Doughman race, local restaurants get profiled on Travel Channel tonight

The Travel Channel's hopped into the TV-foodie business with their show Man v. Food, whose second season premiered in August. The shtick: one Yale Drama grad-cum-TV actor (Adam Richman, of Guiding Light and All My Children fame) checks out a town's food, then competes in some crazy competitive eating contest to prove his gastric godliness.

Tonight's destination: our Bull City, to be profiled on tonight's episode, which airs at 10pm this evening on Travel.

Richman came here in the spring to compete in the second-annual Doughman competition, Durham's own competitive eating meets competitive athletics fundraiser. The host also takes a look at two local restaurants, Backyard BBQ Pit in the RTP area and Wimpy's Grill over on Hillsborough Rd.

My fellow Derm-blogger Steve grouses that Durham ought to be featured more for its elite eats and locavore prowess than its greasy-spoon destinations, and takes some issue with the show's promotion of Durham as some "cradle of 'cue" -- though I can suppose that, to one unfamiliar with N.C.'s more famous pig-pickin' haunts, a stop into the Bull City could make one unaware there might be finer barbecue elsewhere in Carolina.

But, hey, it should still be some nice tee-vee exposure for Durham -- not to mention the Doughman competition, which has been a nice addition to everyone's spring dance cards around here. (The Doughman folks will be watching the premiere live from Dain's Place on Ninth Street this evening.)

Here's a sneak peek segment from tonight's show:

Comments

[TH]

I think Durham has a good set of quality locally owned restaurants. But their offerings and locavorism is not all that unique on a national level. You can find a "Watts Grocery" in just about any city with a decent sized population and progressive food culture. But on the other hand, finding a true BBQ joint on the level of Backyard BBQ Pit just doesn't happen often... especially outside the South. They are CONSISTENTLY excellent... their pulled pork, other mains, and sides are always spot on. And they are such a friendly group of folks.... feels like I'm stepping back in time into granny's kitchen when I go there. I look forward to watching the show.

[Steve]

Thanks for the shout out, Kevin. Honestly I almost just forwarded on the press release but was stopped short by how badly it was written. Durham is an amazing place but I'm sorry, having grown up in North Carolina and eaten my fair share of many delicious pigs, it's just perplexing for me to take that we're the "Capital of Cue" (sic) with a straight face. And someone who says that pork is "stirred" just demands to be called out.

[Porky LeSwine]

Steve is right, calling Durham the "Cradle of Cue" is downright laughable. It's a bit like calling Sacramento California's "Sourdough Capital." Or maybe like calling Carrboro the "Paris of the Piedmont," but at least that's one tongue-in-cheek. Oh well. Still, there are some decent barbecue joints in the Bull City, and I'm glad Durham's diverse dining scene is getting some more national attention. Plus, maybe Durham can sell hungry visitors the gateway pork that hooks them on NC BBQ.

[Dottie]

Gateway pork? I guess your right, it is addictive.

[loan]

Mans v. Food is a very interesting and popular show. The Adam Richman is an experienced actor and performed well in Mans v.Food show.

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Durham, NC: Home of The DOUGHMAN

Eat,Bike,Run,Swim.

Have you ever wanted to eat an order of bacon cheese fries and then run 2 miles to watch your teammate inhale a chili-dog? Then the DOUGHMAN is the event for you!

The DOUGHMAN is the world's premier Team Relay Quadrathlon - combining competitive eating with a traditional triathlon. The 2008 and 2009 DOUGHMAN events raised funds and awareness for the Durham Inner-city Gardeners (DIG) program at SEEDS. This year, DOUGHMAN events will benefit Seesaw Studio in addition to DIG! Teamwork, local foods, and athletic competition all wrapped up in a perfect philanthropic package! Ridiculously big thanks to all the sponsors, donors, and participants of the 2009 DOUGHMAN and post-race banquet. Through all your efforts we raised over $12,000 for the Durham Inner-City Gardeners!
Looking forward to big things in 2010. . .

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