Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006–…): Season 28, Episode 18 - Far East Flavorfest - full transcript

You know, folks ask me
all the time,

"Hey, Guy.
That place you went to

in that one town
that served that one dish,

how are they doing
after 'Triple D'?"

You know what? I don't know.
Let's check it out.

This is "Triple D Nation."

Over the years,
I've seen and tasted it all.

This is ridiculous, dude.

But it turns out,
it was only the beginning...

[ Laughter ]

...'cause "Triple D" joints
have been blowing up...



Did you see that?!

...and we're going back
to see what's cooking.

Like on this trip --

a Minneapolis spot still making
some killer Cuban cuisine,

a joint in Jackson

where the menu's got something
for everyone,

and an O.G., "Triple D"
Greek diner

where the welcome wagon
was more like a hot rod.

-Welcome.
-"Welcome." Wow.

I don't know. I like him.
[ Laughs ]

[ Both laugh ]

FIERI:
And two dudes in Portland

whose sandwiches
are taking over the town.

I don't even know if I want
to call it gourmet.



I want to call it
funkalicious.

Old friends, new places,
and more off-the-hook flavors.

That's all right here,
right now on "Triple-D Nation."

♪♪

So, we're here in Seattle,
Washington, to check out

one of the first
"Triple D" joints.

I mean, this place is O.G.

And I wanted to stop by
and just see what's new,

what's been happening,
and how things have been

after "Diners,
Drive-Ins & Dives."

This is Voula's Offshore Cafe.

I was here for that first
"Triple D" episode.

I'm on camera
for about 1/4 second.

After that,
it did get a little busy.

How is your lunch,
my lady?

-It was excellent as always.
-That's good.

MAN: Voula's really nice,
really caring,

and truly wants you
to have a great meal

and a great time
when you come and sit down.

FIERI:
That would be an understatement.

I think she might have been
the best welcoming committee

we ever had.
I'm Guy.

-Welcome.
-"Welcome."

-Wow.
-Thank you.

I don't get that
every time

-on "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives."
-You don't?

No, I don't walk in
and get hugged.

Thank goodness,
because --

Hey, I always like
handsome men, baby.

[ Both laugh ]

I don't know. I like him.
[ Laughs ]

He's a really nice guy.

FIERI: When I met Voula,
she was running her Greek diner

with the help of her two sons,
Sikey and Nikos.

And they were churning out
breakfast and lunch

from behind the counter
of this tiny joint.

All right, so, this
is the beginning

of the Chinese pancake.

Now, is the egg yolk
supposed to break?

-No.
-You feel confident?

No.

Round of applause,
ladies and gentlemen.

Evel Knievel
jumps the fountain.

Thank you.

I remember answering the phone,
and he said,

"So-and-so from Food Network --

We'd like to talk to you
about doing a show,"

not informing us
of what it was.

We found out Friday
before the first episode

of "Diners, Drive-Ins
& Dives" aired

as to what show
we were going to be on.

The truth of it is,
this was the beginning.

I mean, it was the beginning
of "Triple D."

And getting a chance
to have you guys here

and all the enthusiasm
from you, Voula,

you know, it was a --
It was a really big deal.

-For you guys...
-For you --

Just 'cause it's "Diners,
Drive-Ins & Dives," I'll give.

I mean, we don't have
an under-griddle cam.

We need to get an
under-griddle cam.

-Under-griddle cam.
-Slow-mo.

♪♪

So, what has happened?
Give me the rundown.

We tripled the business.

Triple the volume
from where you were?

-Yes.
-Really?

-Yes.
-Bought the building.

-We bought the building.
-You bought the building?

-Yep.
-You retired, real-time retired?

-She's out.
-I'm out.

-Really retired?
-She's out.

-Really out.
-So who runs it now?

Sikey and Nikos.

FIERI: Which means they
get to make the menu decisions.

SIKEY:
So, after the airing of the show

and the onslaught of customers
coming in, we decided, you know,

we have to have
a new special every weekend.

Two Big Juans.

FIERI: The Big Juan is the
Goliath of breakfast burritos --

a real monster.

We needed to make something that
was ours characteristically,

and it was a breakfast.
So the Big Juan burrito

is our in-house made chorizo,
eggs, pico de gallo.

The chorizo and eggs is
the heart and soul of the dish,

but Voula's hot sauce takes it
up a notch or maybe two.

We're going to start out
with the onions, tomatoes,

the roasted Japanese peppers,

cilantro, and a little bit
of roasted garlic in this pot,

which we're going to cook
for five hours.

