Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006–…): Season 29, Episode 18 - Coming Together in Cali - full transcript

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

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

This trip,
we're making a special visit

to Chico, California...

I don't think many people know
how great Chico is.

...which lies in the vicinity
of the deadliest

and most destructive wildfire
in California state history.

Our community and county
got hit hard right away.

I mean, we got
8,000 firefighters

at one point
on the lines.

2018's Camp Fire
scorched over 153,000 acres



and wiped out the
neighboring town of Paradise.

We came up here during the fires
to help cook,

and we met so many great people.

That's why we brought
"Triple D" here.

To see how this incredible
community is rising back up

strong and to celebrate
its righteous restaurants...

Way more
than I was expecting.

...like a place that rocks
sweet and savory...

Well done, man.

...a joint going fresh,
hot, and local...

Dreamy.

...and an Irish pub that thinks
it's an Asian bistro.

You're taking folks
international,

and they don't need
a passport.



That's all right here,
right now,

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

All right, Hunter, you hungry?
-Oh, yeah.

How many places we going to --
one, two, five?

Three?
Slow it down, slow it down.

The first place we're
checking out on this Chico

"Triple D" visit is a joint
where the chef is from

Boston, but the menu --

well, it's pretty worldwide
with a big Asian influence.

You're gonna love
this place.

This is The Banshee.

Put this on first.

Got some wings.

Banshee is like
Chico's best-kept secret.

Is it a bar or is it
a restaurant?

Mostly, it's a bar
with really good food.

Mac and cheese
for bar 12.

Will's amazing in the kitchen.

He comes up with things
you never would think of.

Which are nothing like
what Will Brady

was serving at his old joint
on the East Coast.

Part of my flaw in Boston

was having the typical
lousy, frozen burgers.

Yeah, it's not just
a frozen burger,

it's a lousy,
frozen burger.

It doesn't take that much
to acquire fresh produce,

fresh meats, and give people
something in Chico

that they haven't
maybe had.

Headline --
"Banshee, Home of the..."

"...Not-Lousy Burger."

Table 4, Pho-rench Dip.

The Pho-rench Dip is excellent.

You get the pho as your au jus

like you would get in
an actual French dip sandwich.

Two of my favorite dishes
all in one dish,

and it blows your mind.

What are we starting off with?
The Pho-rench Dip.

"Pho" like
Vietnamese pho?

Yes.
P-h-o.

And then we're gonna make
a meat dip sandwich out of it?

Yes.

We're just gonna start
by making the broth.

Water, we add a Vietnamese
soup-base mix,

our sachet goes in.

What's the sachet
filled with?

Cinnamon, cardamom pods,
coriander, star anise.

Next?
Jalapeños, onions.

This would be the braise.

How did we just get to braise
all of a sudden?

Well, we have
like a circular...

So this is the last
brisket's broth?

Yes.

So you're just continually
using this broth

and building flavor
as we go.
Yes.

What I saw in Vietnam
was people were famous

for having broths
that were 100 years old.

Oh, wow.
Getting all fancy
at The Banshee.

Fish sauce.
And how long will that simmer?

Just about an hour.

So, now what we have to do
is go make the next brisket...

Yes.
...to pour the broth.

Yes.
Got it.
We're gonna make a rub.

Salt, pepper --
fresh-ground, always --

Chinese-five spice.
Whoa!

Mix that up.
Brisket.

Oh, yeah.
Look at that.

Trim a little bit
of the fat.

We dry rub and then we sear it
in the fry-a-lator.

That's a fryer.
When you're getting fancy

at The Banshee,
you call it a fry-a-lator.

Exactly.
I like it.

It's gonna put
a fantastic crust on this.

Yes.

So, the fried-off brisket
now gets...

...Vegetables
underneath it --

cilantro,
onions underneath,

Thai chilies, some bruised,
whole lemongrass.

Do you bruise them
yourself, or?

There you go.
Ow.

That's excessive.
That's it.

Brown sugar goes in,
jalapeños.

That many jalapeños?
Yeah.

Jalapeños tend to mild out
after a long cook.

You got to mild out now.

Ha!
"Mild out!"

And we'll finish it
with our rotating broth.

Oh, I like this,
it's got good beginnings.

How long's that gonna go?
Overnight.

Now we're gonna make
pickled cucumbers.

Okay.
Salt, garlic, sugar,
fish sauce.

I'd have never been
into a bar like this

that's running
any fish sauce.
No. Never.

It's maybe
the best ingredient.

Chili paste.

It will sit for about an hour,
it will be ready to go.

All right, Chef.
Let's see it.

First, we toast off
a French roll.
Okay.

