All language subtitles for Diners.Drive-Ins.and.Dives.S47E01.1080p.WEB.h264-CBFM[eztv.re]

You know, people
are asking me all the time,

"Hey, Guy, that one joint
you checked out
in that one city

when you were doing
Triple D, how they doing?"

You know, I don't know.
We should check it out.

[engine revving]

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

This is ridiculous, dude.

But it turns out,
it was only the beginning

'cause Triple D joints
have been blowing up

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

Like on this trip.

It's a what what
of culinary style...

Did you just watch that?

...all across the country.

I didn't see these on the menu
when I was there.

-[laughter]
-Mm.

They're rolling them
in Orlando, Florida.

You can get a bucket
of balls, babe.

Grilling them in Charlotte,
North Carolina.

Really, don't ever come here.

You will never be satisfied
with a grilled cheese
you make at home.

And in Denver, Colorado...

That's a good looking rub.

...it's a trifecta
of smoking...

Mm.

...frying...

That's the most tot-a-listic.

...and sauteing.

One of the best Triple D
experiences I've had.

[man] Pick it up.

[speaking Italian]

[in English] Familiar faces,
new places
and more off the hook flavors.

This is Triple D Nation.

Orlando, Florida is
a melting pot
of food possibilities.

I'm thinking mofongo,
maybe we're gonna get
some ceviche,

could be a Cuban sandwich.

But what my buddy
Justin Warner's list didn't
include back in 2017

was this one stop
meatball emporium.

He's definitely not making
that mistake again.

This is The Meatball Stoppe.

Three meatballs.
Arancini, crab, polenta.

It serves some of the best
meatballs.

You could come here
a thousand times

and have a thousand
different combinations.

Sausage, pepper and onion.
Triple D smash.

I saw Guy come here.
I was like, "Oh, man.

That's gotta be
the spot for me."

[Isabella] Polenta balls.
Order up.

Best kept secret
in central Florida,
but it's not a secret anymore.

[Guy] That's because I may
have spilled
the beans

about Chef Isabella
Morgia di Vicari
and her husband, Jeff.

Although she's not one
to keep quiet
about things either.

My family owned and operated
six Italian restaurants
in Orlando since 1972.

We had Sorrento's,
we had Napoli's Pizza,
we had Nemo's.

We had Pizza Wheel,
we have Florentina.

Ma, what did I leave out?
Never mind, Ma. Don't answer.

-All right? [chuckles]
-Holy moly.

Has she calmed down?

She hasn't slowed down a bit.

[Guy] We go
into Triple D there.

Bring Justin Warner with me.

The two of us could barely
keep up with you.

-And ask me what
the white bean ragu is?
-I can't even handle it.

Oh, my gosh.
It's my Nonna's pasta
fagioli without the pasta.

-Where were you
with that one?
-[laughs]

Sorry.

Crispy ravioli.

When I would run into people
that'd say,
"That meatball lady,

she really that much?"
I'm like, "Oh, gees.

Bro, you don't even know
the half of how much...
She loves people."

[speaking Italian]

[in English] You love food.

Where's my fork? I'm starving.

You are so proud
to be Italian.

What are we making first?

[Isabella] Nonna's
traditional meatballs.

Does Nonna know
that you're using
all these recipes

and giving them away
on TV right now?

All day long, sweetheart.

-Okay, here we go.
-[Isabella] Our traditional
meatballs.

Fresh garlic.
We're gonna add
the basil, parsley,

a little bit of water.

All right. Ground chuck.

Ground pork,
garlic and fresh herbs.

Now I have eggs,
milk, breadcrumbs,

Romano cheese, cayenne,
kosher salt.

Here we go.
Form the balls
with my scoop.

And we'll bake them
in the oven for 12 minutes
at 400 degrees.

Before we serve
the meatballs,
we simmer them

in roasted tomato sauce
and chicken stock

-for 45 minutes.
-[Guy] Okay.

What's this concoction?

-This is creamy polenta.
-[Guy] Got it.

[Isabella] And the secret is
I hit it with the immersion
blender.

Add these beautiful meatballs.

It's really good.
It's a cross between light
and dense.

I've never had polenta
immersioned blend.

-No. No, no, no.
-Have you?

-It's a good thing.
-[Isabella] Is it?

-Yeah.
-It's delicious.

[Isabella] Nonna's traditional
over creamy polenta.

Oh, my gosh. It makes you
feel like you're back
in Italy.

So beyond delicious.

Polenta balls. Order up.

I didn't see these on the menu
when I was there.

