Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006–…): Season 24, Episode 8 - Hot Meat & Cool Veg - 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...

Ho!

...we're heating up the meat...

This should seriously
be illegal.

...alongside cool
veggie creations.

That's lights out.

In Modesto, California...

Ding, ding, ding, ding!



...a strip-mall standout...

Spot-on.

...laying it on thick.

Boy,
that's a big sandwich, man.

In Oakland, California...

That's how I roll.

...a legit vegan joint...

You had me at hello.

...where soul is served
straight from the heart.

All day long, girl.

In Islamorada, Florida...

So this is a little
pigskin candy.

...a rare non-seafood spot...

That is weird.



...puts some zing in the wing.

I might have
to borrow this recipe.

That's all right here,
right now,

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

So,
when you're traveling south

from Miami, Florida,
through the Keys,

you'll come through a chain
of islands known as Islamorada.

And you'll see a bunch
of restaurants.

Let's see,
you got seafood restaurant,

seafood restaurant,
seafood restaurant,

and then finally M.E.A.T.

Juicy Lucy in the window.

I love what they do here.

Homemade pastrami Reuben.

It's very different and unique.

These guys are just amazing.

That'd be restaurant lifers
George Patti and Thomas Smith

who partnered up on this rogue
Florida Keys joint in 2012.

People told us we were insane
for doing this concept.

They did.
You can't eat seafood every day.

So, George puts his chef cred

on display with food
that doesn't swim.

He is a burger champ.

He does great things
with smoking meats and wings.

Chicken wings in the window.

The chicken wings
just rock here.

They're smoked.

They have a dry rub on them.

You can taste all
of that in the wing.

Into making wings.
Give me the rundown.

Okay, we got our water,
bay leaf, salt, sugar, garlic.

Boil it, add the wings
to a big plastic container,

dump it over hot,

let it sit on it
for about a half-hour,

and then hit ice on top.

Cover it, in the cooler
overnight for about 12 hours.

So you mildly poach
your wings

to brine them
and partially cook them.

- Correct.
-That is weird.

- This is M.E.A.T.
-Okay.

Okay, now
we're gonna make the rub.

Kosher salt,
sugar, brown sugar.

Okay.

Cumin, chili powder,
black pepper, paprika,

and Cayenne.

The dry rub onto the wings.

Go into the smoker
for 4 hours at 200 degrees.

And now what are we into?

Our house-made
Worcestershire sauce.

And you make the Worcestershire
to go in the barbecue sauce?

- Correct.
-Of course you do.

Oil, onions, jalapeños,

garlic, black pepper,

anchovies.
-Ho!

They look like snails,
but that's just anchovies.

Cloves.

Salt, lemons, corn syrup.

- Really?
-Mm-hmm.

Rice wine vinegar,
ginger, horseradish.

- Wow.
-Cumin.

I might have to
borrow this recipe.

A little bit of water,
molasses.

We're gonna let
that come up to a boil

and then let it go
about 4 hours.

That's crazy.

Then we puree it,
strain it.

It keeps in the cooler
for up to a year.

This is the honey-chipotle
barbecue sauce.

The molasses-beer barbecue.

And that has
the Worcestershire in it.

Correct.
Chipotle peppers, lime juice.

Sweet chili sauce.

Honey, and then a little bit
of salt.

Okay.

This should be good.

Mmm.

That'd be great
on anything.

You can put it on a shoe.
You know the deal.

- A flip-flop.
-I heard that somewhere.

Yeah.

Wings are out of the smoker.

A little bit of water.

Not gonna fry them.

Nope, and then we'll glaze them
with the barbecue sauce,

and we'll cook them
until they're basically soft.

The idea is to have them,
like, fall apart like a rib.

These better be good,
George.

I'm trusting you.

Blue cheese crumbles,
and that's it.

That's a good wing, man.

- Thank you.
-That's a really good wing.

So soft and so tender.

The seasoning is great.

The smoke is in balance.

A little bit
of the blue cheese

gives a nice little tang
to it.

The key, though,
without question, the sauce.

- Cool.
-The sauce should be bottled,

and serve it
with a complimentary flip-flop.

