Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006–…): Season 29, Episode 20 - Not Your Everyday Eats - 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...

Yeah.

We're cruising from California
to Canada...

Whoa!

...to discover
not-your-everyday eats.

I'll have
more of that, please.

...like daring duck...

That's
ri-duck-ulous duck.



...sweetened-up lasagna...

That's all of the lasagna
you want with none of the guilt

of the carb of the pasta.

...and crackling belly.

Would you like to
have some, Chef?

I'd love to --
Go ahead and drop
another order for yourself.

Plus a bird in a bun...

High four.

...and lamb in the hole --
whatever that means.

This is like Evel Knievel

jumping the
Caesars Palace Fountain.

Ready?

That's all right here,
right now,

on "Triple D."



I'm here in beautiful downtown
Chico, California,

right in the Main Street area,

just a couple blocks away
from the university.

Now listen,
when I went to college

I was just happy to have,
like, a good burger joint.

Nowadays you got Thai,

you got Indian, Mexican,
Italian,

so I'm not too surprised
to find out there's a joint

that's serving up noodles
and bao and crushing it.

This is Momona.

Manapua bao.

Momona is a fantastic place.

Great food.

Shrimp
Build A Noodle up.

I don't see a lot of noodle
joints like this

in smaller communities
like Chico.

That's why we started it.

I just really wanted to eat
this kind of food in town,

and there wasn't
anything available.

And it's not just noddles.

Old friends Sarah Schlobohm,
Michael Lee,

and Mahina Gannet are serving up
all kinds of their Hawaiian

and Asian favorites.

The Mochiko Chicken bao.

The Mochiko Fried Chicken bao
is my favorite.

It's a steamed bun,
warm and pillow-y.

-A spicy aioli -- delicious.
-Okay, Chef.

We are going to make
the marinade

for our Mochiko Chicken.

The Mochiko Chico --
Chicken?

Exactly.

Sugar, soy sauce, garlic cloves,
ginger, chicken thighs.

How long
is this gonna marinade.

About 2 hours.

So, we're mix our flour
to dredge our chicken.

Mochiko flour.
The really fine rice flour.

Exactly.
The a.p. flour.

Dredge in the fryer,
and that Mochiko flour

gives a nice
little crispy crunch?

Exactly.
Next up?

The gochujang aioli.

We're gonna start with
poached garlic we make here.

Poached?
Mm-hmm.

Chive, rice vinegar,
sambal, gochujang.

Korean staple --
one of my faves.

And...
My staple.

...are you
a big mayo fan?

I'm a big mayo fan!
Really?

I'll have
more of that, please.

Making bao buns.
Okay.

Bloomed yeast, baking soda,
baking powder,

milk powder, kosher salt...

A bunch of sugar.

...bread flour,
and a.p. flour.

Let this mix, proof.
Mm-hmm.

It's a big bun.

I don't know if I can eat
all of that.

We just portion these.

Perfect.
Roll 'em out, shape.

Aw, isn't that
the cutest cutter?

Let it proof again,
into the steamer for how long?

About 7 minutes.
Bao time.

Two of them?
One for me.

Gochujang aioli...
Okay.

...and some chicken
in there,

nice and crispy,
some pickled Fresno chilies.

My mouth just started --
A little onion to finish it off.

Looks so squishy.

It does look so squishy.

How far away are we
from Chico State?

Like, two blocks.

If I was recruiting people
to come to school here,

I would invite them
to have this.

Good!
It's delicious.

Just doing our part
for the future of America.

One bun at a time.

The bun is tender.

You making it here,
all the difference in the world.

The chicken
is nice and crunchy.

The gochujang mayo
is the perfect foil.

The Fresno chili, to me, really
is the pièce de résistance.

That's delicious.
Thank you.

Mochiko Chicken bao up.

The chicken's super tender
but crispy on the outside.

The way the hot sauce
and the chilies

combine with the steamed bun --
I just love it.

Momona definitely
has a fun vibe, a fun space.

You'll leave feeling nice
and Momona.

Is that what
Momona means?

It's a well-fed, satiated --
kind of fat and happy.

Satiated?
Yep.

How do you spell that?
That's a good question.

Wrong every time.

Ginger Scallion Pan Fry.

The flavor here on this food
is amazing.

You can't find ramen like it
anywhere else.

I've got the Chico ramen.

The Chico ramen is
all the flavor you want

in a handy little bowl.

So, what are we
gonna make?

The broth use
in our Chico ramen.

It's our chicken dashi,

and we're gonna start by
making some roasted bones.

So, we have chicken feet
and chicken back.

High four.

So, we've got the mirepoix
going in,

and this is gonna roast off
for how long?

