Joey is a man of great appetites. Regardless of company, occasion or time of day, Joey will methodically consume every bite of pretty much anything you put in front of him. He's a tremendous asset in times of great hunger, as the raging fire in his belly has been the inspiration for many a mammoth meal in his company.
To him, I pose a challenge.
This, my friends, is The Big Texan Restaurant, in Amarillo, Texas. It's a Route 66 mainstay, open since 1960 and notorious as the "Home of the free 72 ounce steak". The idea behind this moniker, which was plastered across billboards galore along the fabled highway, comes from the restaurant's signature eating challenge. If you order the restaurant's 72 oz. steak and consume every morsel of it within an hour of your first bite, it's on the house. Truly a testament to Texas pride.
Earlier, my girlfriend Bernadette and I were watching a bit on the Travel Channel about the best places to pig out. And what came across the screen but this gem of a steakhouse. To us, this sounds like a proper challenge for my friend Joey and his sizable appetite. We're coming here to Amarillo on August 6, and as long as we're going to be in town, we'd be remiss not to have Joey make an attempt at this gargantuan slab of beef.
Only about one of six people are successful in their bids for sirloin supremacy here. If Joey is any kind of man, he'll do it with a smile on his face.
Joey, when you read this, please respond in blog post form.
-Tom
Photo by Joe Jansen
