WHITEHOUSE, Texas — Now that Kansas City is home to the reigning NFL MVP, not to mention the ESPY award winner for best football player, the name Patrick Mahomes is showing up in more and more places.
That includes the menu of a restaurant in his hometown of Whitehouse, Texas, where a new eatery named a dish after Mahomes — and it features an ode to his new home.
Montez Creekside Kitchen has only been open for a few months, but The Mahomes Hot Dog — it features pulled pork, jalapeno, coleslaw, a fried egg and pickles on a grilled bun — has helped set the restaurant apart from its competition.
During our visit, Creekside, where the chef knew Mahomes in high school, opened its doors just for us to come in and try the dish.
"I remember a long time ago, he used to come to a couple of parties and I used to see him around,” chef Esteban Villapudua said. “So, I know the guy pretty well. He's a pretty solid dude. I remember him; he was really a humble person."
Villapudua, whose father owns a couple restaurants in the area, went to a rival high school instead of Mahomes' alma mater, Whitehouse, but he still vividly recalls watching the high school version of Kansas City's star quarterback.
"I actually got lucky and got to watch one of his games when I was a freshman, and he was a freak of nature," Villapudua said.
The Mahomes Hot Dog is a hit with customers.
"If you know what Pat Mahomes meant to this area, it makes perfect sense," David Dobbs, a frequent Creekside customer, said.
He added, "You see a lot of Kansas City stickers around here. I think he's changing the community a little bit. You have to have a sense of humor to be a megastar like Patrick is, and he seems to be taking it all in stride. I'm sure if he ever gets to have one of these, he'll love it and he'll love the fact that his name is on the menu."
The dish quickly has become one of the most popular items on Monte Creekside Kitchen's menu, but it’s not just for the name.
Dobbs said that during a blind taste test, the Mahomes Hot Dog was his favorite over the other specialty hot dogs on the menu.
If Mahomes ever did stop by, he might end up with a hefty bill.
"He sure can (buy hot dogs for the whole restaurant),” Villapudua said. “That'd be awesome."
The Mahomes Hot Dog costs $9.
Originally, it included fried onions, but Villapudua said most people were asking for it without the onions, so they were removed from the dish.
