Jan Norris: Food and Florida

Have no fear if the 3-pound burger at the new Heart Stoppers Sports Grill takes your breath – or your pulse – away.

Iggy Lena, owner, is a licensed paramedic and can revive you on the spot.

Lena, a long-timer in the restaurant biz (“I was spinning pizzas for my dad when I was 7 years old”) says he wanted to have fun with this eatery. So he blended his two careers, the medical field and the food world, and came up with Heart Stoppers.

He served as a paramedic in Delray and Broward trauma centers, then went on to teach emergency life support and CPR classes to doctors and nurses. That career left him with time on his hands.

“I got bored just teaching, so decided to open a restaurant. Families and fun are our priorities. I think people will get  a kick out of the place once they come in and see it all,” he said.

Tongue (depressor) in cheek decor

The table have wheelchair fittings on them – they look like rows of wheelchairs from a certain angle. An eye chart is in the bathroom; X-ray light boxes are on the walls and salt and pepper shakers are prescription bottles. “It’s a bunch of little stuff like that,” he says. Servers show up in cutsey lab coats with stethoscopes around their necks.

Kids have a “pediatric menu” that includes PB&J sandwiches and little plates.

Food could potentially stop a heart

Photo from the Wall of Fame

The menu’s tongue-wagging item is the big burger – a 3-pounder. The mega sandwich stands “almost 13 inches high,” Lena said. If you can eat one with all the trimmings and a side of fries in less than 40 minutes and 16 seconds – the record as of this writing - it’s free (regularly $21.99). You get your picture on the wall and your next meal is free, too.

Why burgers? “I wanted the Five Guys burger franchise, but it was taken, so I just built my own menu around a good burger,” he said. He offers more than 30 toppings for the burgers that diners can get in much  smaller sizes: quarter-, half-, one- and two-pound versions.

Salads, wraps and vegetarian choices

While it is a sports-bar menu, “Not all our food is extreme or bad for you,” Lena said. Along with wings, dogs, meatball subs and sandwiches, he points out the vegetarian menu that includes veggie wraps, salads and a special vegetarian burger brought in from New York.

Lena, originally from the Big Apple, wants to get in the Schickhaus hot dogs famous in New Jersey, but is still working that out. “Freight charges are really expensive on these,” he says. For now, it’s Sabrettes.

Hot wings, meatball sub and hot dog challenges

Plenty of contests are being cooked up by Lena – including the Rule of Nines Hot Wings challenge. Eat nine super hot wings in 9 minutes, and win. There are provisions – call and get the details, which include signing a waiver and sitting in the chair 5 minutes after finishing the wings – staring at a cold glass of milk and a cold towel that you are forbidden to touch.

TVs for sports fans

The sports comes into this place via the seven 50-inch TV sets. “Anywhere you sit, you’ve got a great view of the TVs,” he said. Games, of course, are shown, though if you request CSI, you’ll probably get it.

Beer will come in appropriately large sizes, too – a gallon-sized pitcher, available for special prices at happy hour.

Menu disclaimers

“We’re all about fun. I even have a warning label on the menu: Overconsumption of our food can lead to obesity — consult your doctor or get an exercise routine.”

And for those over 350 pounds already: Your meal is free. See Lena: “I’m the biggest guy in the house.”

Heart Stoppers Sports Grill

• 1100 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach
• 561-276-5554; web site in the works
• Open Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.

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