This is our polenta balls.

-[Guy] Same polenta?
-Same exact polenta.

-So when this polenta's done,
we reuse it.
-Yeah.

I've never seen polenta
as a meatball,
and it tastes great.

Start with boiling water,
veggie stock,

stick of butter, kosher salt,
milk.

Let this melt
just a little bit.

Add our fine cornmeal.

The key is you've got
to keep stirring until
this is perfectly creamy.

Add Pecorino Romano.
We are ready to go.

So I have cornmeal
and I'm gonna add
kosher salt, cayenne pepper.

I have onion powder
and garlic powder.

Just give that a mix.

Just gonna take
this creamy polenta,
add this mozzarella.

Now we're gonna
make the balls.

We're gonna dredge.

Four minutes in the fryer.

They're nice and golden.

This is the roasted
tomato sauce.

Fresh Pecorino Romano,
fresh Italian parsley.

And these are
our creamy polenta balls.

The creamy polenta.
Good amount of cheese
in it.

This is delicious.
Nice and light and airy.

Here are your polenta balls.

It's like Italian grits.

Creamy on the inside,
and it's crispy
on the outside.

We have a five ball sampler.

What's new in the world
of meatballs?

I mean, meatballs
with these people
are not just meatballs.

-[Jeff] Thirteen of 'em.
-Thirteen.

We got 13 balls now.

Two arancini, one crab.

Lots of different choices.

I love their buffalo chicken
meatball.

The one that I love
is the crabcake.
Really delicious.

-[Isabella] Or...
-Okay, or?

You can get a bucket
of balls, babe.

-A bucket of balls.
-[Isabella] Oh, yeah.

-Not just at the driving
range anymore.
-No, no, no.

[Guy] And coming up...

The lentils is the real kicker
to this.

...I'm about to get a taste
of what's filling up
those buckets.

-Hold onto your boots
for this one, babe.
-Okay.

This is something
to write home about.

So I'm here in Orlando,
Florida right off of the 408.

Right between the Space Coast
and the theme parks.

[Guy] Where Chef Warner and I
got a very thorough
explanation

of Italian cooking.

You know, we really are
the non-traditional

traditional
Italian restaurant.

I can get behind
non-traditional traditional.

[man] Drop me four
fried eggs, please.

Somebody's having a party
and they can get
a bucket of balls.

They can get Nonna's,
they can get the polenta.

-People all the time ask me
which is your favorite?
-[Guy] Which is your favorite?

-That's what I was saying.
-[Isabella] All right.

My favorite is definitely
the veggie meatball.

It just melts in your mouth.

-So now we're into
vegetarian meatballs.
-Yes.

We got carrots, mushrooms,
white onions,

red onions, garlic, celery.

I'm gonna roast these 400,
about 30 minutes.

[Guy] Now we're going
to the food processor.

-I'm a little skeptical
with this.
-Yes.

I've had more bad vegetarian
meatballs than I've had good.

[Isabella] I'm gonna puree
half the vegetables
with basil and half a parsley.

Okay.
Beautiful cooked lentils.

-Mental with my lentil.
-[Isabella] See?

We're gonna throw this in.

Add the egg, lemon
and oil mixture.

Oregano, kosher salt,
breadcrumbs and Romano.

Four hundred, 12 minutes,
darling.

-Pesto, fresh Italian parsley.
-Bon appetit.

They're super tender.

-There's a creaminess to it.
There's a...
-Silky.

-Yep.
-Silky.

This is something
to write home about.

Thank you.

Chicken marsala
over creamy polenta.

-What's this one? Holy moly.
-This is the chicken marsala
meatball.

If you love mushrooms,
you'll definitely enjoy
that dish.

So break it down.
How do you make it?

[Isabella] Add the basil
and the garlic,

oregano, black pepper,
kosher salt, garlic powder.

Gonna add the milk,
Pecorino Romano, eggs.

Bake it 400, 12 to 14 minutes.

Now we're making
the rich marsala sauce.

Mushrooms, garlic
and the onions minced,

cayenne, kosher salt.

We're gonna mix this up.
We're going right
into the oven with this.

Four hundred degrees.
Thirty minutes.

Now we're gonna add
tomato paste,

butter, beef stock
and a little bit
of cornstarch.

Marsala. Back in the oven.
Thirty minutes.

Over creamy polenta.

-[Guy] Okay.
-Hold onto your boots, Guy.

That's Nonna's.

And that meatball is tender,
it's not dense.

You've got a great
panade in there.

-Delicious.
-Grazie.

[server] Chicken marsala
over polenta.

