Chase Center, Home of the Golden State Warriors, Adds New Plant-Based Eatery – CNET [CNET]

Sporting events are known for selling (overpriced) hotdogs and hamburgers at the concession stand, but those offerings are slowly being diversified, thanks to the plant-based “meat” craze. 

Chase Center in San Francisco, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, has opened one of the first plant-based eateries in the league, called The Green House. It’s located at Portal 56 on the arena’s upper concourse, and it sells everything from plant-based reubens and meatball subs to portobello banh mi sandwiches. Other options include a vegan burger, spicy potato tacos and an alternating selection of salads. Prices range from around $12 to $15 per item.

The plant-based “meat” is supplied by Future Farm, a Brazilian food tech company that launched in 2019. Future Farm’s products are made with non-GMO soy, peas, chickpeas and “other plant-based ingredients,” according to a company press release. Its main offerings are Future Burger, Future Beef, Future Meatballs and Future Sausage. And there could be more selections on the way. The company notes, “The US market can expect the brand’s continued innovations to span multiple meat, poultry, fish and dairy offerings.”

I had the chance to sample Future Farm’s products at The Green House during a press preview event this week. You can watch me react to trying these samples in the video below.

For starters, the reuben had a unique, softer texture to it, as well as a lighter flavor compared with its animal-based counterpart. But that could be a good thing if you’d rather not have something super meaty-tasting. The Future Burger also seemed to lean more toward a veggie burger than the meatiness of a Beyond or Impossible Burger. But again, I think that’s a good thing if you’d rather not have a patty that looks like it’s bleeding. Overall, it was a good burger, and I enjoyed it. 

My favorite was the meatball sub, which could’ve totally fooled me if I hadn’t known it was plant-based. The taste and texture were spot on, and you can’t go wrong with a delicious sauce and bread to top it off. 

In the US, the plant-based food scene is largely dominated by Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, which sell everything from meatless burgers to chicken to pork. Other companies sell plant-based bacon, fried chicken and shrimp, with the goal of winning over environmentally conscious and vegetarian or vegan consumers.