Five new foods to try at Indiana Pacers games this season

As The Pacers navigate their preseason schedule, some intriguing new additions have debuted at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — and I'm not talking about Bruce Brown, Jarace Walker or Obi Toppin.

Those whose interest lies as much in the food court as on the basketball court will also have reason to cheer. For the third year, Pacers Sports and Entertainment has partnered with KeyBank’s Guest Chef Program to bring new twists on familiar favorites to fans.

Here’s an enticing five-food lineup to work into your eating rotation as you root for the Pacers this season.

Loaded carne asada nachos, Three Point Taqueria

A bed of razor-thin house chips supports crumbles of steak, pico de gallo, green chili queso blanco and crema. Any good nacho is salty and fatty, but this batch is also savory and pleasantly sour.

The queso-doused edges of the crispy chips go soft and chewy to form a stark textural contrast in each bite. Just a few hunks of chewy carne asada boast more than enough umami for the whole dish. The lime juice in the crema and the acid in the queso blanco brighten the nachos with tangy, pickled pungency.

Nachos are a perfect canvas for experimentation, and these are a delicious breakthrough in stadium snacking.

Three Point Taqueria is located in concourse section six and club 116.

Pulled pork platter, Warehouse District BBQ

This heap of Indiana flavor features smoked pork butt from Fischer Farms in Saint Anthony adorned with a generous drizzle of Muncie-based JohnToms barbecue sauce. Mac n’ cheese, coleslaw, garlic bread and pickles round out the dish.

The pulled pork is juicy and just fatty enough to dissolve into savory satisfaction in your mouth. It’s plenty tasty alone, but the sauce plumbs the depths of smokey flavor with a twinge of sweetness.

The accompanying sides execute their roles commendably to support the star. The coleslaw is fresh, crunchy and not too creamy. Meanwhile, the oozy mac n’ cheese and unimposing garlic bread evoke memories of the better church potlucks I’ve attended, which I assure you is a compliment.

Warehouse District BBQ is located in concourse section 15.

Adobo chicken quesadilla at Fieldhouse Grill Cart

A quintessential finger food, this quesadilla features chunks of mild, tangy chicken tangled up in a three-cheese blend. The tortilla is an excellent vessel for its fillings, crisp and flaky at the edges yet warm and fluffy where the cheese and chicken have steamed it soft.

However, the star is the chipotle lime ranch sauce. It’s cool and creamy, but it leaves a light spicy tingle on your lips and the tip of your tongue. Few foods serve a higher purpose than this quesadilla, whose triangular edge is perfect for shoveling sauce.

Fieldhouse Grill Cart is located in concourse section 226.

Double pepperoni pizza, Delaware St. Pizza

Both hand-sliced and hand-chopped pepperoni top a thick square of pan pizza. The bottom is audibly crispy when you bite it. The interior is thick and buttery, but not so much that it drowns out the salty, faintly spicy pepperoni.

Eaters looking for a Jackson Pollock painting of toppings and sauce might be disappointed by this scarcely adorned pie, but the crust alone is a treat. The dough is baked until it's rough and crackery on the outside, but light and sweet on the inside, almost cakey. With countless pizza options at sports venues nationwide, this slice at least succeeds in doing something different with a resounding crunch.

Delaware St. Pizza is located in club level section 106.

Cinnamon sugar churro bites, Three Point Taqueria

Fried dough. Powdered sugar. Swirls of Nutella. Dried strawberry crumbles. With the possible exception of the All-Star Game in February, this might be the most lethal rotation Gainbridge sees all season.

The bite-sized churros fall somewhere between a fresh donut and oily state fair miscellany. The understated Nutella adds richness and a hint of bitterness to counter the churros’ coarse, sugary interior. Still, the best bites are the ones featuring the dried strawberries, which are saccharine on their own but taste pleasantly tart in comparison to their ultra-sweet teammates.

Each churro is essentially a little fried torpedo that detonates into hundreds of sugar crystals on impact. Whether or not you love it, you’ll likely be licking your lips afterward.

Three Point Taqueria is located in concourse section six and club 116.

Contact dining and drinks reporter Bradley Hohulin at bhohulin@gannett.com. You can follow him on Twitter @bradleyhohulin.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers food options: Five new items to try at Gainbridge Fieldhouse