Ok, so I'm a little slow at updating my blog. This past weekend, I competed in the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Qualifier in Philadelphia, PA. This contest marked the one-year anniversary of my competitive eating career. My numbers in HDBs (Hot Dogs w/ Buns) have improved considerably since that first contest; my total at that qualifier last year was 11.5, this year it was 16.5, a 43% increase. However, it was only 0.5 dogs better than my personal best of 16.
My next attempt will be at the Molly Pitcher Travel Plaza on the NJ Turnpike in Cranbury, NJ. This contest is midday on Friday, June 22, 2007. As always, I'm going to attempt to do the deuce (20 HDBs or better), but I would be happy with just beating my personal best again.
I have no illusions about making it to the Nathan's finals this year; the wild card will probably be in the 23 to 25 range, judging from the numbers I'm seeing.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Looper's Review
Well, since this blog is called Wild Bill's Food Thoughts, how about a restaurant review? I went to Looper's Bar and Grille at 313 East 3rd Street in Bethlehem PA on Tuesday, March 13, 2007. Noticing that they had Guinness on tap (yum!), I order one and perused the menu. As a fan of burgers, I ordered a Blues Burger, which comes with chips, or for 75 cents extra you can get fries on the side. The burger was ordered medium rare.
While I waited, I looked around the place. The bar occupies the front half of the space, which appears to have been a narrow (<12 feet) storefront at some point in the past. With the bar chairs and the standing tables in front of the long leather banquette facing the bar, I had a little trouble navigating between the chairs and the tables with my girth. My visit occurred over lunch; all the tables (approximately 12) in the back half of the restaurant were occupied, so I took up residence on the banquette at one of the standing tables.
The bar appeared to be well stocked. It appears they are going for an Irish pub / golf themed restaurant (like the name Looper’s wasn’t enough of a clue; however, a looper means something different to the steel industry (more on that later)).
My burger arrived, with about a half pound of crinkle cut Ore-ida style fries (well, they were only 75 cents – fresh cut would have at least cost $1.50). The burger was 1/3 pound of meat, on a Kaiser-style roll that was softer than I expected and made me suspect that perhaps they were baking them on the premises. The burger came with a tomato slice and green leaf lettuce. The Blues Burger meant that it was topped with blue cheese that had been melted on top of the burger and then a Creole blue cheese sauce was added. The chef got the medium rare just right – cooked on the outside, a cool pink on the inside. Verdict on the burger: excellent, if a little small compared to the burger’s I’ve been seeing lately. They do have the Big Bertha burger, which is two 1/3 lb patties. The fries were good, probably just because they were deep fried instead of baked like you would do at home.
Then the bill came; $13.50. I didn’t expect a pint of Guinness to cost me $6.00, but one of the reviews on the internet had said that they were known for their martinis, which were pricey.
Overall, a good experience.
Service: A little slow – 7 out of 10.
Ambience: Cozy – 8 out of 10.
Food: Excellent burger, so-so fries – 7 out of 10.
Bar selection: Good – 8 out of 10.
Price: Food, excellent. Drinks, a little pricey – 7 out of 10.
Note: Apparently, from a little research on the web, a “looper” at Bethlehem Steel was a management trainee who worked their way up from the line.
While I waited, I looked around the place. The bar occupies the front half of the space, which appears to have been a narrow (<12 feet) storefront at some point in the past. With the bar chairs and the standing tables in front of the long leather banquette facing the bar, I had a little trouble navigating between the chairs and the tables with my girth. My visit occurred over lunch; all the tables (approximately 12) in the back half of the restaurant were occupied, so I took up residence on the banquette at one of the standing tables.
The bar appeared to be well stocked. It appears they are going for an Irish pub / golf themed restaurant (like the name Looper’s wasn’t enough of a clue; however, a looper means something different to the steel industry (more on that later)).
My burger arrived, with about a half pound of crinkle cut Ore-ida style fries (well, they were only 75 cents – fresh cut would have at least cost $1.50). The burger was 1/3 pound of meat, on a Kaiser-style roll that was softer than I expected and made me suspect that perhaps they were baking them on the premises. The burger came with a tomato slice and green leaf lettuce. The Blues Burger meant that it was topped with blue cheese that had been melted on top of the burger and then a Creole blue cheese sauce was added. The chef got the medium rare just right – cooked on the outside, a cool pink on the inside. Verdict on the burger: excellent, if a little small compared to the burger’s I’ve been seeing lately. They do have the Big Bertha burger, which is two 1/3 lb patties. The fries were good, probably just because they were deep fried instead of baked like you would do at home.
Then the bill came; $13.50. I didn’t expect a pint of Guinness to cost me $6.00, but one of the reviews on the internet had said that they were known for their martinis, which were pricey.
Overall, a good experience.
Service: A little slow – 7 out of 10.
Ambience: Cozy – 8 out of 10.
Food: Excellent burger, so-so fries – 7 out of 10.
Bar selection: Good – 8 out of 10.
Price: Food, excellent. Drinks, a little pricey – 7 out of 10.
Note: Apparently, from a little research on the web, a “looper” at Bethlehem Steel was a management trainee who worked their way up from the line.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Wing Bowl 15 Musings
Well, Wing Bowl 15 is now over... congratulations to all the eaters who were permitted to compete. Kudos to Joey, Pat, and Sonya for coming in 1, 2, and 3, even with the possibly questionable judging (like that's anything different for this farce).
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