Xfinity Arena’s new menu items really wow

Silvertips beer. Teriyaki skewers. Steamed bao buns. Sassy molassy chicken wings.

Comcast Arena not only has a new name, it has a new menu.

If wings are your thing, you might not want to wear your favorite white shirt to the Everett arena, now called Xfinity.

There will be a new wings bars, Wings Over Washington, or WOW for short, with four sauce options at Silvertips games and other events. You have to try all four to decide which is your favorite.

You might want to bring a belt to loosen as well, to partake in the buffets where you can fill and refill your plate with oodles of food.

That’s what guests did at the recent Xfinity open house to show off the new drinks and eats that will be served in the concourse, conference center, Octane Lounge and Arena Grill.

Items ranged from Romano-crusted halibut and lemon aioli crab to Moroccan spice and Southwest flavors to sprinkle on popcorn.

A big wow was the bao cooked up by Chef Stuart Wright, known as Chef Stu. The bao is smoked pork belly, hoisin sauce, Thai lettuce slaw and sriracha mayonnaise on a steamed bun.

Chef Stu said he was inspired by a recent stint of doing chef support in the Bay area.

“I did the preseason game for the 49ers-Chargers and in all the restaurants in the Bay area they are really pushing pork bao,” he said. “It’s really hot. Years ago everybody sold it. It went away and now it’s back. We are going to sell it as a special on the concourse for hockey games. We’ll do it where our stir-fry is. It’s all in the Asian-type theme. We’ll do it for some concerts.”

The bao is so new it wasn’t on the pre-printed menu at the open house for people to rate the food. “Some ladies said, ‘We wrote it in the menu. We wanted to give it 5 stars,’” said Xfinity spokeswoman Tammi Bryant-Olson.

Yep, it’s that good.

Wash it down with some Silvertips IPA and Blonde Ale from American Brewing Company of Edmonds.

It’s the hockey team’s signature beer.

Now let’s talk about the buffets.

“We’ve been testing the buffets here and they’ve been an absolute smash,” Chef Stu said. “We do a themed buffet. So for OneRepublic we had more of a young-crowd themed buffet. For Celtic Woman we had that type of Irish cuisine.”

Open house guest John deWeber liked everything he tried.

“The prime rib was great. The pork was juicy. And the dessert was exceptional,” he said.

“The halibut. I loved the halibut,” added his wife, Lila. “I liked the scampi shrimp and the Asian bar was delicious.”

Even if the Silvertips lose, the food will be a win.

Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.

Xfinity Arena

2000 Hewitt Ave., Everett, 425-322-2600, xfinityarenaeverett.com.

Hours: Open only during events

Alcohol: Beer and wine; full cocktail service in Octane Lounge.

Prices: Arena Grill buffet specials are $12 to $22, with special pricing for kids.

Wings Over Washington, $8, on the concourse. Thai peanut chicken and teriyaki beef skewers with rice, $9, from the Shanghai Wok on the concourse. Hockey Happy Hour: Friday Silvertips games, doors open 90 minutes before the game, with $5 beer and food specials. Midweek Madness: Tuesday and Wednesday games will be BOGOs on tickets with $5 beer, soda and food specials.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.