Original subtitles

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

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

This trip...

I'm excited!

...we're bringing the meat...

It's right at the corner of delicious and fantastic.

...heat...

Dude, you're lit up.

...and some big eats.

Thai tea taste.

-Thai tea taste. -A triple "T" on Triple D.

We've got real-deal Mexican in Montana...

This is a flavor bomb, without question.

You bet.

...an amazing Asian experience in Minneapolis...

I'm a-Hmong the finest.

...and a Columbus, Ohio, sandwich shop...

They're getting a 5-star meal on wax paper out a window.

...putting cheesesteaks on the culinary map.

They need to name a street in Flavortown after that.

That's all right here right now

on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

All right, son, you hungry?

Dad, I'm always hungry.

All right, buddy. Big surprise.

Time for some cheesesteaks.

-Yes, I love Philly cheesesteaks-- -No, no, no, no--

-Dah, dah, dah, dah-- Don't say that. -What? What?

Just say "Columbus." We're in Columbus, Ohio.

This chef is very particular about it.

He says you get those kind of cheesesteaks in Philly.

Here, you get Columbus cheesesteaks.

-You got it? -Okay, I won't say it.

Don't mess it up. This Wario's Beef and Pork.

Steaks are ready for cheese.

Came to Wario's, was mind-blown.

[man 2] It's kind of like somebody made your favorite sandwich

with like the best ingredients imaginable.

Firing bread for cold cuts and chicken.

The culture, the passion, everything is just A1 here.

[Guy] Because owner Stephan Madias

put his fine-dining background to work

when he opened up this spot featuring a meaty mashup.

Why do I see beef and pork?

I've never heard of a pork cheesesteak.

We wanted to pay homage

to a lot of those Jersey and East Coast style shops.

I'm a butcher by trade--

Sorry. What else?

-Uh... -Cat juggling?

If you put some in my hands, I'll try.

The number one selling item on the menu?

[Stephan] We have two cheesesteaks.

We have a standard, and we have the Wario's Way.

Oh, you know I want it the Wario's way.

You're gonna get it that way.

That's what you're getting.

I know a good steak sandwich when I see one,

and this is the best.

Two different cheeses.

The bread's a homemade recipe.

This is what we're gonna make.

[Stephan] Yes, sir. It's like the foundation of a house.

We've got to start it strong.

-100%. -I dig it.

[Stephan] Olive oil, water, yeast, semolina flour,

bread flour, sugar and salt.

We will begin mixing for five minutes.

Turn it on the second speed for another five minutes,

rest it for five,

and mix it for 30 seconds.

It'll proof for about an hour,

and then we're ready to portion and roll.

It's this little technique where it's rolling the dough into itself

and form the outside skin

and be nice and light and airy on the inside.

[Stephan] Roll this bad boy in some seeds.

Once it starts to bloom up a little bit,

we'll just give it a little slice.

-Yes, sir. -Then it does 12 to 18 hours.

When it comes out, how long is it going to bake?

15 minutes, 375.

-[Guy] Okay. -Now we're gonna make our house cheese sauce.

-All right, let's do it. -We'll start with milk.

Four-year aged cheddar.

-Now, in the Monterey. -Sheep's milk pecorino.

[Guy] Ooh. Salt.

[Stephan] Onion powder, garlic powder...

-Mustard. -Black pepper.

[Stephan] And our binder is sodium citrate.

Hit it with the immersion blender

to really make sure it all comes together.

Time for Wario sauce.

Super-caramelized onions, roasted garlic,

pepper, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice.

Blend this down to a paste.

[Guy] And then in with the mayo.

[Stephan] Yes, sir.

Nice and smooth.

Mmm. Delicious.

Those caramelized onions are money in there.

That's just what I was gonna say.

All right, cheesesteak it is.

We've got our rib eye right on the flattop.

Salt and pepper.

Toast only the bottom of the bun.

Yes.

