Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006–…): Season 25, Episode 10 - Best of the West - full transcript

Hey, there.
I'm Guy Fieri,

and we're rolling out

looking for America's
greatest diners,

drive-ins, and dives.
This trip...

Here we go.

...we're going coast
to coast, port to port.

Make it happen, baby.

In Portland, Oregon...

Holy moly!

...a neighborhood market...

This is a haven.



...getting comfy
with the family cookbook.

Grandma Holly,
you taught him right.

Plus, a straight-up
Spanish spot...

It's a whole symphony
of flavor.

...making tapas a true art form.

One of the most
beautiful dishes

I've ever seen
on "Triple D."

And in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire...

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

...I'm teaming up with Hunter

for a pork platter
like no other.

It's not a bad thing.

It's a fantastic thing.

That's all right here,
right now,



on "Diners, Drive-ins & Dives."

So, we're here in Portsmouth,
New Hampshire.

And I finally get to drive
the "Triple D" car.

So, I figured
why not take Hunter

to get some real-deal
Mexican food

here on the east coast.

Mexican food?
East coast?

Listen, the dude's
from southern California.

Oh, so he's got
to be legit.

This is Vida Cantina.

Blue-corn
fried shrimp tacos.

You can't find better Mexican
in New England, anywhere.

- Chicken enchilada.
-I can definitely see

the heritage
coming though on the table.

You feel like you're getting
a unique Mexican experience.

And owner David Vargas
has a good base to build from

'cause his parents ran
a Mexican restaurant

when he was a kid
in Orange County.

I grew up eating the traditional
American/Mexican foods.

There's no disrespect
against that,

but there's something
more traditional that

we want to bring
to the table.

So, he took many of
his old family recipes

and amped them up
when he started his own joint.

- Carnitas tacos.
-I love the tacos.

I've tried them all, and you
can't go wrong with any of them.

Pork belly tacos
in the window.

We do pork belly
all the time here.

It's pretty much a big piece
of bacon on the taco.

So, Dave,
give us a breakdown.

We're gonna make the nixtamal
for our homemade tortillas.

We start with
some Indian corn

that we get from
a local farm here.

- You know what the nixtamal is?
-I do not know.

What is nixtamal?
-So, we're gonna use some lye.

- Little calcium hydroxide.
-And some water.

And let it cook
for about 45 minutes.

And it's gonna eat
the skin off of the corn.

We'll let it cool...
-Overnight.

We rinse it a bunch of times,
so now you just really get

the flesh of the inside
of the corn.

Then, take it to the grinder.
-Pretty cool.

I've never seen that
like that. Wow.

So, from here,
we add in...

A little processed masa flour.

Mm-hmm.

We're gonna add
a little warm water

with shortening
and salt in it.

You have to do it
while it's hot.

You to drop it
like it's hot, too.

Yeah. Drop it like it's...
-...hot.

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

All right, Chef.
What's next?

Our pork belly.

We basically do
an eight-day cure.

We start off -- black pepper.
Crushed garlic.

What we like to
call "boom" spice.

It's our secret
spice here.

Salt.
-Fresh bay leaves in there.

Pink salt.
Thyme.

- Time.
-Th-yme.

Oh.

And then epazote.

- You know what epazote is?
-No. I mean, I've heard of it.

In real cultural Mexican
cooking...

It's a very predominant
Mexican herb.

And then maple syrup.

So that's almost gonna work
as your paste, your glue.

- Exactly.
-I like it.

Just rub it down.

Then after it's done...?

and then put it
in its own lard.

Cook it for eight hours.
-Dig it.

Wow,
that looks awesome.

We have to let it
solidify,

so we put a couple pieces
of parchment, some weight.

So, that's just gonna
sit there and press it

right into its own fat.
-Exactly.

How long's it gonna sit
in the walk-in for?

We like to go overnight.

So, this is all cool.
Now what are we doing?

We have our masa
that's finished.

How much do you use?
Masa or lessa?

- We'll go onto our flattop.
-Nicely done.

Then we'll take our pork belly,
cut it down right here.

Almost like big,
fat bacon slices.

- And then we'll just cut them.
-Gorgeous.

So, we're just gonna put
a little crisp on it, right?

Yeah, nice carmelization

on both sides
to kind of add some texture.

Some more love.

We'll grab our tortillas,
and you can see

they're starting to do its
ever-so-popular puff on it.

We have a little bit of what
we call jicama slaw.

Put our pork belly
right on top.

- Ahh.
-Mango habanero salsa.

