Hey, everybody, I'm Guy Fieri, and we're rolling out,
looking for America's greatest diners, drive-ins, and dives.
This trip...
That's the bite I've been trying to get together.
...we're digging into stellar spots.
That's good eats.
Literally going over the top.
You have got everything but the kitchen sink here.
There's chili-covered pasta in Cincinnati.
Packing it like Noah's Ark right now, buddy.
Creative creations piling up in Oregon.
I don't think I've ever had grilled kraut on oaky fried rice.
And Chef Antonia Lofaso's riding shotgun in Venice.
[Antonia] I have never seen you walk by a slice of salami
and not put it in your mouth.
[Guy] To a sneaky good pizzeria.
This is a hidden gem.
Dressing up the dough.
This thing's loading up.
Delicious.
That's all right here, right now,
on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
[theme music playing]
All right, Antonia, so we park here to walk over to Scopa?
[Antonia] No, we're not eating at Scopa.
No, I said, where are we going for lunch today?
And you said, we're going over to Scopa.
No, I said, we're going to a place by Scopa.
Don't you remember Mario?
He did an episode of Triple-G. He made an avocado pizza.
He won.
-Oh. -This is his place.
-Oh, Okay, I'm sorry. I got it. -Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So he works at Scopa.
No, this has nothing to do with Scopa.
It's by Scopa. We're going to South End.
You should have just said it. This is South End.
-Why didn't you just say that? -I did, like, 20 times.
-Burrata bomb ready. -[man] South End Restaurant in Venice, California
is one of my favorite places to go for pizza, wine,
and good times with friends.
Beef bresaola.
It's the next level of Italian food.
[Guy] And it's Chef Mario Vollera who's raising the bar
with all the culinary knowledge he got straight from the source.
Where are you from in Italy?
How often does Antonia eat over here?
-Always. -Pizza party.
Pizza parties.
It's fancy pizzas plus amazing appetizers.
Table 16, onion brie tart.
The brie and onion tart is always amazing.
Topped with arugula, apples, brie cheese.
[woman] It's made on the black dough, so it's very unusual.
-It's very good. -[Guy] What are we gonna make first?
-[Guy] Let's go. -[Mario] Water, squid ink...
-[Antonia] Quack. -You're quacking me up.
[Mario] Salt...
We let it rest about 30 to 40 minutes in the fridge.
Take your dough out.
I'm gonna teach you a thing called a sheeter.
[Mario speaking]
Part bake for about three to four minutes.
-Next up? -[Mario] We're going to make our red wine soaked onions.
Water, onions, sugar, and fruity red wine.
-[Guy] Fruity? -[Mario] Yeah.
Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Anything else we need to prepare?
-The balsamic reduction. -Got it.
[Mario] Some sugar, balsamic vinegar, and balsamic syrup.
[Antonia] It's like balsamic starter.
She's so proud of herself she came up with that.
-Now we build this. -[Mario] Yeah.
We're gonna put some olive oil on it.
-Onions. Yeah. -[Guy whistling]
If you call it onion tart, you better onion it up.
-[Mario] Brie. -[Guy] The Italian brie.
[Antonia] Mm-hmm.
Once the tart is baked, I cut it.
A little bit of arugula, a little bit of apple, and pear.
This thing's loading up.
[Mario] A little bit of Maldon salt, olive oil,
balsamico, and then a little bit of lemon zest.
-Chef, only one problem. -[Mario] Yes?
[Antonia] He's not gonna let me eat it.
He's gonna be like, "It looks so good and I'm gonna eat the whole thing,
and you have to stand over there
and just drink your espresso.
Meh, meh, meh."
-Did you guys just see that? -[laughs]
Like, I don't know you.
[Guy] Antonia, watch me eat this, okay?
See?
All right, go ahead, Antonia.
When I walked up to this place, I'm expecting
to come in here and get a nice slice of pie,
but this right here is delicate, refined,
made with a lot of true intention, balanced.
The onions still have that bite to them...
-[Mario] Yeah. -...and they're a nice sweetness.
The amount of onions, the amount of cheese, perfect.
Onion and brie black tart?
I couldn't stop eating it.
This dough, the onions, the cheese,
it's really an amazing feeling.
Potato pizza?
South End embodies the best of Venice.
It's creative, it's funky.
I meet this guy from Rome, opens a pizza joint,
and then I'm expecting it to have some really cool Italian name.