500-degree oven,
20-30 minutes.

Into the pot --
With bay leaf and peppercorn.

Okay.

Now water --
that's gonna go 10-12 hours.

We've been standing here
for 10-12 hours.

And it's ready, finally.

We're starving.
Yes.

We're gonna finish our chicken
stock with kombu.

Dried seaweed.
Exactly.

Dried fish flakes.

Scallions.

Simmer, strain it.

And then that'll be the broth
that's ready to go.

- Next step.
- The tare --

It's gonna be a really
concentrated flavor

that goes into every bowl.
Got it.

Lots of salt, ginger, garlic,
dried shiitake mushrooms,

scallion whites, and --
And a bunch of soy.

How long's this gonna cook down?
About 20 minutes.

And what are we
putting in there?

Shoyu chicken.

I'll show you chicken.

And that's part of
the Hawaiian influence

that we have here
in the house.

It starts with braising
our chicken thighs.

Okay.
Thyme.

We add pork fat.
As you should.

Garlic, salt, pepper, water.

How long's this gonna
braise off?

30 minutes at 250.

And then you'll bring that
for service?

Yes, with a shoyu sauce,
which is just soy and sugar.

Let's make this happen,
Captain.

You start with that ramen base,
chicken dashi,

noodles,
some garlic schmaltz,

which we make from pork fat
in our poached garlic.

Pickled shiitakes.

Normally there's an egg,
but we know you don't like eggs.

Shoyu chicken, kale chips --
voilà.

Oh, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah.

The depth of flavor
in there is spot-on.

Really good noodle -- the shoyu
chicken is nice, super tender.

The pickled shiitake is, a nice
little counterpoint to it.

The schmaltz just adds
that little luxurious silkiness.

Mmm.

The college students are going
how crazy for this?

Real crazy.

I would be.

I'd eat this all day long.

I just wish
I had another hand.

You could do it all at one time.

That's what I want.

That was a power bite.

-Chico ramen up.
-It's really savory.

It has yummy noodles,

super scrumptious chicken
that I've ever had --
Time out.

Did you just throw
in a "scrumptious" in there?

Yeah.
It's been quite a few years

since we last had
a "scrumptious" on "Triple D."

Give me some on
the "scrumptious."

-Miso Corn Butter ramen.
-It's hard to beat.

It's kind of everything I want.

Everybody's gonna come here,

'cause you're in the Downtown
area, you're close to a college,

but everybody's gonna come back
because the food's real deal.

You're doing a great job.
Thank you.

Girl with beached blonde hair --
way better blonde than me,

by the way.

Up next -- a sweet-and-savory
spot in Richland, Washington...

He's getting excited!

...serving up
surprising sandwiches.

A duck Banh Mi is not
what I was expecting out

of a neighborhood bakery.

And putting a sweet spin
on a classic.

Out of the park, buddy.

I'm here --

Where did they come from?

Anyhow, to check out a joint

where a husband-and-wife team
opened a bakery.

Well, then it kind of
became a restaurant,

but it's actually
more of a bakery,

but they serve
a lot of restaurant food,

so I guess you call it
a restaurant, and I --

Listen, I'm confused as well.

But the name of the joint
is Frost Me Sweet.

They're crazy!

Chicken Marsala, table 43.

It's just a cute little bistro,
and it's on point every time.

-The Big Papa.
-It's unbelievable.

It's so good.

You wrote in, and you told us
about this place.

What was the inspiration?
-I had come here for dessert,

and found out that
they had amazing food.

We were hooked.

That savory menu
is the work of Jason Savely,

but it was his wife
Megan's sweet touch

that first got
this funky joint rolling.

Explain the name to me.

-We started as a bakery.
-Right.

So Frost Me Sweet seemed catchy,
and we just were too well-known

to change it
when we became a restaurant.

Now, how'd you
learn to cook?

My dad was
a chef in the Navy.

I'd never knew what was on
my kitchen counter

when I'd come home
from school.

One day it'd be a sturgeon,
the next day

it'd be a wild boar.

So, you're going after it.

We got a Duck Banh Mi.

Duck Banh Mi's got
a really good flavor.

It's got the pickled vegetables,
sweet chili sauce.

It's not a normal
duck experience.

All right, so what
are we making, Chef?

Duck confit.

This is the basis
for the Banh Mi sandwich?

You betcha.
We're bringing in whole duck.

Cutting it down.
Black pepper.

Kosher salt, bay leaves,
drop our lard in,

throw it in the oven at 250
for about 4 hours.

I am picking up what you're
laying down, my friend.

This is our duck cooled.

What I'm talking about.

