Eastern Standard in Boston's Kenmore Square Wins the Boston Globe's 2014 Munch Madness

A restaurant tournament that The Boston Globe models after the NCAA's March Madness has just wrapped up, and a well-known restaurant in the city's Kenmore Square neighborhood has come out on top.

According to the page for the contest, Eastern Standard defeated Row 34 (a seafood spot in Fort Point) in the finals, breaking the string of three victories in a row by Cambridge's Hungry Mother. Eastern Standard had defeated Toro in the South End in the semifinals, while Row 34 had beaten Neptune in the North End. (Hungry Mother and other previous winners were "retired" this year to allow other restaurants to get the chance at the crown.)

Munch Madness is based on reader votes, with 64 area dining spots competing.

To see the complete results of the 2014 Munch Madness, please go to the Boston Globe link below:

Welcome to Munch Madness 2014!

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Winner of El Pelon Chile-Eating Contest Downs 61 Habaneros

The Brighton branch of El Pelon Taqueria was the site of a chile-eating contest last night, and the winner did, in the restaurant's words, "the impossible" (and there is certainly no argument here).

A Twitter post from the restaurant indicates that a contestant named John Tomas ate 61 habanero peppers for what the eatery says is a second victory for him. It is not known how many peppers he ate for his first victory, but it can probably be assumed that it was less than 61.

While not the hottest pepper on the planet, habaneros are perhaps the hottest of all the widely-used chiles out there, and it is many times hotter than cayennes, jalapenos, and serranos. It is not known what the world record is for eating habanero peppers, but according to a Daily Mail article, a woman from India set a record a few years back by eating 51 bhut jolokia peppers (the hottest in the world--and much hotter than a habanero).

Thanks to Eater Boston for letting us know about this event.


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