Extreme spicy food or odd food combinations

Hello, I am doing research for a Food Network show focusing on outrageous food. I'd appreciate any restaurant recommendations serving extremely spicy food or unusual food combinations. I'm talking about blazing hot-ghost chili hot and crazy heaping plates of combining food like pancakes topped with multiple layers of sausage, gravy etc or heaps of potatoes topped with stuff, tacos stuffed with unusual ingredients. I'm seeing a lot of Man v Food stuff but nothing new or original. Thanks much!

I apologize if this comes across as snotty, but the show/segment that you describe seems like more of the same old stuff from the FN. This isn't new, original, or interesting, except perhaps to those who are getting cable tv installed for the first time. Is finding some dive that serves fries and pulled pork on top of a burger really that new or interesting? What's new here - is it that the last show featured fries and sausage on a burger, and this one is fries and pulled pork? Is this the Jerry Springer of food programming? Wouldn't it be even more interesting if the server at this dive were a skinhead who has issues with his mom dating his best friend?

kab1818 wrote:Hello, I am doing research for a Food Network show focusing on outrageous food. I'd appreciate any restaurant recommendations serving extremely spicy food or unusual food combinations. I'm talking about blazing hot-ghost chili hot and crazy heaping plates of combining food like pancakes topped with multiple layers of sausage, gravy etc or heaps of potatoes topped with stuff, tacos stuffed with unusual ingredients. I'm seeing a lot of Man v Food stuff but nothing new or original. Thanks much!

Original would be the awesome thin crust pizza in Chicago, or a show about the gems in Indian section of town.

If you want heaps of potatoes topped with stuff, most every breakfast spot will have section called "Skillets."
You might find interest in something called a haystack at a place called Maryannes diner downstate near Champaign, Il.

Super spicy food? I hate to say it, but that's so far from original, it's borderline yawn. "OOOOH, and now the capsaicin extract in the tiny bottle!" Been done to death.

The stuff you say you are looking for just doesn't really seem original or unusual.

Would you find brain curry or eyeball tacos unusual or outrageous?

seebee wrote:You might find interest in something called a haystack at a place called Maryannes diner downstate near Champaign, Il.

I think you have the Dinner Stack in mind, which is hash brown's, topped with meat, cheese, eggs, and gravy. (Incidentally, I could see an hour-long special about this. Easily. Get George Wendt to talk about it.) Merry Ann's also has Horseshoes, which is toast, meat, fries, and cheese sauce - a local specialty in Springfield.

Merry Ann's Diner

1 Main Street
Champaign, IL‎
(217) 531-1160‎

1510 South Neil Street
Champaign, IL‎
(217) 352-5399‎

seebee wrote:

kab1818 wrote:Hello, I am doing research for a Food Network show focusing on outrageous food. I'd appreciate any restaurant recommendations serving extremely spicy food or unusual food combinations. I'm talking about blazing hot-ghost chili hot and crazy heaping plates of combining food like pancakes topped with multiple layers of sausage, gravy etc or heaps of potatoes topped with stuff, tacos stuffed with unusual ingredients. I'm seeing a lot of Man v Food stuff but nothing new or original. Thanks much!

Original would be the awesome thin crust pizza in Chicago, or a show about the gems in Indian section of town.

If you want heaps of potatoes topped with stuff, most every breakfast spot will have section called "Skillets."
You might find interest in something called a haystack at a place called Maryannes diner downstate near Champaign, Il.

Super spicy food? I hate to say it, but that's so far from original, it's borderline yawn. "OOOOH, and now the capsaicin extract in the tiny bottle!" Been done to death.

The stuff you say you are looking for just doesn't really seem original or unusual.

Would you find brain curry or eyeball tacos unusual or outrageous?

Thank you for your suggestions. I will check them out.

I'm looking for original places meaning places that have not been visited by Man v Food, Bizarre Food with Mr. Zimmern or Anthony Bourdain. We may go down the road of bizarre and feature eye ball tacos at some point, but we are also trying to be respectful of the culture that is often associated with this type of food so in some respects it would not fit for us since we're trying to have fun with food. For now, as boring as it may seem, we are looking for ghost chili hot-could be curry, sushi and of course wings. As for combinations, there are all sorts of regional dishes out there. Take the horseshoe sandwich combos down in the Springfield area. It's a little bit of old Americana too-people seem to love sloppy heaping plates of food. You should see all of these types of suggestions on the Travel Channel-people are very excited to talk about the food they love and those big crazy plates of food. That is also our intent-to focus on the fun and crazy food out there. This is a great forum and I have checked it out often for suggestions on places to eat when I visit Chicago. I appreciate any and all suggestions with respect to my request. Thanks.

Darren72 wrote:

seebee wrote:You might find interest in something called a haystack at a place called Maryannes diner downstate near Champaign, Il.

I think you have the Dinner Stack in mind, which is hash brown's, topped with meat, cheese, eggs, and gravy. (Incidentally, I could see an hour-long special about this. Easily. Get George Wendt to talk about it.) Merry Ann's also has Horseshoes, which is toast, meat, fries, and cheese sauce - a local specialty in Springfield.

Merry Ann's Diner

1 Main Street
Champaign, IL‎
(217) 531-1160‎

1510 South Neil Street

Thank you! Sounds great and is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking to find.
Champaign, IL‎
(217) 352-5399‎

Have you come across this thread yet?
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=20252&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=30

SCUBAchef wrote:Have you come across this thread yet?
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=20252&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=30

Thank you!

Brain curry is actually quite delicious. And hardly odd: my fave Indo-Pak resto in Montréal serves it.

Geo

Restaurant Dera
790 Rue Jarry Ouest,
Montréal, QC H3N

Geo wrote:Brain curry is actually quite delicious. And hardly odd: my fave Indo-Pak resto in Montréal serves it.

Pepper & Salt in Schaumburg does brains masala. It's the best brains I've eaten.

But I wouldn't call it "outrageous," either.



Pepper & Salt
2263 W. Schaumburg Road
Schaumburg, IL 60194
(847) 524-1401

Looks delicious to me, LAZ!

Geo

LAZ wrote:Pepper & Salt in Schaumburg does brains masala. It's the best brains I've eaten.

Pepper & Salt's brains look delicious, if a different preparation than my current brain favorite at Shan. I will have to try soon. Now where is Schaumburg again.

Shan - Mughuz Masala/lamb brain



Enjoy,
Gary

Shan
5060-A N. Sheridan Rd
Chicago, IL. 60640
773-769-4961