Tom Pizzica tears up as he eats the deliciously spicy I'm Sorry hot sauce made in-house at Taste of a Gyro in Sonoma, Calif. Chef Dominic Sammarco uses fresh and dried ghost peppers; his friend at the spice market explains that in India, the peppers are named "poisonous king cobra."
Head here for decadent treats like the massive Pumpple Cake. Pie and cake are creatively (and deliciously) combined to form the Pumpple. A top layer of apple pie-stuffed vanilla cake is stacked atop a base of pumpkin pie-stuffed chocolate cake, with buttercream frosting holding this beauty together.
Breakfast lovers go berserk for Heart and Soul Cafe's incredible breakfast plates. But The Suicide Stack had Outrageous Food's Tom Pizzica stuffed to the brim. There are more than 13 layers (and 35 pounds) of breakfast goods on the plate of eggs, ham steaks, hash browns and ladles of country gravy.
Jeremy "Lumpy" Sturgill opened Lumpy's Diner with a few "big ideas," including offering a menu with more than 15 styles of fries. Tom Pizzica of Outrageous Food still couldn't believe the 6-pound Kitchen Sink omelet or the Famous Dog Pounder, a monstrous 4-pound beef hamburger.
Punky's Pizza with vodka sauce has been luring customers to its old-world restaurant since 2002. But it wasn't until the restaurant introduced panzarottis that customers began stretching their waistbands. The 6-pound bread pocket is stuffed to the brim with cheese, mushrooms and homemade salami.
Tom Pizzica raves about the special at Smokin' Betty's: a Thanksgiving Tur-Duck-En burger that features homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce, Southern-style gravy and sweet potato ribbons. Chef Artt Ward adds bacon for extra flavor and uses duck mousse with Port wine to class up this local favorite.
As the name suggests, Stuffy's II loves portion sizes that leave customers stuffed. In addition to 12-egg omelets and massive elephant ear cookies, Stuffy's II is known for scratch-made cinnamon rolls. Tom Pizzica unlocked his jaw for these dinner plate-size rolls with three cups of icing.
For more than two decades, Randy's Premier Pizza has taken pizza to new levels — and widths. As owner Chef Randy Hueffmeier showed Outrageous Food's Tom Pizzica, that means a 48-inch pizza requiring 10 pounds of cheese and a gallon of tomato sauce. Smaller appetites should try the pizza fries.
The Brooks family of B&B Grocery created The Killossal, which is piled high with deli meat, pork tenderloin and burger patties. Tom Pizzica calls it "absolutely gorgeous," but also suggests the other more traditional sandwiches, such as the local favorite, Garlic Sausage and Kosher Corned Beef.
Many have tried but few have succeeded in completing Pho 87's giant Phozilla challenge. On Outrageous Food, Tom Pizzica discovered Pho 87's signature noodle soup with a savory beef broth. The challenge requires diners to finish the 12-ingredient, 10-pound bowl of pho in less than 1,987 seconds.
For the adventurous in Bedford, Pa., Tom Pizzica of Outrageous Food suggests visiting the energetic atmosphere of Bad Boyz Bistro and trying The Hellraiser -- hot wings that contain habaneros, ghost peppers, Sriracha sauce and a pepper extract that hits 5 million on the Scoville scale of spiciness.
Diners at Shelby's will never leave hungry. In addition to its menu of hearty breakfast classics, Shelby's serves The Terminator, a 24-inch pancake with four fried eggs and six pork sausage patties. But wait! There's still 2 pounds of bacon, home fries and a couple slices of toast to finish it off.
After someone beat their 36-inch burrito challenge, Gus' Mexican Cantina challenged customers to a 72-inch burrito. The massive 9-pound burrito comes with a pound of seasoned pork and six cups of rice, as well as chicken, beef and pork mixed throughout. The Nachos Supremo is equally satisfying.
The motto at San Felipe's Cantina is that every meal should be an event. Along with a menu of classic party foods (Nachos Grandes and World Famous Fish Tacos), San Felipe's serves the outrageous seven-pound El Gordito Burrito that requires a half gallon of San Felipe's Colorado hot sauce.
This hip pub takes a renegade approach to British dining with over-the-top dishes like the Fish & Chip Butty. Layers of fried indulgences combine to form this sandwich: chunky, golden-brown chips (aka fries) are heaped on a flaky battered halibut fillet that sits atop a crisp patty made from peas. Note: The Park Slope location is permanently closed.
Make restaurant favorites at home with copycat recipes from FN Magazine.
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