Carlo’s Cucina has a new burger challenge, and so far, it’s undefeated.
After last year’s burger challenge brought people from all over to Carlo’s Cucina, owner Carlo Guzzi decided to step up a notch and create Canada’s second-biggest burger.
Last year, the Sandy Hook restaurant had The Herkules as the star of the burger-eating contest, a monstrous burger to honour Icelandic kings. The Herkules burgers had 12 certified Angus beef patties on a 1.5 lb bun with ketchup, mustard, pickles, jalapenos, fried onions, one chicken burger, 12 pieces of bacon, 12 pieces of cheese, an order of onion rings, 12 tomatoes, lettuce, and mayo. The challenge was to eat the entire burger plus a 2.5 lb burger in 37 minutes or less, and winners would get their meal for free, along with the cash from the burger pot.
This year, Guzzi created The Viking for his burger challenge. After finding out the largest burger in Canada was a 15-lb burger on the West Coast, he wanted to make something similar. So, Guzzie created an 11-lb burger—the second largest in Canada—and is offering it up as this year’s burger challenge.
“Knowing I’m a Le Burger Week winner, I needed to bring the big guns,” said Guzzi.
And he did. The Viking comes with 17 certified Angus beef smash patties, 10 pieces of cheese, 10 pieces of bacon, a handful of lettuce, a handful of tomatoes, and cajun or regular mayo; it’s up to the customer to decide. To win, someone has to finish the burger in 17 minutes.
“You can taste the Interlake in it for sure,” said Guzzi.
Winning the contest means you don’t have to pay the $85 for the burger and you get the money in the burger pot. This year, Guzzi started the pot at $250 and every time someone buys The Viking, $20 from that purchase goes into the pot. If someone claims the prize at any time, the pot will reset, starting at $50.
Guzzi knows his challenge is doable. He had a customer come in once and eat 10 patties in five minutes or two patties every minute, so he knows someone doing 17 patties in 17 minutes is possible.
For those wanting to try the burger but not the contest, Guzzi created The Viking with families in mind. He’s hoping families will come in and eat the burger in slices like a cake.
The Viking Burger challenge officially started three weeks ago, and so far, no one has been able to do it successfully. Carlo’s Cucina is located at 103014 Provincial Trunk Highway 9 in Sandy Hook.
