Sin City

Last weekend, I paid tribute to a friend who recently moved on. He loved Las Vegas - everything about it, from the excess, to the bright lights, to the fact it never shut down. The city has much less hold on my imagination, but I could find no better way to honor him than to visit his "second home."

We discussed doing eating challenges together, but since the opportunity did not present itself I chose to dedicate a few to his memory. He would have appreciated that... an uncommon artist simply working through a different medium. Picasso worked with paint. I work with plates.


Anyway, I decided to run a gauntlet of challenges that day. My official designation for this attempt would be the "Triple Monson." Keep in mind that "to pull a Monson" means that you successfully completed two challenges a few hours apart. Could I push it to 3?

My day began at Emily's Diner, located in the Fortune Casino just outside Vegas in Henderson, Nevada. It's a nice little spot, totally smelled like smoke, and was full of anxious gamblers. I don't smoke or gamble, but I was there for their 3-lb+ Colossus Burger Challenge. Finish it in 20 minutes, and it's on the house ($20 price tag) along with a nifty shirt and your pic on the wall.

3 lbs of beef is intimidating up close, but I do pretty well with patty stacks. Just unpack it, bite, swallow. The whole burger tower vanished in 10 minutes flat. I outdid myself on this one. No joke, I probably could have gone double or nothing on this burger challenge. It tasted delicious too.


An hour later, I went over to Mr. D's Frozen Custard (in Henderson) to get dessert. Because I thrashed the burger so quickly, I had the sensation of still being really hungry. This was no challenge, but I always read good things about the Royal Turtle Sundae and I wanted to see if it was worth the hype. It was! Vanilla custard, chocolate syrup, caramel sauce, pecans, and a cherry for $5 and change.... probably 12-14 ounces of sugary goodness. And it was worth every penny.

What next? Another challenge of course. It was a toss-up between 100 oz of frozen yogurt and a 24" sandwich. The sandwich won out, because I didn't feel like another sugar rush.


About an hour later, I ventured over to Johnny McGuire's Deli in Las Vegas proper. Now, I was in the city of sin. Johnny McGuire's features a 24" sandwich challenge. Eat it all in 40 minutes to get a free meal, a t-shirt, and your name on a "Wall of Shame" plaque. Since it is Vegas, the challenge features a special punitive twist: failed challenge attempts pay double.. meaning that losers would shell out $50 for an otherwise $25 sandwich. Yikes.

The gambling motif is nice, but the message to me was clear: "DONT LOSE!"


This is a variable challenge in that you can pick any sandwich off the preset menu, provided that it comes loaded with all the vegetables. I've completed the challenge before with zesty turkey, but I wanted a change of pace this time and went with grilled pastrami and swiss instead.

Hmmmm.... grilled pastrami and swiss was not the world's best decision. It was just really dense and heavy. Keep in mind that this sandwich routinely clocks in between 4.5 and 5 lbs, and I already had 4+ lbs rolling through.

I steeled my body... reminded myself why I was here, what I was doing. Couldn't fail.... so I cranked hard to finish at 33:49. Pulled the Monson with several minutes to spare! Sweet!


The plaque is full, but the restaurant plans to buy a bigger one... my previous win needed just over 20 minutes. That empty stomach thing definitely helps!

Well.... I left the place feeling very tired and full. Victory does not come free, even if the food does. I wandered down to the Strip to kill time and give my body a chance to digest. The drive took forever because of traffic, but whatever.... not like I was in a rush or anything.

Pulled into the parking lot for the Sahara Casino, and just rested there a bit. It felt pretty good to just lie back and think about nothing. But, eventually, I would start walking around.


Three brave souls gave it all against the "Big Badass Burrito" at the NASCAR Cafe. Seriously, it's gotta weigh more than the advertised 6 lbs... but either way I was in no shape to tangle with the B3... just watched and kept on walking.

(Photo courtesy Naked City Pizza facebook)

My last stop of the night (in another 4 hours) was Naked City Pizza, located inside of Moon Doggie's Bar a few miles off the strip. They were debuting a NY-style sheet pizza challenge that night - 24" x 16", 4 toppings, 10 lbs of pizza for two people in 30 minutes. Winners would get a free shirt and a clean bill ($35)... though obviously no promise of a clean bill of health with all that cheese and grease. This is the equivalent of two 18" thick-crust pizzas.

My partner for the challenge was Vegas local Tom Gilbert.... he totally dominated the proceedings. I was lucky to get down just over 25% (or 2.5 lbs) in the 17 minutes it took him to mow through the other three-quarters. No doubt, he could have done this thing solo!

In fact, Tom was angling to do a "double or nothing" wager with the owner, but I was in no shape to take on another pizza. We settled instead for dessert: fried dough covered in confectioner's sugar. Mmmmmm.....


Probably, probably.... I should have skipped this. But what the hell, it couldn't have been more than another 2-3 ounces. And it was better than I expected. Ice cream would have been sweeter though.

We became the first team to successfully take down the "Frickin' Huge Pizza Challenge." Another team took a shot after us, but it wasn't very pretty.... I will spare you those details.

The night ended on a social note. It's always a wonderful experience to meet a new personality in competitive eating, particularly when they're a bit more accomplished than you are. It reminds me that there's still room to grow.

On a personal note, I was ecstatic. Three successful challenges and two desserts in a 12-hour span was certainly a new level for me. I felt down about not going faster on the pizza, but it's really hard to complain under the circumstances. I would estimate my total consumption that day at or above 11 lbs.

The drive home through dense fog was certainly a lot less enjoyable. But, I think I put up a fitting tribute in the City of Sin.

I feel I lived up to Matt Cohen's new nickname for me: Mr. Mass Consumption.

Dan's Super Subs

Though there's a much bigger and more recent story I could be writing about, I'm tired. So I'll just resort to a story I mentioned on my "roadmap" a few posts back.

Dan Super Subs in Woodland Hills offers a straightforward submarine sandwich eating challenge. Order and eat any two jumbo 13" sandwiches in one hour to get your name on their wall of fame. Women have the option of eating one jumbo sub and one regular (8") sub to enter the wall of fame.

I visited in January 2010 when I happened to be in the area. As far as challenges go, there is nothing difficult about this one. I went with one hot sandwich, pastrami, and one cold sandwich, turkey. The total weight of the two sandwiches could not have exceeded 3 lbs.


Think Subway, just fresher and about an inch longer. The pickles on top were a nice touch. The hot sandwich went down faster, but in all I didn't need more than 22 minutes to finish. It was a leisure stroll down the espohagus.


There is special recognition provided for male and female mass consumers... but I wasn't interested in going for the house record at the moment (I believe it currently stands at 5 sandwiches). I was dealing with a recent traumatic experience, and for a awhile considered quitting this activity altogether. Small victories (and good friends) encouraged me to stay in it.

Stephanie Wu recently visited Dan's Super Subs during an eating roadtrip and took over the women's house record with 3 jumbo subs. I applaud that win. She also reported on a revamped prize structure... which may be enough to convince me to visit again if I'm near enough.

The manager was really friendly, the staff neat and professional. It's a small shop, but I see them taking their business far. Here's to a second location!

Getting Pregnant

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant, located in West LA, offers a signature item called the Pregnant Burrito. The name draws different reactions from people, but it is definitely one of the more interesting things I've come across.

Take 12 oz of white-meat chicken, onions, avocados, and lettuce.... wrap it in a tortilla. Then douse the whole thing in red sauce and sprinkle cheese on top. You now have a Pregnant Burrito.

Before visiting their establishment last year, I scanned through Yelp reviews and discovered that they had instituted an on-going, no-time limit eating challenge featuring this bloated burrito. If you could best the standing consumption record by at least one-half burrito, you would be crowned "El Nopal Pregnant Burrito Eating Champion." Your meal would be on the house, and you would get a special golden restaurant t-shirt. Sounded pretty good.

Yelp reviews at the time indicated that the record currently stood at 2.5 burritos, but that was a bit out of date. Turned out the latest champ had downed 3.5 Pregnant Burritos, so I would need to put away 4 for a shot at posterity. I wasn't expecting that going in... still, thinking back to some of the other challenges I completed, I knew I stood a decent chance.

The restaurant was dark and cozy. I liked the environment... staff was friendly, chips and salsa were on point, though pretty much everyone wrote me off as having no chance of breaking the Pregnant Burrito record.

As usual, the first installment tasted really good. I appreciate avocado, and the chicken was really lean. But eating the same thing repeatedly always leads to the law of diminishing returns: less and less satisfaction from each new burrito consumed.

Even chocolate eventually tastes like asphalt. Extensive buffet experiences confirm this.


Some burritos look neater than others. Presentation counts for less during a challenge, but clearly this fourth burrito was totally soaked in cheese... therefore it probably also weighed more than the previous burritos. Consistency was an issue that came to mind, but I couldn't let those thoughts deter me. I needed to finish.

(Note: challenge pregnant burritos must be ordered with chicken and all fillings, but other meats are available for ordinary consumption... I tried to get a different meat choice, but the manager refused my attempt at variety)

These burritos must have weighed 2 lbs apiece, if not more. By the time I swallowed the last bite, the only thought crossing my mind was relief. The manager offered to give me another burrito, to see if I could press the record higher - but I politely declined.

4 Pregnant Burritos was enough for me that day. I needed just over one hour, which I didn't think was totally awful. It might have helped if they agreed to bring them all out at once... instead of one at a time as I finished them. The kitchen was not very fast towards the end.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. This was the first time a restaurant challenge had involved the title of "champion." I wasn't sure how to handle it. Silence was my method. In fact, I don't think anyone ever knew I held the record at El Nopal.

My record stood from September 27, 2009 until mid-May 2010 when Jarrod set the new record at 4.5 burritos. My 7+ month reign was over, but my hat was off to the new man. That was no easy feat.

Big Rocco

Some pizzas are so massive they have their own life story. The 8 lb Big Rocco Stuffed Crust Pizza might have its own gravitational pull as well.

Maybe the truth is a little of both. On December 13, four of us were mystically pulled to Chicago Rocco's in San Diego to attempt this heretofore unconquered eating challenge.

As to the story, the owners told us that they named this pizza after their son - Rocco - who weighed 8 lbs at birth. I like that little detail. It really breathes some life into an otherwise standard pizza challenge. There's something neat, and equally perverse, about trying to eat the weight of a newborn in pizza.

If anyone is suspicious, 8 lbs is a standard marker for 2-person pizza challenges. Luigi's at the Beach (also in San Diego) claims that their 30" cheese pizza clocks in at 8 lbs. Original Grazianos, a chain that runs challenges at various Southern California locations, claims that their monster pizza runs 8-10 lbs.

Expecting one person to consume 8 lbs of pizza is no small feat. The pizza is only 12" wide, but it is 3" high and loaded with all the cheese you didn't ask for. It looks intimidating as they bring it out of the oven and set it on the table.

You get to pick six toppings (or stuffings?) from the menu. Picking lighter toppings will backfire, as it did with all of us, because they will add as much cheese and sauce as necessary to bring the total weight up to 8 lbs. Eat it all and it's free. Otherwise, pay them $35.

There's no time limit on this challenge. You get to take as long as you like. Of course, that's not always an advantage. Anyone who's ever tried to leisurely coast thru 7-8 lbs of food will find it gets increasingly painful as time wears on. It pays to "speed eat" sometimes.

Due to transportation issues, we arrived in two groups of two via different freeways. We agreed that the team arriving first might as well just begin the challenge. So, Manny Blitz and I dug in.

The pizzas were cut into 8 massive slices. The first 3-4 slices tasted delicious. Rich. Things got incredibly difficult once we passed the 50% point. I knew I would beat this thing, but it would be a battle. A long battle.

Our second team, composed of Aaron Ybarra and Stephanie Torres, arrived about 25 minutes after we had started. Soon enough, they were tearing through their own massive stuffed pizzas.


Though Manny and I started the challenge first, Aaron and Stephanie blasted through their pies with speedy technique. I hoped, somewhat legitimately, to become the first to finish this huge pizza. That honor instead went to Stephanie, who finished her pizza in approximately 36 minutes. The staff treated her to several sodas on the house after her big win.

I continued eating. It was considerably difficult because all the grease was getting to me... I don't think I ever needed to eat so much damn cheese in all my life. Along the way, Manny threw in the towel after eating about 6/8 of the total pie. He fought valiantly toward the end.

Pushing myself hard, I finished the last morsel of greasy pizza at 88 minutes. A win is a win! That makes me the second person to conquer the Big Rocco... considering the oily brutality of the challenge, it's an honor I should wear with pride. It really tested my endurance for distance eating. My only regret is not finishing within the hour mark I'd set for myself.


Strategy is all-important. Manny and I both employed a "slice by slice" method, but that was clearly not the way to go. You needed to get through the cheese before it hardened - and before your body began to reject all the grease. Our fellow eaters handled it the right way.

Though Aaron eventually gave up, he ate about 7/8 of the pie. No matter what else I can say, the man is fast! He's got a bright future in speed eating. The Big Rocco seems to be just a bit above his current stomach capacity.

It would have been cool to have gone 4 for 4 that night, but 2 for 4 is a decent result given the immense difficulty of the challenge. Most restaurant challenges do not approach the 8 lb mark, and for good reason.

It was a thrill to win, but the next day hardly felt glamorous ;(

Too Much...

Several years ago, Domino's Pizza ran a promo where you could order pizzas online and pick as many toppings as you wanted. They might still do it. The truth is that I haven't eaten anything from Domino's since late 2007.

Naturally, I find these kinds of promotions difficult to resist. A friend and I decided to custom-order pizzas that had virtually every topping on the menu. Like 11-12 toppings per pizza. It seemed like a funny idea at the time. Kind of a sneaky way to get more value without actually spending more.

Things took a bad turn when we drove out to pick up the pizzas. The guy who actually prepared our pizzas was irate at our ridiculous topping selections. He complained that it's hard to properly cook such a pizza - that you need to bake it longer and therefore risk burning parts of it.

"You guys really didn't need to order every damn topping on the menu!"

I took some offense to that. We didn't order every topping on the menu, for one thing. Besides, isn't the customer always (or usually) right? Why give me the option to pick 12 toppings if you're just going to complain about it?

I don't think that guy smiled once. He totally deserved the negative review we gave him. As for the pizzas? They tasted okay. Lots of intermingling flavors, little bit of burning, but thankfully they didn't seem contaminated. Maximum value achieved.

If I remember correctly, we followed up those pizzas with a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts from the $3.99 Midnight Special at the Long Beach location. Good times.

My next post will be a tribute to Ben Monson.... sort of.

The 20K Club

Insomnia strikes at inopportune moments sometimes. I figured I may as well do something productive.

This post is a reflection on the "20K Club," an informal competitive eating association borne of a Facebook conversation between Johnnie Excel and Matt Stonie regarding the feasibility of consuming 20,000 calories in one sitting.

That's a hell of a lot of calories to put down in one run. For the sake of perspective, 4 lbs of peanut butter would only get you to 11,000 calories.

Come to think of it, there's many of us who might have yet to enter the 10K Club. It's tough to say... but plates like the one pictured above might certainly help.

That's a heap of soft serve ice cream buried under five dense pieces of cheesecake. It reminds me of those ridiculously oversized dessert plates you would see on Ben Monson's bodybuilding.com page, though clearly Ben did it bigger.

You're gonna need to eat several of these plates to even remotely approach 20k. Maybe you could try candy bars - between 90 and 100 would take you to 20,000 calories.

The 20K Club has some rules in place that make the task even more daunting. For example, you can't simply eat large quantities of calorie-dense ingredients such as butter or mayonnaise to achieve high totals. You have to consume actual foods or ingredients assembled into legitimate dishes. Foods used must also be sourced from nutrition labels so that the calorie counts may be verified. And: the consumption must be captured on one continuous video clip for posterity.

That's complicated enough. And pretty straightforward.

There's many ways to enter the hallowed Hall of Fame (which is still barren). Do 11 lbs of animal crackers sound good to anyone?

Moving Pictures

Generally, when you come to this website you are hit with a barrage of photos. That's been the track record.

I realize it's time to try something new. Gotta keep things fresh. Instead of just posting up a stream of photos, I'm considering creating video slideshows of the food I consume to post on YouTube.



This is just a sample video of a visit I paid to Hometown Buffet for their $5 weekend breakfast special early in 2010. It's a collection of about a dozen photos. There was nothing really special about this particular meal. $5 is an unbeatable bargain for an unlimited amount of food... even if it isn't haute cuisine. I know two guys who incessantly debate the quality of Hometown's food. Thankfully, it's pretty tough to screw up breakfast. I like it there.

Come to think of it... today's a weekend, isn't it?

Bottom line: more of these slideshows are on the way!

In Memoriam

Early this morning, a dear friend of mine passed away. He was a colleague in the profession of teaching. I could always count on him for solid advice, whether it was about professional or family matters. His words comforted me during a moment of intense hardship last year. And, for that, I was incredibly grateful.

Nestor Salan didn't know about this blog or my videos, but he knew about my passion for eating and he encouraged me to pursue eating challenges and contests wherever possible. He was one of the few people I knew who was constantly asking: "So what'd you eat this weekend?"

We were always talking about having eating contests among the school staff to raise spirit among the students. While these never took place, Mr. Salan would have been the first guy to volunteer. Maybe even before me.... building up a sense of the community meant that much to him.

I'll miss the man, but I'll forever remember his words: "I'll be where I need to be when I need to be there." That spirit of optimism and destiny was unshakable.

It's too bad we never had an eating contest. He might have won.

25 Pancakes!

Today's post is dedicated to XeRoFuN, a close friend much in my thoughts as of late. Get well soon!

Sometimes, work scheduling doesn't come off as smoothly as it should. You're left stranded in some city, far away from home... but it isn't worth going home and coming back for the actual shift several hours later. You gotta hang around.

What do you do? How can you waste four hours of your life without looking back?

You're probably going to find several things to do, because four hours is a lot. I went to the gym, drank a protein shake, and rested in my car as I waited patiently for my cell phone to recharge.

Still two hours to go. Had to bite the bullet. Finally, I decided to take up what I was discussing with a friend and attempt to go the distance with all-you-can-eat (AYCE) pancakes at Denny's.

It's not a bad deal at $4 - especially if you can eat more than four, since Denny's will gladly sell you two pancakes for $2. A little basic math helps sometimes.

They start you out with three cakes, then they're supposed to bring out two at a time until you're satiated with buttermilk goodness. The picture above is of the first round. They don't look particularly appealing, all disheveled with the butter running down, but they tasted the way good pancakes should: rich, fluffy, and not burned.


The next round of two looked significantly nicer... but I realized this was no way to test myself. If I was going to eat a lot of them, I'd need them to come out faster. So, taking advantage of the dead hour in the restaurant (it was 3:14 PM on a Monday and I was the only one ordering food), I asked the server if a steady stream of pancakes could come from the kitchen.


And how! Plates of four and two, with no trouble at all. I appreciated the prompt, efficient service in this Denny's location. When I finished this round, the server asked if I wanted more. The server surprised me by asking for a number to bring out. No doubt in her mind now that this food would be eaten!

Going for broke, I asked for.... 12. She didn't bat an eye either. Walked over to the kitchen and placed the order. Which is where the most comical part of this story comes in. I was seated next to the kitchen, within the earshot of some very bored short-order cooks (keeping in mind I was the only person ordering anything).

When the cook read the order for the dozen flapjacks, he said aloud: "This order must be to go."

"Oh, no," the server replied. "We got a customer sittin' in here eatin',"

I had to resist the urge to burst out laughing at what I heard next from the kitchen.

"What is this, an eating contest or something!?"


Ask, and ye shall receive! 12 pancakes at one time! A little burned, but still good enough to eat. Using liberal amounts of strawberry jam, I created what can best be described as really doughy strawberry shortcake.

I called it a day with a final round of two. Honestly, the taste of flour and buttermilk was starting to become repulsive. If this was a contest or actual challenge I would have pushed to the limit - but I had work later on, and this was mostly just to kill time.

Receiving 25 pancakes in about a 40 minute span was remarkable too. Couldn't have done that during the breakfast rush!

(Sharp eyes will notice that the last photo is a repeat. My cell phone battery died so I couldn't snap that last picture)

Judging from nutritional info published online, this AYCE run provided me with roughly 3,500 calories and 500-600g of carbs. Pancakes aren't especially known for their protein content, but I managed to take in over 80g this way.

It sure felt like a good time to go for a run.
______
Future note: the next post will include links to video footage of a powerhouse team destroying a 30" pizza in 6 minutes. Though I was not directly involved, it was incredibly impressive and an honor to be on hand with a camera.

Best Weekend Ever

My title might be exaggerating things. But just a little.


As far as food went, I can't complain about this past weekend. Returning to the Broken Yolk Cafe in Carlsbad, I managed to finish their Ironman Special in a personal record of 24 minutes(!). That's practically man-bites-dog news for me. My previous finishes clocked in at 60 and 55 minutes respectively - so, naturally, this was a special win for me. Cut my previous times in less than half.

Of course, this isn't all that much to brag about. I had the opportunity to personally watch Matt "MegaToad" Stonie polish off his plate in a mere seven minutes. That was incredible. And a restaurant record. I also can't compete with Ben Monson's unofficial finish of under 10 minutes. But, for me at least, this is some serious progress.


The next day, I joined Matt and his friend at La Casa Garcia in Anaheim. This time, we were hunting the 5 lb King Ranch Burrito. We told the server that we wanted "Three Kings," and the kitchen did not disappoint. This is an old foe for me. For Matt, a brand new challenge.

Matt was in thresher mode on this one... his finish at 4:17 was nothing short of amazing. Seriously, that's more than one pound per minute!

I was a lot more realistic. My aim was to get it done in less than 10 minutes, a target that was more-or-less set for me when a friend mentioned it on an eatfeats.com discussion thread.

Using a big spoon and the provided knife, I vanquished the King Ranch in 9 minutes and 40 seconds - no house record, but worlds away from my previous times of 45 and 21 minutes. Again, I cut my previous best in less than half.

I gotta see if I can press this newfound speed advantage into my future challenges.

And if you haven't already, you might want to check out some of Matt's videos on YouTube. Watching him "eat" (if you call it that!) is outta sight.

'Tis The Season

Looks like we're heading into the holiday season again. That means crowded stores, long lines, and incredibly over-sized packages of sugary products on supermarket shelves. Just reference the photo above.

I don't think the idea is for any single person to eat the contents of the whole package in one sitting, but I know a few people on YouTube who damn well might try. These "stunts," sometimes referred to as "home challenges," seem to be getting really popular. I've resisted the temptation thus far. I think I will continue to do so.

Honestly, though, I'm intrigued that these grotesque portions of chocolate only seem to appear around Christmas time. I figure some people must have a sweet tooth year round? Buffets offer dessert portions seven days a week. There must be some method to that madness.

If 2.5 lbs of chocolates don't grab your fancy, what about half-pound Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?


Peanut butter and chocolate, united in gargantuan proportions! 1 lb of bliss in a $10 package! I believe you can order this product year-round from the company website, but I think it's a lot more exciting to just waltz into a store and pick it up off the shelf. Maybe the thrill of amazon.com hasn't quite sunk in for me yet.

And all this, right off the heels of Halloween and weeks before Thanksgiving. I guess companies really have to push their products in down economic times.

Just what other big finds will we stumble across this holiday season?

Will anyone be crazy enough to eat the whole thing? (Count me out)

Voodoo

Things have taken a negative development at Sushilicious since the previous week. Despite already making an appointment for Friday, I was asked to reschedule because of fears regarding the lunch rush and the pressure on the kitchen staff. Those concerns are serious - how can you do an eating challenge if the restaurant can't accommodate you? Unfortunately, the men's plate record has jumped up to 60. I believe it can be topped, but it's a lot tougher than it would have been last time around.

Since I haven't written about any challenges lately, I will leave some remarks about an interesting donut shop I visited during the Summer of 2009.

Voodoo Doughnuts, with two locations in Portland, Oregon, has a reputation for good confections and an off-beat sense of humor. I arrived in the evening during the weekdays and was greeted by a crowd. After inquiring, I discovered that none of us were from Portland! We were all answering the distant call to try something different.

If you watch Man v Food on the Travel Channel, you'll recall that meandering food host Adam Richman visited this snack hole during the program's first season. They showed you how doughnuts are made, which I thought was pretty cool. This shop has lots of interesting doughnut varieties: The Black Top Mafia, Cock N Balls (dont' ask, because I don't remember and I didn't buy it), Portland Creme Pie (which is supposedly the official doughnut of the fair city), and finally the biggest doughnut you'll ever see in your life, the Tex-Ass Doughnut:

This is what it looks like on a table, next to a nickel - or dime, not really sure, but you get the idea.... the sucker is huge. I think it's roughly the equivalent of six ordinary doughnuts. It was thick, sugary, and heavy.

Any guesses on the nutritional damage? I'd put it around 2500 calories, or enough to power you through an entire week of gym sessions. It's mostly flour and sugar, meaning it was rather airy, but I still believe it weighed about a pound. If you think that ain't much, try going home and eating an entire loaf of white bread doused in confectioner's glaze. It's definitely a rush!

And yes, Voodoo Doughnut's does have an eating challenge associated with the Tex-Ass Doughnut - but you need to go when there isn't an incredible crowd clamoring for sweetness. You have to consume the entire monster dessert within record time - currently about one minute - with nothing but a dixie cup of water to assist you. If you succeed, the doughnut is free and you become the new champion.

Of course, the memorable Tex-Ass Doughnut only costs around $4, so losing this challenge certainly wouldn't spell financial ruin. I remain untested, though I certainly would have tried if the opportunity was open to me. I suppose there's always another chance for Portland?

If nothing else, Voodoo Doughnuts came across as very original. Their product easily surpassed the quality of any doughnuts I'd eaten in Southern California for many years - and for size? I think you'd better not mess with Tex-Ass.

Happy Halloween!

Sushilicious?

A new eating challenge appeared on eatfeats this week. Sushilicious, a sushi restaurant in Irvine, has begun honoring customers who can consume more sushi than any diner before them.

The restaurant recognizes separate male and female champions. The (current) male record stands at 38 plates, while the female champion burned through 20 plates to claim her title.

If you can top the current champion, you get your entire meal for free - including all the plates you eat on top of the current record. There's a certain incentive to gorge on this challenge if possible.

It's an interesting challenge, because it's not strictly about time or speed. You just need to outdo the reigning champion in terms of volume. Obviously, eating quickly will help reach your goal in less time - and increases one's odds of being able to establish a truly impressive plate count.

It's a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, so the good thing is you'll always have food to grab. You won't be held up by prep times necessarily. As of this moment, patrons are only limited by a one hour time limit, whatever their stomach can hold, and how fast they can convey the food there.

The mystery factor is how much "food" might constitute a plate. This restaurant sells sushi rolls, hand rolls, nigiri, and other fare you find in sushi bars. Not all plates are equal in terms of weight or item count, but all plates will count equally toward your plate count. There's room for some eating strategy.

I'm considering visiting this place on Friday. The challenge plays to a lot of my strengths, especially in terms of mass consumption and distance eating. I also enjoy eating raw fish.

Here's to hoping I can set a new record!

Endless Shrimp....

For about two months, Red Lobster has been offering an "Endless Shrimp" promotion at virtually all of their chain locations. For $15.99 plus tax and tip, you get the luxury of sampling five varieties of shrimp concoctions until you've had your fill.

I went with a friend to the Red Lobster in Cerritos after we unsuccessfully attempted to corner the White Rabbit Food Truck for their 6-lb burrito challenge (more on them and their shenanigans in a future post). We were disappointed and incredibly famished, so we decided to inflict our stomachs upon the promise of unlimited seafood.

Since Red Lobster is a traditional sit-down restaurant, one's access to the food is limited by the wait staff and the cooking line. If you get a kind and agreeable server - as we did - you'll be in for a good time. She definitely deserved the tip she received. She brought us 18 orders of shrimp apiece, and that really hit the spot on a hungry night.

I say "orders" as opposed to "plates" (which is my typical metric for tabulating food at buffets) because the plates and portions used by Red Lobster are small. They start you off with a side salad, baked potato, and two entrees. Then you receive one entree at a time until you're satisfied.

I started off with Parmesan Shrimp (in the dish), which was an incredibly rich way to start. The Shrimp Linguine Alfredo was also rich but heavy. Anyone looking to get that "full feeling" from this promo needs to load up on the linguine, because the fish portions just aren't that massive.

Like my friend said over the meal: "I have this theory that the body can't absorb more than 2000-3000 calories in one sitting." I sure hoped he was right, because with all of this oil and butter we were probably putting down 700-800 calories per order!

The only issue I can raise with this promotion is the lack of variety, being as it is limited to five choices: Parmesan Shrimp, Garlic Shrimp Scampi, Shrimp Linguine Alfredo, Garlic-Grilled Shrimp, and Hand-Breaded Shrimp. But - for $16 and the convenience of having someone else cook and present the food - it's tough to complain. We would have liked some coconut shrimp though.

Then it was on:

Hand Breaded Shrimp with cocktail sauce (think bready and low cost)

Garlic-Grilled Shrimp on a bed of vegetables and rice. This was really lean and flavorful. I'd say it was my favorite of the night.

Garlic Shrimp Scampi. The oiliest, but possibly the most delectable. I wouldn't have eaten it if I wasn't at Red Lobster. It tasted similar to the Parmesan Shrimp.

Now that we had sampled all five varieties, it was time to chow down on some repeats and see what "Endless Shrimp" really meant in a chain restaurant.

Another skewer of grilled... skimpy with the rice.

Four skewers at once! This technically counts as four separate orders of shrimp. We averaged 9-10 shrimp pieces per skewer. On this plate alone I got at least 35-40 pieces of shrimp.

Shrimp Linguine Alfredo, in generous form! We needed that!

Five skewers means five orders! Looking a bit done, but still worth eating. This plate contained at least 40-45 pieces of shrimp. They skimped on the accompanying rice, but we weren't exactly complaining (okay, we were complaining a bit. It would have been nice if they provided more side items to vary the seafood consumption).

Two orders of hand-breaded, for a change of pace

And finally:

One last order of that rich Garlic Shrimp Scampi.

We estimated our total food consumption at approximately 5 lbs each. We ate identical orders, but I saw little point in taking photos of my friend's food, since it would have been completely redundant.

The experience was satisfying on the whole. My friend joked with the server about dessert - suggesting Shrimp Ice Cream Sundaes - but nothing much came of it. It would have been interesting, that's for sure.

The White Rabbit might have disappointed us, but the Red Lobster came through!

Facing Sancho's Challenge

Up in the high desert city of Hesperia, a small new restaurant named "Sancho's Tacos" has opened up. They haven't been around long, but I like their chances. The windows outside are extremely colorful, and the inside looks cozy. I'd say their menu offerings are authentic. They have lengua on the menu (tongue, for those of you who don't hable espanol), which is a definite plus in my book. If I have a hand in crafting my last meal on Earth, lengua will be in it.

But enough about lengua for now, we're supposed to be discussing Sancho! Sancho's offers a restaurant eating challenge - billed on the menu as a 4-lb burrito with the meat of your choice - that must be completed in 30 minutes. If you finish, the meal is on the house, your mugshot goes up on the Wall of Fame, and you get a nifty T-shirt advertising the nice little eatery on the long dusty road. Fail and you'll shell out about $20.

Unfortunately, your meat choices are limited to ground beef, steak, chicken, or carnitas. No lengua on this one. Oh well.... dream deferred, right? I went with chicken because past experiences have told me it is pretty easy to eat quickly. The cool thing is the burrito can be customized - if you don't like beans, you can swap it out for larger portions of cheese, rice, and the other stuff. I get it as is, because I like all the ingredients and I want to keep the challenge legit.

I'm suspicious as the burrito comes out. This looks a bit much for 4 pounds! Unless it's mostly hollow on the inside.... the server tells me that it's really just over 5 lbs. Is this a case of deceptive advertising? I'll let you be the judge. I came here to eat, and I'm going to let my eating speak for itself.

The inside of the burrito was stuffed with chicken, pinto beans, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, red rice, guacamole, cilantro and this bold enchilada sauce. I found the tortillas to be rather dry. I didn't enjoy the enchilada sauce much, as it tasted incredibly tangy. Not a bad meal at all. I was aiming for the 15-20 minute mark, but I got it done in 27 minutes. I was a bit disappointed. This was my first burrito in awhile, so perhaps I fell out of practice.


I became the second person (male) to complete this challenge in the time limit, and all I got was a full stomach and a T-shirt! I'm definitely going back to this place. The staff was friendly and warm, with better food to boot. Anyone who has a hankering for a burrito challenge needs to try this place out.

And in due time, my next post will FINALLY materialize: The Adventures of Endless Shrimp at Red Lobster!

Time Won't Stop

Once again, I have let my blog go unwritten for an extended period of time.... let me say that I am alive and well, and I am still consuming in considerable quantities. Sometimes life is a bigger distraction than we'd like.

Today, I am planning on visiting Sancho's Tacos in Hesperia to tackle their 4-lb burrito challenge. I found out about this restaurant from a recent posting in the EatFeats database. They opened shop in August apparently. I can't find anything about the rules or requirements - and the listed phone number doesn't even work - but finishers are supposed to get a free shirt and a refund on the meal. I will be reporting on this challenge this weekend.

And, in a first, I will list upcoming posts for this blog.... I will soon be reporting on a recent trip to Red Lobster, during which a friend and I took advantage of the Endless Shrimp special and each devoured 18 orders of shrimp over a two-hour period. Good times indeed.

There will be photos as well.

Garlic in Gilroy

Well, I finally gave in. I had to find out how garlic ice cream tasted. This was last spring, following a much-appreciated visit to relatives up North. I'd passed through the small town of Gilroy a few times but the urge to consume never really convinced me to make the stop at the little market right off the state road.

For one thing, you'd never see the farmer's market til you were passing it completely.... and then it would be a while before you could make a safe and legal U-turn.... so that's probably the dominant explanation for why I never stopped here. It's not hard to find at all.

What of Gilroy? I've never actually visited the major city areas. I've never been to the yearly garlic festival either. It's definitely an agricultural town - there are small farmer's markets and fruit stands all over the roadsides, and the pungent aroma of garlic totally pervades your nostrils as you drive through the city limits. It doesn't matter if the A/C is off or the windows are up. Garlic always wins.

My cousin would probably describe Gilroy as a "drive-by" or "drive-thru" town. And no, those aren't references to gang violence or fast food windows. Those phrases imply that you merely pass through this place on the way to your true destination.

But, like I said, garlic always wins. I needed to find out what garlic ice cream tasted like.

The little shop was cozy and sold all things garlic. There was garlic salsa, garlic candy, garlic bread, garlic butter spread.... you name it and they probably had it. I was only interested in the ice cream. They sold these harmless-looking 5 oz containers for about $1.50 -- available in both vanilla and chocolate variants. I chose vanilla, believing that I'd have a better opportunity to taste the garlic that way.

You got this little wooden spoon with your ice cream cup. It wasn't very convenient, but it worked. I didn't think it tasted half-bad! It was definitely a mix between garlic and vanilla flavors, with all the typical consistency you'd expect from ice cream.

I know many people think garlic ice cream is weird or disgusting. I'd call it offbeat.

Just the thing to eat when you're a little off the beaten path....

El Tepeyac: The First Visit

 El Tepeyac Cafe is a locally famous restaurant in Los Angeles. Situated in Boyle Heights among small neighborhoods and loads of other eating establishments, it is very easy to overlook. I was actually looking for this place so naturally I found it. That's one time GPS worked out right.

Viewers of Man V Food and other mega-eaters know about this place because of the huge Manuel's Special Burrito that you'll find on El Tepeyac's menu. It's billed as big enough to feed four persons (I guess that depends on which four persons you're talking about - it would feed one of me). I didn't bother ordering it because it cost nearly $20 and no prize was on the line. I felt little incentive to consume en masse.

I settled for the Hollenbeck Burrito con pollo, which is essentially the half-size version of the Manuel Special. The waitress told me that it should satisfy the appetite of two people, though many customers eat it without assistance.

As many other food reviewers have noted, the Hollenbeck is definitely a fork-and-knife experience. The tortilla is not so much stuffed as simply draped over the filling material. There's no way you could pick this thing up and eat it!

I'm no expert, but I'd call this grub authentic. I have a friend who needs to be the judge of this. I just go huge. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'll eat pretty much anything. But at least this tasted wonderful. 

The chicken was absolutely tender and flavorful.... that's what I remember most about my visit. I'd say the beans and rice were decent, but certainly not the star of the meal. The pico de gallo, guacamole, and green chiles added a lot of variety to the overall dish. I didn't regret what I sampled (their coffee wasn't bad at all), but I wasn't physically challenged either. I'd put this burrito plate's entire weight at just over 3 pounds.

Recently, I discovered that this place will give out store t-shirts and a spot on the Wall of Fame to anyone who can successfully complete the original pork version of the 5 lb Manuel Special.

About 10 photos currently grace the wall... no famous faces up there yet.

I'm not sure the prize entirely justifies spending $20 on a huge burrito and a shirt. I've been there before! And you really can't top eating for free.