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Posted on Wed, Oct 20, 2010 : 10:18 p.m.

'Man v. Food' gets a taste of Ann Arbor

By Chrysta Cherrie

Note: Contains spoiler info. Missed the episode? More "Man v. Food" Ann Arbor air times.

In pursuit of the country's greatest extreme dining destinations, "Man v. Food" host Adam Richman has pigged out from sea to shining sea. Tonight's episode brought him to Ann Arbor, where he hit up local hotspots Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger, Maize and Blue Deli, and for the food challenge, Tios Mexican Cafe.

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Adam Richman jokes with customers at Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger.

photo courtesy of Travel Channel

His journey began with a trip to Blimpy Burger, where he chatted with students, learned about the current burger record (a whopping 43 patties!) and explored the topping options. With four different buns, six cheeses, nine grilled items and 12 condiments, there are almost 2.15 billion possible Blimpy Burger combinations. Richman opted for a quint (five patties) with stone ground mustard, ketchup, black olives, lettuce and tomato. Biting into the burger, he appreciated the melt-away quality of the ground-on-the-premises beef.

Next, at Maize and Blue, Richman learned that the deli is a favorite among University of Michigan athletes, where they grab a post-game bite. Deli manager Ehab "Eric" Sukkar set up Richman with a Triple Play reuben, a corned beef, pastrami and sauerkraut sandwich accented with Russian dressing and melted Swiss and Jarlsberg cheeses on sourdough rye. Saying he thought he could only get a good reuben in New York, Richman remarked that the Triple Play "turned [his] whole world into chaos" and was a "home run."

But the burger and reuben were merely a prelude to the challenge ahead: Mount Nachismo at Tios. Describing himself as "hungry as a Wolverine," Richman got the lowdown from chef Jeremy Seaver. The five-pound nacho platter boasts all the fixings: beans, shredded cheese, chicken, pork, beef. After a quick trip to the oven to melt the cheese, Seaver added onions, green peppers, tomatoes, olives and and a veritable lava flow (or, as Richman noted, "kiddie pool") of spicy queso dip.

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A closer look at the "Man v. Food" Ann Arbor challenge: Tios' five-pound Mount Nacheesmo.

photo courtesy of Travel Channel

With 45 minutes to complete the challenge, Richman had a T-shirt, wall of fame photo and all-important bragging rights on the line. Fifteen minutes in, Richman was on pace to win but had to find his "inner Wolverine" to stay on target. Fortunately, there was Maize and Blue spirit (and a rendition of U-M fight song "The Victors") pushing him forward to the two-thirds complete mark. During the final 15 minutes, the thick, rich refried beans threw Richman for a loop. But ultimately, the mountain was a mere molehill to Richman, who conquered Mount Nachismo with time to spare.

Chrysta Cherrie is the entertainment producer/copy editor for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at chrystacherrie@annarbor.com or 734-623-2526, and follow her on Twitter @chrystacherrie.

Comments

HaeJee

Tue, Oct 26, 2010 : 10:47 a.m.

I started watching this show when I moved out of Ann Arbor for year. They go to all the great locations in the country. While living near Memphis, they did a show about some restaurants there that we went to. I thought it was fantastic that Ann Arbor was a visiting location. I am not sure about the choices of restaurants....., they are okay. I was just exciting to watch our city on national television. I agree with another poster that the Go Blue was a little over the top. They also said that 70% of people in Ann Arbor are either students at the U of M or work at the U of M. How accurate is this? I have a hard time believing that the statistics is right.

Ron Granger

Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 2:31 p.m.

I love Adam's show.. But Maize & Blue Deli? Really? They don't even cook their own corned beef. It comes pre-cooked and they microwave it. That's a midnight snack kinda sandwich. Ann Arbor is fortunate to have a great deli, Zingerman's... And while they don't need any promotion, it is the real deal in every regard (meat, bread, cheese, etc). Amer's is *okay* (the bread, especially, is lacking).

recordhound

Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 2 p.m.

I love the Fleetwood for what it is but c'mon, quality food? You really going to compare a Fleetwood burger to a Blimpy burger? Absurd. I don't imagine anyone is going to try to defend Tio's though. On that one we can all agree.

revras

Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 1:04 p.m.

YUCK. I would never suggest anyone go to any of these places for quality food in A2. We have so many other good destinations for good food at inexpensive prices too.... Fleetwood etc... I'd love to get a post mortem on this guy after eating 5 lbs of anything at Tios.:)

Hmm

Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 10:02 a.m.

I watched the episode and it was good. True they could have went to some other places, but I felt they did a good job given the amount of time they had available to them. My only regret is that I wasn't able to make it to Tios when they were here, man that would have been cool!

Richard Retyi

Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 9:10 a.m.

Hem haw hem haw hem haw grumblegrumblegrumblegrumble. Come on people! Ann Arbor got a national love letter from a popular TV show with a popular TV personality who couldn't stop gushing about how much he enjoyed his stay. Who cares that they picked Maize & Blue over Zingerman's (M&B has some great sandwiches!) or Tios over some pizza challenge... it's nice for the city to get a big fat kiss from Adam Richman. @bruceae, I planned to respond directly to your "Only in America" quip, but reading your comment history was far more enlightening. Hem haw hem haw grumblegrumblegrumble.

glimmertwin

Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 8:26 a.m.

The episode was funny. But they could have filmed several episodes here visiting many other spots. The entire UM thing was a bit tiresome. Lots of people in the are dine out with no connection to the university at all.

bruceae

Thu, Oct 21, 2010 : 8:06 a.m.

Only in America. In a world where millions of people go to bed hungry every night we glorify a "dough boy" who can eat 5 lbs. of artery clogging crap in one hour.