Cotija cheese,

which I call the Mexican
version of Parmesan.

And then everything
this time of year

gets flowers
on top of it.

- Flowers?
-Everything.

- Got it.
-Awesome.

All right, ready?

You want to go arm around
when you do it or...

Wait.
I'm confused.

I fed you enough when
you were a little kid.

There you go.

That is awesome.

The fresh tortilla
totally makes it.

I love the slaw.

That pork belly's just
cooked perfectly, too.

Yeah, I could eat that
all day.

So, the tortilla --
you can taste that nixtamal.

You can taste
how fresh it is.

There's fantastic
texture in it.

The cotija, I like that
little saltiness.

The pork is really
the note that sings,

and you do it in such
a nice, fat slab that

you're really getting
some meaty texture in it.

If you told me
I was getting this

at a contemporary
Mexican restaurant

in San Diego,
I would believe you.

Fantastic.
Mmm!

Pork belly tacos.

The pork belly
is real thick, real juicy.

The mango sauce is awesome --
a little hot, a little sweet.

The corn tortilla's
really fresh, delicious flavor.

Bone marrow steak
in the window.

This place goes above and beyond
what you would think of.

This actually used to be
an old fast-food joint,

and when people walk in, they're
amazed at the transformation.

It's bright, colorful.
It's got this good energy to it.

When they have koozies
for your canned Mexican beer,

you know that there's a slight
party attitude around here.

They have things that
I've never even experienced,

especially the pig's head.

We put the head on a platter,
and we serve it just like that,

and people build their own tacos
that way.

That's awesome. We got
to get a pig head platter.

- Go at it.
-When we come back.

Welcome back.
"Triple D."

Hunter is leading the show

on the Hunter and Guy
"Triple D" experience.

We're at Vida Cantina.

Chef David here
in Portsmouth, New Hampshire,

is bringing real-deal
Mexican food

to the folks
of the northeast.

Fire -- table 31.
Two fried shrimp tacos.

You can't get anything like it
anywhere else in town.

I'm so intrigued
by the menu.

Pig head platter
in the window.

It's literally a pig's head,

homemade corn tortillas
on the side.

It's kind of like have
a pulled pork taco,

but it's more experiential.

Let me just
get this straight.

We're talking full
split-in-half pig head.

Yeah.

Where's Andrew Zimmern
when you need him?

Hit it!

All right, we're
gonna make a brine.

Some water, sugar, salt.

- A little curing salt.
-And a little bit of garlic.

And then, once it
comes to a boil,

we put it into the walk-in.
-Cool this down.

Take the brine and pour it
right on the head.

You got
to clean him up there.

So, he's gonna
sit there and brine...

- For a couple days.
-Then what's next?

We'll take it out,
give it a rinse,

and let it cook
in its fat.

Basically, confit the head.

Exactly, eight hours.

- Dude.
-Then it comes out.

We let it cool slightly,
rub it with our salsa verde.

It's grilled tomatillos,
poblanos, serrano,

cilantro,
onion, and garlic.

And then, we fire it off
in a 500-degree oven,

uncovered so it blisters
the skin, for about 20 minutes.

So, you're gonna get it
the chicharrones of the skin,

and then everything inside
is just cooked down.

- Bring it onto the platter.
-Oh, wow.

Look at that.

We'll serve it
with cilantro,

onions, lime,
our house-made salsa fresco,

salsa verde,
and mango habanero.

And then, of course...
-Flowers.

And a stack of
our house-made tortillas.

And then,
you just go at it.

- Where do you start?
-You just dig in.

- Oh, look at that.
-I'm getting in this.

Look at that.
Right into that jowl.

- It just pulls apart, huh?
-Look at that.

So, you grab a tortilla.
-Oh, man.

That's about as real-deal
as it gets, right there.

- Mm-hmm.
-It's not a bad thing.

It's a fantastic thing.

I know it's got to be
a little unique for people

to have this culinary
experience,

but the truth of it is,

the flavor
when you got the skin,

the bone, the fat, the brine,

and the roast with that salsa
verde over the top of it,

I mean, that's ridiculous.
-So much flavor.

That's one of the most beautiful
presentations of roasted pork

I've ever seen.
-Thank you very much.

That one for me?

Thank you.
Appreciate it, Dad.

Even when they're
taller than you,

you still end up feeding them.

Here we go.

The best pulled pork
you're gonna get.

So succulent when
you bite into it.

It's an awesome experience.

Runner on table 42,
please.

What you've done is transformed
a small area of New Hampshire

into little cultural Mexico.