--Spot-on. Well done.

Thank you.

Chicken wings.

They taste phenomenal.

They got that sweet spicy
little heat to them.

Wings in a pan.

George is a very creative chef.

It turns out,
we have a "Triple D" vet

who feels the same way.

So, you guys
know who this guy is, right?

This is our buddy
Stretch from Grinders.

So, Stretch,
you could certify this guy?

Dynamite. All right.

I just wanted to make sure.

You got this kind
of gourmet meats every day.

Homemade pork rinds
with a chimichurri aioli.

The pork rinds are the freshest
I've ever had.

They come out cracking.

- We're making chicharrones.
-Yes.

So, we're talking pork skin

that's had the hair
taken off of it.

The fat's been trimmed off.

b leaf,
that's had the hair
taken off of it.

and then
we just add the skin.

And how long are we gonna
let this go?

About three hours
at a simmer

until it just about
falls apart, translucent.

- Got it.
-We lay it on a sheet pan,

let it go
in the walk-in overnight,

then we get a kitchen spoon
and scrape it.

The little bit
of fat that was left.

- Correct.
-Then?

We cut them into small cubes,
put them into the dehydrator.

So, this is the little
pigskin candy.

Man, that's a lot
of work, dude.

Let's go,
get some chicharrones frying.

Once you have chicharrones
like this,

you will never want to have them
out of the bag again.

And then this is
the barbecue seasoning.

You can hear them
crackling right now,

that season starts to hit it.

Yeah, people love it
when they come out like that.

And what's gonna
go with this?

The chimichurri aioli.

Can you hear that?

I've had a lot
of chicharrones, man.

This right here,
this is the benchmark.

- Cool.
-I mean, really, dude.

Thank you.

This should seriously
be illegal.

The little chimichurri aioli
is perfect.

Look it up
in the dictionary,

and this is what
you'll see coming together.

When they made
that peanut butter cup

and chocolate thing,
they were trying to create this.

I like that.

That's good.

Crunchy, airy, spicy,
flavorful all at once.

Dr. Jelly Finger
in the window.

It's phenomenal.

Our favorite place to go.

- Real deal.
-Yep.

- Nicely done.
-Thanks, Guy.

- Now make me some more.

Coming up in Oakland...

Good look right there.

...serious soul food...

Take me to po' boy town.
...minus the meat.

I'm not missing the chicken
in that at all.

So, I think on "Triple D,"

by now, you've come
to expect the unexpected.

So, I'm here in Oakland,
California,

in an area known
as Jack London Square.

All kinds of restaurants.

Indian, pizza, steakhouse.

So, what am I here to check out?

Wait for it, wait for it.

Exactly
what you're not expecting --

a vegan joint.

Actually, Souley Vegan.

Steak burger with fries.

When I stumbled upon this
gold mine, I was, like, "Wow."

We have the platter
here for you.

It's amazing.

Full of all kinds
of different flavors.

Black-eyed pea fritters up.

It's not just for
vegetarians and vegans,

but soul-food enthusiasts.

And it comes from a Bay Area
native with Louisiana roots,

Tamearra Dyson,
whose passion started young.

I turned vegan at 17

and started cooking
at about 18 years old.

Which is a skill
she kept developing

while working to become a nurse

until finally, well,
she went with her true passion

and opened this joint
in 2009.

I just want to introduce
vegan food to people in a way

that they can just
understand it.

Okra gumbo up.

The okra gumbo,
it's a great, hearty meal.

It's very flavorful,
just bursts in your mouth.

How we starting this?

I am going
to make my love spice.

So, we have
granulated garlic, sea salt,

black pepper,
and paprika.

Give it a little mix.

So we're using this as the base
for my okra gumbo.

- Got it.
-All right, olive oil.

Onions first. All right.

Now we have our red
and green bell pepper.

When you put that many peppers
and onions in a dish,

you had me at hello.

Sea salt,
coarse black pepper.

- Of course you do.
-Cayenne, okra.

- Okay.
-Corn.

- Okay.
-Seaweed, love spice.

Love spice.

Stewed tomatoes.

Oh, so now
we're putting in the pork.

No, this is marinated,
seasoned tofu.

