New York Eaters Ready Themselves for Ramen Contest

Given that the typical night in a noodle bar basically looks (and sounds) like a competitive-eating contest, it’s not hard to imagine what's store for us at the 2007 Naruto Wii World Ramen Eating Championship Saturday at the Nintendo Store in Rockefeller Center. (The contest is part of the launch of a new Nintendo Wii game.) On the other hand, it’s always a question as to which New York eater is going to come out on top. Over on Epicurious, Michael Park profiles a few of the contenders including rivaling roommates Crazy Legs Conti and Tim “Eater X” Janus.

Posted 10/26/07 in Grub Street : Foodievents

Tags: competitive eating, crazy legs conti, eater-x, foodievents, ramen

The Next Phase of the Keller Empire; Eater X Strikes Again

Plans in the works for an inn at French Laundry, a butcher shop called Bouchon Boucherie, and, of course, a burger joint, have some critics saying Thomas Keller is spreading himself too thin. [Bloomberg] Gordon Ramsay may have booted chef Neil Ferguson from the London and severed a decade of ties with the chef because he was being too nice to employees, but Ferguson will have free rein in the kitchen when he opens Allen and Delancey. [Sunday Mirror] Eater X prepared for his burrito-eating win on Saturday in Maine "by just eating candy for a day," which he said helped clear his system. [Fox News]

Posted 09/24/07 in Grub Street : Mediavore

Tags: bouchon boucherie, eater-x, forty deuce, gordon ramsay, ivan kane, mediavore, neil ferguson, thomas keller

Scenes From a Turkey-Eating Contest. Need We Say More?

The Axia 3 Thanksiving Invitational was held earlier today at Artie's Deli, and the results were encouraging for fans of New York's competitive eaters. The top prize went to Pat Bertoletti of Chicago, who scoffed down 4.8 pounds of turkey in twelve minutes, but Manhattan's own Tim "Eater X" Janus came in second, with famed downtown roué Jason "Crazy Legs" Conti coming in fourth. Arturo Rios, of New Jersey, loosely speaking a local, took third. "Crazy Legs is my baby daddy," the gracious Rios exclaimed. The morning's big surprise was the disqualification, for "urges contrary to swallowing," of the world's No. 4 ranked eater, Sonia "The Black Widow" Thomas. "I was so greedy," she told us. "I just took too much in my mouth." But forget the breakdown. Check out the pics!

Posted 11/22/06 in Grub Street : NewsFeed

Tags: artie's deli, arturo rios, crazy legs conti, eater-x, eating contest, jason conti, newsfeed, pat bertoletti, sonia thomas, the black widow, tim janus, turkey eating contest