Man v. Food Season 3 Episode 14: Portland Maine
Adam visits Portland, Maine, in search of the Manimal Challenge at the Tradewinds Cafe. The Manimal Challenge consists of five pounds of food: the Ocho burger, eight beef hamburger patties with grilled onions and topped with cheese; two grilled hot dogs topped with homemade coleslaw; a side of fries; a large soda; and a “Mother Futcher” milkshake, named after the owner’s grandmother. Adam has a field day with the “Mother Futcher” milkshake name, using “Mother Futcher” numerous times as a joke during the episode. If Adam can down the Manimal Challenge in twenty minutes he wins a yellow Manimal t-shirt and his photo goes on the wall of fame. Dozens have tried the challenge, but only four have succeeded.
First Adam swings by The Lobster Shack, where the owners specialize in steamed whole lobsters, their famous lobster rolls, and a beautiful ocean view. The restaurant served one-hundred fifty steamed lobsters per day. Adam sits outside with owner Katie Porch to try the steamed lobster. Adam opens the claws first at Katie’s suggestion, and pulls out the lobster meat, dipping it in butter. Adam tastes the fresh lobster meat and proclaims “Oh my God, some of the sweetest lobster meat…” as he becomes lost for words, its so good. Next up is the lobster roll, Adam meets up with owner Jeff Porch, who shows him how the lobster roll is put together. Jeff steams a whole lobster and cracks open the shell, pulling out the lobster meat and cutting it into big chunks. Jeff piles the pieces of lobster into a soft roll, then tops it with homemade mayo on top and a pickle, dusting the whole sandwich with paprika. Adam takes a bite of the lobster roll and says “It’s Maine…you taste Maine!”
The next stop for Adam is Nosh Kitchen Bar, where pork is in every dish served. Nosh is known for their unique dishes, including their Pig Belly Ruben sandwich and Tempura Fried Bacon. Chef Jason Loring cooks up some french fries and dusts them with bacon dust. Adam is stunned at the thought of bacon dust on hot potatoes and jams a fry in his mouth, rolls his eyes in ecstacy and remarks the bacon on fry action is crazy good. Adam is here to try their legendary Apocalypse Now sandwich, a beef, pork and foie gras work of food art. As Adam holds an Apocalypse Now sandwich in front of the camera, he starts talking to it like Brando as Colonel Kurtz from the movie Apocalypse Now, mumbling “The burger…the burger”.
Adam heads back to the kitchen where Chef Jason Loring shows him how the Apocalypse Now sandwich is built. The Apocalypse Now sandwich is made with four meats: fresh beef brisket, beef short rib, pork belly and bacon pieces are ground into patties. Chef Loring places the patties on the grill, when cooked they are topped with two slices of American cheese. Next two pieces of pork belly and two pieces of bacon are seared on the grill and added to the patties. Lastly, a piece of foie gras is grilled until melting. Adam jokes “What the foie?” as the foie gras joins the patties on the sandwich. Chef Loring finishes off the sandwich by topping the meats with a homemade mayo and macerated cherries. Adam’s eyes grow wide as he attempts to bite into the sandwich. Adam sighs, acts faint and tells Chef Loring “I think I may have fallen in love! It’s remarkable!”
Adam uses a number of animal based movements during the Manimal episode. As the challenge begins, we see a montage showing numerous big men dressed in Manimal t-shirts, eating burgers at Tradewinds Cafe. Adam’s accent is that of an English scientist narrating a nature show about the study of the Manimal habitat at the cafe.
Adam is ready to take on the Manimal Challenge at Tradewinds Cafe. The Tradewinds Cafe is known for their cheese steaks, burgers, casadias, and homemade coffee cake. Adam goes back to the kitchen to discover how the Manimal Challenge food is put together. Chef Brian “Hoss” Coddens starts the Manimal Challenge process by grilling eight burgers for the Ocho burger, then adding the onions to be grilled with the burgers. Once the burgers are cooked they are topped with cheese, placed on the bun and topped with mustard. Chef Coddens puts two hot dogs halfed to flatten on the grill top until crispy, then the hot dogs are loaded into soft buns and topped with homemade coleslaw. The chef adds a side of fries and a large soda to the platter. Last, but not least, Chef Coddens creates the “Mother Futcher” milkshake, a thick concoction of three scoops of butter pecan ice cream with an entire plate of Mother Futcher’s homemade coffee cake blended into the shake.
As Adam enters the dining room, the crowd starts chanting Man vs Food. Adam sits and owner Mary Escew delivers the enormous platter of food and drink. The clock starts at twenty minutes and Adam strategizes splitting his Ocho burger in half and begins attacking it immediately. Adam’s first Cuatro section of the burger is harder to eat because Adam says the food is so hot. Five minutes into the challenge the Ocho burger is history. Adam dives into the first hot dog and devours it quickly, then wolfs down the second hot dog within ten minutes time. Next are fries and the soda, which disappear quickly. Adam is at 13 minutes into the challenge and ready to face the “Mother Futcher” milkshake. As Adam drinks then starts eating the milkshake he quips “That Mother Futcher is thick!” The crowd is chanting “Let’s go Adam, let’s go!” over and over as Adam continues to drink the milkshake. Adam is down to the last gulp of milkshake, stands on the table and swigs the last ice cream goodness at fifteen minutes, beating the old record for finishing the challenge! Adam howls like a wolf as the crowd cheers Adam’s win. Adam holds up the Manimal t-shirt and tells the crowd in the Tradewinds Cafe Manimal Challenge, today in Man vs Food, man won!