Now, how long is this gonna
cook down?

30 to 45 minutes.

- We serve that with...
-Basmati rice.

And a big sheet of nori.

That's how I roll.

There's a tremendous amount
of flavor,

and your spice love,
that whole piece.

The okra's
been cooked down.

Love the little pop
of the corn.

The tofu is the kicker.

I'm not missing the chicken
in that at all.

I'm not missing the shrimp
or the sausage.

That just reminds me of
what you can do with tofu

and how well it takes on
other flavors.

All day long, girl.

- Here's the gumbo for you.
-Awesome.

Man, it just gave me a ray

of flavors
that I can really enjoy.

People that I know usually
like soul food,

and to give them
another variation of it,

that really impresses them.

But it wasn't easy
getting to this point.

Tamearra came through
a tough childhood

with a determination
to follow her dream,

but that meant
putting everything on the line.

You're a single mom
at the time.
Yeah.

To quit a really good job
in the medical field

to go sell food
at an open market

to come and take
an abandoned restaurant building

and to do it all
at a very young age.

I want people to feel good.

I'm not even a vegan.
I just really like coming here.

When I eat here,
I feel healthier when I leave.

Here's your po' boy and fries.

This is one
of my favorite sandwiches.

Just the seitan and the way
it's cooked and prepared

brings in
a lot of the flavor.

Take me to po' boy town.

Okay, so first we're gonna make

the seitan vital wheat
gluten flour.

It's the protein
of whole wheat.

That's what
I thought it was.

Liquid amino acid,
blended seaweed.

- Okay.
-Fresh garlic,

and I have my love spice.

Form this
into a ball here.

Now, does this need
to set up,

It boils for about 45 minutes
to an hour.

We're gonna cut
these into cubes.

There's some texture
there.

Then we're gonna dredge it.
Wet batter first.

What's in the wet batter?

Unbleached flour,
love spice, water.

And then we have the dry batter,
which is flour and cornmeal.

We're gonna fry this off?

That's right.

- Now what are we gonna make?
-Our "vegan mayo."

Great.
So, we're starting
with silken tofu,

and I'm gonna add
some coarse black pepper,

a little yellow mustard

and granulated garlic,
sea salt.

Mix together
and put it in the refrigerator

overnight
for it to set.

Okay.
Po' boy time.

All right, so I have my Dutch
crunch bread that I toasted,

and then I have
my vegan mayo, mustard,

tomatoes,
shredded lettuce.

Okay. I like it.

And then I have my seitan.

A little bit more mayo,

squeeze a little lemon juice.

It weighs about ten pounds,
just so you know.

I don't know exactly what
po' boy I'm having,

but there's no question,
that's a po' boy.

All right.

The Dutch crunch
is a perfect choice.

The lettuce is cut right.

The tomato's great on there.

The vegan mayo,
that's lights out.

I mean, we got to get a tub
of that for my house.

But the home run
is the seitan

with that little bit
of the nori.

I'm not kidding you.
It's the real deal.

I know, don't come down

expecting it
to be fried shrimp.

Come down just expecting it
to be a really good po' boy.

I think you're gonna dig it.
Mmm.

Po' boy with fries up.

It's some of the best seitan
that I've ever had.

It's one of the best po' boys
I've ever had, actually.

It is a bomb po' boy.

I love po' boys,
and this is delicious.

I would say
this is about as healthy

as fried Southern food can get.

- You have another one?
-I do have another one.

You got another trick?
It's not even a trick.

Black bean and quinoa burger up.

You feel very satisfied
after eating it.

This girl can get it going.
See you in a little bit.

- All right.
-I got to finish the po' boy.

Welcome back.
Hanging out here

in Oakland, California,
at Souley Vegan.

Now, my sister, Morgan,
was a vegetarian/vegan.

And so this is something that's
near and dear to my heart.

I know everybody
sees me on "Triple D,"

and they say, "Oh, that guy
eats a bunch of nachos."

I like my nachos.

But this food
makes you feel good.

Here you are.

There's actually a lot of things

that you can make
with vegan food,

and I feel like Souley Vegan
really takes that on.

