Carne Asada with Fresh Guacamole, Pico and Pickled Red Onions.
“Body Check Burger” – Half Pound of Slab Bacon topped with White American Cheese and a Fried Egg, served on French Toast with Maple Syrup.
“Main Advantage Meatballs” – Giant Half Pound Meatball (with veal, pork and beef) topped with Marinara and Parmesan Cheese. Served on Thick Sliced Garlic Bread.
“Goal Line Grilled Cheese” – Char Broiled Beef Ribeye and Portabella Mushrooms Topped with Smoked Blue Cheese.
“Slap Shot Short Rib” – One Pound Bone-In Beef Rib Slowly Smoked over Cherry Wood with Smokey Mountain BBQ Sauce.
“Game-Winning Grits” – there will be a Southern Grits station that will either have traditional buttery or white cheddar grits with a choice of freshly prepared toppings.
These will include:
Shrimp & Crawfish Etouffee
Country Ham and Bourbon Red Eye Gravy
Bacon Maple Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions
There’s a lot on unpack there. Let’s focus in on that Body Check Burger, AKA “The Beautiful Death of Jason Zito”.
“We added this five foot Mongolian Grill… I didn’t just want to do a lot of bacon on top of a beef patty. Everyone does that. I wanted to make the bacon… the burger.”
You heard the man. The bacon IS the burger. The bacon is slow cooked in the smoker, then finished on the grill to firm up the outside. Otherwise, the texture would be too soft or too tough.
Nailed it.
Beef Short Rib
“One of the things we did i the renovation was put in a smoker, right on the main concourse… “
“The Beef Short Ribs are 1 pound, one single bone… this is your Fred Flintstone, brontosaurus bone.”
Chef Gnann said he had a lot of fun creating this, and it showed. It looks like a mad scientist took over Alton Brown’s house, and the results were awesome. Below is the audio of the interview. Enjoy!