Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006–…): Season 24, Episode 6 - Tacos, Turtles and Tri-Tip - full transcript

Hey, everybody.

I'm Guy Fieri,
and we're rolling out

looking for America's greatest
diners, drive-ins, and dives.

This trip...
Let's do it.

...we're tackling tacos...

I don't know if I should eat it
or take a picture with it.

...tri-tips...
That's competition tri-tip
right there.

...and a tasty island tradition.

Then you
"sophistifunk" it.

In Stockton, California...
Ow!

...a little New Orleans
flavor...



Get after it.

...with a meaty take
on the crepe.

That does not sound
like any crepe I've ever had.

In Islamorada, Florida...

Dude!
...a local icon...

I'm excited to see
what's gonna happen here.

...shelling out
their legendary stew.

I don't know that most
people have ever had turtle.

And in Oakland, California...

Gorgeous.

...a true taste of Mexico...

I feel like I need
my passport.

...at the corner
of Authentic and Outrageous.

How did our bite taste?
Tastes fantastic.



That's all right here,
right now,

on "Diners, Drive-ins,
and Dives."

♪

So, you know that when
you're enjoying a meal

it's not just the food
you're eating,

it's the experience
you're having.

You want a real-deal
pizza experience,

you're in a pizza parlor.

You want to have sausage
and beer, you're in a hofbrau.

You're looking
for some authentic,

real-deal Mexican food,
where do you find yourself?

How about an open market?

So I'm here in Oakland,
California, in Old Oakland,

to check out the real deal.

This is Cosecha.

Here you go,
pico de gallo.

WOMAN: I've been to, like, every
type of Mexican restaurant,

and, by far,
Cosecha's the best.

Four tacos all day?

MAN:
Dominica is truly the nicest,

most engaging chef in Oakland
that I know of.

FIERI: And Dominica Rice earned
those chops working in kitchens

from San Fran to Manhattan
to Mexico City...

I got it, I got it.

...before setting up shop

in a nearly vacant
marketplace in 2011.

When people started to realize
how good her food was,

how authentic it was,
she really filled this place up.

A revival happened,
which was great.

What kind
of Mexican restaurant is it?

We're doing
Oakland Mexican food.

This type of cooking
has always been in California.

But it's her own twist
on the taco

that's got folks
filling this joint.

Fish tacos, shrimp tacos,
pork belly tacos.

We have two orders
of pork belly.

Amazing, juicy,
succulent, nom nom,

pork belly tacos.
Yeah!

Get me into it.
This is skin-on pork belly.

Where'd you get all
the earthen-ware?

I have them come in
from Mexico that we
have custom made for us,

and then the other half
comes in from Spain.

Gorgeous.
Rumor is

that Alice Waters
comes in and eats --

Oh, yeah.
One of the most important...
Amazing woman.

...woman chefs in the world,
yeah.

-Salt it, and that's it?
-That's it.

And we let that marinate
overnight.

We're gonna start
to prepare the achiote paste

for the pork belly.

Whole garlic, kosher salt.

-So, you got a nice
little paste out of that.
-Yes.

And then we just add the achiote
paste, which is annatto seed.

Beautiful red color.
And we're breaking this up.

We're ready to add
the citrus.

Oh, gracias.
I'll load the cannon.

Lemon and lime and
a little bit of orange juice.

So, take a little bit
of the achiote paste,

we're gonna rub this
on both sides.

And you're doing everything
authentic.

It's the whole enchilada,
no pun intended.

[ Chuckles ]
So, we're gonna add --

The Mexican mirepoix of
jalapeños, onions, and garlic.

Garlic, exactly.
Here we go.

I'm gonna top this off
with some nice cerveza.

Okay.
Covered?

Yep.

And place it into the oven
at 350

for an hour
and 45 minutes.

So, we're making
the pickled red onions

that we use on a lot
of our tacos.

Kosher salt, jalapeños,
chili de àrbol,

the Mexican
piloncillo sugar.

Piloncillo sugar?

So, this is cooked-down
sugarcane juice.

So it has all the molasses.
Everything's together.

Bay Leaves.
-Hibiscus?

Yeah.
The jamaica flower.

Two cinnamon sticks.

We're gonna add some water
to that,

and then we're gonna add
red wine vinegar.