- It's awesome.
-Thank you.

- Nice job, Chef.
-Thank you.

I got to head over here
and try some more.

Wow.

Cg up, we're
crossing the country

to Portland, Oregon...
-Wow!

...to a market/restaurant...

That is crazy.

...dishing out something
I've never quite seen before.

This is getting
weirder as we go.

I used to use a nixtamatic
to put you to bed at night.

Me?

I would run that in your room,
and it was so soothing.

I'm here on the northeast side
of Portland, Oregon,

wn and you'd love it.

There's a total community feel,
a lot of family homes.

So, on the corner
of Dekum and 13th,

you'll find a market
that's supporting all that.

This is P's & Q's Market.

Basic breakfast
with eggs.

There are 96
neighborhoods in Portland,

and 95 of those
neighborhoods are jealous

that they don't
have P's & Q's.

From the moment I stepped in,
I fell in love with this place.

BLT.

Is it a grocery store?
Is it a market?

Is it a restaurant?
Is it a shoe-repair place?

It's everything.
It's a community center,

just bringing people
together through food.

I feel like he's gonna
break into song with a guitar,

and he's gonna sing me
a '60s love album or something.

And when Paul Davis
and Emily Anderson

opened this place,

they added to
the small-town vibe

with recipes from their roots.

I'm from northern California.

I'm really into seasonal
fresh produce.

- I'm from Kansas City.
-What kind of food is it?

It's definite
comfort food.

Biscuits
and tomato gravy.

Tomato gravy, seriously?

Yeah, it's
my grandma's recipe.

She's from
West Virginia.

Oh, this I got to see.

Here's the biscuits and gravy.

The tomato gravy is heads
and shoulders above

any other gravy I know.

And the biscuit
from here is amazing.

All right,
what are we making?

We're starting off
with biscuits.

I'm gonna mix
the dry ingredients,

starting with flour.

Add the salt.

Cream of tartar.
And baking soda.

And last, chilled butter.
I'm gonna dump this out.

Now we're gonna add
our buttermilk and cream.

I like the crockware
and all.

Now I'm gonna fold
these over.

Mess with them
as little as possible.

Now I'm gonna start
rolling it out.

Right now, on 1 to 10,
are we excited?

Or are we mellow?

Even keel --
that's how I roll.

You always run it
at a five?

Does anything
get you rattled?

What happens when somebody

doesn't deliver your
produce order on time?

What does it sound like?

Could you be on time
next time, please?

No, it's okay. It's okay.
-"It's okay, it's okay."

All these are gonna
bake off at what temp?

- 350.
-350, how long?

- 30 minutes.
-And that's all she wrote.

So, this is Grandma Holly's
tomato gravy.

Is she cool with the fact

that you're selling off
the great gravy recipe?

Yeah, she wanted
to tell you, "Hello."

She watches your show
all the time.

Hi, Grandma.
How you doing? Okay.

So, we're starting
off with...

- Bacon fat and the butter.
-I don't think in my history,

I've ever heard
of a tomato gravy.

It's like this
Appalachian thing.

Then
we go to tomatoes.

- Just regular crushed tomatoes?
-Yep.

Son, we're making tomato sauce,
is what it looks like.

No.
No, no, no.

I have seen some
weird stuff in my day.

This is
taking the cake.

We're just gonna
let this simmer for two hours.

It's reduced by half.

I'm gonna pour
in my evaporated milk.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

You didn't say anything
about evaporated milk.

That's going in here, too?
-Yeah, evaporated milk.

This is getting
weirder as we go.

Then, my whole milk
that I'll mix with flour.

Both of them
have been heated up

to change the protein
so that it doesn't break.

Wow.

Gonna add
salt and pepper,

and we're ready to plate.
-Here we go.

It's a good-looking biscuit.
-Thank you.

It looks like
chunky tomato soup.

Just a sprinkling
of parsley for some green.

And a little
chopped-up bacon.
Yeah.

It's really dynamite.
It's a really good biscuit.

It has that velvetiness
that a tomato soup has.

It's nice and mellow.
It's a little sweet.

I do appreciate
the bacon crackling on top.

Yeah, I can get down
with this all day long.

In the world of weird,
you're running an 8.5 now.

- It's up there.
-Grandma Holly...

top notch, girl.
You taught him right.

Biscuits and tomato gravy up.

Biscuits are really light,
but the outside

still has some texture to it.

Biscuits
with tomato gravy --

ever heard of
anything like that?

No, I haven't.
It's fantastic, though.

It's killer.

