Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (2006–…): Season 30, Episode 12 - Full of Surprises - 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...

...righteous recipes...

That's a lot
of flavor, man.

...full of surprises...

I'm lost, folks.

...like new takes on
familiar plates in El Paso...

That's no joke.

...creative culinary
in Santa Fe...



Now, that just gets you
weak-kneed.

...and a jammin' joint
in Kansas City...

You're getting it, baby.

...going from foul...

That's some
dynamite duck.

...to jowl.

Look at this.
Aah!

That's all right here,
right now,

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

So, I'm here in the Crossroads
Arts District

of Kansas City, Missouri.

Now, the food scene down here
is just blowing up.

So much so, that this one guy
you know might've opened

a dive joint down
the street with a taco joint.



But, uh, that's just
a shameless plug.

Anyhow, I'm here to check out
a joint where this chef has been

blowing it up
on the scene for 25 years.

He's got a James Beard Award.

He's doing Mediterranean,
small-plate tapas his way.

You're gonna dig it.
This is extra virgin.

Pickled onions going on top.

It's culinary bliss.

Boom, Pecorino.

With some really
adventurous dishes.

Bone marrow in the window.

My tonsils' always
doing the zydeco...

Yeah.
...when I eat
this food, yeah.

And Michael Smith
is the maestro of the menu

behind this neighborhood's
culinary renaissance.

The food scene in KC's
blowing up.

You've been in the game
a long time,

and you've been one
of the revolutionaries in that.

What was the inspiration
of the whole restaurant?

Mediterranean tapas.

They go, "Topless?
What, Michael?"

I go, "No, no, no.
Ta-pas. Tapas."

Guy needs his own show.

I dig it, man.
This is a fun joint.

Crab and chorizo
fried rice.

Everything is incredible.
You can stay normal...

Chicken in the window.

...or you can try things
that you've never tried.

For example, here I have
the duck tongue tacos.

This play on traditional lengua
with, like, beef tongue,

but here done with duck tongue.

It does sound a little bit
intimidating,

but when you bite into it,
it's all a perfect bite.

So, what are we making?
Duck tongue tacos.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa?
Ducks and their tongues.

Their tongues.
I've harvested
a lot of ducks,

and I've never seen
the tongue utilized.

You've been to a million
Asian stores.

I kept seeing the tongues
and thinking,

"There's gotta be something
we can put this on."

So I thought,
"We'll make a taco."

It just took off.
It took off. Get it?

Sorry.
That is one big duck.

We put a little bit
of duck neck in it,

because it needs a little
toothsomeness or something.

Yeah.
I -- There's a bone in it.

Yeah, little cartilage bones
about an inch long.

Season with some salt,
put a little onion,

nice hot sauce,
cilantro, peppercorns, garlic.

Achiote paste.
Yep, it's good color.

And then a little water.

We're gonna put this in the oven
and let it cook

for about
3 1/2 hours, 300-ish.

Shred the meat
off of the neck.

Shred the meat
off of the tongue.

Pull out that little
cartilage piece.

Put it together, buddy.
Oil first.

You're gonna get
a little bit

of the caramelization
of that duck neck.

We've got scallions
and cilantro in there.

Shells are done.

Whoa, you go big!

Pickled onions,
queso fresco.

Oh, I just bit my tongue.

Delicious.

There's a depth of flavor
that's coming through, one,

because of this fantastic
marinade that you have;

two, with the richness
of cooking

something like the neck.

I know it's a little
tongue-in-cheek --

Now, that one you've been
sitting on for a while.

It's creative.
The texture's great.

The crispiness that you generate
from that meat

to the tenderness
that you get from the tongue,

the acidic contrast that you get
from the pickled onions,

and then the little
crunchy taco with it --

That's some
dynamite duck.

Two of the duck tongue
tacos here for you.

Even though it's duck tongue,

you shouldn't be
freaked out by it.

It's delicious.

It's a little crunchy,
a little spicy.

It tastes like duck,
but not gamey.

Almost like a chicken thigh
but, like, juicer.

Cider clams in the window.

Every dish here is done so well.

Served tapas style, so
the best part of the experience

is that you get to pick off
your friends' plates

and try a little
bit of everything.

That's totally
the way to go.

Pork belly steamed buns.

It's Italy, Lebanon, Pakistan,
all different places

if you want
to try something different.

There's something new on
the menu, you'll try it.

-Absolutely.
-Pork jowl in the window.

