Remember the group of bloggers who created a world record by visiting the most number of fast-food restaurants? Hold on. The culinary space recently witnessed yet another record-breaking moment along the same lines. Honestly, it sounds too good to be true. This time a hardcore foodie, all by himself, scripted history by dining in at 18 Michelin-starred restaurants in just 24 hours. Eric Finkelstein ate at some of New York's finest restaurants to earn the record. Now, the Guinness World Records have shared his story which will definitely make you question your love for food.
Eric enjoyed salads, steak tartare and caviar on his 18 restaurant journey! ????https://t.co/zuw6EsbkhR— Guinness World Records (@GWR) January 3, 2023
Eric Finkelstein was not always a fan of dining out at expensive restaurants. Things changed when, during the pandemic, he had to temporarily leave the city. Staying away from New York made Eric realise the importance of all those food options he never thought of discovering. On his return, he joined a group on Discord, an instant messaging platform, where he read about this Guinness World Record title. He said, “It combined my love of eating interesting food, working towards a checklist, and working towards something silly." Let us tell you, pulling off “this impressive task” was not as easy as it may sound. It required months of planning, preparation, and secure bookings at some of New York's most sought-after dining destinations.
Also Read: World's Largest Chicken Nugget: Chef Duo Sets Guinness World Record
Eric's record-making attempt took place on October 26, 2022. The first destination was Le Pavillon in Midtown, where he ate a grilled avocado salad for $36 (roughly INR 2,970). Restaurant Caviar Russe was his next stop. No brownie points for guessing what he ate. Of course a caviar dish, costing $25 (around INR 2,000).
Some other dishes that Eric relished during his quest to attain the record, included grilled scallops dressed with grapefruit and chrysanthemum at Tuome in Alphabet City, a bowl of lingonberries at Aquavit in Midtown, steak tartare at Oiji Mi, and some oysters at The Modern. He ended the day with a sea urchin and caviar-topped chawanmushi.
In total, Eric spent $494 (around INR 40,000) on his food adventure. P.S: this does not include tax or tips. Eric estimates that he consumed 5,000 calories during the day.
When Eric was asked to pick his favourite dish of all the meals he ate in those 11 hours, the now-record holder said there was a “three-way tie.” He further shared a brief description of all the three dishes, saying, “The Fluke Crudo at Casa Mono (fresh with surprising waves of flavour), Duck Mortadella at Francie (the buttery bread practically melted in my mouth), and Everything Brioche at Red Paper Clip (satisfyingly soft, combined sweet and savoury flavours).”
Surprisingly, it isn't the first time Eric has bagged a Guinness World Record. He holds two records related to table tennis.
“Longest table tennis serve: 15.57 m (51 ft 1 in)”, which was achieved in 2021. And, “Largest table tennis ball mosaic: 29.12 m² (313 ft² 6 in²)” in 2022. He shares the second record with Ben Rizzo and Raaj Shah (USA).