First Oregon Trail: Day Two

The morning after eating 7 lbs of chicken was difficult. Thankfully Salem, OR has a 24 Hour Fitness location and I was able to energize my body with a strong cardiovascular workout.

An energy drink helped jolt my body as well. The original plans for Day Two included tackling the 11 lb Greek Deli Challenge at the Mad Greek Deli in Portland, but those plans had to be scrapped. Turns out the challenge needs at least 3 days' notice and the presence of the owner. That wouldn't be possible on this journey. I negotiated with both locations to no avail.

So, it was time to find some replacement challenges. The first stop on the dock was Voodoo Doughtnut Two, in Portland. I went with Aaron Wakamatsu and I ate their 1 lb Texass Dougnut. Though there is an 80 second challenge attached to it, I opted to simply eat it for fun and without liquid. Aaron decided to eat a very spicy Voodoo doll.



It was a little harder than I might have believed, but delicious. Aaron entertained many of the customers there with his spicy antics.

After that, we decided to sample the 5 lb Poutine Challenge at the Original Dinerant in Portland. I'd never eaten poutine before, but as I described it later - it was like chili cheese fries but with gravy instead of chili. They served it on a butcher's block for presentation purposes. I wasn't sure how to approach it, but decided to be neat and use a fork.

The staff told me that there were 2 or 3 previous victors. You get 30 minutes to devour the entire dish, but I needed fewer than nine. By all measures that was a new record. My method was simple, taking manageable bites and using warm water to chase them down. Probably the most comical moment came when the server realized that I hadn't signed a waiver, and stopped me mid-challenge to put my signature to it. That was about 7 minutes in, and though it messed with my rhythm did not ruin the spirit of the endeavor. What a tasty meal, by the way.



Aaron didn't opt for poutine, but instead sampled their spicy peanut butter ice cream (they have over a dozen flavors on the menu at any time). Of course, "The Spicochist" didn't find it hot enough so he embellished it with his own sauces.

Most people might be satisfied with a huge doughnut and a crazy poutine record. We decided that day two of "Oregon Mania" needed something a bit different to cap it off. Aaron, master of spice and interesting restaurants, led me to a place we discussed many times... Salt N Straw Ice Cream, also in downtown Portland.

My captivation with the place stemmed from one of the seasonal flavors: Sweet Heat Apricot Ice Cream, featuring candied scotch bonnet peppers. Wow! How often do you find ice cream with peppers in it? I'd only ever heard of such a thing. Never saw it up close, so I chose to buy a whole pint and make my own challenge out of it.



Aaron went for a normal serving and spiced it up to hell, as you can observe in the video. My portion - though mildly insane - allowed me to enjoy the magic of candied peppers. The sugar completely neutralized the heat and all I felt was a mild spark here and there. On the other hand, the apricot flavor was sweet and delectable. I almost wish they had a gallon bucket available.

The biggest challenge was using a plastic spoon to eat rock solid ice cream. Well... I struggled mightily but found an alternative plan. It was a great choice overall, and a nice way to end the second day of an epic trip.

Salt N Straw

Salt N Straw is a small ice cream shop located in downtown Portland (Oregon). I know they have another location, and operate a truck, but my experience is localized to this one store.

My visit came over Memorial Day weekend, on the same day that I tackled the huge Texass doughnut and handled a 5 lb poutine challenge in record time. This was a dessert of sorts. They have lots of unique flavors, including temporary and seasonal ones. I went with Aaron "The Spicochist" Wakamatsu, food blogger and lover of all things spicy. 

We were there to sample the hottest flavor on the menu. Even ice cream can get hot. Titled "Sweet Heat," it was an apricot flavor with candied chunks of Scotch Bonnet peppers mixed in. Aaron bought a sensible portion while I opted for a whole quart ($8).

There's no knocking the taste or quality of the ice cream here. It stood up to, and defeated, some of my best previous experiences. The apricot flavor was spot on and strong. The heat of the peppers, however, was entirely muted by the candying process.

