Martha Menocal, an administrative specialist with El Güero Canelo's corporate office, said this morning that the Travel Channel is sending a film crew to El Güero Canelo's original location at 5201 S. 12th Ave. on Friday, Jan. 29. All fans of the eatery are invited to show up to show their support, and possibly get their face on national television.

Then, on Saturday, Jan. 30, El Güero Canelo will challenge BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs at 5118 S. 12th Ave. to a Sonoran hot dog challenge while the Travel Channel cameras roll. Tucsonans are invited to attend the taping.

Menocal said the Travel Channel decided to return to Tucson after they taped an episode of Man v. Food here that featured Lindy's on Fourth, Mi Nidito and El Güero Canelo. She didn't know what the name of the new Travel Channel show being taped for was, or what time the tapings would take place. She said flyers with information about the event would be distributed in the coming days.

Also worthy of note: Adam Richman, the host of Man v. Food, tops his list of best places to eat in the country with Elvira's, the Nogales, Mexico, eatery that relocated to Tubac some time ago.

Lindy Reilly of Lindy's on Fourth says business has doubled since the restaurant was featured on the Travel Channel's Man V. Food last month.

"It turned it from a bus ride into a freight-train ride," said Reilly.

The show's star, Adam Richman, took on Lindy's 12-patty O.M.F.G. burger (the show dropped the "F," calling it the O.M.G. burger). He didn't finish it in the 20-minute time frame that makes the meal free, but did eventually consume the monstrosity, which guaranteed him a spot on the wall of fame. (A patron tried to steal Richman's picture off the wall recently, something Reilly said he dealt with "with extreme prejudice.")

Lindy's used to get about two O.M.F.G challenges a week, he said. Between 20 and 25 people have taken it on each week since the episode aired.

Despite the boost in sales, Reilly hasn't let the brush with fame go to his head. He says he likes the smallish, homey digs at 431 N. Fourth Ave. and that there aren't any plans for expanding any time soon. For the time being, he's working his ass off like usual, adding a few tables and revamping the menu to include ginger-wasabi and habanero burgers.

Reigning champion Chef Ramiro Scavo of Zona 78 and Harvest Restaurant will take on Chef Miciah Beard of Bob's Steak and Chop House at Omni Tucson National Resort at this year's Iron Chef Tucson competition.

The competition goes down at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, January 17, at Desert Diamond Casino (Pima Mine Road and Interstate 19). Doors open at 5 p.m. Prices are $50 for VIP seating and $25 general. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

An auction for eight tasting tickets opened Monday and ends at 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 8. The tickets grant premium seating in front of the stage, tastings of the four dishes prepared by each chef, beer pairings by Stella Artois and entrance to a VIP party. Bids can be submitted here, or faxed to 290-7691.

From Chef Beard's statement on the Iron Chef Tucson Web site:

"There’s no doubt that Chef Ramiro is an incredibly talented chef — but is he an architect? A painter? An expressionist? And, can he and does he, artfully and artistically show his true talent through his food presentations? Rumor has it his handmade mozzarella, ricotta, pasta and gnocchi are pretty impressive…..but how does he artistically show his vision or style in a bowl of pasta?"

When we spoke with Beard yesterday he said he draws from a number of cooking styles, including French, Pacific Rim, Indian and others. While tight-lipped about how he plans on winning the competition, he said he is unpredictably creative and a perfectionist when it comes to execution.

"My strategy is a secret, but I think the biggest thing any chef can offer is his passion for what he does. Most chefs consider cooking a job, for me it’s my career, it's my life ... I’m not competing against Ramiro; I’m competing against myself. I'm going for mastery."

Chef Scavo doesn't give a statement on the Iron Chef Tucson Web site, and attempts to reach him were unsuccessful. He beat Chef Albert Hall of Acacia to take the title last year.

The new Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain (15000 N. Secret Springs Drive, Marana)—which opened Friday, Dec. 18, with a ceremony that included an address by Gov. Jan Brewer and the release of 72 white doves—has three new restaurants that are open to the public.

Check out CORE Kitchen and Wine Bar here.

Information about Ignite, a fire-themed lounge that serves a flaming ginger margarita and a Cholula martini, can be found here.

