A Decade Of Super Bowl Food Bets Slideshow

Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino made a pregame bet with Charlotte mayor Patrick McCrory. Menino put up "38 pounds of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and three dozen Boston Kreme doughnuts, a Legal Sea Foods clambake for four, and a trip to Boston."

Mayor McCrory countered with "a weekend at the Charlotte Westin – Center City; a Bojangles' 12-Piece Super Tailgate Special — replete with 12 pieces of Cajun-spiced chicken, six buttermilk biscuits, three large fixin's (side dishes) and a half-gallon of tea — 12 dozen original Krispy Kreme doughnuts and 12 cups of coffee."

Seattle mayor Greg Nickels and Pittsburgh mayor Bob O'Connor placed a large bet in anticipation of Super Bowl XL. Nickels had to send O'Connor some Starbucks coffee, Larry's Smokehouse salmon, Pike Place beer, Pagliacci pizza, Dilettante chocolates, dinner for two at the Space Needle, and two bottles of Washington wine.

O'Connor's "'Taste of Pittsburgh' tailgate smorgasbord [would have included] Bloomfield Bridge Tavern pierogis and kielbasa, Nicholas Coffee and Tea Company coffee, Heinz ketchup and fries, Iron City beer from the Pittsburgh Brewing Company, and a Primanti Brothers famous Pittsburgh sandwich (which stacks grilled meat, coleslaw, tomatoes, a fried egg and french fries between two slabs of Italian bread)."

In the only Super Bowl of the past decade that didn't include food (what on Earth were they thinking?!) Glendale mayor Elaine Scruggs and Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl bet trees. If the Arizona Cardinals had defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, Ravenstahl would have had to plant a cactus outside of the Steelers' Heinz Field, the novelty of which would remind Steelers fans of the tragic loss for perpetuity. As the Steelers took home the crown, Scruggs had to plant a traditional Pennsylvania tree such as a red oak or dogwood.

Here's what they should have bet: Ravenstahl should have put up veal parmigiana from Big Jim's, a few cases of Iron City beer, and roast beef from Nadine's. Scruggs should have had to send Ravenstahl a spread from Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles, sour pot roast from Haus Murphy's, and a case of Fretzy's Unfiltered Ale from The Phoenix Ale Brewery. Come on now, trees?

Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard had to send New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin some of St. Elmo's Steak House's famous shrimp cocktail.

If the Colts had won, Nagin would have had to relinquish a Bourbon Street prize package including king cake, Zulu coconut, Mardi Gras beads, gumbo, and pralines.

New York's Mayor Bloomberg and Boston's Mayor Menino (who both keep popping up) announced the details of their bet for the Super Bowl, coming up this Sunday in Indianapolis. According to the NY Post, if the Giants win the game, then a lucky New York City family will win a tour of Boston, including "four tickets on JetBlue, a two-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton, dinner for four at Legal Harborside, dinner for four at the Top of the Hub restaurant, four tickets to a performance at the Citi Performing Arts Center, four box seats at a Bruins or Celtics game at the TD Garden, a behind-the-scenes-tour of the newly expanded Isabella Stewart Gardner museum, a Duck Tour ride, a VIP tour of the personal diaries of John Adams (which inspired the HBO series) at the Boston Public Library, a VIP tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery in Jamaica Plain, and a photo with Menino."

If the Patriots win, then an equally lucky Boston family will receive "four tickets on the Delta Shuttle, a two-night stay at the Grand Hyatt, dinner for four at the newly reopened Russian Tea Room, lunch or dinner for four at B. Smith's restaurant, four club seats at a Rangers or Knicks game, four tickets to the Phantom of the Opera, a ride with the captain on Statue Cruises to Liberty and Ellis Islands with a VIP tour of the Statue of Liberty crown and museum, including lunch, a VIP tour of the new American wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a VIP tour of the Brooklyn Brewery, and a photo with Bloomberg."