We got our spicy mayo
and then we add the brisket.

Nice, big portion.
Look at that.

Onions.
You build a sandwich, holmes.

Carrots, pickled cucumbers,
some Thai basil, mint, cilantro,

and we're gonna get the broth,
some green onions,

and some cilantro.

Last but not least...
...a little chili oil.

Way more
than I was expecting.

Let me get into this.

Fantastic.

When you dip it in the broth,
that's nice.

It's the right bun,
it's the right cut of the meat,

getting that true big,
deep beef flavor in there.

The fortified mayo with
a little bit extra of the spice.

When you bring in Thai basil
and the mint,

that really
hammers it home.

Boom, boom, boom,
boom, boom!

Delicious.

I would eat that for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner.

"Pho-get" about it.

I got a Pho-rench Dip for you.

The meat is amazing.

The broth is amazing.

Pickled veggies that meets
all the right flavor notes.

Two fish tacos.

Favorite place to come.
Out of all the joints
in Chico?

I mean, there's a lot
of great restaurants here.

They have the best food.

And they have a good selection
of beer.

I've known Ed and Cindy
since I think I was,

what, 7, 8 years old?

About 7.
And I'm so sorry, you know,

with you guys losing
your house in Paradise,

but it's interesting
to see how much

this community
supports one another.

Will really brings that
community into Banshee.

We're hanging out at
The "Fanshee" Banshee in Chico.

When we come back, got anything
else up your sleeve?

Yeah, we got a --
I'm worried,
don't tell me yet.

But here's a hint --
it starts with Asian

and ends with Mexican.

Two banh mi tacos for you.

It satisfies every part
of your palette.

I'll see you in a minute.

Welcome back.
We're at The "Fanshee" Banshee.

That's the only way
I'll ever remember it.

The Asian influence
is out of control.

I spend a good amount of time
in Southeast Asia and Japan

and tried to take
something out of that.

I love it.
Banh mi tacos, two.

You have to get
the banh mi tacos.

It's a Vietnamese sandwich
basically in a taco.

The Adobo pork,
it just melts in your mouth.

I see a bunch of chilies,
you taking us to Mexico?

This will be for
the banh mi tacos.

We make our own Adobo here
to rub our pork with.

Okay.
Let's see it.

Guajillo chilies.
That have been toasted.

Pasilla chilies,
árbol chilies.

This will be pretty hot
if we put in all of these.

I love hot.

All right,
then we're gonna be good.

Charred garlic --
kind of a Japanese approach --

charred onions, some red-wine
vinegar, chipotles in Adobo,

good bunch of salt,
black pepper.

And giving it
a little hot water.

Delicious.
And next?

Yep. We're gonna make the braise
for the pulled pork

that we're gonna use
to make our tacos.

Where do the elves sleep?

That's what I'm saying.

This is it.

Jalapeños, white onions, grate,
pork shoulder comes over.

How do you want the salt?
All over.

And a little pepper inside,
and we're good.

Shoop, shoop-a-loop.

This is the sugar plus...

...Seasoned salt?
Yes.

Crazy.
A couple bay leaves,
Adobo that we just worked on.

Oh, yeah.

Water.
There you go --

then we'll put it in the oven
for 6 to 7 hours at 325 degrees.

Bring it out,
let it cool a little bit.

Oh, yeah.
And then we got...

Look at that, huh?

That's delicious.
Mmm!

We're just gonna pull these out
one at a time.

Thank you, sir.

We shred this.
And then we're ready to go.

So, we have a couple tortillas,
some nice, crispy pork.

Nice crust on that.

Is that
a normal portion?

It is.
Spicy mayo.

Spicy mayo that we had earlier,
some onions, some carrots.

What do you pickle
those carrots with?

Vinegar, sugar, salt,
fish sauce.

Pickled cucumbers, cilantro.

That's a heavy dose.

Fresno chilies on top.
Coming in hot.

I would recommend throwing
a little lime on this one.

That has
some serious flavor.

Nice little kick, too,
with those peppers.

Whoo!

When I saw very similar
ingredients,

well, between
the banh mi taco

and the Pho-rench Dip, I'm like,
"Mm, lot of similarities,"

but because the baseline
of the Adobo and the pork

is so forward
in its spiciness and flavors

of the dried chilies,
right there you separate.

And that's the beauty of a chef
cross-utilizing

his ingredients -- two dishes,
two totally different results.

Oh, yeah.
Fantastic.

Got your banh mi tacos.

It's one of the most
tender tacos I've ever had.

You have the richness
of the pork

and then the freshness
of the vegetable.

It's always great food.

Chorizo quesadilla.