You can tell they really took
time to actually make
that sauce.

And the way that it melds in
with the actual meatball,

it's an explosion
in your mouth.

Absolutely delicious.

Crispy ravioli
with the roasted
tomato sauce.

Anything you can imagine
in terms of good Italian food,
you can get right here.

You're doing meatballs
in a way that
I haven't seen...

-[both] Anywhere.
-[Guy] Yeah.

And I think that you probably
even have room to grow
with your crazy imagination.

-You guys are awesome.
-Grazie, love.

If you're having a bad day,
just come see her.

Ah, grazie.

[Guy] And coming up
in Denver, Colorado...

That's ridiculous.

...a neighborhood joint...

That's about as righteous
as you'll find them.

...serving not so standard
bar food.

Over medium egg
if you're smart.

[Guy] It was 2013,

I was in the Highlands
neighborhood of Denver,
Colorado

at a joint that I apparently
had a lot to say about.

I'm here to check out a joint
that I hear has the most
real deal, off the hook,

outrageous bar food
you could find.

And those superlatives
still apply.

This is Highland Tavern.

Frank's wings tossed
for Triple-D Nation.

I saw it on Triple D
and this place is now,
like, a favorite of mine.

When Guy came
the first time, I was here.

This is by far one
of my favorite sandwiches
around.

They've done a great job
at maintaining the quality
of the food.

It's neighborhoody,
but it has, like,
gourmet food almost.

[Guy] That's because
Brian Sommatino
and Andy Stutz

brought in a fine dining chef
to take the menu up a notch
back in 2006.

Is that what you guys
wanted this to be?

Neighborhood bar,
really great food.

There's no reason
to not have good quality food.

Jeremy McMinn
was our original chef.

He brought so much
to the table.
Really put on the map.

-We're gonna make
our Bombshell.
-Get it going.

[Jeremy] Trim this guy up.
We're gonna cut this
in half.

There we go.

Kosher salt,
some brown sugar,
white sugar.

Some pink salt,
get some honey
going into this.

Dump our water in here.

Sashay bag.

Bring this up to a boil.

I really like how
this cleans out the system.

[Jeremy] Cool this down
with some ice.

-[Guy] You gonna let this
brine for seven days?
-[Jeremy] Ah, 15 days.

-Fifteen days.
-[Jeremy] Fifteen days.

-[Guy] Wow, this thing's
gonna be neon pink.
-[Jeremy] Yeah.

Now go with the dry rub?

Granulated garlic,
ground coriander,
ground black pepper.

Give this a little stir.

It's a good looking rub.

Now how long is this
gonna go here
on the big chief?

[Jeremy] About four hours.

-[Guy] Like a glove.
-[Jeremy] Top loader.

This is super premium.

You're corning the beef
in your restaurant

and then taking the pastrami
by doing the rub

and smoking it and then
steaming it for service.

I mean, when people see this,
[whistles] lights out.

Big smoker coming your way.

We would do three briskets
at a time.

We've got a bigger smoker,
got a bigger oven.

-Now we're doing four times
the amount of sandwiches.
-Four times.

So we're in the thick
of things now.

[Jeremy] First, we're gonna
butter and toast
our rye bread.

Drop our pastrami,
put our Swiss cheese down.

Pastrami jus.

That will steam.
Rye bread gets a little
brown mustard.

-Goes on the sandwich.
-Look at that.

[Jeremy] Plate this up
over here.

Over medium egg.
If you're smart.

[crickets chirping]

Gets a little slaw.

-It's the Bombshell.
-Wow.

Mm.

I've eaten at some
of the greatest delis
in the world

and that's about
as righteous
as you'll find them.

[man] Bombshell.

The Bombshell sandwich
is delicious.

It is packed with meat.

I was the chef
when Guy was here

and the food is just like
I left it, it's amazing.

Bowl of green chili.

We've had Luis
for about a decade now

and Luis brings
his own recipes
and flavors.

And yet, we still have Jeremy's
K-town rib tips.

K-town rib tips.

The K-town ribs,
the spices are just delicious.

I will just make a rub
for the brined pork ribs.

I'm starting with the Korean
chili flakes,

garlic powder, cumin,
coriander, ginger powder,

sesame seed, mustard powder
and black pepper.

Okay.

Just so like this on top.

Throw in the smoker
for four hours.

Okay, so after that,
just put a little bit
of water down.

Braise in the oven
for two hours.

This is the meat.
Cool it overnight.

Cut the small pieces.

Put the ribs on the pan.

