I'm Guy Fieri,
we're rolling out looking for America's greatest...
[crowd in unison] Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives
[all cheering]
[Guy Fieri] This trip...
Doing my best work right now, folks.
...we're hitting some surfs.
Some lemon.
...and keeping things savory
That would go in the Flavortown Hall of Fame.
We've got a local gem in Puerto Rico...
-This is legit. -Yes, certainly.
[Guy] ...mouthwatering Mediterranean in Cleveland..
That is lights out.
...and a funky joint in New Jersey...
-Wow. -...serving up earth...
-They've invented fake bacon. -[laughs]
[Guy] ...that tastes as goo as turf.
This is dynamite.
That's all right here, right now,
on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
So I'm here in Somerville, New Jersey,
and when I think New Jersey, of course I think of the first place
we ever shot on Triple D,
the Bayway Diner in Linden, New Jersey.
And I think about Italian delis, I think about pizza.
You know what I don't think about? Vegan. No, not one bit.
I'll tell you what, the vegan movement is alive and well.
I'm here to check out a joint where a guy is doing a vegan menu,
and he's also doing a surf and turf menu.
And he's come up with a crazy name. This is Turf, Surf, and Earth.
[Byron Salazar] Black bean burger.
This place is amazing.
It's why I'm here three times a day.
[waitress] Barbecue ranch turkey burger.
They have fish, they have the regular meats, they have the vegan.
-I'm not a vegan, but I love their vegan food. -[Guy] Okay.
I bring all my friends here. It's always good.
[Guy] And it's that somethin for everyone menu
that Byron Salazar and Mackenzie Stahl targete
when they opened the joint.
I have one other location, Warren, New Jersey.
The first one's called Turf and Surf
and I really wanted to do a turf, surf, and earth
and evolve the plant-based options.
-You do a little mix of everything. -Everything, yeah.
I have the po' boy sandwich.
The po' boy has mushrooms,
it's got a little bit of a kick with the sauce.
Everything that is inside, it's just delicious.
-[Guy] So what are we making, chef? -Vegan pepper jack cheese.
[Salazar] We're gonna start with soy milk,
tapioca flour, nutritional yeast,
-kappa carrageenan. -[Guy] What?
It's a derivative of seaweed.
So, it helps with the gelling process.
-To... [whistles] -[laughs] Yeah.
[whistles] [clicks tongue]
Blend it all in there.
[Guy] Heat it up, hit it with the immersion blender,
-and emulsify it with the oil? -Yeah.
-Can we do the drizzle to the schnizzle? -Yeah.
-Doing my best work right now, folks. -[laughs]
[Salazar] Apple cider vinega lactic acid,
salt, onion powder, garlic powder.
[Guy] Sweated jalapenos, chili flakes.
-[Salazar] Yup. [laughs] -This whole thing's kinda cheesy.
Put it in the refrigeration, let it sit overnight.
And the next day, it'll be a nice, solid brick
-So what's our next step? -Plant-based mayo.
-Doesn't sound sexy. -Non-dairy mayo?
-Non-dairy mayo sounds a lot better. -Sounds a lot better.
Soy milk, agave, apple cider vinegar. salt, garlic powder,
lactic acid and our dry mustard powder.
Pour the oil in slowly until we get a nice thickness out of it.
You're killing me, Smalls.
-Not in my contract. -[laughs]
[Guy] That tightens up big-time.
That is as thick, it is creamy, and is rich.
-That's better than mayo, bro. -Yeah.
So now we're gonna do the chipotle mayo.
[Guy] Chipotle and adobo.
-[Salazar] Paprika. -[Guy] And the lemon juice.
-And this is the horseradish? -Yup.
[Guy] Dill, horseradish.
-It's my own cooking demo. -[Salazar] Lemon, garlic powder.
Now, do you use a vegan Worcestershire?
-I do use a vegan Worcestershire. -Fantastic.
-Let's build the sandwich. -Got it.
[Salazar] Start with oyster mushrooms drop them into bean water
with some apple cider vinega
-Little flour, little panko. -Yup.
[Salazar] And from there, straight into the fryer.
Toasted pretzel bun with ou homemade pepper jack cheese chipotle mayo.
[Guy] Pickles are a key, oyster mushroom.
