If lunch exploded, it might look something like The Graduate: a monstrous sandwich with two beef patties, four strips of bacon, two chicken strips, a fried egg, chili, cheddar, Swiss, provolone, giardiniera (hot Italian relish), fried onion strings and cheese sauce.
This hearty helping of protein is served up at The U., the sandwich joint that caters to St. Louis University students in Midtown.
On Saturday, Sept. 11, the restaurant will take lunch to a whole new level with the Eat a Graduate Competition, a race to down this gullet-stretching burger. First prize is $250 cash.
The U.’s owner, Adam Kustra, is hoping for between 30 and 50 people to show up and go for the gusto. But there will be no dilly dallying here; the contest, which benefits a scholarship fund at the SLU Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, will be quick. Kustra expects the winner to finish the sandwich – which weighs in at about two pounds – in less than four minutes.
“This is the beginning of a regular challenge, too,” said Kustra. “Pretty soon, we’re going to have this every day, where whoever eats the Graduate under a certain number of minutes gets his photo on the wall. It’s fun – it adds nostalgia to the whole college experience.”
The Eat a Graduate Competition includes food and beer specials, live music, prizes, an eating contest featuring local celebrities and the contest itself at about 4 p.m. Find more details and an entry form at www.eatagraduate.com
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2010.