Riding the Sunset

If you can eat a 3 lb sandwich in short order, Hollywood's Sunset Deli may have a free meal waiting for you. Their Challenger Sandwich normally costs $30, but finish faster than the current champ your meal is on the house, along with a cool shirt, and your pic on the wall of fame and website. You also earn the right to create a sandwich to be placed on the menu. 

The sandwich comes with several cuts of meat and your choice of cheese. If you have any issues regarding taset or diet, they will gladly sub out one food for more of another. 3 lbs is not going to be a huge test for a serious eater. The issue is getting over the time limit. When I visited last February, the record was 19 minutes, held by a local customer.

My strategy was simple. Use the soda that comes with the meal to moisten the bread and push through the massive meat pile. 19 minutes was not a huge hurdle to climb and I was able to finish just over 16 minutes. The staff could tell I was on my way to a win early on, though they hoped I could do it sub-15. Everything was delicious. I think my only regret was that there wasn't more food to be eaten.

And yes, you do need to eat the pickle to be counted a winner. Time stops when the last bite is swallowed. Whatever glory I earned from this challenge was fleeting. Kevin Ross, newly independent, recently visited the restaurant and topped my time with a finish under 11 minutes.

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!