Maharlika just released this amazing video promoting its balut-eating competition at the Dekalb Market this weekend. The Filipino snack strikes fear in the heart – or at least, queasiness in the stomach – of many (just watch East Villager Josh Ozersky lose his cool at the sight of a fertilized duck embryo being pulled from its shell), but according to chef-owner Miguel Trinidad, 20 brave souls have signed up to see how many eggs they can suck down in a five-minute span.
The pressure is on for the 10 who will take the stage: according to the chef, there’s been interest from Guinness World Records. No less than 300 eggs will be at the ready this Saturday (they’ll also be sold to spectators for $3 a pop). Mr. Trinidad said a friend of the restaurant has already done a test-run, and managed to down 25 eggs in five minutes. “He felt fine,” said the chef.
By the way, this isn’t the only gastronomic showdown involving an East Village restaurant. A reader uses the Virtual Assignment Desk to send word of an Iron Chef-style cooking competition at the Tompkins Square Greenmarket.
Two culinary cornerstones of the East Village are in the hot seat as Veselka Bowery and Hearth Restaurant / Terroir Wine Bar face off to claim the title of Tompkins Square Greenmarket Iron Chef. Each chef will have just an hour to transform a “mystery basket” of market ingredients into a delicious dish. Traven Rice of The Lo-Down blog and our esteemed panel of judges will crown a winner, and limited samples will be available to the public. Sunday, Sept 9 1-4pm Tompkins Square Greenmarket 7th St by Avenue A.
Want to take photos or better yet shoot video of either of these for us? Sign up to cover them by going to our Open Assignments page and filtering available stories by “pitch.”
This post has been edited to reflect the following correction:
Correction: August 30, 2012
A previous version of this post misidentified the location of the Iron Chef competition. It will take place at the Tompkins Square Greenmarket, not the Union Square Greenmarket.