Or you can cool off at the poolside Turquesa Latin Grill. Think quesadillas, seafood salads, sonoran hot dogs and other casual, Latin-themed fare. They serve margaritas and other signature cocktails, too. All the details are here.

Cayton's is also located there, but they've been open for a while. Check out the Weekly's review here.

Technically, there's another little restaurant there too, but it sounds like it's mainly geared toward resort guests. It's called TO/GO, and all the info about it is here.

• A Steak in the Neighborhood at 135 E. Congress St.

Cusack is also opening a place called Sapphire Lounge in the former Heart Five location at 61 E. Congress St. It is set to open New Year's Eve.

Cusack says A Steak in the Neighborhood works like this: The place uses nothing but prime and choice cuts for its beef dishes, and those cuts are prepared in a number of ways. You can have it as a straight-up steak, as beef stroganoff or as oriental beef and broccoli.

For those who like their beef between buns, they serve cheesesteaks and burgers, too. Also on the menu: A popular chicken marsala dish, salads, appetizers, breakfast burritos and other items. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday; and 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., Saturday.

Just down the block at Sapphire Lounge, Cusack is up to something completely different. He says dueling pianos will be featured downstairs while Las Vegas-style music and dancing go down upstairs. A “skydeck” area overlooking Congress Street offers outdoor seating on the top floor.

Cusack—who opened Zen Rock in the old Asylum location at 121 E. Congress St. earlier this year—was busy putting the finishing touches on Sapphire earlier this week.

• Austin's storefront at 6129 E. Broadway Blvd.

Calls to Austin's during the past week went unanswered, and a weekend visit to the eatery at 6129 E. Broadway Blvd. showed a sign taped to the window by the landlord saying that the locks had been changed because the rent had not been paid.

The eatery was originally located at 2920 E. Broadway Blvd., but moved several years back to its new location.

Attempts to reach the owners to see what led to the closing were unsuccessful.

• Michael Chihak

Chihak relocated to San Francisco in 2008 to head up something called the Communications Leadership Institute, but that gig lasted for about a year.

Now he’s followed in the footsteps of former Arizona Gov. J. Fife Symington III and enrolled in cooking school.

“My life-long interest in cooking, instilled by my mom and others, has for many years included the desire to attend culinary school,” Chihak tells The Skinny via e-mail. “The opportunity presented itself, and I enrolled in a one-year culinary arts certificate program at the California Culinary Academy here in San Francisco. I am cooking in class every day and loving it.”

Chihak, who still visits the Old Pueblo now and then to visit family and grab tortillas and other Sonoran staples, has a blog, Que Aprovecho, where he shares his culinary adventures with the occasional recipe, such as roasted whole chicken with root vegetables, turned potatoes, sauce nateur and garnish.

It can be a dangerous gig: Chihak suffered an injury while practicing for a vegetable-slicing exam that sent him to the emergency room for five stitches.

Oh, you want meat, huh? Try the Hog Pit Smokehouse Bar and Grill 's (6910 E. Tanque Verde Road) "Hog Trough Challenge" on for size.

Your mission, should you choose to consume it, is to eat a super sandwich comprised of one pound of hamburger, one pound of pulled pork and one pound of chopped brisket covered in extra spicy hot sauce (oh, and one pound of French fries) in less than 25 minutes.

Should you meet with victory, the $25 meal is free, and you get your picture on their wall of fame.

Call 722-4302, or check out the entry on their Facebook page for more info.

We just heard that Pita Jungle, which has a collection of Mediterranean-smoothie fusion cafés in the Phoenix area, is planning on opening a Tucson branch in the old 58 Degrees & Holding location at Williams Center, Broadway Boulevard and Craycroft Avenue.

Andy Seleznov of Larsen Baker tells us the restaurant is optimistic about an April opening, but there's remodeling to be done.

We dig the tasty, healthy and affordable menu. Our pals at Phoenix New Times named it Best Vegetarian and Best Restaurant for Kids this year. If you're not familiar, get a taste here.

I always knew kimchi must have some special powers, because when eaten with brown rice and a little soy sauce, it makes the world a better place.

A new study you can read about here says pickled cabbage—kraut or kimchi—is the new Viagra.

But wait a sec. According to this article in Wired, rotten eggs is the new Viagra.