{"id":37172,"date":"2025-11-04T07:24:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T07:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/37172\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T07:24:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T07:24:10","slug":"dining-with-sharks-chef-reviews-sap-centers-newest-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/37172\/","title":{"rendered":"Dining With Sharks: Chef Reviews SAP Center’s Newest Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Jose Sharks have some new attractions, and not just on the ice.<\/p>\n

Last week, the Sharks hosted local media for a tasting event of some of SAP Center\u2019s new concession offerings.<\/p>\n

Chef Jean Swailes attended, representing San Jose Hockey Now, and she was kind of enough to write about some of her favorite SAP Center foods, and what worked and didn\u2019t about the event.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Jean!<\/p>\n

\u201cLast week I attended a special concessions tasting event at SAP Center, home of the San Jose Sharks, and it turned into a fun\u2014and frankly revealing\u2014journey through some of the stadium\u2019s more creative food offerings. Below are my impressions of each dish, followed by what stood out (both positives and areas for improvement).\u201d<\/p>\n

Chum Bucket
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Oct 28, 2025; San Jose, CA, USA; during San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. Photo: Sport Shots \/ Dean Tait<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one set the tone for the evening: popcorn served in a \u201cchum bucket\u201d style, salted butter, plus dehydrated strawberries, blueberry icing, and a hint of strawberry Pop-Tart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was sweet, salty, addicting. I didn\u2019t expect to like it so much\u2014but I couldn\u2019t help keeping snacking throughout the meal. The playful mash-up of flavors took what could have been a simple popcorn and turned it into something fun and memorable.\u201d<\/p>\n

(The Kernel 110, The Kernel 120)<\/p>\n

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Oct 28, 2025; San Jose, CA, USA; during San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. Photo: Sport Shots \/ Dean Tait<\/p>\n

Blood in the Water
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Oct 28, 2025; San Jose, CA, USA; during San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. Photo: Sport Shots \/ Dean Tait<\/p>\n

\u201cA custom cocktail: mango vodka, grenadine, Sprite, lime. The name is a cheeky nod to the Sharks\u2019 branding, and the drink was bright, tropical, with a sweet edge. It paired surprisingly well with the savory concessions items.\u201d<\/p>\n

Potato Tornado
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Oct 28, 2025; San Jose, CA, USA; during San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. Photo: Sport Shots \/ Dean Tait<\/p>\n

\u201cThis dish will be featured at the new Jumbo\u2019s restaurant (a tribute to San Jose Sharks legend Joe Thornton). A spiral-twirled, fried potato served with chipotle aioli and parmesan. The potatoes were served cold (a missed opportunity), but I still thought this was one of the biggest hits at our table. The shape and presentation gave it fun appeal; the seasoning and chipotle aioli elevated it. If served warm, could be a standout.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Jumbo\u2019s, Club Section 113)<\/p>\n

Tomahawk Steak
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Oct 28, 2025; San Jose, CA, USA; during San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. Photo: Sport Shots \/ Dean Tait<\/p>\n

\u201cA sizeable medium-done tomahawk cut, accompanied by broccolini and a delicious chimichurri sauce. This dish was another standout among the meat eaters: robust meat flavor, good texture, nicely balanced sides, and complimentary sauce. A proper crowd-pleaser.\u201d<\/p>\n

(SAP Center suites)<\/p>\n

Tater Tots (Beef Brisket)
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Oct 28, 2025; San Jose, CA, USA; during San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. Photo: Sport Shots \/ Dean Tait<\/p>\n

\u201cTater tots topped with smoked brisket, BBQ sauce, coleslaw, shredded cheese, green onions. Visually appealing and ambitious\u2014but for me, it was too much. The sweetness from the BBQ sauce, accompanied by the mayo in the coleslaw, and shredded cheese was overbearing; the dish felt heavy and I was only able to stomach a couple of bites. I had high hopes, but the layering of bold flavors lost me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bao Bun (Braised Pork Belly)
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Oct 28, 2025; San Jose, CA, USA; during San Jose Sharks vs Los Angeles Kings at SAP Center. Photo: Sport Shots \/ Dean Tait<\/p>\n

