Valley folks take on region’s eating challenges
Joe Von Haden wanted to be the first person in Fargo to eat the mountain of meat, cheese and bread called the Belly Buster.By: Sherri Richards, INFORUM
- Joe Von Haden
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Joe Von Haden wanted to be the first person in Fargo to eat the mountain of meat, cheese and bread called the Belly Buster.
The 3-pound hamburger is a signature item at the newly branded Grizzly’s Burger Co. in West Acres shopping center, and the latest food challenge available in the region.
Anyone who can eat the $16, 9-inch-tall cheeseburger in 30 minutes gets a T-shirt, mug, and their name and photo posted in the lobby, alongside Von Haden.
“I’m a pretty mediocre person. I guess this will be my claim to fame,” he jokes.
The Belly Buster features five half-pound patties, five slices of cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, relish, mushrooms and cheese curds.
Yes, there are cheese curds on the burger.
“I broke it apart. I ate all the patties first,” Von Haden says. “I had, like, 30 seconds left and I was shoving food in my mouth.
“It was delicious for about the first pound of it. The second 2 pounds, I don’t know, it got old.”
It seems very American to reward gluttonous behavior with T-shirts and plaques. As such, the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” host Adam Richman travels the U.S. seeking out outrageous eating challenges like Minneapolis’ meter-long bratwurst, 5 pounds of steak in Baltimore and New York’s spiciest curry.
But there are plenty of culinary contests right here in the Red River Valley.
For years, Smoky’s steakhouse in West Fargo offered a 52-ounce steak – and free T-shirt for anyone who could eat it. Now, the large-food landscape is filled with a 30-inch pizza, 12-egg omelet, gigantic burgers and burritos.
Grizzly’s manager Chris Impola says more than a dozen people have conquered the Belly Buster. About one out of every 15 people who try it can complete it, he says.
“There’s something about North Dakota, because we’ve been open for a third of the time of the St. Cloud (Minn.) location and already had more people complete the Belly Buster,” Impola says. “Some of the people look like a toothpick.”
30-inch Pizza
Where: Slap Shot Pizza, Fargo
What: Eat a 30-inch pizza by yourself in one hour. That’s about six pounds of cheese and dough, plus two toppings.
Cost: $38.99
Reward: $500
Victors: “We’ve had probably seven or eight people try it since we moved” to 17th Avenue and 45th Street South about two years ago, says Mark Manzey, manager. “Nobody’s got it done yet.”
Quote: “We sell lots of them to groups and parties,” Manzey says about the 64-slice pizza. “It’s rather large. … Thirty-inch pizzas barely fit through most people’s doors.”
Burrito Challenge
Where: Juano’s burrito shops, four locations in Fargo-Moorhead
What: Eat two of Juano’s burritos, either wet or dry, in one sitting. That’s about 6 pounds of burrito.
Cost: $7.99 each
Reward: Free hat (formerly a T-shirt)
Victors: Owner Juan Mondragon says he doesn’t keep statistics on the burrito challenge. He ran out of shirts, though, so at least 200 have done it.
Quote: “One time I saw this lady, she was in her 30s, she was kind of small, and she ate two burritos in no time. It was incredible,” Mondragon says.
Blazin’ Challenge
Where: Buffalo Wild Wings (There are two locations in Fargo.)
What: Eat 12 traditional wings covered in Blazin’ sauce in six minutes or less, with no other food to eat and only water to drink.
Cost: $8.50
Reward: Free T-shirt
Victors: Hundreds have tried it at the local stores, says marketing and promotions director Andrea Leedahl. “We do get quite a few that make it.”
Quote: “A lot of people underestimate how hot the Blazin’ sauce is,” Leedahl says. “I guess if there was a tip for contestants, it’s the quicker, the better.”
The Parrot’s Cay, a Grand Forks, N.D., establishment, also challenges patrons to eat a pound of its spiciest wings.
The 12-Egg Omelet
Where: Mr. and Mrs. J’s, Devils Lake, N.D.
What: “It’s a 12-egg omelet, and it has everything in it, including a bowl of chili. There’s mushrooms, cheese, peppers, ham, onions,” says manager Christina Leftwich. “You have to eat all of that plus a regular order of hash browns and toast in one hour or less.”
Cost: $15.99
Reward: A free T-shirt and your signature on the pig-out eaters’ board.
Victors: One out of five people succeed, Leftwich says. The challenge has been around probably 20 years, she adds.
Quote: “We have special pig-out omelet platters that we put them on,” Leftwich says. “People think they can do it. They didn’t know how big it was.”
Deckert Challenge
Where: Dairyland Drive-In, Fergus Falls, Minn., a seasonal restaurant now closed for the winter.
What: Six quarter-pound cheeseburgers on a half loaf of French bread, plus fries and a soda in 12 minutes or less. Girls get 15 minutes, owner Pat Connelly says. And depending on who’s judging, it can be “chipmunked” (stuffed in the cheeks, not swallowed).
Cost: $10.99
Reward: Free T-shirt and your name on an informal plaque.
Victors: It’s named for Brandon Deckert, who as a high schooler requested the sandwich. It’s become a rite of passage for teens, Connelly says. For every 25 who try it, two accomplish the feat.
Quote: Derek Haugen of Fergus Falls completed the Deckert this fall. “It actually went pretty good,” Haugen says. “When I got about half the sandwich down, I started feeling like I was going to puke, so I started eating the fries, went back to the sandwich and got it done.”
Readers can reach Forum reporter Sherri Richards at (701) 241-5556
Tags: competitive eating, food challenges, north dakota, food, minnesota, life
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