Prince of Wales Pub: Story of the Habanero Hamburger

I found some good reading material in the form of a brochure on last week's Habanero Hamburger outing to The Prince of Wales Pub. We talked to the owner briefly, and he told us he has a huge fridge at his house, always stocked full of habanero beauties. I proudly (dumbly?) consumed almost 1/4 of a Habanero Hamburger that was shared amongst four of us. We all wimped out, and left behind a spoonful of bright, red habanero on the plate. Jack'd surely be disappointed.

The brochure reads:

"Jack Curry, owner of The Prince of Wales Pub and longtime chili cook, began reading about the Habanero Pepper as he researched chiles for his award winning chili. After a panel of sixteen 'tasters' confirmed the legendary heat level was for real, the Pub's 'Habanero Hamburger' was first created in September 1992.

Billed as the 'World's Hottest Hamburger!?' (submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records) the Prince of Wales Pub requires each customer to first fill out a 'release form', but afterwards they receive the coveted 'I Survived The Habanero Hamburger' bumper sticker. Those not finishing the burger are part of the 'Perry Percentile', named after the first customer not to finish the burger (a whimpy Texan). Those eating all of the burger can join the ranks of Richard 'King of The Habaneros' Whiteley and Joe Recto, who each consumed five Habanero Hamburgers at one seating.

The Habanero Hamburger begins with a generous 1/3 lb. patty marinated with 'Windsor Burger' sauce, grilled to your liking. Massage in Jack's Habanero Sauce (fresh and/or powdered Habaneros) and served on a large garnished toasted bun. Have a cold beverage and remember - No whimpering!...

Habanero Facts & Lore

Habanero means 'from Havana' although it is not now grown in Cuba (the Dominican Priest Francisco Ximenez wrote in 1722 of a chile from Havana so strong that a single pod would 'make the bull unable to eat.'). It is widely grown in the Yucatan and throughout the Caribbean where it is known as the 'Scotch Bonnet' or the 'Bahama Mama' in the Bahamas.

Small and Innocuous looking, the habanero is uncontested as the hottest pepper in the world, the mother of all peppers. As one habanero lover puts it, 'When you chop, it smells good, and it entices you to eat.' But when you do, 'It feels like your lips are going to fall off.' Afterward you feel good (hot peppers are thought to trigger the release of endorphins, powerful chemicals in the human body that elicit a feeling of well being. One food writer calls it 'culinary skydiving.' It is said that you go temporarily deaf after eating a habanero so that you cannot hear your own screams.' "

Prince of Wales Pub, 106 E. 25th Avenue (near the race track), San Mateo, CA 94403. T: 650.574.9723.

Comments

[sam]

Q: Errr? Which Prince of Wales Pub, where?

A: Ooops. I just added the contact info. The Prince of Wales pub is in San Mateo, at 106 E. 25th Avenue (near the race track).
T: 650.574.9723.

[Nick]

I love that burger! I've eaten 3 in my lifetime, will go there again once I'm back on the west coast

[Lance]

The Prince of Wales, once a "place where everybody knows your name" is no more, after giving a 30 day notice of eviction to Jack and Debbie the new building owner is continuing the business as it is on his own; under the name and reputation that the previous owners had worked hard over 32 years to build. (He purchased the building not the business, but is doing business under the dba Prince of Wales)
The Pub was the heart and sole of the owners who ran it and the relationships they had forged over the years... If this new owner wanted to start his own pub at that location, well that is one thing, but to in effect steal the name and present to the world that it is the same pub was done in very poor taste by the new owner.. Jack and Debbie are currently looking for a new location to open the new POW under what name has yet to be determined.. But that pub where ever it ends up and under which ever name will be more the a sum of its parts, a place that people can go to enjoy a great beer food and fellowship that had made the POW famous world wide.
Please don't be fooled by the current owner trying to replicate the pub on 25th ave, as it is now only a pale reflection of what it once was. I will never patronize this establishment again.
The best words I can find to discribe it, is that the owner is a wolf in sheep's clothing...The POW may look the same but it's not. Now it's just a building without a soul.

[Tony Fernandez]

Two of my co-workers who have survived what was once name the "Century's Hottest Hambuger" took me to try the famed Hanbanero burger at the "Swinging Door," which used to be "The Prince of Wales." Well, to our utter disappointment, they did not have the waiver form, and we ordered the burger only to find out later that it wasn't the XXX-hot burger that we went there to experience. Make sure you call before you go to the pub if you are looking for the "real-hot" habanero burger experience. Despite the service, we will return to fulfill our destinies as survivor's of "This Century's Hottest Hamburger." Don't forget to call and ask.

[shuey]

That burger sounds realy tasty i might have to take a few friends down for a challage :). i think ill ring first thank for the tip
shuey