Why do you call it South End?
[Mario speaking]
Like, the north end in Boston is the Italian area,
-so the south end... -Right over the top.
Everybody on Abbot Kinney knows Mario.
Bresaola pizza ready to go, guys.
What's your favorite thing on the menu?
Probably the Abbot.
[Mario] Fried Abbot pizza in.
-Fried Abbot's amazing. -It looks like a calzone.
It's really my favorite.
[Guy] What is the name of the dish we're making?
-Fried Abbot. -Oh, Abbot.
Yeah, the name of the street.
We're gonna start to make our dough.
Water, Caputo 00,
a little bit of rye flour.
That's going against every Italian thing I can say.
-No, well, no. Whole wheat. -[gasps]
-Okay. -Fermentation and crunchiness really help.
And salt. Mix the dough for about two minutes...
-[Guy] Okay. -...and then I let it rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.
We're going to add the sourdough starter.
And then we let it run for about four minutes.
Are we going to let it rest at that point?
-[Mario] Overnight. -[Guy] Next up?
Sausage. Got some pork, salt...
[Guy] Fresh cracked black pepper.
[Mario] Paprika. Garlic.
Spanish paprika. Chili flakes.
Oregano. Fennel seeds.
A little bit of water. And mix it.
Form it into a little meatball.
And we're going to bake for about 20 minutes
at 660 Fahrenheit.
Now we're going to make our mozzarella.
Dude, you don't even have 1,000 square feet,
-and you're going to make the mozz. -We like to make the mozz.
All right, let's see this.
[Mario] Water. A little bit of salt.
Milk.
I'll let the water and the milk get to the temperature of 145.
So the key now is pulling it, stretching it, pinch it off,
roll it, and drop it.
[Mario] Now we're going to make our grandma sauce.
So we get Roma tomatoes. We cut them in half.
We add some oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and fresh garlic.
When those are roasting, we cook...
We combine the two with some fresh basil, salt,
and blend it together.
[Guy] The grandma sauce is done. The meatballs are done.
The mozzarella has been made. Let's go.
First, we're gonna stretch our adobo.
Mozzarella, spicy sausage...
Let me check it out, man.
I have never seen you walk by a slice of salami
and not put it in your mouth.
-[Mario] Baked mushrooms. -[Guy] Mmm.
-Close it. -Ooh, that is good.
[Mario] Now I'm gonna drop it.
[Antonia] Basting it with a little bit of oil on top?
[Mario] Yes. Once it is fried, we drain it.
Pecorino and Parmigiano.
Chef, it's light, it's balanced.
I love the spice of the soppressata.
The sauce complements, doesn't hide.
Delicious.
Thank you very much.
Fried pizza ready to go out.
It's deep fried, but it's not greasy.
-It's awesome. -The sauce was really fresh, really good.
Greg, what do you think of the pie?
Actually, I got into a debate of the best pizza in L.A.
with somebody at Scopa, and they put me onto this place.
It happens to be your girlfriend,
Chef Antonia Lofaso, who owns Scopa.
Ironically enough, this is the best pizza around.
Who are you going to listen to?
Smoked mozzarella.
This is the best pizza in Venice.
You just don't get that kind of food anywhere else.
[Guy] This is a hidden gem.
This is like, hey, yeah, you got pepperoni pizza?
Yeah, we got pepperoni pizza.
But what we really got is a lot of authenticity.
-Delicious, Chef. Appreciate it. -Thank you very much.
[Guy] Up next, a brew and cue spot in Cincinnati...
You're setting it up to win.
...putting out Porcapalooza...
-It's dynamite. -...and smoking up a regional favorite.
When I eat chili now, secretively,
I long for the pasta in it.
So I'm here in the Pendleton neighborhood
of Cincinnati, Ohio.
And anyhow, before I get into this, let me tell you,
a lot of people don't know how Cincinnati got its name.
It was actually named after a guy named
Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus.
And there's statues all around the town.
Well, these three buddies come together and say,
"We're going to open a barbecue joint.
What should we call it?"
Hmm.
Oh, I got it for you. This is Lucius Q.
Selling one pound brisket, table four.
Chef Tom's BBQ is the best in the city.
They have all of your standard meats, but then
they have a lot of creativity with sandwiches, flatbreads.
Fuego, six dry rub, wings.
This is the spot.
