TALKEETNA — Long a cultural destination, it’s Talkeetna’s culinary scene that will be displayed tomorrow night on national television.

Two local restaurants, the Talkeetna Roadhouse and the West Rib Pub, were tapped for the Alaska episode of the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food.”

The show pits host Adam Richman against some of the most daunting edible challenges around the country. Past episodes have featured Richman taking on a two-gallon ice cream sundae in San Francisco, a six-pound burrito in Las Vegas and a 1.5-pound sandwich followed by a six-pound milkshake in Washington, D.C.

Photo courtesy Laura Wright Talkeetna Roadhouse owner Trisha Costello stands holding a signed picture of '��Man v. Food'�� host Adam Richman.

“I watched the show and was like, ‘Oh my God. It’s kind of gluttonous,” Roadhouse owner Trisha Costello said. “They asked us to make a stack of pancakes a foot and a half high.”

While they are not about stuffing their patrons, Costello said they are known for their pancakes that easily flop over the sides of the plates. The regular portion is two pancakes, not the 29 they were asked to prepare for Richman.

Richman did not actually do the challenge in Talkeetna — that was reserved for the pound of reindeer sausage and three pounds of king crab called the Kodiak Arrest at Humpy’s Alehouse in Anchorage. But he did sample Costello’s pancakes, eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls and what she calls a “Rudy in a Parka.”

“It’s a reindeer polish link split, with jack and cheddar cheese stuffed in there, and wrapped in our potato dough,” Costello said. “It’s our version of a pig in a blanket.”

Over at the West Rib, general manager Lauri Stec said Richman tried the cheeseburger ominously named Seward’s Folly.

“It’s five pounds of burger, one pound of ham, 12 pieces of cheese, a half pound of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes and onions on a triple-decker sourdough bun,” Stec said.

The Seward’s Folly is on their summer menu for $25, but Stec said she has never personally seen anyone finish it.

Neither Stec nor Costello are certain about why their restaurants were chosen for the show. Stec speculates Travel Channel employees got the idea when they traveled to Talkeetna for another show and perhaps ate at both restaurants.

But both said they are glad it’s over. Stec said the crew invaded her pub for eight hours for what she was told would only be seven minutes of airtime. Costello said they filmed at her restaurant for 12 hours, after which “Richman was the only one who got makeup.”

The first airing of the show will be Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Alaska time on the Travel Channel. Costello said the Roadhouse will have a viewing party to mark the occasion.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.