The pork jowl is delicious,

served with a little bit
of tomato sauce,

and it's just phenomenal.

What are we
getting into now?

Braised pork jowls.
You just had me at "jowl."

We're gonna make raw.
Put some water in this pot.

Chili flakes.
Got it.

Bay leaf, fresh oregano.
Fresh thyme.

This is a three-peppercorn
dealie-wheelie.

It's a three-peppercorn
dealie-wheelie.

Garlic clove.

We put a little pink salt
in there to maintain the color.

Regular salt, pork Jowl.

We're gonna poach this!
Three to four hours.

Next step?
Curing pancetta.

That goes in the Amatriciana
red sauce.

Got it.

Salt, sugar, pink salt,
chili flakes, peppercorns.

With allspice, juniper,
coriander, and some garlic.

Fresh thyme.
And some rosemary.

This will start to pull out
some of the moisture.

Put the cover on it

and let it sit
in the walk-in for two weeks.

And then we wash and hang
for about two months.

And this is probably
the easiest to make

of all the cured meats.

And people love to watch
Food Network

and see things
on the show that they can do.

Yeah.
And this is a great example.

We're just gonna slice it.

That's gorgeous.
We put a little oil.

We're gonna sweat down
our pancetta

with some red onion
till they caramelize.

Next, we got chili flake.

I like where you're going.

Bay leaf, fresh oregano,
thyme, garlic, tomato sauce.

Let this cook down.

Yeah.
25, 30 minutes.

We've got our jowl
cooked through.

Yes.
But now we're gonna go
to the next level.

Yeah. We want to get
a nice golden brown.

How many pieces?

Four or five,
depending on the size.

The size of the person?

Um, Yeti?
Oh, yeah. Six.

You know,
sometimes they shrink.

Has he shrunk?
No, six.

Look at this.
Aah!

Take this delicious
Amatriciana

with the house-cured
pancetta.

Fresh parsley,
Pecorino cheese.

Kind of like
eggplant Parm.

In a complete
meat version.

This is like all the greatest
hits of Amatriciana.

You have your own --
You have your own restaurant.

I mean, this is like
when you're cleaning up

the bottom of the bowl,

and you're finding all
the nuggets and all the goods.

Right.
You're getting it, baby.

What I'm really enjoying
is all the levels of flavor

and the attention
to detail.

It couldn't be
more beautiful.

Hey, guys.

I've got your crispy pork
jowl with Amatriciana.

Pork jowls are tender.

The sauce is amazing.

You might stab someone
with your fork

if they try to take
a bite of yours.

We can act that out
if you wanted to.

Meatballs in the window.

Is this what
you would expect

to find in Kansas City?

This is New York-quality,
and it's delicious.

-Really?
-This is the kind of place

you want to come back to
on a regular basis.

This is not your average tapas,
small-plate restaurant.

This is
an unexpected, hidden,

but right-in-front-of-you
treat.

Well done.
Thanks, man.

Up next,
a unique El Paso place...

I'm doing this for you
in the name of science.

...changing up the chicharrón...

That's different.

...and putting some funk
into the fries.

A lot going on
in a little dish.

Duck tongue, meatballs.

Sounds like a band.

The Duck Tongue Meatballs
will be playing later tonight.

So I'm here in downtown
El Paso, Texas,

right across the street
from the big library

here on Oregon Street.

I'm here to check out a joint
where two buddies

met in culinary school

and finally came back together
to conspire on a restaurant

that is big on flavor
and small on boundaries.

This is DELIght.

Cuban with Parmesan fries.

Everything on the menu
is always great.

Chicken salpicon.

Very tasty, very different.

If you want Salvadorian fare,
American fare, Mexican fare,

you can find it here.

That's 'cause
Carlos Arzola and Jose Gonzalez

are bringing a mix of flavors

and their backgrounds
to this city on the border.

Are you born and raised
in El Paso?

No. I was born in El Salvador,
actually.

I was born in Paris.

Me and Carlos, we met here
at the El Paso Culinary College.

I started as a pastry chef.

Then I went to Germany,
studied over there.

Yeah. Yeah, so, you know,
I went to culinary school.

Then I went to Germany.

Chef, where'd you come
into this mix?

He texted me one time
and was like,

"I need a Head chef
for this restaurant."

So I was like, "Okay.
We're gonna make it unique."

Argentinean salpicones.

