Famed competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi chewed his way to an unofficial world record in hot-dog eating Monday atop a Manhattan high-rise — timed to coincide with the annual July 4 competition on Coney Island from which he's parted ways.

The Japanese eater, who claimed the Nathan's title six years in a row from 2001- 2006, chose to battle the lineup of Brooklyn contenders from atop the rooftop nightclub 230 Fifth, due to a contract dispute between him and organizers of the Coney Island contest.

As a massive screen simulcast the live coverage of the Nathan's contest, Kobayashi stood at a table nearby and downed 69 dogs in 10 minutes — one better than reigning champ Joey Chesnut's record-breaking 2009 mark, and seven more than Chesnut's winning 62-dog intake Monday.

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110704/murray-hill-gramercy/takeru-kobayashi-downs-69-hot-dogs-at-unofficial-july-4-contest#ixzz1RBLOfPmk