Washington, D.C., is home to some impressively hefty eating competitions. Two special gorging events will be a part of Taste of D.C., a weekend celebrating food and beverage, that will take place on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, between 9th and 14th Streets on Oct. 12 and 13 from noon to 7 p.m. Taste of D.C. will feature more than 70 restaurants and more than 100 beers and wines. Its two eating competitions will be Ben’s Chili Bowl Chili Eating Championship and BGR The Burger Joint’s 9 lb Burger Eating Contest.
Ben’s Chili Bowl’s event will take place on Sat. Oct. 12 on the Taste of D.C. Main Stage at 9th and Pennsylvania Avenue. There will be two sessions of competition: one for military folks at 2:30 p.m., and another for professional eaters at 3 p.m. Last year’s professional winner, Tim “Eater-X” Janus woofed down two gallons of chili in just six minutes. He’ll be back to face off his foes and try to beat the World Record he tied last year.
BGR The Burger Joint worked through September, holding a Facebook contest to determine the three teams that will compete in its 9lb Burger Eating Contest on Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. The three teams call themselves: DMV Eaters, Be the Bruce, and #Eatitude. Each team has four members, and will race to devour the burger that, with its bun and condiments, has a total weight of about fifteen pounds.
If that sounds appetizing, stop by BGR The Burger Joint and order your own. Nine-pounders are available any day of any week. Plus, if you eat it in less than an hour without getting up, it’s free.
Hamilton’s Bar & Grill is home of “The Fat Boy Challenge”: eat two double-decker, two half-pound patties with condiments (aka “Big Daddies”) and a pound of tater tots covered in chili and cheese. Finish all that in less than an hour? Get a free shirt.
Sprig & Sprout’s Glover Park restaurant will also be holding its very own Pho Challenge in the upcoming future. Participants will buy a $35 bowl of Pho, overflowing with two pounds of noodles, two pounds of meat, three quarters of broth, one-fourth pound of cilantro onion mix, and a half of a pound of bean sprouts. If the customer finishes the dish in less than sixty minutes, without taking a potty break or throwing up, it’s free. Victory will also be awarded with the hanging of a photo and plaque in the customer’s honor.
The contest will kick off when owner Jennifer Hoang gets a bowl big enough for all that soup. Guy Mason Pottery is expected to complete the bowl in the next two to three weeks. Sprig & Sprout will also be hosting an egg roll-eating competition in December, in honor of their one-year anniversary. More information on this will be available later.
So if you’re feeling hungry, head out to any of these places and take a whack at the challenge. Let the gorging begin.