And I let that simmer
for about 10 to 15 minutes.

I'll be over here.

Whoo! Press it down
with the weights,

and then let it sit for,
like, an hour and a half.

Love it.

Then we've chilled
our pork belly --

And then I'll check the onions
that we've made.

-Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
-That's important.

So, I'm gonna slice
off a few portions.

Those will be fine.
A little acid bite there.

Then we salt them up.

And then into the non-stick.

-Yeah.
-Sear 'em off.

So, we make tortillas.

That's, like, the most
perfect hand-made tortilla.

They're made to order,

so the skin-on pork belly
I love, because it has that

little bit
of that chicharrón crunch.

And we put a little bit
of the tomatillo salsa.

Pickled onion.

You've outweighed the tortilla
5:1 with the pork.

Fresh sliced jalapeño,
and then a little cilantro.

A little sprinkle of salt
and a little bit of lime.

Ready to roll.

The skin is so thin
in that part of the belly

it starts to crunch up

with a little bit
of its own fat.

It's quintessential

that you have the pickled onion
inside of there.

It's every aspect --
the squeeze of the lemon,

the touch of the salt.

For people
right now that are saying,

"I wish I was there,"
I'm doing this for you.

How did our bite taste?
Tastes fantastic.

Two pork bellies up on 19.

These tacos are kind of
an emotional experience for me.

MAN: Just perfectly crispy
pieces of pork belly --

nice contrast
with the red onion.

Makes you feel like you're
no longer in the Bay area.

FIERI: You eat out
of the little pottery dishes,

and you're thinking,
"I'm in a Mexican market."

Doesn't it feel like it?
-Yeah, for sure.

MAN: You can actually
smell the tortillas

from about a block away,

so it's always
luring you over here.

-But that's not all your tricks.
-No.

We have more.
-I heard you got more.

-Carne Adovada?
-Carne Adovada?

-Sí.
-You can't miss this.

I'll see you
in a little bit.

I'm gonna have one more taco
just for us, though.

-[ Chuckles ]
-Come back.

Welcome back. We're at Cosecha
in Oakland, California.

Now, I know you think
you've seen enough tacos

on "Triple D,"
but I'm telling you,

we are talking
about real deal.

They hand-make their tortillas,
they make all their salsas.

It's all about as authentic
as you can find.

Carne Adovada's ready.

Today I'm having
the Carne Adovada.

The pork is local.
It's fresh. It's delicious.

Our next dish
is gonna be Carne Adovada.

RICE:
It's a pork shoulder.

I salt this the night before,
and we tied it up.

So, trust it
so it doesn't fall apart.

We're gonna be adding
toasted and ground cumin.

-Old-school methods.
-Maximum flavor.

And then we have a little bit
of the Spanish paprika --

smoked pimenton -- tomatoes,
and then bay leaves,

some onion,
and garlic.

Cerveza...
that we love so much.

And some jalapeño, as well.
Ready for the oven.

Here we go.
-How long are we gonna cook off?

For about two and a half hours
at 350.

Okay.
What are we into now?

We're making guajillo salsa.

So guajillo, chili àrbol,
and garlic?

And letting it steep
for five minutes.

Okay. I'm gonna puree
the guajillo chilies.

Add in the chicken borth.

Add a little bit of salt.

Strain the guajillo chili.

Okay.

This is one of the mother
sauces for Mexican cuisine.

Sauté it with some airomatics
and a little bit of olive oil.

Bay leaves, onion,
and garlic.

We're gonna add in
the cumin

and the Mexican oregano.
-Oh, yeah.

It's very different
than the Italian oregano.

Twice the flavor.

We're adding the guajillo.

Let this simmer
for about 10, 15 minutes.

A little kosher salt,
and it's ready to go.

This is the Carne Adovada,
ready to serve.

She just threw away
the dental floss of Flavortown.

Gonna get a little
of chili sauce on top this.

Okay.
Get it.

You have just a little bit
of cilantro.

And some homemade tortillas.

I don't know
if I should eat it

or take a picture
with it.

You have good tortilla
technique, so that's important.

I've got a good hold.

Bien?

I feel like
I need my passport.

It's a simple Mexican dish.