[Stephan] Flip this bad boy over.

A first chop, just to spread this out a little bit.

My bread's nice and toasted now.

Why do I feel like I'm getting a masterclass in cheesesteak?

[Stephan] Three slices of Cooper sharp,

two slices of unsmoked provolone,

a little bit of water to get some steam going.

[Hunter] Cheese sauce.

Cheese side down. Cheese on cheese.

A kiss of Whiz on top

and some of our caramelized onions.

We've got our Wario sauce.

And that's a cheesesteak, my man.

[Guy] I'd bathe in the cheese sauce.

It's so good.

[Guy] It is another dimension.

The bread is great.

[Guy] Everything from making the roll yourself

to making the cheese sauce,

it's a study in awareness of great cheesesteak-ery.

The Wario sauce is spot-on.

They're getting a 5-star meal on wax paper out a window.

-Thank you. -Fantastic.

-Money. -This man is dangerous.

I got your Wario's Way with Wario sauce.

-Thanks, buddy. We'll see ya. -Enjoy.

The Wario sauce is great.

And then you've got the steak, which is so good.

[man] And the fresh cheese sauce,

you could really tell. Delicious.

[Guy] Anthony and Gary Carano,

they own a small little, uh, casino group

throughout all of Las Vegas and the world.

Caesars Palace.

Caesars Palace?

Tell me what you think about that cheesesteak.

I'm a bread guy, and this bread, it's awesome.

I've got ten people in line.

-[Guy] I was born in Columbus. -Yeah, we know that.

He's told me, like, nine times now I've heard it.

I'm excited!

We are right downtown Columbus by the arena.

Any time of day, you can see there's probably

fifteen, twenty people waiting to put in an order.

One pork, swinging.

Have you had the pork and broccoli rabe?

It's literally been my craving weekly.

[man] The broccoli on it really does make it

something wildly different than a normal pork sandwich.

We're gonna start by making our cure for our pork.

Let's see it.

Sugar, salt, garlic--

-[Guy] Chili flake. -Rosemary, toasted fennel seeds...

[Guy] And a little zest.

Rub this down and dry-brine it for how long?

[Stephan] Six to eight hours.

So we've got our pork.

It's ready for the reserve pork jus

and to go into the oven, 225 no longer than 12 hours.

And we're going to strain this bad boy.

Is this pulled or sliced?

-[Stephan] It's whisked. -You're freaking me out.

Fantastic. All right, broccoli rabe.

-[Hunter] Let's do it. -Very salty water.

We're gonna blanch this.

A little bit of garlic.

Red pepper flakes, salt, zest, lemon juice,

and some clover honey.

Are you gonna drop that broccoli rabe on there hot?

-Yes, sir. -The last thing we do is build it?

Yes, sir. We've got some nice sharp provolone cheese.

Ow!

[film crew laughing]

Got ya.

We got pork here and our rabe.

Our jus.

Roasted pork sandwich, big man.

[Guy] I don't want this to come out the wrong way.

The cheesesteak is

some of the best cheesesteaks I've ever had on Triple D.

That sandwich,

they need to name a street in Flavortown after that.

That sharp provolone,

that cheese in there...

[Guy] This is another level.

It's right at the corner of delicious and fantastic.

Thank you.

Here's your roasted pork with broccoli rabe.

The pulled pork's herbaceous.

The broccoli on that heightens the flavors.

Dropping falafel.

I could not say enough about how terrific this place is.

[Guy] Great ingredients, awesome technique...

Classy and trashy.

That's what I would call it.

Come to Flavortown,

right at the corner of classy and trashy,

you'll find this sandwich.

[Stephan chuckling]

[Guy] Up next, it's a Triple D first

with Hmong cuisine in Minneapolis...

You're a great ambassador, my friend.

...at a spot putting a Thai take on pancakes...

That's a gold star.

...and a whole-new spin on crispy chicken.