After that, put the K-town
barbecue sauce.

Onion, garlic, ginger,
black pepper.

Sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce,

and our cilantro sauce.

This is the honey.
Apple juice, gochujang
chili paste.

Now I just cook
for two hours
at medium.

This will coat all the meat.

This is, uh, kimchi.

Napa cabbage, water,
put the salt altogether.

Put in the cooler
for 24 hours.

Strain all the water,
mix it altogether ingredients.

Chopped garlic,
Korean chili flake,
lime juice, green onions.

This is the gochujang
chili paste.

Mix it altogether.

Throw it in the walk-in
for 10 days.

This is the K-town ribs.

The K-town ribs
are really, really good.

They have a bite
and they are so tender.

[man] They just come
off the bone.
The kimchi in there.

I actually like taking
the pork rinds and put
a little kimchi on it.

The pork rinds here
are amazing.

We're gonna make
the chili lime salt mix.

We got our lime salt,
ground chili flake,
chili powder.

A little mix.

-Season 'em.
-[Guy chuckles]

That's ridiculous.

-[Jeremy] There you go.
-Look at that.

[crunching]

-Dude, you killed this.
-[Jeremy] Thanks.

[server] Pork rinds.

All the food here is good.

Where are those tots
that Guy loves so much?

The tots are one
of my favorite dishes

and that's what drew me
in here.

Out of all the house made tots
that I've had,

mine included, that's the most
tot-a-listic.

We still make the tater tots,
the pork rinds
all from scratch.

That's who we are
and that's not gonna change.

Tavern dip in the window.

The building we're in
is an old Coors brewing
building?

Built in 1901 by Coors.

[man] It was a great place
before Guy showed up
and after that,

it's gotten better and better
and better.

One of the best Triple-D
experiences I've had.
That's saying a lot.

And coming up...

Perfectly golden brown,
awesome crunch texture to it.

...a grilled cheese truck
in Charlotte,
North Carolina...

-The meltiness or that...
-Meltiness.

...is now a permanent place

with even more
outrageous options.

It's about as close
to a grilled cheese
as I am an astronaut.

Back in 2016,

I was looking
for this one food truck
in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It kind of sounds like
it's a Mexican food truck,

but people tell me, "No,
it is the real deal
grilled cheese."

Now they've traded
a food truck
for a food hall.

Where they're serving up
grilled cheeses in ways
you've never seen before.

This is Papi Queso.

Got a Pig Mac coming up.

Papi Queso makes really
elevated and gourmet
grilled cheeses.

Buffalo chicken grilled cheese
in the window.

They put things in them
that I would never think
to put in there.

[Brian] Mushroom gruyere.

Guy Fieri really
reignited the grilled cheese
phenomenon here in Charlotte.

[Guy] And the big cheese
behind that melty movement

is Chef Brian Stockholm,
along with his wife Shelley.

What makes a grilled cheese?

The texture between
the crunch and that ooey,
gooey center

-and then the meltiness
or that...
-Meltiness.

[sensual music playing]

We were trying to find
a food that everybody
could relate to.

We just didn't realize
how much everybody
really loves grilled cheese.

There's no other
grilled cheese like it.

The way they combine it
and smash it, it's just
cooked perfect.

One of my favorite
grilled cheese is
the Pig Mac.

[Guy] This doesn't look
like the beginning
of grilled cheese.

We're gonna make the rub
for our pork.

Salt, brown sugar,
sugar in the raw.

-Black pepper, espresso.
-Espresso.

[Brian] Cocoa powder,
cayenne pepper.

Garlic powder,
a little cinnamon,
ground coriander seed,

ground cumin seed.

Next we're gonna rub the butt
and we'll take it straight
to the smoker.

220 to 230, 10 to 12 hours.

-[Guy] Butt's done.
-We're just gonna pull it.

We're gonna hit it
with apple cider vinegar.

ACV, man.

[Brian] And then we make
an espresso barbecue sauce.

Awesome. Look at that.

I can't believe the sandwich
will be good at all
with that going in it.

[Brian] Butter our bread.

It's a little whipped
European butter.

[in posh accent]
We're gonna put some
European butter upon it.

Just a touch of mayonnaise.

-Cheddar cheese.
Reserve macaroni and cheese.
-[Guy] Okay.

A little bit of fresh herbs.
Our caramelized
bourbon onions.

Pulled pork and then
just a little touch of that
espresso barbecue sauce.

Did you just watch that?

That is the most organized
setup of a grilled cheese

-I've ever seen.
-Thank you.

It's perfectly golden brown.