So we're shred it,
de-bone it --

Keep shredding as fast
as I can eat it.

All right.
We're gonna do a challenge here.

That's delicious.

And what else do we have
on the Banh Mi sandwich?

We make our own
sweet chili sauce.

Well, hurry up
and make the sweet chili

before I eat all the duck.
All right.

Sugar, rice vinegar,
some soy sauce in there,

Worcestershire sauce,
crushed red chili flakes...

Very excited
about everything.

...and some minced garlic.

I love what I do, man.
Bro, it is evident.

I'm here seven days a week
out of love.

Now we're gonna construct
our Duck Banh Mi.

We got our buttered roll,
throw our confit duck down --

salt, a little pepper,
hit with the sweet chili sauce.

All right.

Take our bun, mayo on here,
cucumbers, our jalapeños.

That's a normal portion?

It is.

Pickled veggies, garnish it
with a little cilantro.

A duck Banh Mi is not
what I was expecting

out of
a neighborhood bakery.

The duck is
re-dunk-ulous.

That's
ri-duck-ulous duck.

And whatever you choose
to put that on would crush it.

You know, duck has got
that unctuous fat,

and it can be
so dominating.

But when you cut it
with pickled veg...

with great crunch
a little jalapeño,

freshness
of the cucumber, bro,

I'd come back for this
on a regular basis.

Nice job, Chef.
Thanks.

Got a Duck Banh Mi.

It's just delicious.

It has a nice little bite,
but it's not overpowering

And then that sweet chili sauce
just is such a good compliment.

We have the Crab Melt.

After coming here
for three years,

driving 40 minutes
just for cupcakes and cakes,

I realize there was a whole
restaurant and bistro back here

that I never experienced before.

I have to come all the way
to Southeast Washington

to find this funky joint,
run into a college friend,

her family --
restaurant or bakery?

Restaurant --
Come here for lunch.

I would call it more of
a restaurant myself, but --

Restaurant, yeah.

Restaurant,
but I still think of them

whenever I need baked goods.

-Okay.
-They make beautiful cakes.

A variety of cheesecakes.

We have over 350 different
flavors of cupcakes.

What?!
Yeah, I'm obsessed
with cupcakes.

You both are obsessed
with something.

You can certainly gain
weight here.

What other little surprise
you got up your sleeve?

We're gonna do our
Sweet Potato Lasagna.

Sweet Potato Lasagna
with pesto toast.

The cheesy gooeyness,
the marinara,

but without the noodle,
the sweet potato makes the dish.

This I got to see.
We'll be right back.

I'm sorry. Can you
get a shot of Mills?

Welcome back.

"Triple D" hanging out
in Richland, Washington,

at Frost Me Sweet.

I know -- the name says,
"Oh, it's a bakery!

Oh, Guy's gonna try donuts!"

No, Guy's not trying donuts.
Guy's gonna have...

Sweet Potato Lasagna.
Exactly.

Pulling
Sweet Potato Lasagna.

It's made with sweet potato
instead of pasta.

It's got beef and cheese,

and you get the side of pesto
toast, what I really love.

Why not just
regular lasagna, Chef?

It's Frost Me Sweet.

We do everything a little --
A little bit different -- okay.

You can't have a lasagna
without a marinara,

so we got
our fire-roasted Romas.

Stand back.

Some tomato paste,
some Italian seasoning...

Okay.

...garlic powder,
minced garlic,

red vinegar, salt and pepper,
and some onion powder.

Let this cook down
for about 20-30 minutes

until it gets nice
and married flavors together,

and then we give it
a quick blend.

Did he have a difference voice
in "married flavors together"?

Yeah.
It gets me excited.

The marinara does?
Yeah.

Are there any other voices?
Nope.

All right, we're gonna
make our ricotta.

Feta.

So, we went ricotta
straight to feta?

Yep.
Cream cheese, sour cream,

basil, oregano,
salt and pepper, garlic.

Whip this.
Yep.

Whip it real good?
That's good enough.

What are we doing
with the sweet potatoes?

We're gonna slice them, and then
we're gonna start stacking.

Oh! There came
the voice again!

He's getting excited.

Look at this.

No? KISS?

Here,
you're being KISS, too.

We're in a band together.

This is gonna be our ragout.
So the ground beef.

Diced onion,
Italian seasoning.

You got the garlic,
deglazed with the red wine.

And dump our marinara and...
Got it.

...give it a good mix.

The voice came out --
must like that part of the dish.

Oh, yeah.
We got our pan.

We're gonna give her
a quick spray so nothing sticks.

Sweet potatoes on the bottom.
Sweet potato, sweet potato.