When you come
to P's & Q's Market,

you're not just getting
a food experience,

but you're getting
a full market experience.

That was very intentional.

I wanted to bring part of that
feeling from my hometown here.

And also, we live a block away,
so we really wanted

to have a little market
in our neighborhood.

You can buy toilet paper,
ketchup, beer.

Toilet paper,
ketchup are usually

on the top
of my list, also.

Great sandwiches,
you know?

This is
the polenta sandwich.

I'm having the polenta sandwich.

It's, like, totally beautiful.

This polenta makes
its own rules.

It's ridiculously good.

So, we're gonna
make creamy polenta

for the polenta sandwich.

Yep.
We got some boiling water

ptao.
for the polenta sandwich.

Now we're gonna let this
simmer for 30 minutes.

Okay, buddy.
That thickened up.

Now I'm gonna add
my butter, Parmesan.

Holy moly!

Oh, eee, oh.

Cream, salt.

We're ready to pour it
in the pan.

You happy with that?

Now we're gonna throw this
in the walk-in.

This will cool,
and then,

we'll cut a square out of it,
we'll fry that.

Oh, I like that.
Okay, brother.

We're gonna assemble
the fried polenta sandwich.

Flame-roasted poblanos
down on the bottom bun.

Big old fried square
of polenta.

Pickled red onions after that.
Arugula.

And the top bun
with mayonnaise.

- And that's all she wrote.
-That's all she wrote.

Wow.
It's really good.

That polenta --
that's actually great.

The baby Arugula is phenomenal
right inside of it.

Of course, the acid
coming through

from this red onion
is spot on.

Mmm!

Parmesan cheese
gone wild.

The pepper in there --
that's the hidden gem.

My little sister would
have loved that sandwich.

- I'm glad you like it.
-Nicely done, my friend.

Thanks.

You got to come
try that sandwich.

That is crazy.

- Polenta with fries up.
-Thank you.

- No problem.
-It's super creamy.

It has a nice,
like, cheesy flavor,

which I don't know
how much cheese --

'Cause there's about 400
pounds of Parmesan in it.

So many flavors going on,
you're trying to figure it out.

It's impressive.

P's & Q's is what Portland
restaurants should be.

Really, really,
really, really good.

- Was that four "reallys"?
-Yeah.

It's a four "really goods."
What else do you want?

This is where we'll
eat all the time,

and this is where we can
get our groceries.

I mean, this is a haven.
Good food by great people.

Congratulations.
-Thank you.

Up next, we're staying
put in Portland...

Whoa!

...to get a true taste of Spain.

This right here,
melts in your mouth.

You'd love it here. I mean,
great c-- Great, great...

great, great, great --
there's a lot of great here.

I'm here in
northwest Portland, Oregon,

in an area known as 23rd.

It's kind of like
the restaurant row --

to check out a joint that's got
a little bit of a love story.

Let's see, she's born
and raised in Puerto Rico,

meets the guy in Barcelona,
Spain, they get married,

move to the United States,
come up to Portland...

well, and the rest is history.

This is Ataula.

Here we have the bravas.

The food is amazing.

It's the most unique
restaurant in town.

Going to table 45.

I mean, I'm from Spain,
and when I come here, I'm home.

'Cause this place
is all about home.

Chef Jose Chesa
grew up in Barcelona,

set out to serve up
a true Spanish experience

when he opened the place
with his wife, Cristina.

How do you describe great
Spanish food to people?

Just pure flavor,

cooking with the best
possible ingredients.

And of course, plenty of
tapas taken up a notch.

All the dishes
here invite sharing.

Okay,
I'm finishing carpaccio.

The pulpo carpaccio
is octopus

very, very thinly sliced.

I've never had anything
like this before in my life.

- It's like artwork on a plate.
-So, let's get into this.

We'll always get
the octopus from Spain.

We have some onions,
black peppercorns,

and we have the bay leaves.
-And that's it?

And then, it's really
important you drop the octopus

into the boiling water
for three times.

Octopus take about 30,
35 minutes.

All the tentacles
are being pulled out.

Okay. And the sucker
cups go, too?

Yeah.

So, now we're gonna
add some agar

to the boiling liquid
from the octopus.

- Thickening agent.
-Yeah.

- Okay.
-And then gelatin sheets.

You're gonna
melt those in.

And now we have the tourine.

Okay, I grab
the thickest tentacles.

So you have the first layer
and repeat the same thing.

- So, it's octopus Tetris.
-Yes.

