Hey, there. I'm Guy Fieri and we're rolling out
looking for America's greatest Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
[Fieri narrating] This trip...
I'm drowning in drool.
...we've got amazing plates...
The real deal right there.
...from all over the place.
We are in uncharted territory right now, folks.
There are seaside sensations in New Jersey.
Wow, that's gorgeous.
A big, fast Greek menu in Ohio.
-He just puts magic in it. -Yeah.
[Fieri narrating] And in Indianapolis...
This guy is going next level.
A terrific twist on tacos and tamales.
Delicious. Like, eat-the-husk delicious.
Taking 'em to the top.
A 10.
I don't say that very often, but that's a 10.
That's all right here, right now
on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
[theme music playing]
So I'm here in the Englewood neighborhood of Indianapolis,
and I've got a great story for you.
All right. Young chef from Mexico
lived in that building right there.
And she went to the Englewood Community Development Corporation,
and said, "Listen, there's an abandoned building right over there
that my dad and I would love to put a little tamale shop in."
They have built a following.
They are doing tamales, tacos, you name it.
Everybody loves it.
This is Tlaolli.
-[woman] Quesadilla is up. -It's a different way to experience Mexican food.
-Pork asado. -Your mind's blowing.
You're like, "What is this?"
One ECDC Torta.
-How do you say it in the first place? -[both laughing]
Everybody says it differently.
[Fieri] I say, it's the house that Carlos Hutchinson built
with the help of his local community and daughter, Carla,
who's now a culinary instructor in Los Angeles.
American dream.
Here's your turkey tamales.
The turkey tamales, just phenomenal.
[woman] It's cranberry sauce on a turkey tamale,
and you're like, "How does that even work?"
All right, so ground turkey.
[Hutchinson] Onion powder, thyme, garlic powder, white pepper...
A little kosher salt.
[Hutchinson] Water, and we're gonna mix it.
-Sage. -[Fieri] And we're gonna roast this in the oven.
[Hutchinson] 375 for 20 minutes.
[Fieri] Okay, so we have the cooked turkey,
shredded turkey breast, what do we do next?
[Hutchinson] Turkey tamale salsa.
We're gonna begin with the fresh pepper,
tomato powder, sour cream, fresh red tomatoes.
Mix the ground turkey with this shredded turkey.
Turkey salsa.
Finishing with olive oil.
-I assume this is the cranberry sauce. -Yeah.
[Fieri] Olive oil and water.
You see the oil and water combo.
Cranberry. Wait until that "bloom".
-Bloom. [chuckles] -Bloom.
Manzano Pepper, habanero, roma tomatoes, sage,
jalapeno pepper, red onions...
-Orange peel? -This quite different.
Tangerine juice, orange juice...
Salt, black pepper.
We'll let this cook for 20 minutes.
Cider vinegar, fresh cranberry, cilantro.
And then blend all together.
We're gonna do the masa.
Olive oil, celery seed...
Thyme, baking powder,
-oregano, sage, garlic powder... -Marjoram.
Salt, onion powder. Mix it.
We're ready for the machine.
Let's get the machina.
We are in uncharted territory right now, folks,
because he's gonna pack it around the sides with the masa,
and then, I think, we're gonna put the meat right in the center of that.
-[Hutchinson] Correct. -[Fieri] That's our turkey.
Wow.
Never seen this before.
-Now that this is done... -We need some corn husks...
[Fieri] That have been soaked in water.
[Hutchinson] A little bit here,
wrap the tamales, put it in aluminum foil.
-[Fieri] Now from here, we'll steam them? -[Hutchinson] Yes.
Plate the turkey tamales, some cranberry salsa.
Got a little bit of cilantro, and that's it.
I've never had a turkey tamale, but it's delicious.
Good texture from the masa harina. Very rustic.
You can tell that I like, uh, the salsa, by the way.
I get a little bit of spice in the cranberry.
I just housed a whole tamale here talking to you.
Delicious. Like, eat-the-husk delicious.
Turkey tamale ready.
The masa is just phenomenal.
The cranberry salsa is one of my favorite things that Carlos makes.
The pork asada tacos, it really is just a wonderful hidden gem.
This is the dude, the Englewood Community Development Corporation.
You guys gave them the kick start.
We've been very lucky to partner with him for about 10 years now.
It's a good place to build a community, get some great food.
Vegan birria tacos.
They've got the best vegan tacos in town.
You never miss or even realize that you're not eating meat.
Birria, typically, is made with goat.
In place of the goat we use jackfruit.
[Fieri] Jackfruit.
So first thing we're gonna start off.