You become an addict, and you
come back again and again.

I think you're taking your chef
energy and attitude

and just masking it
behind this cool hangout bar.

You're taking folks
international,

and they don't need
a passport.

Here in
Chico, California,

come on down to
The "Fanshee" Banshee.

And it's not lousy.

And the burgers
aren't frozen.

Up next, an off-the-hook
bakery café...

Someone knows Flavortown.

...cooking up local favorites...

Man, that's just
hands down good.

...including one
I just couldn't refuse.

She told me that is
the "Mmm Pork Salad"

so that's what
I want to try next.

Right now "Triple D"
is headquartered

in Chico, California,

which recently became refuge
to thousands of people

from the nearby town
of Paradise after it

was ravaged
by a devastating fire.

12,500 homes were lost.

It would have been
so much more devastation

had it not been
for the Cal Fire team.

This is a community
that's rebuilding.

There's a lot
of good energy,

and there's things
that coming back

to the community
that were lost.

But one thing
that's remained here

is the awesome food scene
that we've been digging into.

Dad, this umbrella
is ridiculous.

Listen, it's not the umbrella
that makes us look ridiculous.

Anyhow, this next place
I'm taking you to --

this is like
the Chico staple.

I mean, it's been here
for 30 years.

This husband-and-wife
team,

they worked here
for like 7 years

and then they bought
the joint.

You ask anybody in Chico,

they'll tell you you got to
check out the Upper Crust.

I have a California
chicken ready.

Upper Crust is definitely
a Chico icon.

Pastry platters up.

It's a bakery and café,
restaurant, almost a deli.

Like a community
gathering place.

And it's the community
that lured owners Shelby

and Jeff Plummer
back to town.

I loved growing up here.

All of my family
kind of came back here.

And locally grown chef,
Ryan Derra, never left.

Bake all your breads,
all your pastries.

-Everything scratch.
-Yes.

I'm a cake decorator.

I do all the savory dishes.

I can't imagine people
who are better at creating

that local feeling
with incredible food.

Black bean chili with
a jalapeño cornbread muffin.

I'd die for
the black bean chili.

Spicy with this, like,
sort of pesto on top.

And that muffin makes
everything come together.

The black bean chili's
a big thing here.

If we don't have this,
people legitimately get mad.

What are we
starting off with?

Our cilantro pesto.

All right, let's see it.
Cilantro.

Stems and all.
Garlic.

Salt.
Hot sauce, huh?

Lime juice and then slowly
add the whole oil to emulsify.

Add our Romano,
a couple pulse.

That's it
right there, sir.

All right, so, now we're
gonna make our jala-muffins.

"Holla"-muffins.

Holla!
There you go.

First, we start with our eggs,
buttermilk.

Just a little bit.
Cilantro, pickled jalapeños.

Green onions,
some cheddar cheese.

Thank you.
There you go.

Cheddar.
Makes it better.
I'm jiving.

Jack cheese, melted butter --
set that aside --

flour, cornmeal, sugar.

Baking soda, baking powder.

Salt,
scrape that on in there.

You don't want the gluten
to build up too much,

we want these to where
you can open them,

and the cheesy goodness

is the only thing
holding it together, you know?
How does it go?

Bend the knees
when you do it.

Just a quick or a heavy?

I'm not trying
to fry the muffins,

I'm trying
to bake the muffins.

You work with him,
Hunter.

Oh, so,
you're skipping it

because it's gonna
go muffin top.

These are gonna go in at 350
for about 20 minutes.

Now we're gonna do
our black bean chili

starting from the dry bean

which I've handpicked
through and rinsed.

You're a very good person.
There you go.

So, the beans come to a boil
and get nice and tender.

We're gonna do our vegetable
mixture which consists

of onions, bell peppers,
chipotle-garlic mixture, salt.

I'm gonna go ahead and toast
these cumin seeds.

Paprika, basil, oregano.

That's mixed
into the onion.

We add our vegetable mixtures
to the beans,

then we add our tomatoes.

I'm gonna let it sit
for about 20 minutes.

Open oven.
That's what you yell?

Every time.
Hunter gets to pick the muffin.

I want that one
right there.

And what I --
No, no, no, no.

The chef was at -- what?
Dad!

That was delicious.
Mmm.

Nice, little jalapeño bite
in that.

Oh, yeah.
Little bit of cheese.

Good job, chef.

I'd like to have one
that's just all crust, though.

Oh, my God,
that is so messed up.

I want
a different one now

The black bean chili here,
cilantro pesto, sour cream.

Evidentially, he's dipping
into your food.

I'm taking
this away from you.

Be right back.
Hang on a second.