The things that they do
are done so well,

you don't miss the meat at all.

We had the black bean
and quinoa burger.

The quinoa black bean
veggie burger tastes different

than any other veggie burger
I've had.

A great burger
if it's your first time

eating a vegetarian burger.

Quinoa is one of
the superfoods.
Mm-hmm.

If you haven't done quinoa,
give it a shot.

So, we're gonna start
with our olive oil, onions.

We're just gonna
let those caramelize,

put a little bit
of the love spice in here.

Add in the cilantro,
basil.

And then we have our parsley,

and then I have my black beans
and my quinoa.

It's a good look
right there.

Now we're gonna make it
into some patties.

Yep. All right.

Add some brown rice flour.

Just add a little bit
more of my love seasoning.

- To a patty?
-Mm-hmm.

How we gonna cook them?

- Bake them.
-We're gonna bake them?

- Mm-hmm.
-Here we go.

Now we're gonna
dress the burger.

I have my mayo,

a little ketchup
on the bottom there,

burger on there,

a little bit more sauce on top,
ketchup there.

Alfalfa sprouts
and a slice of tomato,

and that is how we serve the
black bean and quinoa burger.

We got all the things
you love about a burger.

You got meaty texture.

It's big,
it's thick, it's rich.

Nice bun, a little tomato,
a little ketchup.

The quinoa mix
to the black bean is great.

Definitely get that mayo
component coming through.

It's a great burger.

Black bean and quinoa burger up.

It's full of different flavors.

It's really hearty.

The po' boy here with fry.

I'm always confident
that Souley Vegan can deliver

on a culinary experience
that's worth remembering.

The profile
of what you're doing

for vegan food,
you're the real deal.

Right on. Thank you.

Well done, girl.

Up next, we're rolling to
the central valley to Modesto...

It doesn't stop.

...for some international
inspiration...

If you talk about a really
traditional Portuguese dish,

this is right up there.

...traveling full-speed
to Flavortown.

- The Lamburgerini.
-Sports car of burgers.

So, the next time
you're in Modesto, California,

getting your hair
tightened up over here

at the Barber Salon
at McHenry Village at 66A,

and you say to yourself, "Self,

I'd really like to have
some Portuguese,

German-inspired food.

Where should I eat?"

Oh, you step right next door

to Bauer's 66 1/2
Skillet and Grill.

Two UFBs, medium.

It's one of those places
where you kind of want

to keep it to yourself.

I get cravings all the time.

All right,
here's that Lamburgini.

If you have a passion
for burgers,

definitely a good spot.

Or a passion
for some global-infused grub...

Gorg burger.

...thanks to chef and
owner Tye Bauer's background.

My dad's
a full-blooded German.

My mom was
full-blooded Portuguese.

...and his adventures.

I traveled a lot,
so I just take a little bit

of a hodgepodge of my heritage
and things that I liked.

Which led him to create
this Portuguese-inspired,

three-meat monster sandwich.

Octavian.

You get the linguica.
You get the alcatra.

We're into a Portuguese
braised beef called alcatra.

The alcatra is part
of our Octavian.

If you talk about a really
traditional Portuguese dish,

this is right up there?
-That's right.

- Okay.
-I'm gonna season it up.

First
a little red wine vinegar.

Next we have white wine.
-Okay.

All right, and then
we're gonna do red wine

to just about cover.

Beef stock.

Organic tomato sauce,
some brown sugar.

Now a virtual cornucopia

of all the spices
we have available.

Yes.

Chopped garlic, coriander,
granulated onion, cumin,

black pepper,
smoked paprika, paprika.

Then we're gonna add
all our sweet spices.

Nutmeg first,
a little Vietnamese cinnamon.

It's a little sweeter.
Allspice.

And last but not least,
clove.

One cinnamon stick
and some bay leaf.

Alcatra goes in the refrigerator
24 hours.

Then we're gonna braise it
in the oven for how long?

For about five hours.

300 degrees.

All right, so now
what are we into?

Linguica,
Portuguese sausage.

Really simple,
but a long process.

And how does it get served?

- It's part of our Octavian.
-Got it.

A cubed pork butt,
some red wine,

chili paste,
garlic's going in.

