Las Vegas Weekly

May 5, 2009 · 6:52 PM

“Man v. Food” does battle in Las Vegas

By Sarah Feldberg

They don't call this the Tractor Driver Combo for nothing.

During the course of the first season of the Travel Channel’s grub-shoveling show Man v. Food, Adam Richman has eaten his way through 18 cities and more calories than anyone cares to count.

In Amarillo, Texas he took a stab at a 72-ounce steak with full accompaniments. In New Orleans he stopped by Mother’s Restaurant to down “debris,” the shavings off a freshly carved roast. And in St. Louis Richman battled his way through Crown Candy’s Malt Milkshake Challenge of five malt shakes in 30 minutes.

Now that the brain freeze has subsided, Richman is heading to Las Vegas to film a segment at Hash House A Go Go on West Sahara Avenue on May 8. The man known for his massive mouth and steel stomach will sit down to mountainous portions of the restaurant’s “twisted farm food,” which has left more than a few diners clutching over-stuffed bellies and groaning in its wake.

Las Vegas locals are welcome to stop by the restaurant for breakfast or lunch to watch the taping and the inevitably masochistic dining that starts at 9 a.m. and goes until noon.

While Richman’s menu – or adversary, as the case may be – hasn’t been announced yet, we have some ideas as to which Hash House classics would make the best television. If you’re reading, Adam, rest up. And try to bring an open mind and empty stomach with you to Las Vegas.

Breakfast of champions:

Meatloaf House Hash: Adam could tuck into this hefty plate of meatloaf, roasted peppers, spinach and cheese tossed with potatoes and two eggs to get things started. For a guy like this, it seems a rather dainty hors d’oeuvre.

Bacon waffles: Simply put, bacon makes things better, like turkey sandwiches and salads and hamburgers. Crumble crispy bacon and add it to waffle batter and you have a work of unadulterated genius.

O’Hare of the dog: After all that bacon and syrup the big guy’s bound to be thirsty. Best to wash down breakfast with a 24-ounce Budweiser. Oh, and more bacon.

Midday must-haves:

Stuffed burger: Meat often tastes better when sandwiched between two pieces of bread, so it goes to reason the same might apply to burger toppings. HH’s one-pound burgers are served as two patties with toppings like apple smoked bacon and mashed potato sandwiched in between.

Sage fried chicken: A meal stacked like Legos is a meal we like. When those Legos are made up of fried chicken and more bacon waffles dunked in hot maple reduction we about cry with joy.

Andy’s crispy Indiana style hand hammered pork tenderloin: This dish comes with a description as long as the plate is huge: “with griddled smoked mozzarella, caramelized onions, fresh spinach, portabello mushroom, house charred tomato and BBQ cream all served with horseradish mashed potatoes and grilled corn O' cob.” Hot damn.

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