Now we blend it.

This is not so hot
you can't eat it.

We do create an extra-hot

for those who really want
to kick it up a notch.

The Big Juan is fantastic.

The hot of the chorizo,
the homemade hot sauce --

It's just luscious.

It's got a lot of flavor.

One of my favorite
breakfast burritos.

When I came here,
there was no hole in that wall.

-That's right.
-And everything that went on

at Voula's Offshore Cafe
was on those griddles only.

In the expansion process,

we decided to do
a secondary kitchen

that works hand-in-hand
with the front kitchen.

Pretty much tripled
our cooking space,

and it's just made it
a lot easier.

Everybody we talked to
when we were doing the remodel,

everybody wanted us
to shove everything in the back,

and I didn't want that,
because the people

want to see us doing this
out here.

FIERI:
Sitting at this counter

-is part of the whole --
-Exactly.

People fight to get
to this counter.

It's kind of like entertainment
while you're eating,

and it's pretty cool.

SIKEY: Two Squealers.

FIERI: And the latest star of
the show is the Little Squealer,

the lunch version
of your favorite breakfast,

the Piñata, which is actually

what I ate
the first time I was there.

FIERI: If Eggs Benedict
tasted like that,

I might eat
Eggs Benedict every day.

Good.

The chipotle
hollandaise is money.

-Feed the camera.
-Mmm.

Now, you could just drink
that hollandaise sauce,

but instead, I made
a little suggestion.

Now let's take some of this
and make some sandwiches.

Yeah, no kidding.

Which they did.

This is the Little Squealer.

We use our sliced
smoked pork,

so it gives it a nice, smoky
flavor throughout the sandwich.

But we wanted to use
the chipotle hollandaise

that we use
for the breakfast,

but adding tomato
and Swiss cheese.

WOMAN: The hollandaise
and the Swiss cheese

are just the best part
of the sandwich.

There's a little bit of spice,
it's creamy,

and it goes really, really well
with the smoked pork shoulder.

It's all homemade.
It's just a delicious sandwich.

I'm glad that you
turned the reins over

finally to these boys.

Except one thing
I didn't give it to them.

-Yes, one thing?
-My house in Greece.

That's the only one thing
you don't give to them?

You shouldn't.
Give it to your other son,

the one with hair.

-Good.
-The one with hair.

-I will do that.
-Let me just get right in there

-on that deal.
-All right.

Anytime you go to Greece,
go ahead and stay in my place.

I love it.
Wow. Congratulations.

-Thank you, buddy.
-Very happy for you, man.

Awesome job.

It's nice to see those guys

finally giving their mom
a break,

and I think that
I'm going to hold Voula

to that house deal in Greece.
Next up...

Can it get to the face
without falling?

Oh. Mmm.

...a Minneapolis joint
doubling up the staff

and the menu after doubling down

on authentic, off-the-hook
Cuban cuisine.

FIERI: 10 years ago, I dropped
into a tropical-looking joint

in Minneapolis
with a rep for huge flavors.

Victor's Sandwich Cubano,
two of them.

Imagine my surprise
when I found a Greek chef

serving up authentic Cuban food.

This is Victor's 1959 Café.

Have your albóndigas.

It's really blown up a lot.
There's always people here.

WOMAN: It's not every day
that people associate Minnesota

with a iconic Cuban restaurant,

and then moreover with
a Greek woman that's leading it.

FIERI: That's right.

Some of the best, most legit
Cuban food we've seen,

all coming from Niki,
who's full-on Greek.

Sandwich Cubano.

Here's ham for the two
Victor's Cubanos.

You have got the bling.
Look at this.

Yeah, like --
And it's beauty bling.

So, this is going to be
the Cuban picadillo.

-Am I --
-The Cuban picadillo.

NIKI: It's a very traditional,
authentic Cuban dish.

FIERI:
So we're all browned up.

-Now who else jumps in the pool?
-The Creole sauce.

Creole sauce
into Cuban food?

Yeah, it's part of the Spanish
influence in Cuba.

Green stuffed olives.

-My mouth is watering.
-[ Chuckles ]

-Raisins.
-Nice little sweetness there.

Little bit more saltiness,
the capers.

Smells killer.

Tastes even better.

We serve it
with rice and beans

and sweet plantains.

♪♪

Mmm.

Mmm!
That is awesome.

Good.
I'm glad you like it.