We're gonna take our ragout --
Whose recipe idea was this?

One of my old chefs.

Now the funky ricotta
with the feta.

Don't forget-a the feta.

You're getting after this.
Oh, yeah.

It's like 7-Minute Abs
right now.

Party cheese.

Party cheese?
That's what we call it.

Everybody's having a party
when you get this cheese.

That's right.
Three layers of this monster.

We're gonna throw it
in the oven,

350 for about
an hour and a half,

and it is ready to rock.

Cut you out a corner here.

That's my favorite.
There you go.

That's a super scooper.

Extra marinara on there
with our party cheese,

and we're gonna fire it in the
oven just to melt the cheese.

There's our Sweet Potato Lasagna
and our pesto toast.

Give you a quick garnish.

I'm probably gonna not burn
the top of my mouth with this.

You think I am gonna burn --
Should I go to commercial?

So just deal with it?

What's this chef's name
that came up with this?

Louise.

Louise, wherever you are
right now, my friend,

it's all 'cause of you.

That is dynamite.

There's a lot going on there.
There is.

You got a sweet potato --
hold it together,

you leave the meat
nice and chunky

so you get
some texture out of that.

The ricotta's got body.

You got a hearty marinara.

The balance of the layers
that you build are great.

The dusting of the party cheese
at the end of that nice

little cook on the top --
pesto focaccia's no joke, huh?

Yeah.
That's all the lasagna you want
with none of the guilt

of the carb of the pasta.

Out of the park, buddy --
well done.

Thank you.
Sweet Potato Lasagna.

It's tangy and very cheesy,

which, of course,
you want all lasagna to be.

It is delicious.
It's like everything else here.

The Tuna Melt with garlic fries.
Thank you.

It's people like you taking
the time to write us the e-mail

and let us know what's going on,
and now we've found this joint.

Okay, when the line's
out the door

and you can't get the cupcakes
you want, blame her.

It's always a top-notch
experience.

I'm gonna tell you, buddy,
when I came here,

I thought I was getting a
full-blown bakery, which I did.

And then I find out
it's a full-blown restaurant,

which it is.
You guys are making great food.

Congrats.
Thank you.

There's a line outside.
Yep.

Standing next to my car --
I got go.

Coming up --
a joint in Vancouver

cranking up the comfort...

Elevated grandma's food?

...going from
lights-out lamb...

I want way more of that.

...to bite-size pork.

I really don't know if I'm gonna
be able to truly evaluate

if I don't eat
every one of these.

I'm here in Downtown Historic
Vancouver, Canada,

in an area
known as Gastown.

They used to call it Gastown,
because, well,

all the lamps
were lit by gas.

Now, five or six years ago,

there wasn't much
going on down here --

well, until the restaurants
start rolling in.

And one of those that led
the way is right here at Tuc.

Mussels & Sausage, pick up.

The food here is amazing.

It's comfort food.

When you eat it,
you just feel so good, so happy.

Seafood & Tamari.

Food you've eaten
your whole life

but taken to the next level.

Amped-up home cooking is
the mission of friends, owners,

and restaurant vets
Colin Ross,

James MacFarlane,
and Roy Flemming.

How do you describe
the restaurant to folks?

Global inspiration.

So, you go to any country
in the world --

if your grandma's
cooking it,

I'm probably
gonna make that recipe,

then I'm gonna elevate it.

Elevated grandmas food?

I don't know that sounds
as sexy on the banner.

Yeah.
Lamb in a Hole, pick up.

The Lamb in a Hole tastes
like Christmas.

You get mashed potatoes,
savory lamb.

It's in a skillet.
It just looks so good.

Lamb in a Hole --
how are we starting it off?

So, we got to roast
our veal bones.

So we got our mirepoix
and tomato paste.

How long we gonna
let this go?

An hour at 450.
Got it.

Get it into an pot, add red wine
to the roasting pan --

get all that good stuff
off the bottom,

it goes right in the pot.

And to that,
we got our bay leaves,

peppercorns, cold water.

And all this is
is the veal jus.

The most important thing
we do.

And this is gonna go on
for 24 hours.

Correct.
Strain it, and then
from there we go to --

The spice rub
for the actual lamb.

Coriander, chili powder,
clove...

A lot of clove.

...allspice, and cardamom.

Great flavors, but not ones
that you see that often.

We got lamb shoulder.

Just gonna trim off some of
the fat, nothing too chewy.

As in bocca?

Season it up with the spice mix,
and then sear it off.

Celery, carrots, onions,
red wine.

Meat goes back in,
and we got our veal stock.

Thyme.

So, after this runs
for about 2 hours,

drop the root
vegetables in.

