12 Egg Omelet - Biggest in California?

The picture speaks for itself. There's a lot of egg there. Lots of chili, cheese, onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and biscuit too. Anyone who watches Man V Food will recognize this as the "Ironman Challenge" from the Broken Yolk Café. They take their food challenge very seriously over there.

How seriously? They keep a "Wall of Fame" for winners in the dining area, and a "Wall of Shame" for losers near the bathrooms. The location of the "Shame" wall is fitting, because more than a few of them have probably ended up in the bathroom before leaving the establishment entirely. Take a look:

That's the infamous Wall of Shame. Some got a lot closer than others. I feel for people who attempt food challenges and can't complete them. It's like climbing a mountain and stumbling right as you reach the peak. I've stumbled more than a few times myself.

And here's the happier, hallowed "Wall of Fame." This is the one you want to be on. Diners get to see this one as they peruse the menu and decide what they want to eat. Molly Schuyler is featured prominently, because she is a world-class eater who can demolish one of the challenge platters in mere minutes. She holds the restaurant's time record (across all locations, if I'm not wrong) and is the only person to eat two - TWO - in one sitting.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention which location I visited. I was in Bakersfield, on my way up north to visit the Fresno Zoo and tackle a couple of giant burritos in central California. It was a warm December morning. The staff was incredibly friendly and cordial. The manager was accommodating, even helping me relocate to a table that would allow for better lighting and filming.

I'm proud of this video. The production was fun, my DSLR camera got some decent close-up shots, and I was able to put together something that is a step above most of my work. If you aren't too worried about the number of eggs, go ahead and check it out!

A Cheesy Introduction

The real question is: would you eat that?

Broken Yolk Cafe

thebrokenyolkcafe.com

3300 Buena Vista Rd, Bakersfield, CA 93311

(661) 695-9655

Video: Back in Bakersfield

This post is dedicated to Dave "US Male" Goldstein and Aaron Wakamatsu. It's good having friends who are supportive and ask lots of questions.

It's about my second stop at the Bullshed Bar and Grill in Bakersfield. My last visit was in late June, when I was heading north and conquered their burger challenge in about 32 minutes. 2.5 lbs of meat and 2.5 fries is considerable.



If I estimate the original challenge meal at 7 lbs, the new formulation had to be over 8 lbs. The management was concerned that too many people were walking away with a free meal, so they stepped up the difficulty considerably.

Instead of a patty stack with a sweet small bun, we now had a massive beef pile on an oversized dense bun. It was like eating a meatloaf sandwiched between two loaves of bread. I'd never encountered such a big bun before.

It was a fight putting down that huge bun. I needed to soak it in a ton of water because it wasn't softening like most breads. Damn you flour! Why do you hate me so? At least the vegetables were fresh and the meat was incredibly rich and well-seasoned.

And the fries... I wish they weren't part of the challenge. After the huge dose of bread, they didn't seem appealing to me. It was a hard fight getting through all the starch.

For the first time in a long time, I had a buzzer beater finish. The owner demanded that I finish every last crumb and I got in the last bite at minute 44. That will teach me to choose my breads and starch challenges well.

So there you have it, the Second Battle of Bull Shed. I don't think I'll ever be doing this challenge again. Best of luck to whoever takes on this beast challenge in the future. I'd rather ride the mechanical bull.

Sugar High

Anyone got a sweet tooth? Jimano's Pizzeria in Bakersfield offers one of the few "sweets" challenges available in Southern California.

People are particular when it comes to the way they test themselves with food. Some eaters prefer challenges that test their capacity. Other love heat. You have the dairy crowd, with their milkshakes and ice cream. A large crowd eats for pure speed.

There are other challenges that seek out the sugar psychos. I must admit that I fall into that group. If it's got a ton of sugar, I'm there.

Meet "The Beauty." This is a 3 lb chocolate brownie topped with 12 scoops of golden vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. What could be better than this?

You get 30 minutes to ingest this sweet mountain to get your picture on the Wall of Fame and win a T-shirt describing how you were "Tempted by the Beauty."

I was tempted all right. The brownie came to the table warm. It was gooey, chocolatey, and delectable. The worst part was figuring how to eat the hardened edges quickly.

My meal started with a fork, but after a bit I started to tear off chunks of the huge brownie with my hands. The ice cream was effective at softening up parts of it, but the ice cream vanished quickly. After a solid 15 minutes, my brain was on a sugar high. The urge to stand up and run a mile was very hard to control. Jittery, I plowed on to the amazement of the folks at the next table.

At 20 minutes, it was all over. Jimano's Pizzeria had their "first official" winner of the Beauty Challenge on June 18, 2011 (they weren't sure). They took my photo, but I was "flying" so high it barely registered with me. Made sure I got my shirt and I was on the road again.

Two hours later, I arrived at the Prickly Pear Cantina in Danville, CA and polished off their 5 lb burrito challenge in 30 minutes... but more on that in the next post.  There's an interesting tale there.

Please forgive the irony of me wearing a "Bodybuilding.com" T-shirt while I eat 9 lbs of food.

Burritos in Bakersfield

La Mina Mexican Restaurant is a small restaurant chain located in Bakersfield. They have 6 locations last I checked. Some of these locations offer a burrito eating challenge. It's a good stopping point when you're visiting family in Northern California.

They feature the Arturo Grande Burrito, priced in June 2010 at $11.99 each. It's the biggest burrito on their menu. If a diner puts down two in one hour, they get a refund. If they can eat three, they eat for free and take home a $50 prize.


They look delicious. You get your choice of meat... I've learned to go with chicken because it seems to be the lightest. Their carne asada comes in thick chunks, and if you select ground beef they really load down your burritos with huge portions.

And that's where the difficulty of the challenge arises. The burritos really don't come in set sizes. I've taken the challenge three times, and every time the burritos have looked different. I've never failed this challenge. I also never took home the $50 prize. Getting past that second serving is hell.

Each burrito, filled with beans, meat, loads of rice, lettuce and tomato, must weigh in at 4-5 lbs. The staff couldn't even offer me a range. They remind me of the King Ranch Burrito at La Casa Garcia in Anaheim, though these pack much more rice.


Every challenge has gone differently. The pictured burritos were cleared in 33 minutes. That was my most impressive finish.

The third time I took this challenge resulted in a near-failure, because the kitchen decided to really stuff the burritos with rice and douse them in sauce.

The picture may not do it justice, but this burrito was significantly plumper than the ones above. Exploding with rice. Lots of beans too. I needed 58 minutes to clear both burritos it day. Almost didn't happen! It also didn't help that they refused to bring both burritos out at once.

My suggestion? Bring a scale. Someone needs to find out how much they're shoveling down on this one. The bet totally favors the house. At the Oak St. location they told me that I was the second and third successful finisher as of June 2010.

Now do I hear any takers for the $50 note?