Little bit of saltiness
from the caper

that was right there,
sweetness of the raisin,

then some of the creaminess
of the beans.

Ohh.

It's can it get to the face
without falling?

[ Chuckles ]

Mmm.

He kept taking bites.

♪♪

I know.

I can't let this go.
Seriously, this is legit.

Ohh. Mmm.

And he got this smirk
on the his face,

and he just kept
taking more bites.

♪♪

I will stab you
with a fork.

[ Laughs ]

And I thought to myself,

"Now, that's a compliment."

You've got frita, chiquita.

After "Triple D," I just kept
wanting to make the dinner menu

as good as it could be.

Hello, hello.

WOMAN: Niki's priority

is to make sure
that this is really authentic,

and she's always striving to
continue to stay true to that.

FIERI:
And she managed to find a way
to pack a ton of Cuban flavor

into a little snack
with her new albóndigas,

which is an
appetizer-sized version

of a traditional Cuban dish.

NIKI: I was going
for a particular flavor

that would be reminiscent
of the Cuban burgers

that you taste
when you're in Little Havana

in Miami, for example.

FIERI: These Cuban meatballs

are a hearty combo
of pork and beef

with a little kick
of chorizo mixed in.

NIKI:
And then we season them with
cumin, turmeric, and oregano.

FIERI: But I hear it's her new
homemade Cuban-inspired ketchup

that takes these meatballs
to the next level.

One of the things that I love
about that ketchup

is that there's no sugar in it.

FIERI: Instead,
it's more like a tomato sauce

that gets a spicy kick
from the Aleppo peppers.

The albóndigas --
Did I get that right?

I think it's
a terrific flavor --

very chili-like,
very dusky, rich.

As a Norwegian, you know,
who's used to Swedish meatballs,

this has just enough
little zing to it

to make it interesting.

Mm, num, num,
num, num.

FIERI: We also got to check out
Niki's coconut shrimp.

The best-seller
is seasoned, battered,

and dusted with coconut

before getting pan-fried
to a golden brown,

with tropical rice
that packs a citrus punch.

MAN: If you like coconut,
and if you like shrimp,

you cannot find
a better combination.

It's really flavorful.
It's really delicious.

It's really fresh.

MAN #2:
It is bigger. It is busier.

The food is, believe it or not,
better, so welcome back.

-Hi.
-How are you?

Great. How are you?

I was able to hire more people

so that I didn't have to be here

from morning till night
every single day.

-Let's hug.
-Thank you. Okay!

We have to hug
after each one of these.

Now I'm gonna take this
and get in my car.

[ Laughs ]

Now, that's what I like to hear.

Niki deserves to put her feet up
every once in a while.

But coming up, there is no rest

for these two buddies
in Portland.

Now, I thought their sandwiches
were killer

when I first checked them out.

If you're gonna have a sandwich,
have a gourmet sandwich.

I don't even know if I want
to call it gourmet.

-I want to call it funkalicious.
-That's right.

But you won't believe
the crazy concoctions

they're creating now.

It's killer. It's killer.

In 2009, I met a couple of dudes
who just love making sandwiches,

and they had some
of the most killer combos

I think I've ever had
between two slices of bread.

These days, they're blowing up
all over Portland

with four different locations,

and their food
is still outrageous.

This is Bunk Sandwiches.

♪♪

-Chicken Parm.
-I heard about Bunk Sandwiches.

It had been on "Diners,
Drive-Ins & Dives"

and that I had to come here.

We got a fried chicken,
add fries.

The best version of a sandwich
you can possibly imagine.

FIERI:
With that ringing endorsement,
I couldn't wait to sink my teeth

into whatever owners
Tommy Habetz

and Nick Wood were building.

Did you say "totally"
or "deli"?

"Tolly."

-Totally deli?
-Tolly. [ Laughs ]

Totally deli?

HABETZ: It was pretty wild
the day that Guy showed up.

I didn't think we were a diner
or a drive-in or a dive.

We were three months old.
We were just babies.

And for us to be picked
really meant something.

"Bunkity bunk bunk"?

I dig it.

Can I be
skunkity-bunkity?

I'm not sure.
Yeah, you could.

Their food was out of bounds!

Let's see.
I had the red beans and rice...

This is dynamite.

...the pork belly Reuben...

Look at that.

You guys are great, man.

...and the oldie but goodie,
the salt cod.

Now, it's not something
that I see

on a lot
of "Triple D" joint menus,

but the next time you see it,
you got to check it out.