[Hutchinson] Chile puya salsa.
-Roma tomatoes, oil... -[Fieri] Onions and garlic.
Oregano, cumin,
bay leaf, thyme...
Water. Cook everything.
And then, we add the chilies.
-[Fieri] We have... -Ancho, guajillo and puya.
[Fieri] Hit it with the immersion blender for a long time.
-[Hutchinson] This is vinegar. -Got it.
Jackfruit, paprika.
Because if that was cayenne, I was gonna be scared.
[Hutchinson] Onion powder...
Salt, oregano, garlic powder, bay leaf and rosemary...
You can smell that from here.
[Hutchinson] ...cumin, thyme.
-So this is the house paste. -Yes.
-Delicious. -[Hutchinson] Mix it.
-The oil is going into this. -Thank you.
Cook it for...
-Roasted plantains. -Yes.
Onion powder, salt, white pepper...
-So this gets mixed with the jackfruit. -[Hutchinson] Yes.
Little bit of chili paste.
Put it in the oven for 15 minutes.
The party continues.
Prepare the mushrooms.
[Fieri] So you've got oyster mushrooms and the white button...
-[Hutchinson] Oiled with onions and garlic. -Garlic.
This guy's going next level.
-Now we're gonna roast this up... -[Hutchinson] 15 minutes.
Combine our mushroom with the jackfruit, chili paste
and birria is done.
All right, so the last thing we're gonna make?
[Hutchinson] The consomme.
Whole tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeno.
-The chili paste that we made earlier. -That we made earlier.
-Tomato paste, cinnamon and clove. -[Fieri] Okay.
-[Hutchinson] Salt... -Got it.
-[Hutchinson] Cumin. -What's in the sachet?
-[Hutchinson] Marjoram, bay leaf... -Okay.
[Hutchinson] ...and thyme.
We'll cook that down, take that out, and then puree that.
[Hutchinson] Correct.
We're gonna make our birria tacos.
The tortillas, canola oil, guajillo powder.
Well, he really thinks through all this.
Vegan cheese. Look at that.
A little bit of pickle.
Fold it like this and present it,
and put a little bit of lime on it.
[Fieri whistling]
I'm speechless.
That's better than 80% of the birria tacos I've had.
There is so much flavor, so many great textures.
The mushroom is the winner.
The consomme dip.
A 10.
I don't say that very often, but that's a 10.
Thank you so much.
Vegan birria.
Have you had birria tacos before?
They were one of my favorites.
-Ah, yes. -You got it with meat, and you got it with Jackfruit.
I prefer these.
[man] The crispiness on the outside of the shell
and then, like, the softness on the inside.
-[Fieri] On a 1-10 scale? -Above 10.
-[Fieri] Carlos gets a... -100%
Tortas.
I come, like at least once a week now.
I can't stop coming.
Not a normal person who sees this.
You were born a chef.
-Congratulations. -Thank you so much.
[Fieri narrating] Coming up in Bradley Beach, New Jersey.
-I wave the flag, bud. -[chuckles softly]
[Fieri narrating] A funky spot going crazy with the clams.
I'm gonna be buried in this dish.
And into overdrive with the bird.
The flavor explosion that is going on inside of this dish
is next level, bro.
[upbeat music playing]
I'm here at Bradley Beach, New Jersey,
right down the street from Asbury Park
to check out a restaurant that fits right into the Triple D mold.
We're looking for authenticity,
we're looking for a great story and dynamite food.
I hear the chef is on the line every night, six days a week.
He's writing his own menu, he's doing things his way
and everything is scratch made.
Would be a great name for a restaurant.
This is Skratch Kitchen.
Pick up one Beans and Shrooms.
Skratch Kitchen is definitely the place to go.
The food is fresh.
Everything is made with love and passion.
Let the tomatoes do the magic.
JT is just a phenomenal chef.
[Fieri] That's JT Dunn,
who opened this spot after years of drifting in and out of the industry.
-So you finished marine biology... -With a degree.
...jumped ship and went into restaurant.
For 37 years.
I took a break 14 years ago, but I started to get the itch again.
-Right back in, baby. -Yeah.
-All right. What are we making today? -Cajun clams.
-[Fieri] Cajun clams in New Jersey? -Yes.
Picking up one Cajun clams.
It's got cherry tomatoes, andouille sausage and cannellini beans.
It's more than an appetizer. It's a great dish.
We're gonna make a homemade clam stock.
-These are huge. -Yeah.
Big clams, big juice.
Celery, carrots, fresh lemon,
onion, a little bay leaf and some agua
and we'll let that go until the clams open
and the stock's ready to use,
and then we'll strain it.
