7 minute read
BIG APPETITES
WACKY KNAKY DINER
Gut Buster Challenge: 10 egg omelet, sausage links or patties, bacon, toast and hashbrowns. $18.95, done on the honor system and no time limit.
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MILLER’S LANDING/ BREAKFAST CLUB BAR & GRILL
Breakfast Challenge: Two, 22 -inch pancakes, four eggs, four pieces of toast and sausage and bacon. $30 to enter but if you finish it in 30 minutes, it’s free. Gift card and T-shirt given to winners.
THE PANCAKE HOUSE
Pancake Challenge: Finish eight, 10-inch pancakes. No time limit. Winners receive a T-shirt. If you finish the challenge, the meal is free. Among the 365 challenges Brandon has entered, he’s only lost twice.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BRANDON CLARK
Two years after entering his first event, Brandon decided to make this his full-time career. He has traveled the world in search of the right challenge, and has a website and posts seven to 10 videos a week on YouTube. He currently has 61,600 followers.
“I edit all my own videos,” Brandon said. “I really appreciate people who take the time to watch. I personally answer every comment that’s made.”
Among the 365 challenges Brandon has entered, he’s only lost twice. He eventually went back and beat them, making him undefeated in the food challenge world. Brandon lives in Hernando, Miss. but is a frequent contender in the Lake area. He completed a four day challenge this past June.
Day one was the 666 Challenge at Nautifish in Camdenton. Known as the hot wing challenge, Brandon had no problem consuming six hot wings, in six minutes, with a six minute afterburn (you can’t eat or drink after it).
The challenge on day two was the Gut Buster at Wacky Knacky in Osage Beach. In just two minutes and two seconds, Brandon cleared the plate that held a 10egg omelet, hash brown potatoes, sausage, bacon and gravy. The entire meal boasted a whopping 3.5 pounds of food.
Continuing his quest, Brandon visited Millers Landing in Osage Beach for another filling challenge. Breakfast consisted of two, 22-inch pancakes, four eggs, four pieces of toast and sausage. Contestants are given 30 minutes to complete the meal. Brandon easily consumed it all in 15 minutes.
Although a pancake challenge two days in a row isn’t ideal, Brandon couldn’t resist the challenge. On day four, he found himself at The Pancake House in Osage Beach. In just 26 minutes, the plate of eight 10-inch pancakes was gone.
Other contests Brandon has entered
Brandon has traveled the world in search of the right challenge.
include the Big Mammas and Pappas Pizza in Los Angeles, Calif. Eight people are challenged to finish a 50-pound pizza in the time allowed. Brandon entered the contest with a team of only four members and finished in half the time. That event awarded a $4,000 prize.
The most challenging event took place early in his career at a restaurant called Mamma’s On The Hill in St. Louis, Missouri. Faced with eight pounds of spaghetti and a meatball twice the size of a softball, Brandon actually lost this event. He went back a second time, however, and finished with ease.
“My bucket list item was The Big Texan in Amarillo Texas,” Brandon explained. “This is the ultimate number one challenge for most people. It consists of a 72-ounce steak, six shrimp, a baked potato, salad and a roll. The second time I finished it in 12 minutes.”
Brandon said he’s put on about 30 pounds since he began the challenges, but otherwise is in good health. He’s going to continue entering contests, but will be focusing more on time challenges. Proud of his cakes and other creations, Brandon is going to start marketing and selling his baked goods.
Climax Springs resident Darin McNeely had no intention of entering an eating contest when he attended the Pumkin Chunkin’ Palooza event at the Lake.
“They were looking for contestants for the pumpkin pie contest, and my son got me to enter,” Darin explained.
Darin won the event both years he entered. The first year, he stopped eating after two pies. The second year was a timed event, and he consumed a little over two pies.
“The first year I randomly got selected,” Darin said. “The second year I came back to claim my crown once again.”
Entering food contests is not something Darin typically does, and how to go about this challenge was unknown. The second year, Darin had a plan of attack.
“The first time I just went at it,” he explained. “The second year I knew it was the chewing that slowed me down. I focused on choking down the crust first, and then finished the rest of the pie.”
“The feeling afterward was horrible,” he remembered. “I felt like I had a bowling ball sitting in my stomach. But I do still like pumpkin pie.”
Brett Hubbard, the owner of The Pancake House in Osage Beach, has been offered The Pancake Challenge for 12 years. It costs approximately $20 to enter the event, depending on which type of pancakes the contestant chooses. There are eight 10-inch pancakes with as much butter and syrup as you’d like. Flavors available include chocolate chip, banana foster, blueberry, strawberry and more. There is no time limit and winners walk away with a free T- shirt. “It’s pretty simple but challenging at the same time,” Brett explained. “It’s normally tourists who do it, and we’ve only had two contestants complete it. The pancakes are brought out one stack at a time, and most people don’t make it through the first stack.”
Brett said it’s typically the younger to middle aged crowd who attempts the challenge, and almost always men. The challenge is offered from 6 a.m.-2 p.m., six days a week.
Whether it’s burgers, pancakes, or wings you desire there’s a challenge at the Lake waiting for you.
Above: The Breakfast Club Bar & Grill at Miller's Landing has a Breakfast Challenge.
MILLER'S LANDING ON FACEBOOK
Left: The Pancake House in Osage Beach offers a Pancake
Challenge. JASEN JONES
The Brick House Cajun Cuisine team: Cody Kennedy, food and beverage director; Amanda Hull, general manager; and Terry Larkins, head chef.
STORY BY CONNYE GRIFFIN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY AL GRIFFIN
Soft jazz, lively Zydeco, and washboard beats call to mind New Orleans where tall Hurricanes and spicy Sazerac go down smoothly. Creole spices and Cajun delights further define the unique Louisiana cuisine, but now, Lake of the Ozarks’ diners have it all right here at home on the Bagnell Dam Strip under the sign for Brick House Cajun Cuisine. h Inside this open-air restaurant under gentle breezes, diners will enjoy fine lunch and dinner fare. Traditional jambalaya, gumbo, and shrimp over grits are on the menu. So is an array of seafoods — large gulf shrimp, mussels, crab, oysters, and crawfish. These are served as platters, on sandwiches, tossed with pasta, or fried.
Meat choices will satisfy New Orleans’ cravings, too. Andouille sausage, pulled pork, baby back ribs, and juicy beef burgers are great choices for anyone who is not a fan of seafoods. Dirty rice or red beans and rice are sides that please.
For dessert, the classic New Orleans’ beignet, bananas foster, or pecan praline pie will not disappoint diners who crave something sweet and southern after a hearty meal. In fact, head chef Terry Larkins designed the menu so New Orleans fans will not be disappointed. So far, his research has earned solid, positive reviews. Diners like having the Cajun option on the Strip, and they like the Brick House Cajun tastes very much.
Amanda Hull, General Manager for the front of the house, collaborated with Larkins on the menu, especially the “killer cocktail” menu. One often ordered is the Smoked Old Fashioned. Another is the gin fizz made with fresh, frothed egg whites. The traditional Hurricane is equally popular. Made with four fruit juices—orange, pineapple, lime, and passion fruit—stirred into Captain Morgan and Bacardi rums with
Old Fashioned infused with smoke for a deeper, richer flavor.
Jumbo crab cakes.
