“For me, the Super Bowl is all about friendly gatherings and bulk food,” says Chef Brian Duffy, Culinary Director for the Bar & Restaurant Expo’s Food & Beverage Innovation Center (FBIC). “I love wings, and who doesn’t love a huge bowl of chili?” The key is to find big flavor, large format dishes that pair well with drinks, like seltzers, beer and non-alcoholic cocktails.
The FBIC is the home of all things restaurant at the Bar & Restaurant Expo. This massive space hosts live, interactive chef demonstrations, the latest equipment, cooking techniques and more. If you’re looking to liven up your venue’s food offerings, this is where you need to be. You can find it inside The Restaurant Zone, designed by Specifi Global.
With the Super Bowl coming up this weekend, we reached out to the FBIC chefs for some game day menu inspiration. If you haven’t planned your Super Bowl Sunday menu, we’ve got you covered.
Chicken Sandwiches
“Fry it, grill it, smoke it, bake it!” says Chef Chad Rosenthal, owner of The Lucky Well and Motel Fried Chicken. “Chicken is king, and even with the crazy inflated costs of protein, chicken breasts and thighs are still doable and a money maker!” He advises operators to just keep it simple: a great bun, a simple sauce, and something pickled – that’s all you need for a game day winner. You can even make a meatless version. Rosenthal has teamed up with TiNDLE to bring a plant-based fried chicken sandwich to the FBIC this year.
Queso Fundido
Chef Barbie Marshall knows it’s not really game day without a solid spread of dips. “I love variety on Super Bowl Sunday, but what I love most is dip!” She recommends an easy Queso Fundido, served in a cast iron pan with fresh tortilla dips for serving.
1tsp. vegetable oil
6oz. chorizo, casings removed
3 cups Oaxaca cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350 F
Over medium heat, preheat a cast iron (or other oven proof skillet). Add oil. Crumble in and brown chorizo, stirring frequently for five – seven minutes. Drain excess fat from cooked chorizo. Make sure the chorizo is spread evenly in the bottom of the pan. Top with grated cheese and bake 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with your favorites- chips, tortillas, salsa, green onions, the possibilities are up to your taste and imagination.
Football-shaped Puff Pastry Dipper
“It’s unique, fun to share, and it makes people thirsty so they order drinks,” says Chef Jennifer Behm-Lazzarini. “Served with a killer sauce, and stuffed with spicy sausage, peppers, onions and cheese – you can’t beat this on Super Bowl Sunday.
Vegan Nachos
Don’t forget about the plant-based crew on Sunday! Catering to a diverse range of diets means you can bring more people into the venue. Chef Tori Lubecki says “Nachos, hands down” when it comes to Super Bowl snacks. Thankfully, she knows how to make vegan nachos so good, even the carnivores will want some.
Soak cashews and blend them with diced boiled potatoes and carrots, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Pour over corn chips, and serve with pico de gallo, avocado, chopped green onions and jalapeño.
Chicken Wings
It’s a classic for a reason, you really can’t go wrong with chicken wings. “I’m a sucker for wings,” says Chef Russ Zito, “so I push them all day long. There are premium prices at this time of the year, so they demand a little creativity.” Russ says to ditch the buffalo and go for bold flavors, like a habanero dry rub, Korean soy & toasted sesame or Cajun dry rub. “You can use your chicken skins sustainably to create chicken chicharrón.” (If wings are too expensive, follow Chef Duffy’s lead and swap them out for drumsticks. “We’re offering butter poached drumsticks with spicy chicken butter this year. The price is so much more manageable. We’re talking $0.45 a pound, as opposed to wings which are $175 a case!”)
Dip your wings in a fresh garlic and ginger marinade, and then double dredge in cornstarch. Fry it until crispy and then toss in a sweet soy sauce glaze, and coat with toasted sesame seeds.
Chili
Chili is easy to batch in bulk, and it’s a crowd pleaser. If you live somewhere cold, it’s an easy slam dunk in terms of revenue. You don’t have to stick to the same recipe you’ve always made – get adventurous. Chef Kevin Des Chenes recommends an elevated braised short rib chili. It’s easy to make, but the results are flavorful, and unexpected. “I love this chili recipe because the braised short rib gives you another level of texture and flavor! Adjust the heat by tasting often and adding red pepper flakes as you go!”
Ingredients:
- 3lbs Boneless chuck flap meat
- 1lbs Carrots
- 1lb Celery
- 1lb Onions
- 20oz Dark red kidney beans
- 30oz Crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 Bottle beer (lager or ale)
- 3 Bay leaves
- 2oz Chili powder
- Red pepper flakes
- 10oz Red wine
- 1 can tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cut beef into roughly 5oz portions
- Chop 1/2lb of carrots, celery and onions (mirepoix)
- In a Dutch oven, combine beef, mirepoix, red wine, tomato paste and salt and pepper
- Add enough water to cover ingredients
- Cover and bake at 300F for four hours
- Finely dice remaining mirepoix
- Sauté mirepoix in butter until tender
- Deglaze mirepoix with beer, let cook for 8-10 min
- Take Dutch oven out of oven and remove 2/3 of braising liquid
- Add chili powder, beans, bay leaves, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to Dutch oven.
- Place Dutch oven on Stovetop at medium heat
- Let cook and reduce for around 1.5 hours, stirring often
- Taste often, add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste
- Remove bay leaves
- Top with your favorite toppings (avocado, cheese, sour cream, bread, etc…) and serve!
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Bar & Restaurant Expo (formerly Nightclub & Bar Show) is a live, in-person event held March 21-23, 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Early bird registration is open now. Click here get your tickets now!
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