[Guy] And it's the team of Jeff Keith,
Aaron Sharp, and Shane Spears
who started this scene with Chef Tom Martin mining the pit.
-It's you and two other buddies. -Yep.
-Tom, you're the chef. -Yes, sir.
How do you learn barbecue in Cincinnati?
Well, we call it Cincinnati barbecue.
I take a little bit from the regions of everywhere.
-I dig it. -[chef] Barbecue three-way.
The barbecue three-way is a chili, but it's brisket made.
It's a play on the Cincinnati chili,
which we're famous for in this area.
The cheese and the spaghetti, absolutely amazing.
All right, what are we getting into?
Make our wet rub for our brisket,
mustard, horseradish, apple cider vinegar.
Wet rub, and then a dry rub of just salt and pepper.
-[Tom] You got it. -[Guy] Let it hang out, room temp for a little bit.
Then it'll go in the smoker anywhere from 12 to 14.
[Tom] 225, 235.
Pull it, dice it, and it goes into the chili.
Let's see it.
[Tom] Salad oil, peppers and onions, chili powder, sugar,
-paprika, dry mustard, granulated garlic, cumin. -[Guy whistles]
[Tom] Black pepper, oregano, coriander.
-Kiss of cayenne. -Tomato paste.
Let it go for about 30 minutes on a low heat.
Chicken stock, black beans, diced tomatoes, marinara.
[Guy] The brisket, and then a little bay leaf.
[Tom] Simmer for about two hours.
How many gallons of this are we going through in a week?
-10. 15. -And football season?
[Guy] What makes it three-way?
Three-way in Cincinnati is spaghetti, chili, cheese.
All right, let's see it, boss.
Spaghetti here, brisket, chili.
Now we got two ways.
You're packing it like Noah's Ark right now, buddy.
You know what I'm saying?
Just a little cheddar.
We have a plating issue.
Right now, I'm going to be putting it all over the table.
[Tom] Well, we're not fine dining.
-Can I have my onions? -You sure can.
Are you twirling?
We can't have that here. Cut, shovel.
[Guy] We cut the pasta?
Bite-sized portion.
[Guy] I don't even know that I know how to cut pasta.
[Tom] There you go.
-That's beautiful. -Oh, gosh, it feels terrible.
Probably just supposed to bite it off
and let it fall on the plate, too.
Yeah.
When I eat chili now, secretively,
I long for the pasta in it.
A little smokiness from the brisket,
not too much tomato, not too much bean.
There's a great amount of cheese in it.
There's something about it that is just natural,
like it needs to be.
That's good eats.
Barbecue three-way.
The cheddar cheese is so sharp and wonderful.
The brisket and the tangy sauce,
bam, it's right on the spot.
You can't stop eating it.
It feels like comfort.
[Guy] And you twirl?
-I mean... -[Guy] No twirl on the pasta.
We have the ribs and the turkey.
[woman] Not only are they serving up good food,
they are serving up good vibes.
I hear you work for the Reds.
I have been their DJ for many, many years.
-And how far are we from the stadium? -[Aaron] Twelve blocks.
[Guy] So this is the perfect place to come get some cue and some brew,
and then walk your way with your family down
-to the games. -Yes, yes, yes.
[man] It's easy to get to. The food is always great.
-I mean, it's incredible here. -Don't go anywhere.
-We come back, we're going to make... -Pendleton Porker.
Once you eat that, man, you want to just go lay down.
Waddle down the street with that one.
You're in charge. I know that you're probably in charge.
-He's in charge. -I'm sorry.
I just can't. [laughs]
-You see this? -I gotta go home, man.
This is the way things work down here.
Welcome back. Triple-D hanging out
right down the street from the big stadium in Cincinnati.
He's been watching me eat pasta
with chili on it and not cutting it.
Tom cut it for me like I was a little kid.
Yes, Tom, cut it.
-There you go. -Half pound of turkey.
[man] Whether it's the brisket, the ribs, turkey,
it's just amazing.
Plating the Porker.
The Pendleton Porker is piled full of meat
-and cheese. -[woman 2] With pork belly and gold barbecue sauce.
So it's a great combination.
So we're going to start with our pork butt.
Salt, black pepper, garlic, chili powder,
granulated onion, white pepper,
dry mustard, cumin, paprika, and a little celery seed.
Got it.
[Tom] The same wet rub.
[Guy] Dry rub, and then go to the smoker eight to 12?
[Tom] Correct.
