Hey, everybody. I'm Guy Fieri, and we're rolling out
looking for America's greatest diners, drive-ins and dives.
This trip...
Everybody's dancing.
...we're playing all kinds of chicken...
Wow. That's a lot of flavor.
...and so much more.
Oh, God! I can't handle it anymore.
There's a butcher/restaurant combo in Santa Barbara.
Delicious. I mean, the whole thing.
An homage to mom in Florida.
I think she's putting on a cooking show.
[chuckles]
And buckle up for a wild spot in Vegas...
Don't do that.
You can handle it.
...coming in hot with flavor...
Wow, this is a fast dish. Mad technique.
...cooked up by one crazy character.
-What's Zaap? -Yeah!
That's all right here, right now,
on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
[theme music playing]
So I'm here in Las Vegas on Tropicana Boulevard
about 15 minutes from the strip.
This is nuts. I mean, I used to come up here when I was in college.
This was desert.
You know, I'm here to check out a Thai joint.
Now, I don't know much about it.
All I know is that the guy's really a character
and he's wild.
The Thai food is supposed to be legit.
And the name, oh, there's gotta be a story behind this.
Are you ready for an adventure?
This is What's Zaap? Thai Food.
Whoo!
It's a little hidden gem here in Vegas.
[Paul] Papaya salad with salted crab for table 3.
Remind me the food from Thailand.
I mean, as authentic as what you would get there.
Exactly.
[Guy] And as real-deal as Paul Meesawat himself,
who came from Thailand as an architect,
found a home in the high-end kitchens of Vegas,
plus managed to start a family and this place.
I liked him, he moved in,
and things happened from there.
-What do you mean? -[Paul] You know. How cookie crumble.
So you made cookies?
Two cookies so far.
Nathan and Natalie.
Oh, my gosh.
What does the name mean?
[Paul] The name What's Zaap?
"Hey, what's zaap?" That's it. That-- that's it.
Are you guys ready for this?
What's Zaap?
Chicken satay table 5.
[woman] The chicken satay with the peanut sauce,
it's just so moist and delicious.
What are we making first?
[Paul] The marinade for the chicken satay.
Most people don't make chicken satay marinade.
-They just go buy. -Correct.
-You know, because there's so many ingredient involved. -Right.
I wanna go that way. I wanna go hard.
Let's go.
-[Paul] Coconut milk-- -Fish sauce.
How come you know? You smell it?
-I cook. -[laughs] Oh, yeah.
-Yeah, absolutely. -The judge is pretty fixed.
-Cilantro root. -Is that big in Thai food?
-Cilantro root? -It's almost in every dish.
Cilantro root?
Yes.
-Lemon grass. -Galangal.
It's like a sister of ginger.
-Sri Lanka lime leaf? Okay. -Fresh turmeric.
Garlic.
Blend it.
Coriander seed, toast it and smash it.
-Turmeric powder. -Not just curry powder?
-Yes. Salt and sugar. -Whoa! Wow.
How long are we gonna let this marinade on the chicken?
Twenty-four hour, minimum.
We're gonna make red curry paste.
-Coriander seed, black pepper, anise-- -Black pepper.
-...seed. And then sea salt. -Anise seed?
Crush to make it powder-like.
-Now we're gonna put-- -Lemon grass.
-...garlic, lime skin-- -Thai chilis.
Yes. [laughs]
[Guy] It smells amazing.
Galangal, turmeric, cilantro root.
Our band will be opening up next week.
Shallot, shrimp paste-- Stinky to you guys,
but it's just amazing to us.
I thought you were wearing that as a cologne.
[laughing]
All of this is gonna get muddled in?
-All of it. -I'll go check my car.
[Paul] All right, I'm ready.
Okay. I was just reading a book over here.
War and Peace. I got through about eight chapters.
Look, I'm sweating.
[Guy] That's the red curry paste.
Now we use that to make the sauce.
Then we have to make a massaman curry paste--
Oh, God! I can't handle it anymore.
Come back!
What's in a massaman paste?
It's everything that red curry have
and cardamom, cumin, nutmeg and cinnamon.
-Can you tell the difference? -You can smell it.
-They're different. -Which one's that?
-Stop it. Let me smell number two. -No!
You should be able to smell just by--
This one, red curry paste. That one massaman.
Oil. Cook it low heat, 15 minute.
Coconut milk, slowly cook 13 minute.
-Now we're gonna add palm sugar and regular sugar. -Palm sugar.
-Tamarind paste? -Fish sauce.
-Salt. -Ground roasted peanuts.
And we're gonna slowly cook another 15 to 20 minutes.
Really? What's the next step?