It's got awesome
crunch texture to it.

-A little finishing salt.
-Of course.

Look at that.

-Give me a moment.
-[chuckles]

That's ridiculous, dude.

Don't ever come here.

You will never be satisfied
with a grilled cheese
you make at home.

[Brian] Pig Mac up
for Triple D Nation.

If you've had the Pig Mac,
you would for sure love
the Texas Cheesesteak.

Has the same rubs
as the Pig Mac.
It's the best.

We're gonna make
the rub for the brisket

that goes in our Texas
Cheesesteak grilled cheese.

We have our base rub
that we did with Guy.

We add a little ancho pasilla
and dried New Mexico
red chiles.

Give that a mix.

We're just gonna rub
our brisket.

We're gonna smoke it
at 250 overnight
for about 18 hours.

Dice up our brisket,
a little oil.

Brisket goes down,
Vidalia onions.

Poblano peppers,
salt and pepper.

Start with our beautiful
pain de mie.

Garlic aioli,
provolone cheese,
white American for creaminess.

Add fresh herbs.

Peppers and onions.
Then that beautiful brisket.

We're gonna take it
to the grill.
Five minutes on each side.

Plate it with some
of our beautiful
house made pickles.

Ready to go.

Texas cheesesteak.

[man] It's got this
really good smoked
tender, juicy brisket.

The garlic mayonnaise is fire
on it.

Brisket's one
of my favorite things.
It was perfect.

This is about as gourmet
of a grilled cheese truck
I've ever seen in my life.

It is, but at the same time,
we still want it to still be
a grilled cheese.

-Yeah, yeah. That's good.
Just keep lying to yourself.
-[chuckles]

Papi Queso makes
nothing simple.

-[server] Mushroom gruyere
and pickles.
-[woman] Thank you.

-Really?
-[Brian chuckles]

[Guy] It's about as close
to a grilled cheese

as I am to an astronaut.

-A little tomato soup
to dip it in.
-Oh, stop.

Out of all the grilled cheese
I ever had, that's the peak.

And the soup.
You're dangerous.

After the exposure
of Triple D,
everything just blossomed.

It put us in a whole
other level.

They got so popular
they moved to a food hall.

Now they have
their physical location.

[Brian] We opened
our new restaurant,
Harriet's Hamburgers,

in the same food hall.
It's literally
a few steps down.

Man, that is a platinum album
right there.

-I could hear that playing
on the Flavortown station.
-[chuckles]

Coming to the food hall,
we kept all the
original sandwiches.

And then we continued
to just add to those.

We've got it all the way
up to seven now.

There's really nothing
you can't do
with grilled cheese.

They've got the Mac Melt,
the Bacon Jalapeno.

The Bacon Jalapeno
is sweet from the pepper jelly

and a little bit kick
from the jalapenos.

It's just a really
good sandwich.

We're going to make
the pepper jelly
for the Bacon Jalapeno.

So we're gonna start
with a mixture of peppers.

It's a good mix of sweet
and spicy peppers.

Add the cane sugar,
champagne vinegar,
citric acid.

Put it on a low simmer
for about six hours.

And it gets to a nice,
thick jelly.

Pain de mie,
aged white cheddar cheese,

sharp white American cheese,

pepper jelly, red onions,

fresh jalapenos
and then little cheese curds.

Now we add the bacon.

Take it to the grill.

Five minutes on each side.

Order up. Bacon Jalapeno
grilled cheese.

[man] You get the ting
of the jalapeno,

saltiness of the bacon.

And then in comes
the pepper jelly
to save the day.

That's what makes
that sandwich.

Walking in. Mushroom Gruyere,
tomato soup.

Brian is a highly
trained chef.

Bringing all his training
to something seemingly
so simple,

but he amps it up.

Makes it very special.

[Guy] Dude, you delivered.

Out of bounds.
Watch out for this guy.

[bell ringing]

New ticket in.

Pork neck green chili for Guy.

So that's it
for this road trip, folks.

That's the arancini
coming out.

Walking in. Guy's favorite.

[all exclaiming]

But we'll be catching up
with more familiar faces
and places...

All right, gentlemen.

Here are your polenta balls.

-Enjoy.
-Thank you.

I did not forget
the cannolis this time!

[laughing] Bye.

...next time
on Triple D Nation.

-Go ahead.
-[both] Mix
the dry ingredients.

[crew laughing]

[beatboxing]

-Those dry ingredients,
ingredients.
-Dry, dry, dry ingredients.

-Wicky, wicky, wooky.
-[chuckles]