Cactus Bob's BBQ Corral is famous for its juicy smoked barbecue meats. But owner Craig DeDecker's fame also comes from the "liquid death" Showdown Sauce. On Outrageous Food, Tom Pizzica attempted to eat the sauce that uses ghost peppers along with four of the spiciest hot sauces on the market.
Since 1956, Jaxon's has been scooping out giant ice cream sundaes — and when we say giant, we mean giant. Outrageous Food's Tom Pizzica (and a junior basketball team) barely finished The Kitchen Sink, a sundae with 36 scoops of ice cream. Note: The Kitchen Sink is for parties of four or more.
Housed in a former Catholic Church, The Church Brew Works is where "the menu is as outrageous as the atmosphere," says Tom Pizzica on Outrageous Food, where he learned of the smoked salmon, rattlesnake and crocodile pierogi. For a heavenly pairing, try all three with the award-winning lagers.
The Clinton Station invites its customers (and Outrageous Food host Tom Pizzica) to experience the "8th Wonder of the World." Known for their burgers that come in 1-pound, 7-pound and 30-pound portions, Clinton Station Diner beat their own record when they created this gargantuan 105-pound burger.
This California grill is a headquarters for hot wings, stirring up six heat levels of sauce from the mild "Safe" to the terrifyingly spicy "Ring of Fire." Featured on Outrageous Food, the famously fiery wings start with a "mouthful of flavor" but end with a spice explosion that makes grown men cry.
On Outrageous Food, Frankie's South Philly Cheesesteak attempted the impossible: to make the longest Philly cheese steak. Although they came short a few hundred feet, their shorter restaurant versions don't fault on flavor, with ingredients like broccoli rabe, Italian provolone and, yes, Cheez Whiz.
As the name suggests, this Pennsylvania spot puts out plenty of wings -- 1,330 flavor varieties in total. Choose from classics like bacon-cheddar or honey-garlic ranch, get weird with chocolate s'mores, pumpkin pie or fruity pebble-crusted chicken, or try the hottest wing of all: Nuclear Hell 2.
Move aside, vanilla. At Max & Mina's there are more than 5,000 ice cream flavors to choose from. Newcomers are welcome to old standbys as well as unique flavor combinations like French Toast, Beer and Cookies, Cranberry Vodka and Tom Pizzica's choice: Pizza with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
Feast may be doing a "full throttle assault on Peter Cottontail" says Frank Bruni on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, but its hearty European-style cuisine has earned rave reviews from across the country. The fried rabbit liver and kidneys may be simple, but it easily makes Bruni's best-of list.
Papa Bear's Restaurant in Muskegon, Mich., provides a haven for breakfast lovers. Order from the long menu of omelets stuffed with corned beef hash. Or try The Grizzly hash browns packed with sausage, veggies and more. It may be "too big" for some, but it's "just right" for four to six people.
Gelato genius Pete Palazzolo offers Tom Pizzica of Outrageous Food a taste of Polish Sausage, one of his 600 flavors (from classic vanilla to White Chocolate Poppy Seed), which he combines with honey, allspice, and currants. Tom was ecstatic about this treat, exclaiming, "It really works!"
Tom Pizzica fell in love with a signature dish from the Tin Star Cafe & Donut Haus, The Glutton Sandwich, which piles barbeque on a cinnamon apple fritter, resulting in an ideal combo of hot and cold, spicy and sweet. Tom hits it off with Chef Andrew Schutt, exclaiming, "that is AWESOME."
Tom Pizzica of Outrageous Food is impressed by the chef of Sumo Grub -- frying fanatic Jason Sum Jr. -- who insists on frying "stuff that everybody likes," such as burgers, Kit Kats, Twinkies and mac 'n' cheese. All of this is coated in crunchy homemade panko and served hot in Berkeley, Calif.
A little outside of Salem, Ore., Mt. Angel Sausage Company has been making Oregon a hotbed of brats, with its more than 16 different kinds of sausages, from spicy chorizo to pepper cheese. Outrageous Food's Tom Pizzica's pick has to be the four-alarm Fire House Brat made with ghost chile peppers.
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.
Make restaurant favorites at home with copycat recipes from FN Magazine.
Let Guy take you on a coast-to-coast tour Friday at 9|8c.