Put a skewer into the chicken.
Look at the beautiful color.
Now on the grill, 5 to 6 minute.
We're gonna make a little coconut
that we use to keep a little moist on our chicken.
-Okay. -Coconut milk.
Vegetable oil, salt...
We're gonna massage them and smell it.
-Almond smell. -Yeah, wet dog.
-Almond! -I mean, not bad wet dog.
[Paul] Make a little good-looking bouquet.
Mix them all together.
No we're gonna go and brush 'em.
I've just never seen it done to this depth.
In Thailand, we toast.
We eat along with the chicken satay.
Peanut sauce here that we made.
And more peanuts. Cucumber salad.
It's our chicken satay.
One of the most disciplined chicken satays that I've ever seen.
-Hold on. Hold on. -Okay.
Can I teach you how to eat it?
-Please, Chef. -All right.
You dip in the peanut sauce,
chase it with the cucumber salad.
Knock it off with the toast.
The chicken is super tender.
It's the brush of the coconut milk.
The sauce is outstanding.
If you can get that peanut sauce/cucumber salad combo,
you're gonna have the full experience.
Thank you.
Chicken satay.
[woman] It has that sweetness to it.
It has that little kick in it as well.
It's probably the best peanut sauce I've ever had.
Tom Zaap Beef is ready in the window.
Presentation is beautiful.
You almost hate to bite into it.
-[Guy] For all the crazy, it's worth it. -Right?
I think I'm willing to stick around for one more
if you promise to keep your hands and feet
inside the ride at all times.
Pick up, What's Zaap? Noodle, table 5.
Don't go anywhere, folks.
We'll see if we survive another round.
Culinary DJ.
[blending rhythmically]
-That's okay. Not bad. -Yeah, there we go.
Welcome back. Triple D hanging out in Las Vegas
with wild man, Chef Paul, at What's Zaap?
-Tongue. Don't forget. -Oh, I'm not doing the tongue.
-What's Zaap? Thai food. -What's Zaap?
Here's the deal.
The name's crazy, the man is wild,
but the preciseness of what he's doing in Thai food is amazing.
It's very flavorful, very authentic.
With a Michelin Star presentation, this one.
[Paul] What's Zaap? Noodle coming up.
It's my first time to have this noodle,
and it's a very good combination of spicy
and, uh, very flavorful.
It surprised me.
[woman] It's a treasure chest of all different kinds of seafood.
It's just a wonderful blend.
[Guy] What are we making next, Chef?
What's Zaap? Noodle.
But before that,
we're gonna have to make the sauce called Master Sauce.
Ching's Soy Sauce, oyster sauce.
-It's fermented. -It's very salty,
but not heavy soy flavor.
-Seasoning soy sauce... -Okay.
...we call Golden Mountain.
For Thai food, you got to use that.
Sugar, white pepper. Blend it.
This one has to sit overnight.
Okay.
[Paul] We're gonna make What's Zaap? Noodle.
This is the ramen.
-It's good raw. Amazing. -Oh, I love ramen raw.
[Paul] So the ramen's gonna go in hot water.
Cold oil, hot pan.
Love woks at this BTU.
Add shrimp. At the same time,
-we add scallops... squid. -The mussels and...
To the noodle. Didn't see that comin'.
Now, watch your hair.
Shrimp's gonna go out.
-[Guy] Drain. -Now we add vegetable.
[Guy] Onions and carrots.
-Bell pepper, baby corn, green beans. -Green beans.
Now we have garlic and chili in the pan.
[Guy] Take out the vegetables, let it drain.
Wow, this is a fast dish.
Goin' hot. Mad technique.
The Master Sauce goes garlic oil, fried garlic,
white pepper, splash of fish sauce.
-And we're back again. -Thai basil.
Don't forget the shrimp. Done.
[Guy] Hot and fast.
And this is a baby peppercorn, so for garnish.
Fried shallot, fried garlic, dried chili, cilantro.
And here we go.
That was exciting, Chef.
A lot going on at one time.
Don't do that.
You can handle it.
This thing's not spicy, but it will keep the heat.
We do it.
Ah, okay. All right. You a big boy.
[Guy] The noodle is fantastic, great texture.
The shrimp are cooked perfectly and not overseasoned.
-Same thing with the calamari. -Thank you.
It's very flavorful.
It's got a good spice to it.
It's got a good little kick.
I want more of this.
-[chuckles] -And you keep eating,
and you keep shoveling.
And, yes, I ate the whole thing.
What's Zaap? Noodle.
[man] It's got just the right amount of spice.
The shrimp and the mussels,
you can definitely taste the flavor coming out.
