If you live in the Treasure Valley, are competitive, and love to eat, these three insane food challenges are for you. As you’ll see in the video, I attempted each one, and like so many others before me, I failed. The great thing, though, is the food is all great quality, so even if you don’t beat the challenge, you still get a delicious gigantic meal.
In no particular order, here are three of the toughest food challenges around…
1. Big Jud’s “2-Pound Burger Challenge” (Boise)
The rules: You have 30 minutes to finish a 2-pound burger, a basket of fries, and a drink. You cannot leave the table during those 30 minutes. If you are among the few who beats this challenge, the meal is free, you get a commemorative T-shirt, and you get your picture on the Big Jud’s wall of fame.
This is arguably the most famous of these three challenges: Articles from outlets around the country have been written about it, and it was featured on an episode of the popular Travel Channel show Man vs. Food.
Many have tried, few have prevailed. As a big fan of Big Jud’s, I was excited to see if I could join the exclusive winners’ circle, but I tapped out about three-fourths of the way through. If you want to give it a shot, visit Big Jud’s for more info.
2. Indian Creek Steakhouse “The Workhorse” (Caldwell)
The rules: You have 60 minutes to finish a 72-ounce steak, as well as salad, potato, beans, and bread. If you can do it, your meal is free.
This was probably the most difficult of the three challenges. For whatever reason, I thought it would be easy—that is, until I was staring at a nearly 5-pound cut of steak so big, it almost didn’t fit on the plate.
Indian Creek serves some of the best steaks in Idaho, so even though I wasn’t even halfway through my meal when the hour was up, I didn’t mind. Plus, many people have attempted to beat The Workhorse challenge, but to date, no one has been able to conquer it.
For more info, check out Indian Creek Steakhouse on Facebook.
3. Garbonzo’s Pizza “28-inch Pizza Challenge”
The rules: You and a friend have 60 minutes to finish a 28-inch, nearly 10-pound monster of a pizza. If you succeed, you get the pizza for free, a year of free drink refills, and your picture on the wall of fame.
The 28-incher is usually for parties or large groups, so it’s a tall order for two people—one slice is filling enough—and the reason why few have beat this challenge. My friend and I were no exception. We failed spectacularly with this one, finishing only about half of the pie. If you want to grab a friend and try for yourself, get more info at Garbonzo’s Pizza.
Whether you’re a fan of burgers, steak, pizza, or all three, you can find your perfect food challenge in the Treasure Valley. I couldn’t beat any of them, but go out and see how you fare. No matter what, you’ll get great food and be supporting a great local business.
By Nate Bevington
An Expert at Going Out