Rogers Place unveils upscale food and drink menu

Move over, soggy hot dogs and lukewarm Molson Canadian the menu offerings at Rogers Place are a little more sophisticated.

Concert goers and hockey fans will be able to order things likecurry navy beans with kale and garam masala, lamb burgers, porchetta sandwiches, short rib tacos, waffles and hot rum buns.

Unveiled on Tuesday, the food offerings at Rogers Place include 80 menu items at the concession alone, as well as more upscale food and cocktails at restaurants and bars within the arena.

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The hot dogs are still there, of course. But Rogers Place has kicked it up a notch with theChampion Dog, topped with coleslaw, pickled jalapeno peppers, Dijon mustard and mayonnaise.

"Of course we're going to do the staples right. We've got goodhotdogs, goodhamburgers, ice-cold beer. But we're also offering something a little more diverse," Oilers Entertainment Group spokesman Tim Shipton said.

"We wanted our food to be something people talked about in a positive way."

We wanted our food to be something people talked about in a positive way.- TimShipton, Oilers Entertainment Group

Led by chef Johnny Blackerby,some menu items have a distinct Edmonton flair: there's a River City bison burger, the YEG nacho grande and aWhyte Ave. perogy dog.

"Patrons and guests alike can expect to have world-class food here," Blackerby said. "Edmonton's a melting pot. So flavours of all kinds of countries are here. The menu, the development, the arena itself, it's art. We need to be able to provide food that is state of the art."

While Blackerby says picking a standout menu itemis "like picking a favourite child," he's a fan of the burgers and house-made curries.

CBC reporter MinDhariwalgot a taste of some of the menu on Tuesday. Hegave the butter chicken his seal of approval.

Some ingredients are sourced from regional vendors and farms, Rogers Place says, including Black Apron Beef, InnisfailLamb and WOW Factor Desserts. There are also vegetarian menu optionsand other items for those with dietary restrictions.

Thirsty? Put down thatplastic cup of Coors. Rogers Place will be mixing seven premium cocktailslike the Rod Phillips,a bourbon-based sipper with bitters and maple syrup, and theRossdale, with dark rum,ChambordRoyal and fresh raspberries.

Rogers Place is still working on setting menu prices.The public will get the first glimpse of the new $480-million arena on Sept. 10.