It's not over-the-top.
It's pork roast,

guajillo chili de àrbol,
simple rice and beans,

great handmade tortillas.

Everything's just what it is
in the great form.

That's the difference.

-Carne Adovada?
-It's so tender --

just simply paired with rice
and beans and a tortilla.

It's all you need.

-Like, everything is perfect.
-Every detail.

But it remains,
nevertheless, fully accessible.

That's what I want my shirt
to say!

You're gonna leave with one

of the best food experiences
you've ever had.

And if you've ever been
to a Mexican market,

you understand the kinetic
energy that's going on.

It just has that feeling.
-Thank you.

And the food is fantastic.

-Thank you.
-Outstanding.

Yay!

Coming up, in Islamorada...
Okay.

...a Florida Keys institution...

Wow, buddy.
What a great place.

...serving up their own brand
of comfort.

That finishes it off perfect.
Mmm!

♪

You got to love finding
legendary restaurants

in iconic locations.

Like,
if you're in San Francisco,

you got to check out Pier 23.
You're in New Orleans?

Yeah, you're going
to Casamento's.

If you're in New York City,
you're going to John's on 12th.

So, when you're in the Keys here

in Islamorada,
where do you go?

Exactly -- The Green Turtle.

Everybody in the Keys
knows the Green Turtle.

We have our famous
Barney fish sandwich.

The food here is outstanding.

This restaurant,
it's just an icon.

It opened in 1947.

FIERI: By local legends
Sid and Roxie Siderious.

But has gone through
a few other owners since.

And today,
general manager Chris Frank

and Chef Ryan Wisely

are keeping that classic
Green Turtle tradition alive.

What's nice
is that people come in,

and they've been here
50 years ago, 40 years ago,

then the generations
just pass on down.

And they're still grabbing
the original house speciality.

Turtle chowder in the window.

It's made with Louisiana
snapping turtle.

It's loaded
with a lot of vegetables.

-It's delicious.
-I got to be honest with you,

I don't know that most people
have ever had turtle.

Then this will
be very "fall apart-y."

-Very "fall apart-y"?
-Correct.

You know
that's actually not a word?

-It's not.
-It is
in the Flavortown dictionary.

How are we gonna make it?

First we're gonna start off
with our meat.

We're gonna get
our steam kettle hot.

Got to love having
that steam kettle.

Add a little olive oil. Meat.
Montreal seasoning.

The meat's seared up.
Now the mirepoix part goes down?

Correct. Sweat these
till they're tender.

Next up, crushed tomatoes
from California,

Italian seasoning.

A little garlic.

Cajun seasoning,
Montreal seasoning,

tomato juice.

-All right.
-A little beef base.

Sherry wine.

Worcestershire sauce.
That's the one.

We're gonna add our house-made
chicken stock.

-Okay.
-Diced Red Bliss potatoes.

And last but not least.

Our dark roux.

That is chocolate, baby.

How long are we gonna
let this cook down?

We're gonna bring it
to a boil,

then let it simmer
for about two hours.

By then,
this turtle meat

should be super tender.
-Correct.

-And not gamey?
-Promise.

Okay.

♪

Mmm.

It's a super luxurious beef
stew, is what it tastes like.

Your mix --
the seasoning, the salt,

the roux,
the potato,

the mirepoix
cooked down, spot on.

And add a little
ghost-pepper sherry to it.

Oh, yeah.
I'm into this.

Ah, dude!

You have to make sure

that the ghost pepper
sherry's there.

That finishes it off
perfect.

Mmm. Mmm.

Turtle chowder in the window.

It's very meaty, very flavorful.

That's just an unusual dish,
but I highly recommend it.

Pork belly's ready
in the window.

WOMAN: Every restaurant in town
is a seafood restaurant.

Conch fritters
and fried-fish baskets.

But coming to the Green Turtle,
you can get a variety of things.

Lots of good comfort food.

Bacon Wrap Love, in the window.

The Bacon Wrap Love is sinful.

MAN: It's a wonderful piece
of meatloaf --

mushrooms on the inside.

It's wrapped in bacon
with a decadent sauce on top.

Let's get in this.
What are we making?

Our house-made bistro sauce
for our meatloaf.

Let's do it!

We're gonna start off
with a cola, raisins,

crushed tomatoes,
granulated sugar.