There are fights at the dinner table for that.

So I'm here in South Minneapolis

in the Lyn-Lake neighborhood, and you know what?

That place right there,

Bryant-Lake Bowl, shot that back in 2008.

You know, it's so crazy when you think about

all the different joints we visit on Triple D.

Almost every ethnicity of food,

except this one.

I don't believe we've ever shot a Hmong restaurant.

You ready? This is Union Hmong Kitchen.

Hmong sausage up.

This place is rocking it.

They pull from all different Southeast Asian cultures.

Whole fish ready to go.

[man] They're taking all that knowledge and all that wisdom

from all these other countries and making it their own.

[Guy] And decorated chef, Yia Vang,

is the culinary curator of those flavors

grown from his roots.

My nationality is Hmong,

the indigenous group in Southeast Asia.

When my parents came to America,

all they had was the food that they carried with them.

This was their legacy.

I want to be able to tell their story

through the food that we make.

[Guy] You're a great ambassador, my friend.

What are we cooking?

[Yia] Thai tea pancake.

The pancakes, so, so yummy.

With chicharrones on it and some butter.

[woman] It's the only place, really,

that you can find Thai tea pancakes

in the Twin Cities.

That's pretty unique.

Okay, let's get into it, Chef.

So we're gonna make the Thai tea first.

-[Guy] Okay. -So we got some allspice,

clove, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom.

We let it toast. While that's going on,

-get some water down here-- -And this is a tea

that is going to be incorporated into the batter

to make the pancake?

[Yia] Yup. Thai tea mix here.

And then all these toasted spice.

How long are we gonna let that steep?

Fifteen, twenty minutes.

Then I actually strain it,

-and then I reduce it down even, you know-- -Even further.

Yeah. You really want that like Thai tea taste to it.

-You know? -Thai tea taste.

-Thai tea taste. -A triple "T" on Triple D next.

[Yia] This is how we make the Thai tea pancake.

Whip up some egg whites.

We have regular bread flour, steamed bun flour,

cornstarch, baking soda,

baking powder, salt and MSG, then some dry yeast.

We've got the peaks we needed.

-Oh, you're peaking right now? -Just like in life.

[Yia] Next is the eggs, melted butter,

and then a coconut milk that's really thick.

Milk, tea concentrate.

-Look at this color, dude. -Yeah.

[Yia] Fold in the whites right here.

After this has a chance to set up overnight...

We're gonna go right into the hot griddle.

And what are we dressing it with?

-Chicharron. That's-- -The old favorite pancake topping.

So it starts with pork skin, water.

[Guy] Just gonna render it down.

Let it cool, dry it off and cut it into pieces.

-Yup. -Throw it on the dehydrator overnight.

When we go to hot oil, they'll fry.

[Yia] For about three minutes.

And then we sprinkle it with our house cinnamon crunch rub.

-And the final is? -The five-spice butter

that goes with the pancake,

and then Mom's special chili sauce.

So we're done.

[Yia] Yeah, just make the pancakes

and slather it on.

You're not serious that this is a normal portion.

It is. Syrup right on top.

The five-spice butter there.

And top it with the cinnamon crunch chicharron.

[crunching]

It's got this sweet note with a silky texture

and the chew of a bao bun.

Here's the genius.

The tea is awesome, but not overpowering.

It's not-- It's not stealing the show.

Of the world of pancake people,

that's a gold star.

Delicious.

Thai tea pancake.

It's a little herbal.

I love that it's offset with a savory flavor.

It's like the perfect combination.

Have you ever had Hmong food before?

-Yes. -We're Hmong.

-So we've had-- -Yeah, we're all Hmong, so.

Yeah. We've had a lot of, um--

I a-Hmong the finest.

And where does this restaurant stack up?

This is one of the really good ones.

-Real-deal? -Yes, it is. Yeah.

Meeka Burger.

We believe that every dish has a narrative.