[Paul] Shrimp Pad Thai.
Delicious food every single time.
[Guy] Mad respect. You are a chef's chef.
I learned some stuff tonight.
Very mindful, very beautiful food.
This guy should become your best friend.
Travel up Tropicana. Come see Chef Paul.
-What's Zaap? -Yeah!
[Guy] Up next, a meaty spot in a funky part of Santa Barbara.
I think Flavortown needs a Funk Zone.
Going mad with the mole.
That's a completely different mole than I've had.
And flying high with the bird.
That is a new spin on chicken.
It's delicious.
So I'm here on the eastside of Santa Barbara, California,
in an area, well, it used to be an industrial park
and they called it the Funk Zone.
I guess there was fisheries and stuff going--
It had a little funk to it, okay?
So anyhow, now what is it?
Well, now it's art studios, breweries, wineries
and a father-and-son team that had a butcher shop
and they said, you know what? They need a restaurant down here.
So they took the Funk Zone and made it into a party zone.
This is Shalhoob's Funk Zone Patio.
Good amount of marble in there.
It used to just be a butcher shop,
and then they expanded into the restaurant.
Cheddar Brat Tray with two brats.
[woman] The food is very high-quality.
The meat itself is amazing.
I mean, who knows meat better than a butcher?
[Guy] And here, John and LJ Shalhoob
are second and third generation.
Your dad started this?
Yeah. The meat company.
We converted if from just the meat company
to the more restaurant side of things.
[Guy] And that's when Chef Cosmo joined the team.
Fire two mole tacos.
The mole chicken tacos are great.
[man 2] The homemade tortillas are awesome,
with pickled onions they throw on top.
Really hits the spot.
-What are we makin'? -We're making a mole chicken taco today.
Chicken thighs, boneless, skinless.
We're gonna make the dry rub.
Garlic granules, salt, brown sugar, black pepper.
We'll get the chicken dry-brining
and then grill it the next day.
-We scratch-making the mole? -We sure are.
A well of chocolate and the whole thing?
Not a chocolate style mole.
This is a really simple chili-based one with tomatoes.
There's so many different moles.
It's like saying curry.
We're gonna toast our chilis and spices,
puya, guajillo and ancho.
-Allspice. -That's a lot of allspice.
Black pepper, cloves, cinnamon sticks.
We take tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic,
bay leaf and cumin, toasted chilis.
And then all of our spices will go in,
toasted almonds, chicken stock.
How long are we gonna let this cook down?
Two to three hours.
Bread goes in near the end to thicken.
Vinegar, salt, brown sugar.
And then we're gonna blend it up.
[Guy] Wow! That's a lot of flavor.
-Next step? -Salsa Mexicana.
-Roasted roma tomatoes-- -Roasted garlic.
Onions, jalapenos, cilantro, water.
Last step, make some tortillas.
Why wouldn't we when we're in an old butcher shop?
[Cosmo] Maseca flour, corn flour,
lard, salt, egg yolk,
baking soda, baking powder.
And then we take this over to our stand mixer,
slowly add our water,
let it sit for about an hour,
-and then we ball 'em up-- -[Guy] Press 'em,
flattop, hold 'em.
-Two with an order? -I appreciate the help.
Absolutely. Same team.
[Cosmo] We'll add our cut chicken to our mole.
My mouth just started to water.
[Cosmo] Pickled onions, cilantro, queso fresco.
And the salsa's on the side.
Boy, it's dynamite.
It reminds me of Christmas spice.
That's a completely different mole than I've had.
It's spicy, but not hot-spicy.
You know you're eating something different.
But I'll tell you what the thing is, Chef,
that I really get the biggest kick out of
is this corn flour tortilla.
I want a quesadilla in that tortilla.
Delicious. Dynamite mole. I mean, the whole thing.
Well done, my friend.
The chicken is really tender, like juicy
and the taste of the mole is really sweet.
It's just a perfect blend of spice and cinnamon.
Cota Street Wings for you.
How do you describe to people when they're coming here?
The atmosphere's amazing.
Anything on the menu that you try is gonna be good.
It brought a lot of life to Santa Barbara.
[LJ] It used to be fisheries and what not.
And those fisheries used to let off a little smell.
-And then it slowly evolved into this art district. -How many years ago was this?
Thirty-five. We've been here for forty-nine.
We're getting the hang of it.
One more fried chicken sandwich.
The fried chicken sandwich is my go-to sandwich.
The chicken's golden-fried, covered in slaw...
And then you have the pickles. I love it.
-[Guy] Now what are we making? -[Cosmo] Fried chicken sandwich.
With this.
