ACC Food Tour: The Top 10 Things to Eat at the Game
The Air Canada Centre, home to the Leafs, the Raptors and the Toronto Rock, has some surprisingly serious culinary chops. Running the show is Robert Bartley, the former executive chef at the Four Seasons, the man behind the 2011 menu shake-up at BMO Field and, since 2008, the senior director of food and beverages at the ACC. The venue’s snacking stats are impressive: 26 concession stands; three full-service restaurants; and over 80 different snacks (20 of them new for the 2013–14 season) designed to sate even the most adrenaline-jacked appetites. Needless to say, the options have expanded beyond popcorn and pizza (although the latter remains a perennial favourite, with over 3,000 slices sold per game). Here, from cheapest to priciest, the 10 most interesting, unusual and drop-dead delicious snacks to sample at the game.
Name: Deep-Fried Twix
What is it? Cookie- and caramel-filled chocolate bars that have been dunked in batter, rolled in crushed Rice Krispies and deep-fried in the ACC’s pastry shop (yes, the ACC has a pastry shop)
Where to get it: Sweet Wally’s, the dessert-based concession stand named after ACC pastry chef Walter Arruda
Tastes Like: A pleasantly crunchy departure from the usual batter-encased Mars bar
Price: $5.25
Name: Funnel Cake Fries
What is it? Fry-shaped strips of crunchy, deep-fried funnel cake batter topped with vanilla soft serve, whipped cream, hot fudge and M&Ms
Where to get it: Sweet Wally’s
Tastes Like: Doughnuts dipped in ice cream. It’s a conveniently shareable take on the carnival snack
Price: $6.75
Name: Bacon-Cheddar Grilled Cheese
What is it? Sweet Hawaiian bread stuffed with gooey aged cheddar and crispy smoked bacon
Where to get it: MacCheesy’s Gourmet Melt Shop, a recent addition to the ACC food scene
Tastes Like: It’s almost healthy. The remarkably greaseless sandwich oozes cheese but leaves nary a grease print on your napkin
Price: $9.50
Name: Butter Chicken Dog
What is it? An all-beef wiener topped with butter chicken, papadum shards and cilantro sprigs
Where to get it: The Dog House, a concession stand devoted to haute hot dogs
Tastes Like: A pleasantly curry-spiced (but dangerously messy) upgrade on the classic ballpark snack. The fresh herbs add a nice zing
Price: $7.75
Name: Bacon-Wrapped Dog
What is it? A bacon-wrapped all-beef hot dog topped with honey-mustard onions and cheddar cheese
Where to get it: The Dog House
Tastes Like: Yet another thing made more delicious by the addition of pork
Price: $9.10
Name: Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
What is it? Four enormous wings glazed with sweet chilli sauce and served with hand-cut fries
Where to get it: Real Sports Bar & Grill at the Game, a concession stand spin-off of the popular York Street sports bar
Tastes Like: A refreshing departure from gloppy barbecue sauce–slathered wings. You’ll still want wet-naps, though
Price: $11.25
Name: Prime Rib Sandwich
What is it? Four and a half ounces of hand-sliced roasted Canadian AAA prime rib, served on an onion bun with house-made kettle chips and a dill pickle spear
Where to get it: Real Sports Bar & Grill at the Game
Tastes Like: A portable feast. These sammies are so popular among Leafs fans, the ACC roasts up to 35 prime ribs per game to meet the demand
Price: $13.75
Name: The Triple Threat
What is it? A soft bun stacked with a towering heap of juicy, fatty, salty meat, including barbecue beef brisket, pulled pork and peameal bacon
Where to get it: Real Sports Bar & Grill at the Game
Tastes Like: An impending coronary (in a good way)
Price: $14.75
Name: Milk Chocolate Fondue
What is it? A goblet of warm Lindt chocolate surrounded by piles of homemade brownies, banana bread, peanut butter cookies, marshmallows, sponge toffee and fruit
Where to get it: The Platinum Club, one of three full-service restaurants at the ACC (but only accessible to people sitting in Platinum seats—sorry!)