We're going to make a puree
out of it.

-Out of the fish?
-Out of the fish,

with a little bit
of mashed potato.

Just what I thought
I would be getting

when I pulled into
this local sandwich shop.

♪♪

That's crazy.

There's so many
components to it.

If you're gonna have a sandwich,
have a gourmet sandwich.

That's -- I don't even know
if I want to call it gourmet.

-I want to call it funkalicious.
-That's right.

I don't know who I spoke with on
the phone for the original show,

but, you know,
I went through a list

of all the sandwiches
that we did.

And we did
the salt cod sandwich,

and then we did
the pork belly Reuben.

Those were the ones
that jumped out

because they were kind of
different and interesting,

but they were really just
specials that we were running.

FIERI: And even though they're
still not on the daily menu,

don't worry, 'cause there's
plenty to choose from

that really stack up.

HABETZ: We change
the menu up constantly.

There were certain ones
that people wanted repeatedly,

like the Italian.

Italian cured meats,
table four.

FIERI:
The Italian cured meats --

Bunk's signature twist
on the Italian sub.

HABETZ: We're going to season
the bread a little bit with oil

and red wine vinegar.

Next thing we're going to do
is lay down

some provolone piccante --
a sharper provolone --

salami, capicola,

some beautiful ham that we use,
smoked in Eastern Oregon.

FIERI: Then Bunk's hot pepper
infused lettuce goes on top.

That's a mix of peperoncini
and hot cherry peppers.

It's got these pickled onions
and peppers on there

that give it just
the right amount of spice.

It's got a lot of richness
in the meats.

Just can't stop eating it.

FIERI: They've also upped their
side game, like this Latin twist

on your favorite
school lunch staple --

the mole tot.

HABETZ: First thing we're going
to do is caramelize the onions.

Ground tomatoes here,
hydrated chilies.

FIERI: And it wouldn't be mole
without dark chocolate.

HABETZ: The tots are done.

We give it some of that
mole sauce right on top.

Next, we're going to give it
some crema, some avocados,

and to finish,
some Cotija cheese.

One of our most popular dishes
here at Bunk Bar.

FIERI: I think Tommy's
being a little modest.

I hear they go through over
100 orders of these a week.

MAN: I've eaten my weight
in those tots.

This is body by tots.

It's got a great sweetness
and a good spice

and bite to it.

[ Grinder whirring ]
Insert music.

Oh, yeah.

♪♪

[ Whirring stops ]
Stop music.

We're makin' bacon.

Want to try it?
Oh, it is so good.

FIERI: Bunk also isn't
the hard-to-find joint

that it was back when
I came here the first time.

Just across the Morrison Bridge
from downtown Portland

and across the street from
the Oregon Ballet Theater --

Now, I give you these specific
driving instructions

'cause I drove
by the joint twice.

They've got four places
around town,

and there's no sign
of slowing down.

When I come back to Portland,
I'm coming to Bunk.

He promised to come back
through, and now he has.

Load the trunk
when you go to the Bunk.

That's right.
We got a table here for you.

God. I'm going to make up all my
Bunk words and send them to you.

[ Both laugh ]

Bunk, chunk, hunk, lunk --

I'm still working on that list,
but don't worry.

When I'm finished,
I'll get it to you guys.

Coming up next...

What is this hippie
mayonnaise called?

I'm going to start calling it
hippie mayonnaise.

Not your average
"Triple D" joint,

this little place in Jackson
is still big on flavor

and hitting the big time
with a whole new location.

♪♪

Holy Bombay bowl.

So, back in 2014, I popped into
a place in Jackson, Wyoming...

Thai noodles!
...that was doing exactly

what you'd expect in Jackson --
100% organic everything.

Veggie burger
with quinoa!

But don't think that means
it's short on taste.

Believe me -- This place is
still in Flavortown city limits.

♪♪

Vegan lasagna!

It's fresh, it's healthy,
and it tastes delicious.

-Ooh, that looks delicious.
-Elk biscuits and gravy

with the gluten-free biscuit.

My wife and I
were watching "Triple D,"

and we saw Chef Amy.

And we actually scheduled
our vacation around it.

AMY: You know, for what
"Triple D" is, Lotus is --

it's pretty different.
Soak our grains and legumes,

for crying out loud,
and sprout things.

FIERI: I heard the Bombay bowl
was, well, the bomb,

so I had to see
what that was all about.

-So this is the Bombay bowl.
-So --

Bombay bowl.
So you can get it
any way you want?