What I like about DELIght is

that you can have
a little bit of everything.

And what's your favorite thing
on the menu?

I will say, pupusas.

The pupusa from here are same
as the ones in El Salvador.

Chicharrón pupusas.

The chicharrón pupusa
is a piece of pork

with just a little bit of fat --
very crunchy and delicious.

Let's go.
We're making the cordito.

What is cordito?

The slaw that goes on
top of the pupusa.

I'll follow your lead.

We have here one head
of blanched cabbage,

carrots, onions,

bay leaf,
chili flakes, sugar,

oregano,
apple cider vinegar.

The cabbage
blanching water?

Yes.

So, to put that flavor
back in there?
Exactly.

It's gonna sit outside at
cool temperature for five days.

We're making Salvadoran kimchi
or sauerkraut.

Exactly.

Now we're gonna make
the pupusa sauce.

The pupusa sauce.

We have a hot pan,

oil, onions,
tomato, oregano, bay leaf.

Bay leaf.
Sugar, salt, water.

Once it boil, we let it sit
for 45 minutes

at a medium-low heat.

We blend it and then we chill it
for another eight hours,

and then we get it ready
to serve.

What are we into now?

So, we have a piece
of pork butt.

What you're gonna do here
is trim all the fat as possible.

What is the Salvadoran
chicharrón

compared to the chicharrón
you and I know from Mexico?

Chicharrón from Mexico
comes from the fat.

Salvadoran, we're gonna
grind it

with some meat
and call it chicharrón.

Wait, wait, wait!

So the chicharrón we know --
Yeah.

I try to tell you.
That's the situation.

This is Salvadoran
chicharrón.

Yes.

We're back.

So, what we're making is
Salvadoran ground-pork dish

that goes inside of the masa
to make the pupusa.

Exactly.

So the chicharrón
that we know...

is not the same chicharrón.

So we have to call it
Salvadoran chicharrón.

Exactly.
So, break it down.

We render the fat.

Once the fat is crispy,
we take it out.

Cook the pork.

Then you hit the garlic
and the onions.

Yes.
We're gonna use
the pork butt,

the garlic, and the onions --
run it through the grinder.

Exactly.
Salt, cumin.

And that's gonna make
the stuffing.

Yes.
Got it.

We're gonna make the masa.
Okay.

We have Maseca,
salt, water.

So, are you gonna help me
out here?

You can do it!
Good job, Chef!

Didn't he mean it like that,
like, help him out?

Get a nice well here.

Pork in the center.

If you start breaking down,

then you have to add
more masa to it.

You're making
the determination

if you want to add masa
or less-a.

Got jokes, Guy.

I'll be here all week.
Goes to the flat top,

and then cook it
for a minute on each side.

Now they're ready.

Served with the cabbage
and the tomato sauce.

Yes.

Mmm.

I'll have 500
of these, please.

Nice texture of the meat,
creamy, good salt balance,

nice onion and garlic,
a little funk from the cabbage.

Nice crunch, good acid.

That's different.

Tons of flavor.

When you get
that tomato sauce,

it's enough of a contrast

to this crunchy, pickled
cabbage.

I can't eat any more of this,
but I have to.

I'm doing this for you
in the name of science.

That's no joke.

Chicharrón pupusas.

The chicharrón pupusa
is one of my favorite.

It's very crispy on the outside,

but it retains the softness
on the inside.

The cordito, which is the slaw,

and the tomato sauce
complement really well.

Falafel tacos.

I love coming to DELIght
because everything I have had

has been wonderful.

The name
doesn't exactly explain

all that
the restaurant does.

The name is mostly because,
like, how you leave the place.

You feel happy, delightful.
Right?

And you know,
it's a play on word

because it's also like,
"deli" and "delight."

No, I got you.

I think this really brings
a little bit of a new taste

to El Paso.

What else
are we gonna make?

Chickpea fries
with black ketchup.

The chickpea fries.

The chickpea fries with
black ketchup are delicious.

I like the idea of them being
chickpeas instead of potatoes.

The flavor is just fantastic.

Not just regular
French fries.

Not your typical
French fries.

You worry me.

Exactly.
You should be.

I resemble that remark.

We'll see you
in a little bit.

Alright, welcome back.

"Triple D" hanging out
in El Paso, Texas, at, uh --

Now, am I correct to say
"deliliiight?"

"Delight."

Oh, you made it
much more simple.

The food is delicious.