Okay.

Water. Kosher salt.

Ground black pepper.

A ton of that.

Granulated garlic.

Italian seasoning.

Worcestershire.

Oh, boy,
give me the soy.

And soy, soy, oh, boy.

Then an exact amount
of Sriracha.

right about there.

Lay it on.
Mix it up, and let it simmer...

For about 45 minutes

and then hit it
with the immersion blender.

Dig it.

Now we're gonna make
the meatloaf.

This is ground pork-and-beef
mixture.

We're gonna add
fresh chopped garlic,

red bell pepper,
sweet vidalia onion,

chopped green bell pepper.
Okay.

Two large eggs.
Worcestershire.

You guys like
your Worcestershire around here.

Sure do.
Panko breadcrumbs,

whole milk,
ground coriander,

parsley and chives,

salt, pepper.
All right.

Now here's where the love
comes in.

I'm excited to see
what's gonna happen here.

All right.
Now we weave the bacon.

Now we're gonna add
our meat mixture,

make a little vein
in the meatloaf

for our bistro sauce
with cremini mushrooms.

All that flavor -- okay.

And cover it with the rest
of the meat.

Now we're gonna thatch it
again.

I like it.

Flip her over.

In the oven, what temp?

350 for about 45 minutes.

Just coats it in the bacon fat
as it cooks.

And then
when it comes out...

Let it cool down, slice it.

What the sauce
we put on top?

Ketchup and house
bistro sauce mixture.
I like it.

Finish in the oven,
then serve it.

-Let's see it, buddy.
-All right.

Creamy mashed potatoes,
portabella mushroom gravy,

butter braise green beans,

and for the grand finale,
Bacon Wrap Love.

Enjoy, my friend.

Mmm. It's nice
and light and tender.

That bistro sauce --
really dynamite.

You got this old-school,
nostalgic reputation,

and you're thinking,
"That's what you have

in an old-school place,"
is you have meatloaf.

But then
you "sophistifunk" it

and stuff it
with the mushrooms.

Dynamite.

I mean, it's wrapped in bacon,
first of all,

so stop right there, right?

Bacon Wrapped Love.

I love the mushrooms
folded into it,

and it's just awesome.

Can I get some more meatloaf
to the line, please?

MAN: The romance is palatable
in the food

and in the atmosphere here.

Wow, buddy.
What a great place.

Really nicely done.

Appreciate that, Chef.
Mmm!

Up next,
a Stockton California Cafe.

You've knocked this
out of the park.

...giving beignets
a morning makeover...

That's a country breakfast
if I've ever seen it.

...and beefing up
their signature dish.

If you weren't
in the crepe business,

I would tell you to get
into the barbecue business.

♪

I'm here
at Stockton, California,

just a couple blocks
down the street

from the University
of the Pacific,

and this is known
as the Miracle Mile.

And you can find just about
every kind of restaurant

and store down here
that you'd expect

and even some
you wouldn't expect.

This is the Midtown
Creperie and Cafe.

I need a Big Easy.
Dixieland Crepe.

The crepes
are out of this world.

MAN:
Crepe Brulée ready to go.

Mmm. Wonderful.
Everybody loves it here.

FIERI:
Which is big, since owners
Matthew and Melissa Grizzle

truly started cooking
from scratch.

So, you guys weren't
in the restaurant business?

-No.
-Not at all.

FIERI:
But that didn't stop them from
seizing an opportunity in 2010.

The crepe restaurant
in town had closed...

-Right.
-Right.

...and you just decided

Stockton needs
another crepe restaurant.

-That's what we did.
-"That's what we did."

I like the menu. There are just
interesting items on there

that you won't find
anywhere else.

All righty, guys.
We got Rex Crepe.

MAN: It's got real tender,
thin-sliced,

smoked tri-tip in the middle.

With asparagus
and a basil-pesto cream sauce.

That does not sound
like any crepe I have ever had.

Absolutely delicious.

-Let's get started.
-So, we're gonna make our rub
for our tri-tip.

-So, hit it.
-We got our brown sugar,
onion powder,

garlic powder,
pepper, salt.

-And a little paprika?
-And a little paprika.

And then rub our tri-tip
down.

How long is it gonna go
in the smoker for?