You can get it with tofu --
Yeah, you can get it just as-is,

or you can add tempeh.

Tempe, Arizona?

-You --
-Ba-dum-bum. Thanks.

[ Rim shot ]
Be here all week.

So, today, we're making it
with bison.

-This is some vegan mayonnaise.
-Essentially, yeah.

What is this hippie
mayonnaise called?

I'm going to start calling it
hippie mayonnaise, but, um,

I call it kind of
veggie rainbow mayonnaise.

Veggie rainbow.

I think Guy's excitement
and his passion for food

was really contagious for me.

What the hell am I doing?
What do you need help with?
What are you doing?

-What am I doing?
-Get the onions in!

I'm like, really --

You're making
me nervous!

The bison spice mixture.

A little cayenne in there,
as well, the chili powder.

-Exactly.
-And the "xactly."

And the love.

The brown basmati, put down
the sautéed veggies,

baby spinach, carrots.

-Got it.
-Fresh mango.

Mango tango.

Holy Bombay bowl.

Super flavorful.
Not bland, not boring.

The thing that I'm actually
most wowed about

is that vegetarian
mayo concoction.

It adds such a nice,
velvety texture. Killer.

AMY: There was
this big construction project

going on across the street.

This is Amy.
She's the owner.

And Guy rounded up
some of the construction workers

and served them our bison.

-Wow, that's delicious.
-Oh, it's good.

Out of bounds, man.

And the reaction
was really positive.

And they were like,
"Oh, I had no idea

organic food
could taste so good."

Made me stoked.

We say it on "Triple D"
all the time.

If it's funky,
I'll find it.

Got to check this out.

People were coming in,
asking,

"What are the dishes
that you made for Guy?"

There's been an enormous amount
of, like, recipe requests.

We would just tell them,
you know, just come and see us.

We're not going anywhere.
If anything, we're going bigger.

And, boy, did she ever.

The quaint, little Lotus Cafe
moved one block over and became

the bigger, more spacious
Lotus Organic Restaurant.

AMY: So, we're more
than double our size.

FIERI:
And that gave her space

to create even more
righteous recipes,

like the elk sausage
biscuits and gravy.

AMY:
Elk biscuits and gravy

is one of our most popular
breakfast items.

FIERI: The elk sausage
is locally seasoned and sourced,

and the gravy
is made all in-house

with a blend of coconut milk
and amaranth flour.

The elk gravy is unique
in that it's non-dairy.

It tastes really good
with the biscuits.

WOMAN:
That had a fantastic flavor,

things that are hard
to recreate.

The foundation of Lotus
is organic

and then something for everyone,

that if it tastes good
prepared in this unique way,

then it will go on the menu.

FIERI: And her new vegan lasagna
passes the taste test

with flying colors.

No meat, no dairy,
but full of flavor.

AMY: We use French lentils.
They're something that you can

sort of I guess
sink your teeth into.

FIERI: And people go nuts over
Amy's homemade cashew cheese.

She soaks and blends
the cashews, garlic, and salt

until it has the consistency
of a soft ricotta cheese.

The lasagna noodles are ready.
We'll start layering it.

Vegan lasagna,
gluten-free bread.

It's pasta, noodles.
It's done just right.

MAN: It's hard to tell
it's even vegan.

It just tastes so hearty
and filling and delicious.

♪♪

So, it was an exciting time
when "Triple D" contacted me,

because, days before
the actual shoot,

I found out I was pregnant.

Now I feel like
it's kind of coming full circle

now that Leo is 3,
the same age that Jeff was

at the time of the first shoot.

-Congratulations. You are --
-You bet.

I don't know what you're
doing next time you're
in Jackson Hole,

besides snowmobiling
or hiking with seaweed snacks,

but when you have a chance,

make sure you make time
to come down to Lotus Cafe.

Girl's off the hook!

[ Smooches ]

[ Smooches ]

That's right.
[ Chuckles ]

♪♪

So, what more could you ask for?

I mean, a blinged-out
Cubano joint,

an O.G. "Triple D" diner,

a talk-of-the-town
sandwich shop,

and an organic joint
that's really keeping it real.

Well, that's it for this
road trip, but don't you worry.

We got plenty more joints
to look back on

all over the "Triple D Nation."

We come in here and we sing
♪ Voula-Voula ♪

♪ Voula-Voula ♪

Come on!

♪ Voula-Voula,
Voula-Voula ♪

That we do.