Question of the Day - 28 October 2008

It's true. Chef Brian Massie's Brand Steakhouse serves an "Ultimate Steak" 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. So far no has even attempted, they informed us.[*Note: This information has now been updated in light of a call from Brand. See below.]

In the course of our investigations into whether any other such challenges exist, we came across the Web site of the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters (www.competitiveeaters.com/challenges.htm) and, quite frankly, having plowed through some of the monster meals listed on the site, we're beginning to wish we hadn't. We're starting to feel quite queasy, and that's just from reading about them.

The only eating challenge they list in Las Vegas is the Big Daddy nine-pound Barrick Burger, which was served at the Vegas Club's Upper Deck in a 12-inch bun with a half-head of lettuce, two tomatoes, two onions, four pickles, mayo, mustard, and 12 slices of American cheese. It sold for $49.99, but there's no mention of any freebie offer if you managed to finish it. The Upper Deck has been closed for a while now, however, which makes us question how up-to-date some of the other information on this site is (this entry was added in August 2005 and evidently hasn't been updated since).

Here are some of the challenges on the site that we verified do still exist, however:

• Swingbelly's Beach Side BBQ (Long Beach, NJ): Eat a full slab of St. Louis ribs, 1/4 lb pulled pork, 1/4 lb brisket, 4 large wings, 3 rib tips, with two sides (salad doesn't count) and cornbread in one hour and not only will your belly probably be swinging somewhere down near the ground, but you'll get this $34.95 carnivorous feast for free, plus a commemorative Porker T-shirt and your picture on the wall of fame. According to the AICE site, a record was set in July of this year by someone who finished the entire spread in 10 minutes 25 seconds.
• The Parlor (Jackson, MI) has an ongoing "Dare to be Great" ice cream-eating challenge. Down 21 large scoops (10 gallons) of ice cream in an hour and it's free (otherwise $24.99). So far there are 10 photos on the wall in their Hall of Fame, they informed us, so it is possible.
• Denny's Beer Barrel Pub (Clearfield, PA) is possibly the great-granddaddy of all eating-challenge establishments and is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the biggest burger in the world on its menu. The 100-plus-pound burger sells for $379.95 but is intended for groups only (phew!) and is not subject to an eating challenge. Not so the six-pound burger ($35.95), however, which comes with five pounds of "other stuff" and has successfully been eaten twice within the three-hour time limit --- on both occasions by a female. There's also a 15-pound burger ($49.95) subject to a five-hour one-man challenge, which was beaten for the first time a couple of weeks ago by a man from Unionstown, PA, they told us. If you're not brave enough to go solo, there's also a two-man challenge for this one, but you only get four hours to finish it off between you.

Other challenges listed on the site include everything from giant pizzas to oysters, monster burritos to ramen noodles. And lots and lots of steaks. Perhaps the most famous is the 72-ouncer that's been on the menu of the Big Texan Steak Ranch outside Amarillo since 1960, while the biggest is the 220-ounce steak that's on the menu of the Kestrel Inn in Staffordshire, England (apparently, the menu encourages you to "Bring your own doctor").

We found a couple of our own, too, including Hillbilly Hotdogs of W. Virginia. Eat their 3-1/2-pound loaded "Home Wrecker" dog ($14.99) in under 12 minutes for a free T-shirt. Beat the "Hillbilly Double Wide Wide ten-pound burger" record (includes 24 slices of cheese, 24 tomatoes, two heads of lettuce, two whole onions, and two pounds of pickles) and it's yours for free. Otherwise, it's $39.99. We only managed to make contact with the Huntington branch (there are others in Lavalette and Lesage), where the current record is 16 minutes 34 seconds.

Like Brand, Gregory's in Allentown, PA, serves a 120-ounce steak. Back when founder Gregory ran the joint, there was a challenge attached and several teenagers proved that it was possible to devour it single-handed and still have their photos on the wall to prove it. The steak's still on the menu, but the challenge was discontinued a few years back, however, for health and safety reasons (the manager was concerned that someone might die).

Aha! We just found another Las Vegas eating challenge. Graziano's Pizza (8410 W. Desert Inn) has a 10-pound 24" "Monster Pizza," consisting of 2.5 lbs of dough, 1.5 lbs of sauce, 2 lbs each of mozzarella, vegetable, and meat toppings. If you and a friend can "tame the Beast" in 45 minutes, it's free. Plus, you win 2 T-shirts and 2 large pizzas (presumably, you don't have to eat them immediately.) 04/08/2008 As written about by Heidi Knapp-Rinella in the R-J, the Longhorn casino on Boulder Hwy. has supplemented its one-pound $9.99 "Monsterburger" with a one-and-a-half pound, 22-inch Vienna hot dog. Served with fries, it contains 4,234 calories and 291 grams of fat. It's intended to be eaten by six. Here's what Heidi had to say about it in the "Vegas Voice" blog on Aug. 12, 2008: "The Longhorn Casino, 5288 Boulder Highway, has introduced a 1 1/2-pound, 22-inch Vienna hot dog. "Larry Kunz, the casino's food-and-beverage director, said the monster dog continues a Longhorn tradition. About 10 years ago, he said, a 1-pound "monsterburger" was introduced for Halloween. By popular request, he said, the burger became a permanent part of the casino's menu. Anyone who finishes one (including garnish and fries) gets a certificate attesting to the fact. Kunz said he occasionally encounters parents who come in, "rolling their eyes," reporting that their kid is begging for a chance to earn a certificate. Currently, he said, the casino sells 225 of the big burgers, at $9.99 for the whole plate. "It was the success of the burger, he said, that prompted a vendor to see if the Longhorn was interested in the new hot dog. He recruited Great Buns Bakery to make special buns and had to order special plates to accommodate it. If the dog proves successful as well, he said it will become a permanent part of the menu. Like the burger, it comes with fries and sells for $9.99." [Ed: We checked today and both items are still on the menu.] 02/24/2009 NASCAR Weekend marked the debut, in the NASCAR Café at the Sahara, of a new, 24-inch, six-pound entrée, the Bomb burrito ($19.95 and intended for six to eight people). Those who can finish the monstrous guacamole-and-cheese-slathered monster get it for free, along with two unlimited coaster passes and a T-shirt proclaiming they "Conquered the Bomb." Accept the challenge but fail to finish the "The Bomb" and you have to take a picture with an extra small, pink T-shirt that says "Weenie." 10/28/2008 Aha! We just got a call from Chef Brian Massie, who confirmed that since we last checked in with the Light Group, someone has completed the challenge (others apparently had tried but failed). The restaurant was paid a visit a couple of weeks back by a competitive eating champion (current holder of both the posole and pizza-slice eating records, Chef Massie understood) and he managed to eat the entire 120 ounces in less than a half-hour. When asked where the inspiration came for Brand’s promotion, Chef explained that Brand is a "manly" steakhouse and that the Light Group likes to do "over the top" promos from time to time. They were inspired by a scene featuring the John Candy character in The Great Outdoors, in which he polished off the "Ole 96er" prime aged steak in an effort to earn everyone a free meal and a similar challenge seemed like a good fit for Brand. They don’t yet have a Wall of Fame, but Chef Massie is keen to add one and promote the challenge on their Web site, especially now that someone has completed it and shown it can be done. He hasn’t attempted the challenge himself and has no intention of trying, however. [Ed: Thanks to Brian Massie for the call and the update.]