Question of the Day — 18 Mar 2011

This is a timely question on a number of fronts, not least the recent news of the Sahara's impending (May 16) closure -- time is limited for anyone who still does want to take on the mammoth "Bomb Burrito" challenge -- a 24-inch, six-pound entrée intended for six to eight people, but free if you can handle it solo (otherwise, $19.95). There have been some other additions and subtractions since we last tackled this subject; here's the current lay of the land.

• Graziano's Pizza (8410 W. Desert Inn) is the continuation of a family-run pizza tradition that began in 1969 in New York. Their 24" Monster Pizza Challenge was upgraded not so long ago from 8 to 10 lbs of dough, mozarella, sauce, veggies, and meat ("to make it more of challenge. The challenge is to eat it with the help of a friend and so far, many have tried -- including one solo contestant who made it down to the last two or three slices and had to call it quits -- but only a half-dozen or so have succeeded. Successful contestants are rewarded with a T-shirt each, their photo in the Hall of Fame, and ... two large pizzas (ha! presumably you don't have to eat them on the same day as the challenge). Be warned, if you try and fail, that's about $45-worth of pizza you're looking at.

• The Longhorn Casino (5288 Boulder Highway) serves a one-pound "Monsterburger" and a 1 1/2-pound, 22-inch Vienna hot dog (a local bakery was recruited to make special buns). Both sell for $9.99 and that's not waived if you finish 'em, but you do get a certificate.

• At the gourmet end of the spectrum, Brand Steakhouse at the Monte Carlo is home to Chef Brian Massie's "Ultimate Steak" challenge. An entrée available for two (40 ounces for $92), for four (80 ounces for $178), and for six (120 ounces for $267), it's served with potato gratin and two signature sauces and if you eat the 120-ouncer all by yourself, it's on the house. A few people have completed the challenge, but when we once asked Chef Massie if he'd ever tried it himself, he replied in the negative and that he had no intention of ever attempting it.

• Kady's Coffee Shop at the Riviera has a new "Hot Taco Challenge": a foot-long taco with a sauce extract that tops out at a whopping 6 million on the Scoville scale (to give you some context, cayenne pepper tops out at only 50,000 SHU). Once mixed and on your taco, apparently the sauce simmers to a mere 750,000 SHU. Must be 18+ and sign a waiver to try this challenge. If you finish it, it’s free, you're immortalized in the Hall of Flames, and you receive a certificate with photo. If you fail to finish, it's duly noted in the Hall of Shame and you pay the bill of $7.99.

• Emily's Café at Club Fortune Casino last year introduced the "Colossus Burger Challenge," which consists of a gigantic burger, complete with 12 patties, available for $19.99 between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. If you finish it solo in 20 minutes or less, you'll receive the meal and a t-shirt for free and have your photo placed on the café's wall. If you finish it in more than 20 minutes, you'll still receive a t-shirt. Several people have already successfully conquered this one.

• Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill at Harrah's has a 4 lb 8 oz "Big Dog Daddy" burger, which is 10.25 inches high by 8 inches in diameter. It costs $29.95, consists of two-pound beef patty, 4 ounces of cheese, 4 ounces of lettuce, tomato and onion, 2 ounces of pickle and a 10-ounce bun and feeds six. Finish it by yourself, including the 32-ounce beer and 16 ounces of "freedom fries" that it comes with, and they'll give you a T-shirt.

• Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina in the Miracle Mile Shops entered the food-challenge fray back in 2010 with their "Can't Drive 55" Dollar Nachos. This "appetizer" (you're meant to eat something else afterwards??!!) is piled high with 20 toppings, including chipotle sauce, queso, mixed cheese, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, poblano peppers, pickled and fresh jalapenos, taco meat, carnitas, fajita chicken, carne asada, shrimp, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo. It's available on request for $55, but if you can finish the eight-pound dish solo in less than 55 minutes it's free, plus you'll be inducted into Sammy Hagar’s Macho Nacho Hall of Fame and receive a complimentary Cabo Wabo T-shirt.

• Back in 2009 LBS: A Burger Joint, the eco-friendly gourmet fast food joint at Red Rock (which also now boasts the LBS Patty Wagon food truck), added a new option to its menu: the $30 "Extreme Burger," which includes six half-pound patties loaded with American cheese, smoked bacon, a Portobello mushroom, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, LBS Burger sauce, spicy mustard, herb mayo, "ghost" peppers (the hottest chili in the world, as confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records), and a pound of French fries. Clean your plate in an hour and it's on the house.

Click this link for some other extreme eating options around town, but not that the 13" "Bachelorette" hot dog at Serendipity III at Caesars Palace, which came with 10 toppings, was discontinued in the summer of 2010. For any gluttons for punishment, here's a link to some of the many other food challenges you can find around the nation, from monster meatballs to gargantuan curries.

Bon appétit et bonne chance!