Whatever you're in the mood
for, you'll be able to find.

Even if it's off
the beaten path.

Chickpea fries up
with black ketchup.

The chickpea fries are very,
very good.

It's very different than
the typical, uh, French fry.

The texture's
a little firmer.

The black ketchup, also very
tasty, adds a nice little spice.

So, now
what are you making us?

Chickpea fries
with black ketchup.

I told you.
It gets weirder as it goes.

I told you to get ready.

It's chickpea flour.

And we're gonna make fries
out of this, like French fries?

Like fries.
Water.

Salt, then you mix it.
Right.

Next, we get
into the big pan.

Oh, we're gonna cook this!
Yes, we're gonna cook it.

I --

Olive oil, garlic,
rosemary.

Once you have your mix
all ready...

Your pancake batter.

...you're gonna cook it
for about an hour.

And once it gets cooked,

I assume we gotta bring it out
and let it chill.

For 24 hours.

Then we cut it.

Okay.

We take this to the deep fryer
for about four minutes.

The last piece is
to make black ketchup.

Black ketchup --
my favorite one, actually.

Olive oil, old garlic,
onion, tomatoes,

forbidden rice --
black rice.

I'm lost, folks.

Salt, sugar,
water to cook the rice.

Gonna cook this down
how long, Chef?

For 45 minutes.

We blend it.

Now it's mixed with
the sherry vinegar.

We let it rest for 24 hours,
and we're done.

Let's see it, buddy.

So, we have the chickpea fries,
nice and golden,

with black ketchup.

I don't think I've ever seen
these before.

Reminds me
of a polenta fry --

a little bit lighter.

Rosemary really comes out.

This black ketchup -- you get
the sherry vinegar

with all the caramelized onions
and tomatoes and garlic.

And it gets balsamic-y.

Balsamic-y?

It's a lot of flavor, man.

A lot going on
in a little dish.

Well done.
Thank you, sir.

Chickpea fries.

The taste is amazing.

You want to eat healthy,
the chickpeas are way to go

'cause you're not
feeling guilty.

The black ketchup is
a nice little sweet adding

to the salty flavor
of the chickpea fries.

Are you guys enjoying the
pupusas and the chickpea fries?

-Yeah.
-Love it.

So, what makes the food
so good here?

The taste.

That's profound, buddy.

Come on, help me out.
No.

It's the different flavor
to it --

something that
I'm not really used to.

It just makes it amazing.

Lamb burger.

Carlos is just a great chef.

He really puts his own style
into the food,

and that's really what
makes this restaurant unique.

Watch out for this guy.

Keep all that creativity
and all that freedom.

Crazy, buddy.
Congratulations.

Thank you, sir.

Coming up, a stellar spot
in Santa Fe...

It's got character, baby.

...cooking up a crazy combo...

That's the money bite
right there.

...and putting a twist
on tamales.

It makes me actually question
why I haven't had

more duck-fat
fried tamales.

So, I'm here at Santa Fe,
New Mexico --

this sleepy little neighborhood
known as the Railyard District,

to check out a restaurant
where the chef,

I hear, is a total character.

And he's taken food
that may sound like it's common,

but, boy, does he take it
to the next level.

This is Joseph's Culinary Pub.

Working the lamb tartare.

It's a laid-back restaurant
with upscale food.

Eclectically farm-to-table.

Steak au poivre ready.

He was the only chef
that I've kissed on the mouth,

because my meal was so good.

Hi, that was me.

Welcome to Santa Fe,
folks.

Love is always in the air

when chef and owner Joseph Wrede
is in the house,

'cause he's putting his passion
right onto every plate.

What type of food
are you into?

Taking relatively
common ingredients

and finding
how they work together

to raise people's expectations
and create flavor.

It's American food,
but he puts a real twist on it.

He loves vegetables.

He loves a lot of lamb.

A lamb neck confit.

The lamb neck confit
is lamb neck,

sunchoke puree,
and blackberries --

flavors together that you
wouldn't really think work,

but they do.
What are we making?

Crispy lamb neck confit.

I've confited
a lot of things.

I've never confited
a lamb neck.

We'll put the lamb neck
in the duck fat.

Baking in fat -- yes.

What a show name
that should be --

"Baking in Fat."

And cook it
for three hours.

It comes
with a sunchoke puree.

So, we're gonna make a veal
stock to cook the sunchokes in.

You smear the bones
with tomato paste,

celery, onions, carrots.