So, the goal is just to get it
as tight as you can in there,

but also
let there be the agar

and the gelatin
to bind it together.

Which it is.
You want to wrap up the sides,

and we're gonna have
a piece of cardboard.

Now, that seems pretty
technical right there.

You stack them
on top of each other.

- How long is this gonna set up?
-Overnight in the cooler.

Okay.

That's beautiful.

We're gonna start
with arbequina olive oil.

Black olive tapenade.

Sun-dried tomatoes.

Dr. Tweezer.
Dr. Tweezer.

That's gorgeous, dude.
I'm telling you.

Parmesan reggiano.

Toasted pine nuts.
Spanish hot paprika.

And then we have
an olive oil caviar.

Is it olive oil
or is it fish?

No, it's olive oil.
Oregon sea salt.

Decorate with some
edible flowers.

And then we finish
with some pea shoots.

It's done.

I don't think I've ever
had octopus that tender.

This right here,
melts in your mouth.

It's a whole symphony
of flavors.

The pine nut.
-Yeah.

That nuttiness
of the Parmesan.

It's fantastic.
It's balanced.

It's creative.
Really dynamite.

One of the most
beautiful dishes

I've ever seen
on "Triple D."

Outstanding.

Jose's octopus
really compares well

to the best places in Barcelona.

Every once in a while,
we get the blast from the past,

like the famous
Chef Benny Lin

from North Pole, Alaska.

What do you think?
-Oh, my goodness.

It's so tender
and has all the flavors.

Amazing.

Everything is beautifully
prepared, beautifully presented.

And meticulously
researched, 'cause every year,

Jose and Cristina head
back to Barcelona to sharpen

their culinary chops.

Keeping the foodis .

And Jose has brought a lot

of his childhood flavors
to this space.

Like a sandwich he says
he was obsessed with as a kid.

Pepita in the window, please.

This is melt in your mouth,
unbelievably good.

It's an other-worldly
experience.

All right, Chef.
What's next?

The veal stock
for the pepita.

We have a mirepoix.

You've got
your bouquet garni

with your sage,
rosemary, thyme.

Got it.
-We have veal knuckle bones.

- Smeared with tomato paste?
-Yeah.

Now we're gonna deglaze
with red wine.

Now we got the water.

How long are we gonna
let this simmer for?

Overnight.
And that's gonna be

the jus that goes
into the sandwich.

All of this is just to make
the stock that covers the veal.

- Absolutely.
-Very nice.

So, here we have
the veal breasts.

We're gonna season it first,
salt and pepper.

And now you want
to sear off the breasts,

a nice golden color.

And then, we have the mirepoix
with the bouquet garni,

tomato paste, veal,

red wine, and then
we have the stock

that has been
already strained out.

We'll let that braise
for how long?

Four hours.
450 degrees.

We remove the tendons,
remove the fat,

and we're
gonna build the tourine.

You and your cardboard
wrapped in plastic.

You stack them on top.
The weight.

Straight to the walk-in.

24 hours.
So, we need a torch.

And then, voilà.
-Now we're speaking French.

Cut it in half, and then
slice it into patties.

Look at that.

Looks like pulled pork.
Little salt and pepper.

Now it's gonna
go straight on a plancha.

Okay.
Make it happen, baby.

Here with the brioche.
Horseradish cream.

Then, we have veal jus.
Havarti cheese.

Roasted
green bell pepper.

Straight
to the salamander.

- Whoa!
-Coming in hot!

Place it into the board.

Along with some hard chips,

and here we have
the pepita sandwich.

That has the richness of,
like, a prime rib sandwich.

Big, rich flavor
coming from that jus.

The creaminess of the cheese
really comes through.

It's delicious.

Actually, my favorite aspect
of the entire thing

is the roasted
green bell pepper,

and I don't know why
'cause

I'm not a huge
green bell pepper fan.

So, that pepper goes
into the oil

that's been sous-vide
with aromatics.

Okay, so it's not your average
green bell pepper.

It's great, buddy.

It's delicious. A great
combination of, like, flavors.

My buddy, country-singer
James Otto here.

So, let's talk about this.

All I can say is that my mouth
is really happy right now.

I haven't been to
Barcelona, but I'd love to go,

and this is as close
as I can get.

You love food
and what you do.

You can feel it
when you walk into this place.

I mean, it is evident.
Congratulations.

Thank you.

So, that's it for this trip,
but don't worry.

There's plenty more "Triple D"
joints all over the country.

I'll be looking
for you next week

on "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives."

So, remember, one thing
we tell you is you...

Do not peel an octopus.