Salt.

Black pepper.

Allspice, paprika,
Hungarian paprika.

So, a little hot paprika.

- Yeah.
-Okay.

Mix it all up.

24 hours,
then we grind it.

Go to the casing.

I'm gonna smoke that up
for about 12 hours.

Okay, all right, let's get
into making the sandwich.

So, chopped up some linguica
for our Octavian.

I'm gonna add some mushrooms
and onions to that.

Gonna bring that over here
to the pulled pork.

This, we do this in-house.

Then we're gonna come in
with the alcatra.

- How many people are eating?
-It's a big boy's sandwich.

All right,
so now the cheese goes in.

And then
our sweet spicy sauce.

Bring this all together here.

We're gonna add that
to the bun.

All right,
and there we have it.

Boy,
that's a big sandwich, man.

Mmm.

It's just a ton
of flavor going on.
Yeah.

Let me get a little bite
of the linguica,

then and also get a little touch
of that vinegar.

I see the calorie meter
going off right next to me,

minutes on treadmill.

Ding, ding, ding, ding!

Great sandwich, man.
-Thank you.

- Nicely done.
-Here's that Octavian sandwich.

It's a monster sandwich.

Three different types of meat.
You can't really go wrong.

From the Octavian
to the UFB sandwich,

everything here's got
a clever little name,

including the one Tye
rolled with

when he opened in '09.

The 66 1/2 came in
because of the address.

We're on the back side
of a place that's 66.

I could have been an E.
-66E or 66A.

I had a choice,
so I went with 66 1/2.

But his best work
might be reserved

for the name he's bestowed
on this beast of a burger.

Lamburgerini.

- The Lamburgerini?
-Sports car of burgers.

He doesn't stop.

It's just moist,
and it melts in your mouth.

You're going 100 miles an hour,

but you still get
to enjoy the ride.

All right, bring it.
All right,
we're gonna start off.

We got
our Bauer salty spice.

That's gonna be shaked
into the ground lamb.

- Okay.
-Start out with

some kosher salt,

coarse black pepper,
granulated garlic, cumin.

Granulated onion.
-Coriander.

- Smoked paprika.
-Hungarian paprika.

And this is New Mexican
chili powder, a little spice.

Looks like the spice market
in Bahrain.

Or it reminds me of sand castle
making in third grade,

but I'm gonna go with
the Bahrain thing.

I want to take this
and just shake it up.

All right,
now what are we into?

All right, so we cubed up
our lamb shoulder.

- Got it.
- Gonna add a pinch of the sumac.

It's a Middle Eastern spice,

got a little
orange peel to it.

Then we got our
salty spice we made.

Was Salty Spice
one of the girls

that was kicked out of
the Spice Girls?

She was.
Our garlic.

Add a little
lemon olive oil.

Lemon olive oil.

Grind it out,
form it into patties.

We're gonna put it on the char
griller here for about

7 minutes a side.
-Fantastic.

So we got our
toasted brioche bun.

Gonna be that spicy
Thousand Island.

Lemon aioli.

Here comes the Lamburgerini.
-Lamburgerini?

- Yeah.
-Okay.

And we got our mushrooms,
bacon,

and gorgonzola that's gonna
go on top of that.

Next thing coming up
is arugula.

Olive oil.

There you have it.

Italanced, properly cooked,
really moist, tons of flavor.

Toasted bun
holds it together.

The aioli's great.

That's actually what a lot
of lamb burgers want to be.

Thank you, man. Yeah.

Spot on, Tye.
Spot on.

- Here's that Lamburgini.
-It's phenomenal.

When I eat it,
I don't care about my diet.

I just come here,
and I enjoy this burger.

- You just get after it.
-Yep.

It's just the best place
around here that I've been to.

It's the best place in a lot
of places I've been to.

You take the time
to make everything.

That's what makes this place
so cool.

Nicely done.

Was that a road trip or what?
But don't worry.

There's plenty more joints
all over this great country.

I'll be looking
for you next time on "Triple D."

This is Becca.
Becca's my assistant.

Ready?
-Oh, I'm ready for this.

Please make sure
that makes the show.