Here's what I did about it
is it's good, old-school chili

with great flavor
and not overly spicy.

And that pesto on it...
That's the kicker.

...is what it makes it,
right there.

Little sharpness of that garlic
with the saltiness

of the Romano,
everybody will enjoy this chili.

Now the only thing I want to do
is take a nap.

Chili is just spot-on.
Good flavor with the pesto.

This gentleman over here
is a good friend of mine,

the great Dion, the master
of all black beanery.

Flavor after flavor,
it's money.

And with
the swirly-dirly crema.

"The swirly-dirly."

You got to
come down for this.

Chico is a sweet, little
community with great history,

and as soon
as the fire happened,

it just seemed like everybody
was on-board to do something.

Chico basically opened
up as an evacuation center

for close to 30,000 people
within hours.

We came up here during
the fires to help cook,

and we met
so many great people.

That's why we brought
"Triple D" here.

And one of Chico's greats
just gave me a hot tip.

I was told by the owners'
daughter, Charlotte,

I got to try
that Korean pork salad.

-Yeah. Yeah.
-She brought me
this nice letter,

and she told me that is
the "Mmm Pork Salad"

so that's what
I want to try next.

It's definitely
a crave-worthy dish.

We're gonna change the name
to "Charlotte's Mmm Pork Salad."

How's it starting, chef?
With our braising liquid --

throw my garlic in here,
a lot ginger, jalapeños,

red chili paste, brown sugar,
lime juice,

rice-wine vinegar,
tamari.

Then you got
a bone-in pork butt.

Throw it in
our braising liquid

and bake it at 350 degrees
for two hours.

Once it comes out, we're gonna
hit it with our shredder

and then we got
to make the dressing.

Got it.

Lime juice, green onion,
fish sauce.

We're really
getting after this.
Oh, yeah.

Rice-wine vin, sambal,
whole lot of sugar.

And that's the dressing.
We got shredded cabbage.

Got it.
Cilantro, basil, mint.

I like those moves.
The dressing that we made.

Okay.
Oh, yeah, look at that.

A nice helping of pork on top,
bell peppers, peanuts, cilantro.

And last but not least.

Crispy shallots.

And here's
our Korean pork salad.

Mmm.

That's just
hands down good.

That's like
lights-out good.

The dressing is rockin',
a little kiss of the mint,

nice crunch,
the pork is hot.

Yeah, it is.
I mean, it's spice-hot.

Mmm-mmm-mmm!

I did a little food dance,
there, huh?

You really nailed it,
man.

Come on down
to the Upper Crust Bakery

and ask for the "Charlotte
Mmm Korean Pork Salad."

It's crunchy, spicy.

This was definitely delivered
on the Flavortown bus.

Exactly.
See, someone knows Flavortown.

I'm Not A Reuben ready to go.

Upper Crust is amazing.

Truly a Chico experience.

I don't think many people know
how great Chico is.

We're all connected.

You should boast about it
as much as you can.

We --
Look, we're on the team.

We got it going.
Well done, man.

Thank you, man.
That's awesome.
Thank you.

Coming up,
we're headed to a spot

built around a legit
Italian oven...

You done eating?
No, I'm not done eating.

...cooking up
everything from pasta...

Look at
those little beauts.

...to comfort done right.

This is
as good as it comes.

Today, "Triple D"
has been parked in Chico,

a Northern California city

that sat right outside
the perimeter

of the most damaging wildfire
in state history.

And as the area builds back up,

we've come here to celebrate
this strong community

through their local
restaurant scene.

To round things out, let me
tell you about this place.

The dude is from Chicago,

moves his family
out here to Chico,

and he's all about farm-to-table
and wood-fired ovens.

This is Grana.

All right.

Grana is definitely
a star in Chico.

I think what makes it unique
is creativity,

the locally sourced food.

'Cause local is key
to chef and owner,

Jeff King's,
culinary attitude.

I had always threatened

if I opened a restaurant
in Chico...

"Always threatened."
...I'm gonna do it
right across

the street
from the farmers' market.

And inside,
the centerpiece is an oven

he had imported
all the way from Italy.

I'm constantly
surprised at how they can cook

such a wide variety of dishes
in a wood-fired oven.

Two pork ragus
in the oven.

Today I had
the braised-pork ragu.

They made this pasta from
scratch, absolutely fantastic.

What are we making?
We make our pasta.

Step in, Hunter,
and show him how it's done.

All right.
I'll help out a little bit.

Caputo flour.
A little bit of salt.

You know how to make
the well, right?

Oh, not like that.

So, our eggs, mix this,
make this come together here.

All right, so,
we'll let this rest.

What are we cutting it as?
Tagliatelle.