Sugar and dairy tend to neutralize the effect of capsaicin, so no surprise. I wanted a kick in the mouth. This turned to be more of a novelty. Still, it was one I enjoyed - though I'd recommend getting a more pedestrian flavor to see what this shop is really capable of.

July is National Ice Cream Month. Why not reflect on this one past experience?

A Necessary Correction

Last Sunday, at the 3rd annual Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Challenge, we witnessed the debut of the Professional Eaters' category.

I misreported the finish of that illustrious 7-man race. Though prizes were only offered to the top 3 finishers (Wells, Reda, Koch), all of the other eaters continued to plow until time was called for Ron Koch.

Shawn Kirby, Matt Cohen, Kevin Ross, and Frank Paulin all ate to the very last moment. Words chosen in the last blog entry incorrectly implied that some of the food warriors gave up early. Competitive eaters have more heart than that. They have more stomach too.

In particular, a couple sentences suggest that Matt Cohen stopped eating early. That wasn't true. Matt finished more ice cream than some of his competitors to boot. Came across a couple high resolution photos (taken by Pablo Martinez) late in the contest showing that the "Sweet Tooth" battled to the end. I'm sorry for my mistake. In the future I will work harder to write more dilligent posts.

Looking forward to the next "sweet, dairy, and cold" contest in Southern California. Will Red Cup bring back a fourth installment of the Gallon Froyo Challenge?

Candied Peppers

I'm a sucker for novelty food products. Salt & Straw, with two locations in Portland, features special flavors of ice cream every month.

Last month, when I was traversing Oregon, one of those seasonal flavors was "Sweet Heat Apricot." The sweet heat comes from candied scotch bonnet peppers. Scotch bonnets pack a punch, but after being all sugared up you can hardly tell. The apricot was balanced.

I visited the shop with Aaron Wakamatsu and we went to town. He got a sensible portion, and the quart for $8 called my name. Video upcoming.

Incredible

Buffets don't have to be unhealthy experiences. Observe a recent lunch from John's Incredible Pizza (Victorville, CA), completely devoid of pizza.

Presentation isn't a strong suit in these photos. You can see it's really just a lot of vegetable mass and cottage cheese for protein. Not terribly calorie dense. No breadsticks, pasta, soup, pizza, or desserts. Not saying those things are bad. But, eating a lot of them isn't kind on the waistline.

I was good. Then I went bad. Turns out one of my weaknesses at the buffet is the soft serve frozen yogurt machine.

Dessert takes on a new meaning with me. It's like a meal unto itself, stretching on far longer than it should, like an uninvited guest who wants to tell you a hundred stories. I'm a sucker for a good story so I'll listen to one more.

And yes, those are red pepper flakes in the frozen yogurt. Simply awesome. The blend of heat, sweet, and cold is a nice kick to the head.

Froyo and the Freak Attack a Six Stack

Mmmmm.... pancakes! A couple months ago, Aaron Ybarra and I met up for a pancake challenge in downtown Fullerton. Heroes Bar & Grill is known better for its nightlife, but on Sunday mornings they tempt us mass consumers with an offer for free breakfast.

That's a stack of six large pancakes. Of course, everything Heroes serves is large. Their nachos or chili cheese fries could easily pass off as challenges. All their beverages come to the table in huge glass mugs. The pancakes are just following a set reputation for grandiosity.

The challenge is simple. Eat all six pancakes, a cup of fruit, and two strips of bacon (I subbed more fruit) in one sitting and your $12 meal is free. There's no time limit. We were confident that we'd finish, and it turns out that didn't need more than 20 minutes when it was all said and done.

Of course, Aaron and I aren't strangers. We've done plenty of challenges together. We clashed in at least two contests. So for this challenge, we decided to do something special and create a "how to" video regarding  approaching a challenge like this one.



The video process is a bit frustrating. You don't always remember that you're on camera while eating. There's moments where I look messy. We stopped to give little hints, and there is some humor going back and forth between "Froyo" and the "Freak." Hopefully you like the finished product.

We left the place feeling not quite stuffed, but fluffy. That's pancakes for you.