225 for an hour and a half
with applewood chips.

Pull it out,
let it cool, slice it thin,

and then it'll kind of
get reheated when it
goes into the crepe.

Exactly.
Dig it.

What are we making?
We're making
our classic crepe batter.

-Okay.
-So we've got our fat-free milk,

a splash of vegetable oil,
our liquid eggs,

a little bit of salt.

Nice measuring.

And last but not least
is your all-purpose flour.

Wait.

-That's your lid?
-This is my lid.

FIERI: Oh, I'm so not standing
by you.

Make sure you get the sides
and you got a nice consistency.

This bad boy's done.

Ow!
[ Chuckles ]

So, now
we've got to make our crepe.

Drop it on here.

Drop it like it's...
Drop it like it's hot.

Thank you.

Ooh, I like the little wooden
dowel Geppetto made for you.

Yes.
Geppetto made a good one.

And then you bring out
your "Pirates of the
Caribbean" sword.

You do.
And you flip this bad boy.

Nice and thin.
That's what we're looking for.

Just a little brown.

We're gonna flip it
back over,

just for 30 seconds more.
-Okay.

-Now we're gonna put it
together.
-All right.

We take our asparagus,
and then we add

that wonderful,
slow-smoked tri-tip to it.

We're gonna put it
on top right here.

-Lot of filling.
-You want to be full.

There we are.

And last but not least,
basil-pesto sauce.

And that's the Rex Crepe.

And why do you call it
the Rex?

The Rex means "The King"
in New Orleans.

The Rex means "The King"?

You've knocked this crepe
out of the park.

It's light,
got a great texture to it.

The basil cream sauce
is spot-on.

I like the little inclusion
of the asparagus.

If you weren't
in the crepe business,

I would tell you to get
into the barbecue business.

That's competition tri-tip,
right there.

This is
a really good crepe.

Mmm.

Rex Crepe!

It's delicious.
They're tri-tip's amazing.

You get that nice smokey
flavor coming through.

The crepe is nice and fluffy.

Big Easy Crepe.

Had you had crepes
before you came to the Creperie?

I have in New Orleans.

And how do their crepes
compare?

I feel like I'm back
in Louisiana.

FIERI:
And that's no accident.

The owners' love
of New Orleans

is stamped all over this joint.

You've got the nice
French Quarter vibe going on.

Oh, that patio
out there, for sure.

Plus, they're serving up
a Big Easy classic

with their own added flavor.

MELISSA:
Beignets & Gravy up.

People aren't expecting
a country-type gravy

to be placed
over a French beignet.

We're making
our beignet batter.

So we start it off with yeast.
We add our hot water.

So, not just
dry active yeast.

We've got
some real live yeast.

Yes. You put in
evaporating milk,

soybean oil,
a little bit of salt,

and then
you've got four eggs.

Okay.

And then you start adding
your flour, little by little,

get it all incorporated.

And then
we're gonna roll it out.

Get after it.

You want it not too soft
and not too firm.

Now we roll it out,
cut it into squares,

just like so.

They go in the freezer.

So they don't proof at all.
All right.

We're making
our country gravy.

So we've got
our whole milk,

rub -- sage, pepper,
little salt --

and we cooked off our sausage
and our bacon.

Come to a boil.
And then it'll just reduce down,

and you've got
your country gravy.

And then we fry
the beignets.

Two nice beignets
is what you get with your order.

And then give it some good gravy
on there.

Here we are.

Nice and light and fluffy.
Tender, not overcooked.

Gravy's creamy,
not over-salted.

Sage and gravy go together.

A lot of sausage,
a lot of bacon.

That's a country breakfast
if I've ever seen it.

We got
two Beignets & Gravy.

I would never have it
on biscuits again.

The perfect combination
of sweet and salty.

Just something new to try.

MELISSA:
Beignets. Jambalaya.

-I love this place.
-I'm glad you enjoyed it.

It's refreshing.

Excellent job.
Really nice.

So, was that another
righteous road trip or what?

But don't you worry,
we got plenty more joints

to find all over this country.

I'll be looking
for you next week

on "Diners, Drive-Ins,
and Dives."

How many people
take it to go?

A day, a week, a month?

Talk about interesting stuff.
I'm just trying to eat.

[ Laughter ]