This is the machine that...
That's awesome.

...cuts them right off.

I love it.
Bam, bam, bam.

Look at those
little beauts.

All right, so,
let's talk about it, Chef.

What are we making?
Braised pork shoulder.

Okay.

Little bit of salt,
pepper, olive oil.

How long are we gonna sear
this off for?

5, maybe 10 minutes.
Okay.

We're gonna use this
same sheet pan here,

take the mirepoix
and put it back on this tray,

sweat this a little bit.

Hot pan.

Porcinis that have been soaked
and rehydrated.

Take a little bit
of red wine.

Oh, I was gonna see
if he was gonna do it.

Nicely done.

House-made chicken stock
and tomatoes.

Gorgeous.

This is actually gonna
rest overnight,

and then in the morning
when there's no live fire,

we just use the residual heat
of the oven to finish the pork.

I love it.

The last thing we got
to make is the...
...Salsa verde.

Salsa verde.
Spinach.

Parsley. Capers.
Little S & P.

Lemon juice, olive oil

from a local olive oil
producer up here.

And that's that.

Okay.
Delicious.

After we reheated the pork,
we'll add the pasta and reheat

for about another
three to five minutes.

And that fresh salsa verde,
Pecorino di Sardegna.

Mmm!
That was a donkey kick.

Wow.
This is quite the dish.

For a ragu, it's super light.
And you know what the key is?

That salsa verde, it's
highlighting the ingredients.

I'm getting the wine,
I'm getting a little porcini.

Outstanding.

You're done eating?

-No, I'm not done eating.
-Pork ragu.

The pork is just excellent.

The salsa verde
on top adds this nice,

refreshing sense
to the really rich ragu.

Squash agrodolce.

Our buddy, Dino,
is from the famous Granzella's,

a place that I've been going to
since I was a kid.

What makes this place
so special?

Fresh food,
stand out, man.

Ladies, how is the pizza?

There's nothing wrong
about it.

I like how much detail
they put into it.

All right, buddy, local farmer,
what do you think of this place?

It's off-the-hook.
It's my line.

That's your line?
My line.

Whatever season it is,
there's always something special

on the menu, and the staples
here are executed flawlessly.

Chicken leg, table 10.

A chicken leg
is something different.

It's better than
a chicken breast.

Almost like
a Thanksgiving meal.

What's gonna be
the finale?

Wine-braised chicken,
super simple dish.

Chicken right on top of sliced
onion and lemon, salt.

A little salt and pepper,
oregano.

Olive oil,
give it a little bit of rub.

The wood-fired oven
is running about 650 right now

so you're gonna go in
and sear this off.

Add the white wine, homemade
chicken stock, wrap it up tight.

We'll wait
till the fire dies down

just a little more

and then we'll give it
a nice, slow braise.

Next up,
some local polenta.

Whole milk.
And some water.

Once that comes up to a boil,
add the polenta slowly.

I don't think I've ever used
polenta that fine, though.

I've not either, Hunter.

My polenta's always been
a little more coarse.

Mmm!
White cheddar, delicious.

It's great.
It's grated.

Ba-dum-bum.

I'll be here all week.

Salt and pepper,
red-wine vinegar.

I've cooked a lot of polenta,
I've never hit it with an acid.

I do like the move.

How's that?
Dreamy.

We'll come back
with this chicken, nice,

little roast in the oven.

And it's in the bowl.

Oh, yeah.
It's in the bowl.

It's --
Cinderella story.

Some of our braised greens,
chicken, and this our jus.

Oh, just pour it all
on there please.

I know, please.
There you go.

Mmm.

If you can make simple
chicken taste that dynamite,

that's why Grana
has such great success.

So little seasoning,
yet so much flavor.

That skin crisped up
really nice.

Oh, yeah.

Even when you hit with the jus,
it still stayed crispy.

Great ingredients
done right.

That should be
the tagline.

This is
as good as it comes.

We have the chicken
with polenta.

Chicken was moist,
crisp on the outside.

The polenta is very creamy.

And then the braised greens
just bring the dish together.

I would come out of my way
for Grana every time.

Watch out for this guy.

Unreal.
Outstanding.

Nice job.
Thank you.

That wraps it up for this
special edition

of "Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives"

here in the great town of Chico,

a great community,
awesome people,

the incredible first responders
at Cal Fire and Chico Fire.

And I tell you what,
the restaurant scene

is off-the-hook.

You got to check out Chico.

We'll see you next week
on "Triple D."

The way this whole Butte County
rallied together.

This was just our way of giving
you support and telling you

how much we appreciate
and how you helped everybody.

So this is our thank you to you.