-What are we doing next? -Overnight tomatoes.
Garlic, fresh rosemary and cherry tomatoes
finished with extra virgin olive oil.
This goes into the oven that gets turned off
and the pilot light cooks these tomatoes.
-It's a slow poach. -[Fieri] Got it.
Now we're gonna make roasted garlic
-and rosemary infused flatbreads. -Let's see it.
[Dunn] All purpose flour, yeast, salt, sugar, rosemary.
And then we're gonna use the roasted garlic from our overnight tomatoes.
Water and oil.
-You put the water and the oil together. -[Dunn] Yes.
You got to cut down on the workload.
That's your way of cutting down on the workload?
-[Dunn] Yep. -Wow.
[Dunn] Proof for an hour and a half.
So you just roll it out,
-and we fry it up. -[Fieri] That's gorgeous.
[Dunn] Now we're gonna make seasoned breadcrumbs.
It is the season of breadcrumbs.
[Dunn] Fresh parsley, granulated garlic,
oregano, parmigiano cheese, salt,
a little bit of pepper.
Extra virgin olive oil, unsalted butter.
-Breadcrumbs are gonna go in. -[Fieri] All right.
-[Dunn] Now we're gonna assemble our Cajun clams. -[Fieri] Okay.
Start off with a little olive oil andouille sausage, garlic.
The clams are free,
-but the breath mints are, like, 80 bucks. -[chuckles softly]
Add our clams, our overnight tomatoes,
basil, butter, scallions, cannellini beans.
Season with a little salt and pepper,
and then we're gonna deglaze with a little white wine.
Add some clam stock.
That's how the whole party started.
Wait for the clams to pop.
[Fieri] I'm gonna be buried in this dish.
[Dunn] Fresh parsley, our seasoned, toasted breadcrumbs.
I'm drowning in drool.
[Dunn] And our flatbread.
-Is this an appetizer? -This is an appetizer.
-[Fieri] For 18 people? -[Dunn chuckles softly]
Look at that money-bite.
[sighing] Oh!
[chuckles softly]
-I wave the flag, bud. -[chuckles softly]
[Fieri] I couldn't figure out why, in a Jersey Shore joint,
you were putting something on the menu that was Cajun.
But the reality of it is this is, like, next-level ridiculous.
Honestly, have I lived here,
I would be here at least once, if not twice a week, just for that dish.
-It's outstanding. -Thank you.
[woman] Cajun clams for you, Miss.
Do you enjoy clams?
Um... yes.
-How does the chef prepare them here? -Awesome.
I can't believe everything that's in there. It's just so much.
The clams, they are cooked perfectly.
It's nice and light. It's fresh.
-And the bread... -She's buried the bread down into the sauce.
So if you're a local, you're in the know,
-you know where to go. -Oh, yeah. Our little gem.
Octopus coming up.
When you got out of business, why did you get out of the game?
I was in a really bad place. I had to get my head right.
Now I have 12 years of sobriety.
I wanted to do it from a different approach.
And you say, "I want back in"
-because this is your first love. -Right.
-[Fieri] Congratulations. -Thanks.
Okay, 'cause that's not an easy journey.
J's amazing, truly.
Plating up andouille.
Don't go anywhere, folks. This guy's gonna make more.
Can I get some more bread and some pasta?
-How many of these do we go through a day? -15 to 20.
Guess what. Newsflash.
You're gonna be making more.
[chuckles softly]
You know, I'm gonna get this text from him...
"Hey, Guy.
I made 150 flatbreads today."
[both laugh]
Welcome back, Triple D hanging out in Bradley Beach.
This is Chef JT
and his joint is called Skratch Kitchen.
Searing off my eggplant.
He does get the freshest ingredients
pastas, sea foods, his meat.
-Puts his heart on the plate. -[woman] Yes.
I love this food. It is awesome.
Bringing up a Chicken Savoy.
[woman] One of my favorites is the Chicken Savoy.
It's got a beautiful crust of parmesan and garlic.
Sweet peppers, hot peppers. It's plated beautifully.
-[Fieri] Hit it, chef. -All right.
So first we're gonna make our garlic rub.
A little olive oil, fresh chopped garlic, Sicilian oregano,
garlic pepper, salt and some Parmigiano Reggiano.
Mix this up.
-Chicken thighs. -[Fieri] Skin on
because the skin is the real key to this whole thing.
Got a nice hot pan. Skin side up.
-So we can finish skin side down... -Correct.
[Fieri] ...to really get it super crispy.
Three thighs?
