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World records in the world of food and hospitality are now increasing day by day. While some are creating the world’s largest cocktails, others are creating a world record by dining at restaurants. And each record leaves us awestruck by the sheer uniqueness. In the latest such news, the culinary space recently witnessed yet another record-breaking moment along the same lines. This time a hardcore foodie scripted history by dining in at 18 Michelin-starred restaurants in just 24 hours, all by himself. You read that right.
Eric Finkelstein went around and ate at some of New York's finest restaurants to earn the record. The Guinness World Records have shared his story which is sure to make foodies around the world sit up and question their love for food.
Eric was not a big fan of eating out at expensive restaurants, but that changed when he had to leave the city temporarily due to the pandemic. Staying away from New York made him miss and realize the importance of all those food options he never thought of discovering. Upon his return, he joined a group on Discord, an instant messaging platform, where he read about this Guinness World Record title. “It combined my love of eating interesting food, working towards a checklist, and working towards something silly," Eric said as per the Guinness World Record website.
However, pulling this off wasn’t as easy and fun as it may sound. Months of planning, preparation, and securing bookings at some of New York's most sought-after dining destinations, led him to complete this task, which took place on October 26, 2022. The day started with Le Pavillon in Midtown, where he ate a grilled avocado salad for $36 (roughly INR 2,970). Restaurant Caviar Russe was his next stop, where he enjoyed a dish topped with caviar costing $25 (around INR 2,000).
In his quest to attain the record, Eric enjoyed some of the most mouth-watering dishes from Michelin-starred restaurants. From grilled scallops dressed with grapefruit and chrysanthemum at Tuome in Alphabet City to a bowl of lingonberries at Aquavit in Midtown, or the steak tartare at Oiji Mi, Eric spent a whopping $494 (around INR 40,000) on his food adventure, and ended the day at Noda with a sea urchin and caviar-topped chawanmushi.
When asked to name his favorite dish among all the meals that he had consumed in 11 hours, Eric responded that there was a "three-way tie". He described the dishes, saying, “The Fluke Crudo at Casa Mono (fresh with surprising waves of flavor), Duck Mortadella at Francie (the buttery bread practically melted in my mouth), and Everything Brioche at Red Paper Clip (satisfyingly soft, combined sweet and savory flavors).”
However, this is not the first time that Eric has bagged a Guinness World Record. He is the keeper of two table tennis records. He recorded “Longest table tennis serve 15.57 m (51 ft 1 in)”, in 2021. And, “Largest table tennis ball mosaic: 29.12 m² (313 ft² 6 in²)” in 2022.
