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Chewy's Is The Home Of The 5 Pound Fat Boy Burger Challenge. |
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Chewy's Of Edgemere 410-388-0041 Chewy New 5 Pound Fat Boy Burger, You Eat in 1 Hour You Can Rename It And Eat Free For A Year. |
Meat monster: Chewy’s co-owner Demetris Nicolaidis and his five-pound burger creation. photo by Joseph M. Giordano Chewy’s 5 lb. burger challenge remains unmet by Joseph M. Giordano Meat lovers in the area have been rejoicing since April 13. That’s the day when Chewy’s reopened its doors in Edgemere. And this time it’s packing some extra beef. Chewy’s founder Demetris Nicolaidis, who specializes in barbecue, opened his first take-out spot on Dundalk Avenue four years ago. When that closed, he moved to the 1200 block of N. Charles Street in Baltimore, where he remained until March, when he decided it was time to return. “I needed to come back home,” said Nicolaidis, who spent part of his youth in Dundalk before his family moved to Highlandtown. “I love the people here, and they love our cooking.” Since opening about a month ago in the carryout part of Micky’s on North Point Boulevard, Chewy’s has been packed, according to Nicolaidis. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “We never advertised the opening anywhere. It was all word of mouth. It’s been a steady stream of customers.” This time around, Nicolaidis came up with an idea that seems to have taken off with local eaters. “It’s a five-pound burger,” he said. “And if you eat it in under an hour, you can eat here for a year for free and the burger will get your name.” Word about the challenge has spread like that of the carryout. “There’s already been about a dozen people who have tried it,” Nicolaidis said two weeks ago. “But they’ve all failed.” A co-partner in the new venture was amazed at the size of the creation. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Rob Levine, who owns Chewy’s with Nicolaidis and two other partners. “I saw a guy a few weeks ago, he must have been about 300 pounds, get about a third of a way through it until he had to go outside.” The massive burger – the equivalent of 25 Big Macs – includes about a pound of fixings, including onions, cheese and of course a huge bun. Nicolaidis is not all about monster meat, though. The 36-year-old spent a year and a half from 1999 until 2000 traveling to barbecue states like the Carolinas and Texas to learn techniques from the masters. Like his two other ventures, this one has a smoker so he can prepare his meat fresh every day and serve up wings, ribs and homemade pulled pork. “No meat is frozen,” Nicolaidis said, “not even the 13-ounce chicken breast we use for our chicken cheesesteak sub.” With the success of the five-pound burger, Nicolaidis is planning a dessert. Chewy’s style. “It’s a five-pound ice cream sundae,” he said. “It’s called ‘the pig trough,’ like Farrell’s [a restaurant chain that left Baltimore in the ’80s] used to serve.” And the prize for downing five pounds of ice cream and toppings? “You finish that,” Nicolaidis said, “you eat here free for life.” |
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