This is John Shalhoob's favorite employee, actually.
We use it to tenderize our chicken breasts.
You do not operate that with a necktie.
[Cosmo laughs]
Whoo.
-So it sits in like a wet marinade overnight. -Okay.
Rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, water,
eggs, a little white wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire,
and a little bit of chipotle puree.
[Guy] So this is not only the marinade,
-it's the wet dredge? -Yup.
What's the dry dredge?
[Cosmo] Cornstarch, all-purpose flour,
chili de arbol, cumin, black pepper, salt,
guajillo chili.
[Guy] Chicken goes into a fryer.
And now we're gonna make the spicy honey that goes over the top.
Water, hot sauce, dark chili powder and salt.
Bring it to a simmer for 10-15 minutes and let it cool.
Now the only thing we're waiting on is the bread and butter pickles.
Yep. So we brine these overnight with just saltwater.
And then now we're gonna make our pickling which goes over the top.
Cider vinegar, champagne vinegar,
yellow onion, garlic, allspice, celery seed,
mustard seed, cinnamon stick, brown sugar, white sugar,
and a little bit of turmeric.
[Guy] So once that comes to a simmer,
we'll do just a hot pickle on this?
-Let it sit for 24 hours? -Yep.
Build the sandwich.
[Cosmo] Garlic aioli on both sides of the bun,
fried chicken, spicy honey,
grilled jalapeno poppy seed slaw.
Bread and butter pickles are made.
Pick it. Send it.
The chicken is like something I don't know that I've had before.
That is a new spin on chicken.
It's delicious.
It's got great texture. It's got great flavor.
I appreciate that you make everything.
I appreciate from the charred jalapeno poppy slaw
to the bread and butter pickles, which are delicious.
You commit and you do it right.
[Cosmo] Fried chicken goin' down.
The meat inside is very juicy.
You taste that sweetness from the coleslaw and the pickles.
Lots of good meat-to-bread ratio.
It is real good.
I think Flavortown needs a Funk Zone.
[man] If you're someone who likes protein,
you're bound to find something you love here.
It's just an amazing place to come and eat.
[Guy] I'm scared to see what the rest of the menu tastes like.
I gotta get out of here before I'm pushing the car home. Well done.
Coming up in Delray Beach, Florida...
That's dangerous right there.
...an inspired spot loading a party pasta...
The only thing that makes that better,
come with a free pillow and a napping area.
...and a true seafood treasure.
This is the dish you hope a place like this would have.
So I'm here in Delray Beach, Florida,
to check out a restaurant that's got an awesome story.
So, this chef, she gets inspired,
and she learns to cook from her mom at a young age.
And she goes to culinary school,
does quite well herself,
and finally decides to open a restaurant here in Delray Beach.
And what better way for a daughter to pay homage
to the woman that inspired her to cook
than to name a restaurant after her.
This is Rose's Daughter.
Let's go. Calabrian Chili.
This food is phenomenal.
Go ahead and plate.
[woman] The experience of Rose's Daughter
happens the second you walk in the door.
You just smell the garlic, you smell the fresh bread.
When people are asking where to go for great food,
I send them here.
I've been following Chef Suzanne for a while.
[Guy] And Suzanne Perrotto's fanbase runs deep,
just like her mother's did.
-You taught her to cook? -Many years ago.
Then she went beyond me.
And are we really mixing and making ice--
-gelato right here? -You bet.
Yup, fresh pasta and sauces.
Short Rib Pappardelle.
The short ribs are off the hook.
The fresh pasta is so delicious.
So we're gonna make pappardelle.
-One part high-protein, one part semolina. -Got it.
Start mixing it. Egg yolks and water.
Go for six minutes.
Start extruding. Beautiful.
-That's a portion. -That's a portion.
-Okay.
Now we're gonna season our short rib.
-Sea salt. -Fresh-cracked black pepper.
[Suzanne] So these are going in the oven,
forty-five minutes till they're seared.
Ribs are down. Sweat the veg.
[Suzanne] Oil, garlic, mirepoix, black peppercorns,
bay leaf, cherry vinegar, a quart.
Just a touch of red wine.
[chuckles]
-Amber honey. -Honey?
Is that a Mom thing or a school thing?
Uh, a little bit of Mom, a little bit of school.
House-made chicken stock, a little bit of tomato paste in there.
-[Guy] This goes over the top of the short ribs... -Over the top.
...covered. Into the combi for...
-Eighteen hours. -Eighteen brief hours.
What else do we have to work on?
Oh, we'll make the truffle paste.
Spanish truffles. Beautiful.
And you're gonna do what to this?
Puree it.