You follow that narrative,

you get to the people behind the food.

And my Mom and Dad, they have a farm.

All their produce comes here.

A lot of our stuff in the restaurant comes from them.

There's so many herbs and spices.

Let's do this. We'll try to eat this all,

and then we'll wake up and then we come back,

we'll make some fried chicken.

It has the lemongrass sauce on top, which is very good.

[Guy] See you in a bit.

You know, since you don't have anything going on,

I felt it was kind of cool you let us

-come hang out with you for a bit. -[film crew laughing]

You have no space left on the wall over there

-for any more awards. -Yeah.

Welcome back. Triple D hanging out in Minneapolis.

Chef Yia, James Beard award-winning chef

at Union Hmong Kitchen.

He's doing traditional Hmong food,

then also doing some variations to the menu.

Sticky spare ribs.

All of the flavors are like way different

than what I've had.

Hilltribe chicken, veggies and sticky rice.

[woman] Today I tried the Hilltribe chicken.

It's amazing.

[woman 2] You eat it with a little bit of the sticky rice,

vegetables, and then there's that oil

that you can kind of dip it in.

It kicks it up another level.

There's this old-school way of doing Hmong fried chicken.

We kind of came up with a different method.

This is the marinade.

-Let's see it. -Shallots, lemongrass, garlic,

ginger, fish sauce, oil, salt.

I jokingly say it looks like a milkshake.

I mean, gosh, this is a flavor bomb.

You just let it sit overnight.

What's our dredge?

We don't dredge it.

So we're gonna get chicharron chicken skin?

[Yia] Yep. We parcook it and we hold it overnight,

and then we drop it into the fryer, three to five minutes.

Dig it. So what are we into?

Our LSD sauce.

Lemongrass scallion dressing.

That's what I thought he meant.

[Yia] So we just get some hot oil.

We gotta go fast here. We got our lemongrass,

ginger, garlic.

Scallion goes last.

So you're infusing that oil.

-Strain it? -We don't actually strain it.

-What else comes with this? -Purple sticky rice.

So we put this black rice in--

The forbidden rice.

...with the white sweet rice,

and then you just fill it up with water

and we let it sit overnight.

That little bit of the black rice

-is gonna turn that all purple? -Yup.

-In we go? -Yup. Put a little lid on

-and like ten minutes. -And let it rock and roll.

Huh. While that's working, get into the veg?

[Yia] We char the zucchini--

-Eggplant. -And then we also have some turnips

and some carrots. Throw a little chili in there.

This is Mom's chili paste.

Yeah. Yeah, she makes that. Yeah, yeah.

A little garlic, fish sauce, maple syrup.

The old common Hmong ingredient.

Well, Minnesota.

Lime juice, cilantro and mint.

-Toss it up. -Okay.

[Guy] So as soon as the rice is done,

pull the chicken and we're good to go?

-Absolutely, yeah. -A buffet.

So we start with the purple sticky rice.

And I'll stand up the chicken.

Hmong cucumber with a little bit of that Mom's hot sauce,

-a little bit of vinegar. -Right.

Fermented mustard greens, vegetables.

And then this is the sauce.

[Guy] I love sticky rice.

What I'm digging is the way that chicken tore off there.

[Yia] You eat like a Hmong kid, you know?

That's-- that's good.

Are you part Hmong?

[laughs]

[Guy] Entomb me in the oil please.

I love the bitterness of these greens.

But this chicken...

there are fights at the dinner table for that.

Hilltribe crispy chicken.

The skin on the outside was really crispy.

The sticky rice and the meat just kind of all go together.

It's really fresh and delicious. It's great.

Outranks just about anything else I've ever had.

Had you had Hmong before?

-Yes. I am Hmong. -Okay.

So how close is this to what your grandma would make?

It's very close.

Dropping stir fried veggies.

[woman] He's just bringing this whole-new ball game

to Minnesota.

And I feel like it's going to spread from here.