Your restaurants by the beach,
-not in a Lumberjack village. -[chuckles softly]
I cook like I eat.
[Fieri] Oh. Look at that color.
Drain the oil and pop it in the oven.
-Eight to ten minutes, we're gonna finish the dish. -Got it.
[Dunn] We're gonna make a balsamic reduction for the chicken.
We're gonna take our balsamic vinegar
and brown sugar and our bay leaf
cook it for a few hours.
All right, so we're out of the oven.
Continue to cook a little bit.
We're gonna add a little bit of butter,
fresh garlic mixture, and a little bit of brown sugar.
And then we take our vinegar peppers and our hot cherry peppers.
We deglaze with red wine vinegar.
[Fieri] Again, one of those lacking flavor dishes
that they make here at Skratch Kitchen.
[Dunn] Parmigiano cheese,
and then we put it in the salamander and crisp it up.
And then, I pour in on top.
Finish with homemade balsamic reduction.
-It's like an inferno. -[chuckles softly]
There's vinegar in there.
Fortunately, we put that little knob of brown sugar in there,
and you give that balsamic reduction
'cause you've got such big, powerful flavors coming through here
with that red wine vinegar,
and all that garlic, I mean, there's a lot of garlic in there.
The Italian peppers with their acidity.
A little bit of heat, a little bit of sweet.
The flavor explosion that is going on inside of this dish
is next level, bro.
[Dunn] Thank you.
[Fieri] If you're looking for big flavors,
something unique and creative, this is your dish.
Chicken Savoy, Table 22.
The chicken thigh is so juicy.
The balsamic's a little sweet, a little sour.
-It was really good. -Once you come here the first time,
you're coming back.
[woman] Every night, you can expect to find
something wonderful and different on the menu.
I mean, I love cooking.
It's my favorite thing to do in the world.
To see somebody that loves it even more than me
and get such a charge out of it,
I'm happy that I get to be the guy that lets the world know
that Skratch Kitchen is open.
So am I.
-You're awesome, bro. Thanks for having me. -Thanks very much.
[Dunn] Thank you.
[Fieri narrating] Coming up, a joint putting a fast, casual spin on Greek...
My happy place.
...but not skipping on the selection.
-I mean, look at this. -[Chalkias] A hundred menu items.
[Fieri narrating] ...or the big time flavor.
Chef, delicious.
I mean, really delicious.
[upbeat music playing]
You've got to love Triple D chefs.
I mean, they take just about any building they can find
and turn it into a restaurant.
Went to a place that was a cell phone store,
turned into a restaurant.
Gas station turned into restaurant.
You take just about anything, they can put a restaurant in it.
So I'm here in Whitehall, Ohio,
fifteen minutes outside of Columbus,
to check out a restaurant where the chef did just that.
He took an old taco joint.
And turned it into a Greek restaurant.
You got it. This is King Gyros.
Salmon Greek Salad, Table 5.
King Gyros is the best Greek restaurant in Columbus.
My family's from Greece. This is as close as I can get to some of my roots back home.
[Chalkias] One steak and feta bowl.
[man] I usually come through the drive-through.
The food is excellent.
[Fieri] And the mastermind behind this spot is Yianni Chalkias,
who moved to the States as a kid
and has been bringing Greece to the people of Ohio for over 30 years.
I saw in '91 that the fast casual was the real thing.
I wanted to bring the Greek cuisine in Columbus.
-Make it more approachable. -Yep.
[Fieri] Authentic Greek, but in a quick, easy service type of place.
Definitely. Flavor, flavor, flavor.
Give me another lamb chop.
The lamb chops are my favorite.
It's almost like a steak on a stick, if you will.
With the lemon sauce, I love it. [laughs]
-[Fieri] I see that we're into lamb. -Lamb chops.
-They're New Zealand. -[Fieri] Walk me through it.
I'm gonna marinate the lamb.
Mint... by the way, these herbs come from our garden.
-You grow it here? -We do.
Rosemary, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, paprika,
granulated garlic, brown sugar, cayenne pepper...
-[Fieri] Italian olive oil. -You know, I don't know.
You know, it could be Greek.
So then we whisk it,
and then we're gonna cut the lamb chop.
-[Fieri] You're gonna break 'em down into individuals. -Yes.
[Fieri] And we're gonna take these and marinate these, how long?
-[Chalkias] 48 hours. -Really?
[Chalkias] Just to capture all that flavor.
[Fieri] Now, what are we gonna serve this with?
Roasted vegetables and Greek rice.
-All right. Greek rice. -[Chalkias] Chicken base water,
a little bit of salt there,
black pepper, egg shade for color.
