By Adam Popescu
Contributing writer
It was man versus food Tuesday at Syracuse's Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.
The man's identity was obvious — it was Travel Channel star Adam Richman. But if you want specifics about the food he took on and how the encounter turned out, you'll have to wait until September.
That's when Richman's stop at the Dino will air on an episode of his show "Man v. Food."
In the meantime, Richman's publicist and the Travel Channel handlers were keeping it all hush-hush. They would not grant an interview or allow photographs.
That didn't stop a small crowd from gathering outside the restaurant at the corner of Willow and Franklin streets around 3 p.m. Many heard about Richman's stop through Twitter.
“If he’s going after something hot, that’s what he’s going to get there,” said Jake Hafner of North Syracuse.
Hafner, in blue jeans, sunglasses and a Harley Davidson T-shirt, waited outside the restaurant, beer in hand, in an effort to catch a glimpse of Richman. As members of the production team began setting up equipment, a buzz developed, luring more patrons outside into the adjacent parking lot.
A Dinosaur manager who introduced himself as Tom said that if the media showed up, Richman and company would shut down the production.
At about 3:30 p.m., Richman arrived, wearing dark sunglasses, leaning far back in the passenger seat of a red sedan. He avoided the crowd outside before entering the restaurant. Filming was scheduled to last until about 8 p.m.
In "Man v. Food," Richman travels the country, often taking on crazy eating challenges, such as a massive grilled cheese sandwich in Cleveland, a 7-pound seafood feast in Long Island and a race to finish 50 wings in 30 minutes in Boulder, Colo.
This is not the Dinosaur's only recent encounter with TV fame: Food Network star Adam Gertler filmed a segment of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" there in March 2009. In May 2009, "Good Morning America" named it the best barbecue in the country and sent a film crew to Syracuse announce the award.
Of Tuesday's filming, Dinosaur owner John Stage said, "It's an honor and a lot of fun. I wish I could be there."
Stage was in New York City after filming an episode for Spike TV's "The Playbook" Monday night. Spike, on www.spike.com, says the show "celebrates men and all the things they find important." Apparently, one of those things is barbecuing, which Stage was doing on a New York rooftop.
He said he expects that episode to air June 28.
Staff writer Robert A. Baker contributed to this report.