\u201cA soft bao bun filled with braised pork belly, pickled cucumber, carrot, red onion. Yum! The pickled vegetables added brightness, the pork belly was rich and flavorful. My only note: I would love to see more vegetarian options here (they have one at the concessions stand, but we didn\u2019t get to sample it). The stand has great potential for inclusive offerings.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Bun Me Up, Section 127)<\/p>\n

Arepas<\/p>\n

\u201cThis concession is my personal favorite at San Jose Sharks games. For our sampler, they offered shredded chicken & cheese, shredded pork & cheese, bean & cheese versions of their famous arepas. My particular favorite at their stand is the PB&A (plantains, black beans, and avocado). I was bummed they didn\u2019t include some of their more creative combinations in their sampler this evening. They also didn\u2019t provide any of their delicious homemade sauces with the samples they provided us. Without these, these items felt dry and dull. With the sauces, I\u2019m confident they\u2019d shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Pana Food Truck, Section 111)<\/p>\n

Loaded Baked Potato<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was another fan favorite. Toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, poblano peppers, chorizo, carne asada, green onions. What\u2019s not to love? I was very full at this point but couldn\u2019t help eating more than half a potato. These were generous portions, filling and delicious. I suspect sharks fans will love these too. My only critique: These would have been just as good without the meat, and more inclusive for all diners.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Ivan\u2019s Baked Potatoes)<\/p>\n

Dubai Cup<\/p>\n

\u201cStrawberries, pistachio sauce, dark chocolate sauce, crispy filo dough, whipped cream. Visually beautiful, rich in flavor. One suggestion: it needs ice cream to cut through the richness and round it out. Still, an elevated stadium dessert.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Cake Cart, Section C01)<\/p>\n

Shark Cone Taiyaki<\/p>\n

\u201cBlue cookies & cream ice cream, raspberry sauce inside a doughnut-shaped shark. Classic combination, fun presentation, no major complaints. Can\u2019t go wrong with this combo.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Treat Street, Section 226 and The Puck Parlor, C15)<\/p>\n

Overall Impressions<\/p>\n

What worked:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe creativity of many of the offerings stood out. Spiraled potatoes, arepas, playable dessert formats\u2014things you don\u2019t see at every stadium concession.\u201d
\n\u201cThe savory vs sweet balance: we had salty\/popcorn, sweet\/cocktail, rich\/meat dishes, bright\/vegetable\u2010forward bites.\u201d
\n\u201cThe arepas and the bao both pointed toward interesting \u2018global flavor\u2019 influences which I appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n

What didn\u2019t:<\/p>\n

\u201cCold temperature: Unfortunately everything was served cold or nearly so. In a stadium environment I fully expect some items to come hot or at least warm; many dishes would have been way better with heat. I suspect the chefs\u2019 talk at the beginning delayed service and the food sat.\u201d
\n\u201cVegetarian\/plant\u2010based\/inclusive menu gaps: Among our table of seven, three were vegetarians. Many dishes were meat\u2010forward; few were vegetarian from the start, and when they were (like the bean & cheese arepa) they lacked the accompanying sauce. When a vegetarian tablemate asked why more veg options weren\u2019t available \/ meat couldn\u2019t just be on the side, the chef said \u2018because 9 of 10 people want the meat.\u2019 As a food advocate this is disappointing. From my standpoint: why exclude vegetarians, pescatarians, halal\/religious dietary needs, etc? Especially when offering more inclusive options often costs less (plant protein < meat cost) and appeals to a broader demographic.\u201d
\n\u201cMessaging on sustainability\/diversity\/inclusion: There was none. Given that modern stadium goers increasingly expect transparency and options (plant based, allergen friendly, eco-packaging, local sourcing) this felt like a missed opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The San Jose Sharks have some new attractions, and not just on the ice. Last week, the Sharks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37173,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[25917,93,413,25918,88,90,89,98,2577],"class_list":{"0":"post-37172","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose","8":"tag-chum-bucket","9":"tag-featured","10":"tag-food","11":"tag-jean-swailes","12":"tag-san-jose","13":"tag-san-jose-headlines","14":"tag-san-jose-news","15":"tag-san-jose-sharks","16":"tag-sap-center"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37172\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}