Tates Like: A gloriously posh snack
Price: $33
Name: Dry-Aged Tomahawk Rib Eye for Two
What is it? A 36-ounce Canadian AAA rib eye, dry-aged for seven weeks in a custom-built meat locker, then hand-cut and grilled to order
Where to get it: Hot Stove Club, the ACC’s sprawling steakhouse
Tastes Like: A meaty splurge. We hear there’s a regular who polishes off one of these behemoths by himself every week.
Price: $95
 designed to sate even the most adrenaline-jacked appetites. Needless to say, the options have expanded beyond popcorn and pizza (although the latter remains a perennial favourite, with over 3,000 slices sold per game). Here, from cheapest to priciest, the 10 most interesting, unusual and drop-dead delicious snacks to sample at the game.
Name: Deep-Fried Twix
What is it? Cookie- and caramel-filled chocolate bars that have been dunked in batter, rolled in crushed Rice Krispies and deep-fried in the ACC’s pastry shop (yes, the ACC has a pastry shop)
Where to get it: Sweet Wally’s, the dessert-based concession stand named after ACC pastry chef Walter Arruda
Tastes Like: A pleasantly crunchy departure from the usual batter-encased Mars bar
Price: $5.25
Name: Funnel Cake Fries
What is it? Fry-shaped strips of crunchy, deep-fried funnel cake batter topped with vanilla soft serve, whipped cream, hot fudge and M&Ms
Where to get it: Sweet Wally’s
Tastes Like: Doughnuts dipped in ice cream. It’s a conveniently shareable take on the carnival snack
Price: $6.75
Name: Bacon-Cheddar Grilled Cheese
What is it? Sweet Hawaiian bread stuffed with gooey aged cheddar and crispy smoked bacon
Where to get it: MacCheesy's Gourmet Melt Shop, a recent addition to the ACC food scene
Tastes Like: It’s almost healthy. The remarkably greaseless sandwich oozes cheese but leaves nary a grease print on your napkin
Price: $9.50
Name: Butter Chicken Dog
What is it? An all-beef wiener topped with butter chicken, papadum shards and cilantro sprigs
Where to get it: The Dog House, a concession stand devoted to haute hot dogs
Tastes Like: A pleasantly curry-spiced (but dangerously messy) upgrade on the classic ballpark snack. The fresh herbs add a nice zing
Price: $7.75
Name: Bacon-Wrapped Dog
What is it? A bacon-wrapped all-beef hot dog topped with honey-mustard onions and cheddar cheese
Where to get it: The Dog House
Tastes Like: Yet another thing made more delicious by the addition of pork
Price: $9.10
Name: Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Wings
What is it? Four enormous wings glazed with sweet chilli sauce and served with hand-cut fries
Where to get it: Real Sports Bar & Grill at the Game, a concession stand spin-off of the popular York Street sports bar
Tastes Like: A refreshing departure from gloppy barbecue sauce–slathered wings. You’ll still want wet-naps, though
Price: $11.25
Name: Prime Rib Sandwich
What is it? Four and a half ounces of hand-sliced roasted Canadian AAA prime rib, served on an onion bun with house-made kettle chips and a dill pickle spear
Where to get it: Real Sports Bar & Grill at the Game
Tastes Like: A portable feast. These sammies are so popular among Leafs fans, the ACC roasts up to 35 prime ribs per game to meet the demand
Price: $13.75
Name: The Triple Threat
What is it? A soft bun stacked with a towering heap of juicy, fatty, salty meat, including barbecue beef brisket, pulled pork and peameal bacon
Where to get it: Real Sports Bar & Grill at the Game
Tastes Like: An impending coronary (in a good way)
Price: $14.75
Name: Milk Chocolate Fondue
What is it? A goblet of warm Lindt chocolate surrounded by piles of homemade brownies, banana bread, peanut butter cookies, marshmallows, sponge toffee and fruit
Where to get it: The Platinum Club, one of three full-service restaurants at the ACC (but only accessible to people sitting in Platinum seats—sorry!)
Tates Like: A gloriously posh snack
Price: $33
Name: Dry-Aged Tomahawk Rib Eye for Two
What is it? A 36-ounce Canadian AAA rib eye, dry-aged for seven weeks in a custom-built meat locker, then hand-cut and grilled to order
Where to get it: Hot Stove Club, the ACC’s sprawling steakhouse
Tastes Like: A meaty splurge. We hear there’s a regular who polishes off one of these behemoths by himself every week.
Price: $95){kind=link}