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Big Eats For some folks, the bigger the food is, the better the experience is! We have a handful of eating establishments in ILLINOISouth that offer eating challenges, which draw professional eaters and
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Burger Joints There are several eateries in ILLINOISouth that pride themselves on their delicious burgers. Did you know that Americans consume 50 billion hamburgers a year? That averages out to 154 burgers per person annually…
ILLINOISouth Visitor’s Guide 2022
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Another food monster resides in Iuka at Smoked to the Bone BBQ. There is a five-pound behemoth called the Philabuster which includes three hamburgers, sausage, brisket, pulled pork, turkey, three different cheeses, and fries on a FULL loaf of French bread. Challengers get 30 minutes to finish the sandwich, if they fail then the bill is $40. Professional eater Brandon ‘Da Garbage Disposal’ Clark drove up from Memphis to take on the Philabuster and finished in just under 20 minutes. Aside from him, MANY other challengers have failed. Do you have what it takes to beat the Philabuster?
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Arguably the most interesting new food experience just opened in Swansea in 2021. Soulcial Kitchen coins itself as the world’s first mobile cloud kitchen with a mission. They offer a variety of distinctive food offerings through delivery, catering, pickup, and food trucks. Soulcial Kitchen is always teaming up with folks to bring customers amazing eats, and they have also implemented a couple of different programs. The Currency of Caring program aims at reducing the level of food insecurity throughout St. Clair County, so tokens can be bought at a fixed cost and given to those experiencing hunger, homelessness, or other difficult situations to ‘pay it forward.’ In just a few short months, the mission and the experience at Soulcial Kitchen have folks like Matthew Fritz raving about their visit. “Great food, awesome atmosphere, and a mission that inspires. These, plus humble hosts with hearts of gold, are what brings me back to Soulcial Kitchen with my family,” Fritz explains. “The Michel’s share a great environment with their customers that invites you to their table and links a delicious meal to the community mission of service.”
crazy right? One of the most fabled burger joints in our region is the Moonshine Store in rural Clark County. They have been featured in Midwest Living Magazine, CBS Sunday Morning, and covered by countless other media outlets. While their half-pound burgers are amazing, the drive to this extremely rural destination and the experience of the old building is what draws folks like Eric Clark to southeastern Illinois just to try it! “The freshest hamburger you will ever have,” Clark admits. “If you remember how good grandpa’s cookouts tasted, this will bring it all back. The most country atmosphere you will ever find. The country store is loaded with antiques that will bring back great memories. Warning to get there early as they close the grill at 12:30. For such a small place there will be plenty of ▶
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New Eats & Experiences
other folks into our region to see if they can take down a ton of food in a short amount of time. Mimmo’s Italian Restaurant in Norris City is home of the 20” pizza challenge, where folks get one hour to finish a three-topping monster. Professional eater Randy Santel accomplished the feat in 2021, but he went above and beyond with his pizza selection. “I didn’t want to end the last stop on my Midwest USA Tour on a lighter note, so I really challenged myself by ordering their 10-topping “Super Deluxe” pizza,” Santel explains. “Everything should have banana peppers so I added those too as the 11th topping. Four pieces in I did regret it, but thankfully my body let me inhale it all and I finished in 46 minutes and 27 seconds. BIG thanks to everyone who came to watch and meet me, it was a great night,” adds Santel.
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e all eat, right? Many of us enjoy eating and love to try interesting foods from new places. In fact, food tourism is a thing – it’s also known as culinary tourism. People will travel for miles, hours even, to dine somewhere that they have heard amazing things about!
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Eat Your Way Through ILLINOISouth!
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