-So parboiled rice. -[Chalkias] Carrots, celery and onions.
They're precooked.
And just the right amount of liquid.
Mix that together.
Throw that in the oven and bake it off.
[Chalkias] Now we're gonna make our lemon dill sauce.
[Fieri] Why do you call it that?
Because it's got lemon and dill in it.
-That's... -That's what you should call it, then.
-Yes. [chuckles softly] -Guess what's in it, folks.
It's a mystery.
Hot water, put the lemon on.
-I knew there was lemon in there. -[Chalkias] The dill,
chicken base in there, and a little rue.
Let that thicken up.
So the lemon dill sauce is done.
-Knock out some veggies and grill the chops. -[Chalkias] Definitely.
The Greek rice, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli,
and get the lamb chops on there
and a little rosemary
put a little lemon dill sauce on top of it.
And that's all she wrote.
That's so medium rare there.
Chef, delicious.
I mean, really delicious.
I love the, uh...
God, what's the name of the sauce again that has garlic in it and...
-Lemon dill. -Lemon dill sauce. That's right.
The lamb is cooked perfectly.
The marinade is not overpowering.
And the rice plays in and supports it well.
Scratch made, homemade, definitely with a lot of heart to it.
Delicious.
Lamb chop dinner, Table number 12.
The lamb chops melt on your tongue.
It's explosion of flavors.
-He just puts magic in it. -Yeah.
How did you find this place?
Uh, smelled it, driving down the road.
-Smelled it? -[man] Yeah.
-[women laughing] -[Fieri] Is there anything he can't make?
-I dare you to ask him. -[laughs]
[Chalkias] Fire Feta coming up. Table 12.
I mean, look at this.
[Chalkias] Everything's made from scratch.
A hundred menu items.
[Fieri] How many different desserts do you guys make?
Twenty-six different ones.
He's let us sample baklava because he wants you to try it before you buy it.
I didn't know about the samples.
-I didn't... I didn't know it was free sample. -[all laughing]
You just can't go wrong when you come here no matter what you order.
[Chalkias] Dolmades coming up.
The dolmades are very, very good.
Got the rice, the different meats and the spices.
It's addictive. It makes you say, "I want more."
[Chalkias] Dolmades.
-This is my grandmother's recipe. -Okay.
[Chalkias] We take ground lamb and ground beef,
-ground in house. -[Fieri] Okay.
Granulated garlic, salt...
-Black pepper. -[Chalkias] ...an egg
lemon juice, garden dill, fresh parsley...
[Fieri] Sweated green bell pepper.
[Chalkias] ...yellow onions and then tomatoes.
Mix it.
[Fieri] Throw in the rice.
So the grape leaves come in already prepared.
-The ribs on the inside? -Yes.
We take a scoop, and then you roll it.
[Fieri] Tuck in the sides.
-[Chalkias] All right. -[Fieri sighs] Oh.
So we'll just line these up.
Now, what liquid are we gonna cook them in?
[Chalkias] Juice that's got hot water, granulated garlic,
ground cumin, black pepper, chicken base, beef base.
[Fieri] Pour it on top. Cover it.
-And how long we're gonna let it bake in the oven? -[Chalkias] For 2 hours, 350.
-And then, yell, "Opa!" -Now you're talking.
[Fieri] Look at those.
Now, can you also do these cold?
[Chalkias] The cold that, typically, don't have meat in them,
they're vegetarian.
And I feel, like, with meat, you get more of the flavors,
-you get the real experience... -Right, when it's warm.
Our lemon dill sauce.
Fit for a king.
My happy place.
You give a good amount of filling.
That, uh... sauce?
What's that sauce again?
You're right. Lemon dill sauce.
A good mixture of meat-wrapped rice.
Chef, the dolmades are delicious.
Dolmades, for dining room, table one.
Tender, nice flavor.
I taste a lot of lemon.
They're just perfect.
-No, he does cook 'em right. -[woman] It's good every time.
Here's your Gyros.
[woman] If you're in the area of Columbus,
you should definitely come to King Gyros.
Well, you are living the American dream.
You can have the greatest recipes, the greatest ideas,
but there's one thing that makes it all come together.
-That's hard work, and that's you. -Thank you.
The real deal right there.
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.
How much different fresh seafood do you bring in?
I've got octopus, calamad...
-Calamad. -[chuckles softly]
You know, here in Jersey, it's calamari, just so you know.
-Here we go. -[chuckles softly]
I'm gonna have to translate this entire show for you, but...
The white cheese is mozzarella.
Okay? Yes, I know.
-I'm done. -[chuckles softly]