Parsnips, rutabaga,
celery root, sultana raisins.

Our braised lamb is ready.
I'll eat the whole thing,

if that's what this
offering just was.

So now we're gonna build
our Lamb in a Hole.

Fill the skillet, put our bone
in the middle of the stew.

And the mashed?

We use a BC nugget potato
local to Vancouver.

Gonna stuff some sweet pea mash
in that little bone.

This has gone sweet peas,
a little bit of mint,

butter, salt, pepper.

Peas in a bone hole.

Goat cheese sprinkled with
bread crumb and into the oven.

How long?
10-15 minutes.

Those are some power tongs
he's got there.

Can you see how hot it is?

It's just like Evel Knievel

jumping the
Caesars Palace Fountain.

Ready?

That was hot.

Oh, yeah, I want way
more of that sweet pea mash.

That takes it
over the top. Mmm.

The big spices that you put in
there didn't take over the dish.

The root vegetable
I think helps absorb it.

I think the veal stock
adds a richness.

If somebody said
they didn't like lamb,

I would say,
"Come try this."

You've taken the time
giving that sear,

building that crust on it.

Mmm.

On a cold day in Vancouver,

this is what you want
to find on the menu.

Delicious.

One Lamb in a Hole,
coming out!

The meat just kind of
falls apart.

Just the right amount of gravy
under those potatoes.

These spices aren't
your everyday spices.

It's very much comfort,

and then with a little bit
of a twist in there.

-Beet & Leek Salad up!
-I love this place.

It's one of my all-time
favorite places in Vancouver.

The area we're in is Gastown.

There's a lot of old
brick buildings.

When it comes to eating, this is
the neighborhood to go to.

-This is where you go?
-Yeah.

But this neighborhood
wasn't always so appetizing.

There was nothing
in this row.

We were the first
anchor tenant.

And then you've seen people
start to fill

in around you since then?

Oh, yeah. It's really
revitalized the area a lot.

From day one, this restaurant
has been a place

where you go to just enjoy.

Favorite thing on the menu?
The Pork Belly Crackling.

Pork Belly Crackling up.

You can't come to Tuc
and not have pork crackling.

It's crunchy, it's sweet,
it melts in your mouth.

What are we making next?

We got our star anise
red wine reduction,

which is served with
our Pork Belly Crackling.

I'm down.
Hit it.

Water, orange juice,
red wine vinegar.

Brown sugar.
All of it?

All of it.
Whoa!

Cinnamon sticks,
star anise pods,

and, last,
our orange zest.

And how long's
this gonna reduce?

Oh, 3 hours.

Then we'll strain out
all the solid.

Right.
Next.

Pork belly.

We need a spice rub
for it first.

Brown sugar.
You and that brown sugar.

Black pepper, chili powder,
kosher salt,

crushed and toasted fennel
seed and allspice.

And now we're gonna score it,

gonna get the spice rub in it,
and press it.

You try to impress it.

Roll it all up,
and let it cure overnight.

Cut it up into 3 pieces and
get it into our mother stock.

Put it in the oven
for 3 hours at 250 degrees.

Once we cut up, we'll get it
into the deep fryer

and add the star
anise reduction,

salt and pepper it, sauce,

and then we get it
into the bowl.
De-de-de-de-de.

You want all of this?
Wha-- What do you -- de?

There you go.

I really don't know if I'm gonna
be able to truly evaluate

if I don't eat
every one of these.

You get everything you want --
texture and chew

of the meat, creaminess,
silkiness of the fat,

just enough of that skin
cooking up

for a little crunch,
not too heavy.

The fat is rendered down --
nice pop, nice crunch.

I can't figure out
why this has been a hit.

Would you like to
have some, Chef?
I'd love to try --

Go ahead and drop
another order for yourself.

Pork belly down.

you've got the sweet
from the sauce and the salty

of the pork belly,
everything in one bite.

Have you shared any of
the Pork Crackling with him?

No, not at all.

Ahi Tuna Tamari is up.

Whatever Roy's doing
in the kitchen,

it's always absolutely epic.

So what appears to be just kind
of a funky neighborhood gastro,

you tuck into the Tuc --

This has got all kinds
of comfort about it, man.

Nice job, Chef.

Well done, well done.
Appreciate it.

That's it for this week,
but don't you worry.

I'll be looking for more joints
all over this country.

I'll see you next week
on "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives."

Okay, now, what was the rest
of the dance.

You're gonna roll the dough,
put it in the oven...

There you go -- in the oven.

...into the steamer.
Into the steamer, open the lid.

We have to start
a dance troupe after this.

Yes, you do.

Can I get that one
more time?