Now we're gonna make the rub for our pork belly.
Granulated garlic, paprika, salt, pepper,
granulated onion, chili powder,
lemon pepper, mustard, thyme, cumin,
ancho chili powder.
"Ancho" worried that was too much?
I think it's just right.
Ancho.
[imitates gunfire]
And light brown sugar, okay? Dry rub onto the pork belly.
-[Tom] Yes, sir. -And this is going to go for how long?
-[Tom] About an hour. -What's up next?
We got our bacon onion jam.
Bacon, red onion, brown sugar,
balsamic vinegar, a little water, salt.
-That's all she wrote. -[Guy] And what's our final step?
Our Carolina Gold barbecue sauce to drizzle
-right on top of the sandwich. -Very nice.
[Tom] We're going to start with butter, yellow onion,
minced garlic, salt, pepper, cumin.
"Ancho" doing that again.
[Tom] "Ancho" I am.
-ACV, more butter, brown sugar. -And then the mustard.
-Let that cook down. -[Tom] Strain out the onions and garlic.
-[Guy] And then we're good to go. -Yes, sir.
All right, chef, let's see it.
[Tom] First thing we do is melt smoked cheddar
on top of our pork belly.
Take our toasted bun.
We'll put that beautiful bacon-onion jam
down on the bottom.
Shred our pork to order.
Carolina gold barbecue sauce.
Top it with the pork belly on there
with our house-smoked cheddar.
So the only vegetal factor that we're having here
is the fact that there was once an onion
and some garlic in that that you strained out.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
It's dynamite.
Smoky bacon, tender pork, and I love the bacon jam.
The sweetness you get from that, my bro, you could
just pour the sauce on the napkin, wad it up.
I was joking, saying there's no vegetal factor to it.
I'm glad that you don't. I'm glad there's no pickle in it.
You don't need it.
Typically, that you have that pickle or something
in there is you need that acidic relief.
But in this right here, with all that flavor coming
through that mustard, you're setting it up to win.
Delicious sandwich.
[server] The Pendleton Porker.
You've got, like, these crispy bits of pork.
And then the tartness of the mustard really helps
the sweetness of the jam.
Come on, get in after that.
Release the neck, pop the jaw. There you go.
Look at that power bite.
This is Chef Christian Gill.
How many times were you on Guy's Grocery Games?
[Christian] Five, six?
-[Guy] This is a destination when you come to Cincinnati. -100%.
I got a full slab.
Going solo.
The people are friendly. The hospitality is on point.
It's a great addition to our neighborhood.
[Guy] You really take a lot of pride.
And I've been in barbecue for a long time.
And everything you talk about and the way
that you engage it, I love it, dude.
Great job.
Coming up, a food cart in Bend, Oregon...
You have so much to play with,
and you have really no boundaries.
Making a tasty turn.
Never seen tapenade on top of a tostada.
And taking the veggie train to Flavortown.
It's probably one of the best looking dishes
I've ever seen come out of a food truck.
I'm in an alley behind a market and well-known cafe
here in town in Bend, Oregon, where a couple has built
a kitchen inside of an old car trailer.
The chef is originally from Oklahoma, came out here
to find locally sourced food, and he was eating meat.
He meets a vegan, and, well, they just set
up shop, and they're doing it right here.
You're going to love it. This is A Broken Angel.
[server] One Mount Bachelor hash.
They serve really good vegan food.
[man] It's like Southern comfort,
but you don't feel heavy afterwards.
[female server] Barbecue eggplant po'boy.
[woman] They make everything so flavorful.
It doesn't matter if it's vegan or not.
[Guy] Because Oklahoma chef Richard Hull
only started cooking vegan after moving to Bend
and meeting partner Barbara Troyer.
So you were a vegetarian when you came out here?
-No, sir. -I met her, and I changed my whole life.
I always say he turned his magical talents onto plants.
Can I get an oaky fried rice, please?
The oaky fried rice is artistic.
It's warm and hearty.
[Guy] Okay, what are we making?
The smoked turtle beans for the oaky fried rice.
-Okay. -Cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic granules.
[Guy] All right.
The next thing is turtle bean is a petite black bean.
Add the water, oregano, bay leaves,
our house chili blend, salt, and cracked black pepper.
Cook for about two and a half hours,
and they're going to be ready to go.
-What do we got next? -The rojo sauce.
Serrano chilies in this pepper roaster.