The job that you're doing, not just in Minneapolis,

now, the job that you're doing, you know,

worldwide is amazing.

I can't believe that it's taken us 15, 16 years

of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives to find a Hmong restaurant.

That's next-level, man.

-Thanks a lot, brother. -Congrats, man.

I appreciate you for coming.

[Guy] Coming up in Missoula, Montana...

This is the yum-yum.

...a Mexican joint cooking up classics...

This is just a really good old-school taco-truck burrito.

...that are packing a punch.

"Slapped in the face with flavor."

That's got to be a T-shirt over here.

So I'm here in Missoula, Montana,

with my favorite chef, Chef Anthony Hoy Fong,

who leads up the Knuckle Sandwich team.

What kind of food are you expecting?

I mean, it's gotta be big game meats, steakhouse.

Okay. Okay, good. We're about 250 miles south

of the Canadian border.

What kind of food wouldn't you expect?

I mean, we're so far from the south.

It's got to be Latin, Mexican--

-Mexican food. Great. -Something like that. Yeah.

[Guy] So if it is Mexican and it is Montana,

what would you call it?

It's gotta be the Mexican Montana.

It's way better than that.

It's Mexican Moose.

Three tacos asada coming out.

People love Mexican Moose because of the authenticity.

It's traditional Mexican foods made from scratch.

Two sides of Grandma's salsa coming out.

These guys are just 100% a family restaurant.

[Guy] And it's all about family recipes

cooked up by Santos Flores and his mom, Mercedes.

Are you originally from Missoula?

No, from Fresno, California.

-My family is the Oaxaca. -Okay.

[Santos] I just wanted a feel for home.

Carne burrito asada up.

I love the carne asada burrito.

It is rice, beans, meat, tortilla.

It's definitely the way to go.

We're gonna start off with our rice.

-A little toast on the rice. -Yup.

[Santos] Oil, rice.

We add our mixture of our tomatoes

into a blender with tomato paste,

garlic, onions, water.

Once that's blended, we're gonna add our tomato bouillon.

That's the liquid to rehydrate...

[Santos] The rice. And we let that cook for about 15 minutes.

Now we're gonna make our beans.

We're gonna start off by boiling them

and adding the salt to it.

Throw them in a pot with some oil and onions...

-[Guy] And smash the beans up. -That's it.

Okay. What are we into now?

Grandma's salsa that we use chile de arbol in.

And it's just like a very spicy...

-Okay. -Tomatoes, garlic, salt.

We'll let that boil and then we'll add our chile de arbol.

-[Guy] And we're gonna blend all of this? -Yes.

[Santos] Now we're gonna make our Grandma's sauce.

Oil, and then chile de arbol into this.

-A little bit of salt. -[Guy] When it comes out,

-Chef Anthony, big spoonful. -Can't wait.

-Right in the mouth. -Can't wait. Love it.

-This is the yum-yum. -Speaking my language.

I see.

[Anthony] Wow, there's a lot of flavor in there.

The salty, the savory.

That, to me, is one of the more flavorful salsas.

Not just the spiciness, but like a floral note to it.

Dude, you're lit up. That was hot.

[Santos] Now we're ready to make our carne asada.

Let's see it, Chef.

Ground chuck, garlic salt, seasoning salt.

We get our flour tortilla, beans,

mozzarella cheese here,

rice, carne asada, onions, tomatoes,

cilantro onto that,

sour cream, red salsa for this guy.

Are we gonna put any of the Grandma's salsa on this, Chef?

-If you guys want the Grandma's salsa-- -[Guy] Come on!

-There you go. -Huh?

-Can't wait. -So we're gonna do a little bit of lettuce

on top, to top that off.

And then we'll go ahead and just roll this burrito.

It weighs about a pound and a half.

-[Anthony] Hoo! -[Santos chuckles]

Wow, the flavor of that rice

with the toast on it and the tomatoes.

