By Super Bowl Sunday at the altar. Forty-four people — the largest Super Bowl gathering in Rivera history, eclipsing last year's forty by a margin that Jessica says is "unsustainable" and which I say is "the beginning." The menu: birria tacos (the Saturday special-to-be, which has become the Super Bowl signature dish), smoked wings, smash burgers, queso fundido, and a new item I tested for the restaurant's potential future menu — smoked nachos, built on the flat-top with house-smoked brisket ends, three cheeses, pickled jalapeños, and a chipotle crema that Tomás developed. The nachos were destroyed in six minutes. Six minutes for a full sheet pan of nachos. The people have spoken. The nachos may be a future menu addition.
The sixth and final catering event was Thursday — a hospital staff appreciation dinner, seventy-two people, the largest catering event we have done. The kitchen operation was flawless. Tomás ran the pit while I expedited, and for the first time I watched Rivera's food go out without being the person who cooked it. Tomás's brisket was indistinguishable from mine. His ribs were 97 on The Manual's scale. His timing was precise. The man has absorbed the fire. The man is the kitchen when I am not in it. The man is the future.
Soft opening invitations went out this week. Three nights — March 1, 8, and 12. Night one: family, close friends, church members. Night two: firefighters, industry people, David Kim's contacts. Night three: media, food bloggers, the managing partner from the law firm catering, the tech CEO, everyone Jessica has collected on the VIP list over six months of strategic networking. The invitations are printed on the same cardstock as the menu — heavy, clean, the Rivera's logo, and the words: "You are invited to taste what seven years of fire have built. JUST SHOW UP."
Roberto received his invitation in the mail, which is absurd because Roberto does not need an invitation to his son's restaurant — Roberto IS the restaurant. But I mailed it because the invitation has his name on it and his name on a piece of cardstock that says RIVERA'S is a gift I can give him. Elena called and said Roberto put the invitation on the refrigerator next to Diego's dinosaur drawings and Sofia's report card. The refrigerator in the Maryvale house is a museum of Rivera pride, curated by magnets and love.
Six weeks. The invitations are sent. The fire waits for no one.
When a full sheet pan of smoked nachos vanishes in six minutes, you learn something about crowd psychology at a Super Bowl party — people don’t slow down for food, they attack it. That’s exactly why I always anchor the spread with something that can handle the chaos and still look good doing it. These crispy baked onion rings have become my go-to buffer dish: they come out of the oven golden and crackling, they stay crisp long enough to survive the first-half rush, and they don’t require a single drop of fryer oil, which means I can keep my focus where it belongs — on the pit and the people.
Crispy Baked Onion Rings
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced into 1/2-inch rings
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Cooking spray or olive oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line two large baking sheets with wire racks and coat the racks with cooking spray. Separate the onion slices into individual rings and set aside.
- Set up your dredging station. In a shallow bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. In a second shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk until combined. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in a third bowl, and spread the panko breadcrumbs in a fourth.
- Coat the rings. Working one ring at a time, dredge in the plain flour, shake off the excess, dip into the egg-buttermilk mixture, then press firmly into the seasoned flour, dip again into the egg wash, and finally press into the panko, coating all sides thoroughly.
- Arrange and spray. Place the coated rings in a single layer on the prepared racks. Do not overlap. Spray generously with cooking spray to ensure an even, golden crust.
- Bake to golden. Bake for 12 minutes, then flip each ring carefully and spray the second side. Return to the oven and bake for another 10–13 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp all around.
- Season and serve. Remove from the oven, season immediately with a pinch of kosher salt, and serve hot alongside your dipping sauce of choice — chipotle crema, ranch, or a smoky barbecue sauce all work well.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 210 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg