Shrouded in Mystery

Photo courtesy JAH facebook

Santa Ana Pizza Company started life recently. On Friday nights, they offer a habanero pizza eating challenge. The test is heat rather than quantity.

Information on the challenge is sparse. There was a listing on Yelp but apparently it was removed of late. A reviewer said that challenge winners would get a t-shirt or a free pizza.

There are a couple YouTube videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6UWs8jFKkE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1_kOkKtWU4

Maybe it's not an official challenge after all. Time to pick up the phone. With all the luck I've had with capacity challenges, heat has become the new frontier.

There's also a new huge pizza challenge in Eagle Rock if you want to push your gut. 28" pizza, no toppings required, one cup of water, 45 minutes. Free if you win.

The place is called Corner Pizzeria. They offer you a tasty way to risk $30. They told me over the phone that one man has pulled it off thus far.

Hmmm... eating a 28" pizza with so little water (and in 45 minutes) is a serious feat. It's gotta go on the list!

OC Fair 2011?

Last Summer, when the OC Fair was in town, one food display was selling sliders at 99 cents a pop. Tiny little sliders. White Castles are big by comparison. What intrigued me was the marquee headline:

"HOW MANY CAN YOU EAT?"

I like food challenges. It turns out that this was nothing but blatant advertising. There is a rumor circulating that OC Fair Summer 2011 could be laden heavily with the food challenge theme. Personaly, I'm hoping that this a rumor with susbstance. The only officially-sanctioned challenge for the last two years was a  5-lb churro challenge, and that was too greasy to be relished properly.

Given the Fair's typical food selection, I'm hoping to see something involving a huge donut, mamoth hamburger, frog legs, or chili cheese fries. I'd hold out for sushi, but this is probably the wrong place to be looking.

Costa Mesa, here we come?

Pizza Party In Phoenix

If you're going to throw a party, 24" of pizza should be enough. Venezia's Pizzeria in Arizona has the right idea, naming their two-foot diameter pie the "Party Pizza."

They offer it as a challenge to two people. Put away the pizza in one hour to win T-shirts and your photos on the Wall of Fame. It's not an overwhelming challenge, which may explain why they don't offer the temptation of a refund. I'd venture a guess and say the total pizza weighs in at 6 lbs. Serious eaters should be able to handle this whopper alone.

I went to Phoenix in the summer of 2009 to see my friend - we'll call him "Tap Out" - and we agreed to attempt this challenge together. The pizza came out scalding, but it cooled quickly so we dug in. The pizza was thin-crust and saucy. Nicely seasoned too. We handled half of it in about 10 minutes.

Things slowed down as my partner filled up and the "hungriest guy in high school" needed to pick up the pace. We reached the all-clear in 35 minutes and walked away victorious. "Tap Out" ended the night feeling very full.

At least we didn't Tap Out for real!

Fenton's Creamery

There's a lot I could be reporting about. Maybe I lost track of the whole internet thing. At some point there may be posts every other day to get all the material up.

Two years ago, in August 2009, Fenton's Creamery in Oakland served as a stopping point for a visit to relatives more North. The restaurant was beautiful, the local shopping district was orderly, and the wait staff was courteous.

One waitress quietly warned me to avoid certain parts of Oakland and Northern California... well, that was thoughtful. I'm not sure it made much of an impression on me, since I live and work in San Bernardino County. Not two months ago a couple of armed men burst into an apartment across the street and gunned some guy down at 4 AM. It's like that in some cities.

Anyway, Fenton's Big Banana Split hit the spot. It's got strong helpings of rich ice cream, whipped cream, nuts, cherries, pineapple and strawberry sauces, chocolate sauce, and chopped peanuts.

Officially, it's a 20-minute challenge with a T-shirt on the line. I don't see this being a problem for any serious eater, or anyone with an appetite for that matter. Just keep eating until it's gone. The only problem could be someone eating too slowly, or not properly judging how large this dessert is. It couldn't top 3 lbs by any stretch.

Done and done. Onto bigger things with the next post.

Alondra's Hot Wings

If you like having to sign a paper to get your meal, Alondra's Pizza and Hot Wings has just the deal for you. These are the atomic wings. Their spice level is well-suited to their name.

This small restaurant has locations in Alhambra and Montebello. I thought the waiver was a gimmicky touch, but the wings are surely hotter than hell. There's no official challenge going on, really more of a personal accomplishment thing.


Well... they make Buffalo Wild Wings' blazin' wings seem tame. By far. A couple bites of these suckers and your whole head is on fire.

No Pho'olin Around

The Sacramento theme continues. Pho Bac Hoa Viet is a small restaurant with two locations in California's capital city, and they serve up their own version of the 4 lb pho challenge.

Meet the Pho King Challenge (try saying it quickly). 2 lbs of noodles, 2 lbs of non-orthodox beef cuts, and a whole lotta hot soupy liquid. You get one hour to eat the solids. No broth drinking necessary to win. Winners get a $30 refund, a free t-shirt proclaiming "Pho King" status, and a picture on the Wall of Fame. Losers pick up the tab and join the Wall of Shame.

You get a plate of roots, shoots, and leaves if you want to vary the flavor, but there's no need to use them. I liked how they set out the big spoon, fork, and chopsticks so elegantly.

They called it a win in 30 minutes. At that time (June 2010) they only had five winners, so maybe they rushed to judgment. There's still a few noodles left here. The server explained that all the previous finishers needed virtually the whole hour. I wouldn't say that 30 minutes is a record to scream off the rooftops though. It's only a matter of time before Johnnie Excel rolls in and swallows this thing whole in 12 [I'm kidding, Johnnie. We both know you could do it]. 

In case anyone wonders, the photo at the top is tilted on purpose. Let's see if anyone paid attention. And, honestly, I won't pick favorites between this and Pho Garden. They each brought their own aroma and palatibility.

You'll definitely get your pho fix if you come to this place. It was a small establishment, but everyone was incredibly friendly. They're thrilled if you want to try their challenge... even more so if you succeed. 

This "Pho King" challenge is not to be confused with the 12 lb version you'll find at Pho King Way in Texas! I guess everything really is bigger in the Lone Star State. Even the pho challenges.