I've never seen that many truffles go under the knife.
[Suzanne] Sea salt, Tuscan olive oil.
She's making paste.
But it will preserve because of the salt.
That's dangerous right there.
We build the dish.
-Olive oil, shallots-- -Shall we?
...broth, short ribs.
Chunky, fatty. You okay with fat?
Abso--
[Suzanne] Truffle paste, salt and pepper.
Parmesan bechamel.
[Guy] What's in this Parmesan bechamel?
[Suzanne] Shallots, brandy and white pepper.
Cream, thickened with a slurry.
Add salt, Parmesan.
Sounds great.
[Suzanne] Fresh peas, fresh pasta,
cook it a little bit more in the sauce.
Tighten the sauce up.
[Suzanne] A little bit of parsley.
-There we go. -[Guy] It's such a petite portion.
Grana Padano and pea tendrils.
Take a picture.
That's one of the last meals you wanna eat.
Short ribs are delicious.
But you what the real sing of this is?
Parmesan bechamel and the truffle paste
intersecting the richness of the meat,
and a pasta that is light but sturdy enough
to carry it all.
The only thing that makes that better,
come with a free pillow and a napping area.
Oh, my pillow's here.
Bye-bye. Thank you.
Short Rib Pappardelle goin' in.
The pasta is amazing.
Excuse me, young man. How's the pasta?
Oh, for me, it's good.
I mean, the short ribs are probably one of my favorite dishes in the world.
This is my buddy, Tran$parent.
I first saw his artwork down in Key West, Florida.
You gotta check it out.
-Tell me what you think of the restaurant. -Cozy and inviting.
[Guy] This has that Amalfi Coast feel, doesn't it?
100%
Pizza Florentine.
The hospitality is endless and the food is beautifully made.
[Suzanne] Finishing Frutti De Mare.
Frutti De Mare, if you like spice
and you like seafood, this is the dish to get.
It's got mussels and shrimp, some good pasta.
-We're making 'nduja. -'Nduja.
-[Suzanne] Spreadable sausage. -What's it going for?
-Frutti De Mare. -Fruit of the sea.
-Cured pork belly, port wine, Calabrian chili. -A lot of it.
-Smoked paprika-- -Mix this up.
-...Tuscan olive oil-- -How long's this gonna rest before you use it?
-Overnight. -Next up?
Saffron aioli.
-[Guy] Garlic. -Shallots, egg, honey.
This is how much saffron we're putting in?
-We're generous. -Okay.
Calabrian chili, sea salt, white balsamic--
-Little bit on the sweeter side. -Yep. You bet ya.
-[Suzanne] Gradually add Tuscan olive oil. -Beautiful.
So we are making the Frutti De Mare.
Olive oil, salt and pepper, the diver scallop.
Shallots and garlic.
[Guy] We wanna put a nice crust on 'em.
Absolutely.
Shrimp. Open up those mussels. So we're gonna get those in.
And we're gonna get our 'nduja in there too,
because we want that infusing all that flavor.
Let that fat start to cook out.
[Suzanne] A little more oil. Everybody's dancing.
"Everybody's dancing."
-White wine. -Check your hair product.
Don't need those eyelashes.
Calabrian chili,
San Marzano tomato sauce,
sub parsley,
confit tomatoes,
and a little bit of clam juice.
A finish of bechamel and butter.
This, I've never seen.
Remove some of the meat.
'Cause I don't want that to overcook.
I think she's putting on a cooking show.
[Suzanne laughs] Add the calamari,
strozzapreti-- pasta made with squid ink.
Great color, but not the flavor.
-And now we can plate. -I can smell the seafood.
Fried basil, a little bit of Parmesan,
saffron aioli.
See what you think of that.
That is very luxurious.
The shrimp is just squeaky.
The calamari is perfectly cooked.
The scallop is butter.
The pasta's nice and al dente.
This is the dish you hope a place like this would have.
Two more minutes on Frutti De Mare.
It's got a little kick. I love the seafood.
It's very fresh.
[woman 2] There's a lot of things jumping out.
It's delicious.
Is that a fish joke?
Linguini and lamb meatballs.
We love coming here. We come with the family.
And we can't come enough.
[Guy] I'm telling you what, sister.
Your mom did a number on you when you were a kid.
That's way beyond cooking school.
Well done. What a visit.
Watch out for this girl.
Well, that's it, folks.
This is Mike's final episode
on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
But don't you worry,
there's funky joints all over this country
and me and the rest of the team
will be looking for you next on Triple D.
Say goodbye, Mike.
Take care. Thank you.
Legend.
That's right here, right now,
on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
See you later, Mike.