Does the thought of food at the Pepsi Center conjure up visions of ho-hum?
Aramark Sports, Entertainment and Conventions, the concessionaire on the main concourse and upper level, is trying to replace ho-hum with yum.
Aramark regional vice president Carl Mittleman recently took me on a tour of the Pepsi Center food stands and the Blue Sky Grill restaurant to discover good eats to go with a game or a concert.
“We know that fans are making very sophisticated dining choices outside the arena, so we continue to innovate to appeal to their tastes at every level once they are inside the Pepsi Center,” Mittleman said.
New to the food-booth crew is Big Stack BBQ, serving outstanding barbecue nachos with house- made tortilla chips and queso, fresh jalapeños and in-house smoked pulled chicken. Adding a barbecue option was a direct response to fan requests.
Also new is the Xtreme Dog stand with several types of gourmet hot dogs using fresh ingredients. Jalapeño’s Cafe, another newbie, serves chili-cheese French fries using former Bronco Mark Schlereth‘s gluten-free Stinkin’ Good Green Chile. New dessert choices include hot mini-doughnuts fried to order.
“When I went to a game with my dad, we always had the same hot dog, the same soda, and that was that,” Mittleman said. “Now, it’s different. We need to listen to what people want and offer a variety.”
At the Blue Sky Grill, chef Weston Schroeder tries to use locally grown and raised ingredients on the menu. Options change seasonally, but one item never goes off the menu.
“There’s always a buffalo dish for Mr. Kroenke,” Schroeder said, referring to Pepsi Center owner Stan Kroenke. “He has a ranch where he raises them.”
Burrito boom.
Boulder-based Evol Foods (formerly Evol Burritos) posted 1,200 percent growth in the grocery category and 150 percent growth in the natural category in 2010, according to data from Niel sen’s consumer- data company and Spins, a company that tracks natural-product-industry sales.
Last year, Evol launched three new product lines, including mini- burritos, premium burritos/ wraps and deli-wrap burritos. This month, Evol will launch a line of gluten-free bowls.
Open house.
The Denver Hospice is hosting a community open house at its new 35,000- square-foot Inpatient Care Center at Lowry, 8299 E. Lowry Blvd., from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
The 24-suite, $15 million project is the first hospice-care center in the Denver city limits. The public is invited to view the family dining area and gathering spaces, chapel, hydrotherapy spa and education center. More info: .
Freebie.
Southwest Airlines celebrates five years of service from Denver International Airport by offering free skate rentals today at the Southwest rink at Skyline Park next to the Clocktower on the 16th Street Mall.
Southwest began service in Denver on Jan. 3, 2006, and operates 141 nonstop daily flights to 42 destinations from Denver.
EAVESDROPPING
One female colleague to another:
“I was bored last night so I was trolling for men on the Internet, and I found my brother’s friend I made out with the other night.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Hear her on “Caplis & Silverman” between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-630 AM. Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