And I really like the grind on the meat, too.

-And hot. -And hot.

-That's got a little spice in there. -Very hot. Yeah.

Yeah. I have the sweat coming through now.

Honestly, I've got to say...

the rice, dynamite. Beans, nice and creamy.

But my favorite part of it is, without question,

the Mama's salsa.

[Anthony] Mmm. Simple ingredients,

but the way each ingredient is treated...

-[Guy] Right? -Man, that really comes together.

This is just a really good old-school taco-truck burrito.

[Santos] Carne asada burrito supreme.

Definitely some of the best refried beans I've ever had.

The meat itself is seasoned very well.

-This is a flavor bomb, without question. -You bet.

[Guy] And what about the environment?

I mean, it's kind of a funky old rock and roll bar.

The vibe changes a lot here.

-Sometimes there's salsa night-- -Not from...

-Right over here on the dance floor. Yeah. -The dance hall. Got it.

-Just checking. -[Santos] The bar's getting busy.

Let's get these orders going.

We have a country bar that's tied into

a rock and roll kind of style bar on this side.

-They've got their side. You got your side. -Correct.

[man] You can go dancing over there and everything,

and then you can come over here

and get a good meal.

Absolutely amazing.

Pork ribs and the chili verde special.

Today I had the pork ribs in verde sauce.

Chili verde is a green tomatillo sauce.

One of my favorites,

you get that tortilla with the beans, the rice.

Very delicious.

-Now? -Short ribs and the chile verde sauce.

-These are spare ribs? -Yeah.

We go ahead and just chop these up

in between the bones.

[Guy] We're gonna take these and boil them.

[Santos] We add our garlic, our onions and our salt.

So this is going to cook for 45 minutes to an hour.

So just tender enough that the meat will pull off the bone.

-Correct. Yep. -Got it.

And what kind of sauce goes with this?

Chile verde sauce.

And this is how your mom made it back in the day?

Yes. Serrano peppers, jalapeno and tomatillos.

After it's done boiling, we'll bring those out

and put them all into the blender

with a little bit of the broth from the pork ribs.

Thyme, cloves.

Just a little bit of clove.

-Just a touch. -Just a touch.

And then the pepper, cumin, garlic.

We'll get that all blended up.

The pork ribs are nice and boiled.

-[Guy] Now we're gonna fry this? -Yeah.

That's a fire.

So once those all brown up, drop them in the sauce.

We're gonna go ahead and plate that chile verde.

The side of the rice and beans that we do.

Pork ribs right here, all nice and saucy.

-Tortillas. -It doesn't look hot.

It's like rib on a stick.

Oh, yeah, I like that acid of the tomatillo.

[Guy] And the flavor from the bone.

It's tender, but at the same time,

-you've got that crispy coating. -Right?

And then it's rehydrated in the chili verde.

[Guy] But you definitely get some heat.

The only problem with that is

I could go through about four pounds of those ribs.

Really delicious.

[server] You got the pork ribs in salsa verde.

The green sauce is extremely flavorful.

The ribs are fall-off-the-bone.

You can tell it was fresh, very spicy.

It's delicious.

You kind of get slapped in the face with flavor.

"Slapped in the face with flavor."

That's gotta be a T-shirt over here.

Adding the onions to the torta.

He's just crushing it. Everyone's loving his food.

[Guy] These folks are getting something up in Missoula

they haven't seen before.

Let's keep them coming.

Come on down to the Mexican Moose.

So that's it for this edition

of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

But don't you worry.

There's funky joints all over this country.

And I'll be looking for you next time on...

[all] Triple D!

[all cheering]

[imitating New Zealand accent] And that's your culinary update

with Chef Anthony.

[laughing] I didn't know I was English.

-What's up with that? -That's English?

-Yeah, I don't know about you, but-- -It sounds the same to me.

-It sounds all the same. Right. -New Zealand English.

New Zealand English.