Sweet onions, organic diced tomatoes, oregano, salt,
cracked black pepper, water, and then our charred serranos.
That's delicious.
-What's next? -[Richard] The verde.
Poached tomatillos and serranos.
Sweet onion, oregano, a little bit of water,
-salt-- -And the cracked black.
And that's our house green.
Right amount of salt.
Delicious. What do we got next?
-[Richard] The sauerkraut. -Got it.
[Richard] Salt the red cabbage, put it in its fermenting jar
with bay leaves, caraway, dill seed,
mustard seed, and our saltwater brine.
Then it usually sits four to six weeks.
[Guy] All right, brother.
You have got everything but the kitchen sink here,
so walk me through this.
[Richard] Sweet onions, poblano chilies, red chilies, tofu, zucchini,
creminis, and then our house essence, oil, baby spinach.
These are dill tossed tomatoes.
-That's a big "dill" right there. -Yeah.
And then I'm going to add my jasmine rice,
the house-made kraut.
-[Guy] You grill the kraut? -Yes.
And I'm going to plate it.
[Guy] Holy moly.
Some turtle beans, finish it with the grilled kraut.
[Guy] I don't think I've ever had grilled kraut
on oaky fried rice.
[Richard] House red sauce, green sauce, chives on the top.
It's probably one of the best looking dishes
I've ever seen come out of a food truck.
From the beans, to the vegetable, to the crunch,
to the creaminess of the tofu, the salsas on top.
We've got a little spice, a little crunch,
a little creamy, a little acidy.
-That's outstanding. -Thank you so much.
The oaky fried rice.
Just so filling and nourishing.
With the extra kraut, it's just so good.
[woman 1] I don't know what the seasonings are,
but it sure makes the food delicious.
-[Guy] So you eat meat. -I do.
I would say this is 100 times better.
[woman 2] It's so good.
And you feel good after, even though it's really hearty.
I've got some griddle cakes for you.
What's unique about this is that I source
all of our ingredients 300 miles.
We know the farmers.
A lot of local and organic yummy vegetables, artichokes.
Can I get one artichoke tostada?
Artichoke tostada is absolutely excellent.
There's a lot going on in it. It's amazing.
Next, we're going to start building
the grilled artichoke tostada.
We're going to start with enchilada warm sauce,
sweet onion, diced tomatoes,
the house chili blend, smoked paprika,
-cumin... -[Guy] Oregano, salt, and pepper.
Looks enchiladi.
You make soup out of that. That is fantastic.
-Thank you. -Okay, next up.
[Richard] The olive tapenade.
Kalamatas, Spanish olives, capers, green olives, pulse,
And this just gets better with time as it sits here.
-Yes, it does. -[Guy] Got it.
How's that gonna go wrong, right?
[Richard] The grilled tortillas are down.
I'm gonna start with some sweet onion.
-[Guy] Red bell pepper. -[Richard] Poblanos.
Lemon preserved artichoke.
The creminis. A little bit of zucchini.
And house chili blend. Thyme.
Sunflower oil.
And I'm gonna hit it with a little bit of water
to get the hydration, the oil going.
Boom.
I'm grabbing my tortillas.
The smoked turtle beans. Arugula.
Artichoke mix. Tapenade.
Never seen tapenade on top of a tostada.
the house verde, and then our warm enchilada.
That's all she wrote.
[Guy] The artichoke is money.
I love the enchilada sauce.
Delicious veggies, not overworked.
I love the brininess of it.
That's the bite I've been trying to get together.
Mmm!
There's a ton going on.
Plating the artichoke tostadas.
[woman 1] The tapenade really brought out the flavors
-of the veggies. -[woman 2] And the warm corn tortillas
are really good, too.
[Richard] Enchilada short stack.
The meals here are absolutely spectacular,
and each one's better than the next.
[Guy] You have so much to play with,
and you have really no boundaries.
Your enthusiasm, your creativity,
your sourcing is really part of the experience
that makes the food even that much more delicious.
-Well done. -Thank you so much, Chef.
Excellent, man.
So was that another righteous road trip or what?
But don't you worry, we got plenty more joints
to find all over this country.
I'll be looking for you next week
on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
It's just the way you take the time to sauce this,
then putting it on the slate.
The creativity of making the Fieri.
-This. You come down and get this tomorrow. -[all laughing]
Huh? Right there, available now.
The Fieri.