In the oven, 350.
Yeah.

Then it's into the pot.

Water...
Red wine.

Peppercorn, bay leaf.

Garlic clove.

Bring it up to a boil,
turn it down to a simmer,

and let it go overnight.

What do you want me to do?

Bring it up to a boil,
take it down to a simmer,

let it go overnight.

Peace.
Word.

Sunchokes in stock.

They're gonna come up
to a simmer.

Got it.
And ready to be blended.

And then we'll plate.
Yep.

Gonna turn on our pan.

Hey, pan, you look great.

Add your ghee.
Clarified butter.

Cold neck meat.
Yep.

Let that cook a bit.

Shallots and leeks,
put it in the oven.

And we're gonna deglaze
with lemon juice.

Great.
The sunchoke puree.

This comes down.

You could strain it out
if you have people

that are afraid of fat.
I'm personally not.

Well, evidently, you can tell
that's not my problem.

Then the blackberries,
yogurt,

Brussels sprouts sautéed
in garlic and ginger,

fried shallots,
pickle with fennel and onion.

You really should take a picture
of it before you eat it.

I mean, it is gorgeous.

You have this refined
beauty of the neck.

Rich, enjoyable, textural.

The sunchoke veal stock --

I mean, that just
gets you weak-kneed.

But it's the Brussels sprout
with the blackberries.

That's the money bite
right there.

The only thing I don't like
is that I don't want it to end.

Confit of lamb neck.

The lamb is just so pronounced,
so fresh.

Visually, it's something
you don't see all the time.

Everything
just looks appetizing.

Joe's an artist.

He pays attention to color,
texture, flavor.

And the creative cooking
fits right in

with the joint's funky feel.

What was this before
you were here?

It's been a number
of restaurants.

And before that,
it was part of a church.

It's got character, baby.

Everything is always perfect.

You had the fried tamale?
Absolutely.

Homemade red chili
and the Cotija cheese

just adds the flavor.

Normally, uh, tamales are
steamed and wrapped in the husk.

But this is a fried one,
and it's a good one.

What's the encore, baby?

Chili verde for the filling
of the tamale.

Okay.

It's not, as we say,
rocket surgery.

Tomatillos.

It's either brain surgery
or rocket science,

but it's not
rocket surgery.

Now you're in Northern
New Mexico.

It is rocket surgery.
We do have rocket surgery.

Wow.

So, onions, poblano,
jalapeños,

garlic, cumin, coriander.

So, are we gonna
let this simmer -- what?

30 minutes.
Add them to the blender.

Finish it with salt
and cilantro.

Next up?

We're gonna roast the chicken
for the salsa verde.

Here we go.
Salt and pepper.

How long's it gonna roast?
45 minutes at 350.

Shred the chicken.

Add our chili verde.

Little bit of cooking time
there, and that's that.

What else goes on the tamale?
Anything else?

We put red chili down.

Let's make some red chili.
Right on.

Water, chili,
onions, garlic.

Coriander.
Yes, sir.

Cumin
and a little salt.

Bring that to boil.

Into the blender, puree.

We have the masa.

These are
rehydrated corn husks.

So we go here, right?
Okay.

The chicken
tomatillo filling,

and then it's just fold
one over the other.

Boom.

And then we're gonna
steam these, how long?

25 minutes.

We let them cool,
and then we fry them

out of the husk
in the duck fat.

Let's build the tamale.

Red chili,
with some Cotija cheese.

A lot of tamales,
never one fried.

It's a really nice
and light tamale.

The duck fat works in that
it helps suspending that.

I really do like the textural
difference of the soft tamale

to the crunchy tamale
on the outside.

Yeah.

It reminds me of a pupusa
or an arepa.

The chicken and the green chili,
of course,

works so well together.

I want
to drink the sauce.

It makes me
actually question

why I haven't had
more duck-fat fried tamales.

Me, too.
Well done.

Peace.

Tamale down.

What I love about this
tamale is the red chili.

Red chili runs through our veins
here in Santa Fe.

It's the duck fat --
everything in duck fat,

anything in duck fat.

There should be a duck
fat T-shirt from Joe.

-Should be.
-Will you chop that eggplant?

I absolutely love coming here.

It's a privilege to get
to enjoy his food.

Simple ingredients
done the right way,

treated with respect.

Everything you do
is very mindful.

Good job, my brother.
Thank you.

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."

Uh-oh.