-[Salazar] Horseradish sauce -[Guy] Slaw.
[Salazar] Chipotle mayo, top it off.
Ta-da.
Delicious, chef The oyster is the mushroom for this.
The right amount of crunch, not too much breading.
The mayos are awesome, the pickles are must-have.
Really needs the acid.
This is the carnivore-killer. This is big, it's rich, it's meaty.
It's got a little bit of funk.
-Spot on. -Let me get two Grandma's Boys.
The oyster mushroom just fries perfectly.
I love the mayo.
This is Jen Ehrlacher,
uh, good friends of mine.
We've had great meals togeth with our good friend Rachel Ray.
It's a genius idea that they're doing here,
offering all different facet to proteins.
I can get something I really like,
and my husband can get something he really likes here.
The vegan food is so deceptive you won't even know it's vegan food.
Vegan Turk'y Club, table 11.
[man] I had the turk'y club
with the bacon and the lettuce, tomato, and the sauces.
Tastes just like meaty turke
like the stuff you have in Thanksgiving.
We're gonna make our turkey roast for our turkey BLT.
-This is vegan, also. -All right.
-So we're gonna add our water, pressed tofu. -I'm impressed.
-[Guy] Nutritional yeast. -Salt, miso paste, apple cider vinegar.
[Salazar] Some vegetable oil mustard powder, vegetable base.
-[Salazar] Cooked mushrooms -What kind of mushroom?
Nebrodini biancos.
That's what I thought they were.
You really wanna get a smooth mixture.
-So what do we do here? -So we got our vital weak gluten.
Some flour, garlic, last but not least, the onion powder.
Add our liquid portion, and then we'll let it mix for a while into a dough.
Form two loaves and then wra it up to be put in the oven
-[Guy] At what temp? -300 degrees for about an hour and 20 minutes.
So, now we're gonna make our vegetable stock.
Start with our water and then our onions.
Celery, carrots, garlic, thyme,
rosemary, sage, our favorite ingredient, some nutritional yeast.
-You guys call it nooch? -We call it nooch.
Bay leaves, tamari.
[Guy] What if it was yesterday? What was it?
-[in accent] "Yesterday"? -Yeah. Not bad, not bad.
[Salazar] Salt, sugar.
-[Guy] How long are you gonna let that go? -About 30 minutes.
-[Guy] We'll strain it? So, our loaf is done. -Mmm-hmm.
[Salazar] Drop it into our stock.
-Where it'll absorb flavor? -Absorb flavors.
-[Guy] It'll cook how long in there? -20 minutes.
-[Salazar] Slice it up. -Got it, got it, okay.
-We have our multigrain bread. -Been toasted off.
[Salazar] The mayo, add avocado, and our vegan bacon.
-Do you make it or you bring it in? -We don't. We bring it in.
-[Guy] Now, this is cooked? -Yup, nice and crispy.
I've never had vegan bacon taste that good. Wow.
-They've invented fake bacon. -[laughs]
[Salazar] All right, turkey mustard, banana peppers,
some lettuce, tomatoes.
[Guy] Nice whole grain.
This is dynamite.
The texture of the turkey is a cross between
roasted turkey meat and turkey lunchmeat out of a package.
Everything has a texture.
That's a turkey sandwich that I would order every day.
-It's very light. -Yeah. Could run a mile after this.
Well, I don't know. I mean, you gotta be able to run a mile in the first place.
Let's not kid ourselves.
[Salazar] This is the turk'y club.
Crunchiness of the bacon really comes out nice.
If I didn't know it was vegan,
there's no way I would guess it at all.
-[claps] -I think it's outstanding.
That's what I'm saying.
-[waitress] Nachos. -It's just one of those places you can't get enough of.
Dynamite restaurant, dynamite concept,
-and the delivery is excellent. Well done. -Appreciate it.
[Guy] Up next, a real deal spot in San Juan, Puerto Ric
This guy right here, make it happen, Captain.
Scored with shrimp empanadas...
That's on point.
...home run hot sauce...
I could easily get in trouble with that.
...and hitting a triple with one of my favorites.
I didn't want anybody to mess with my mofongo. Now I have three fongo.
[in accent] The court must be out.
The jury's coming over.
-I didn't think the accent was so bad. -Oh, really?
-[in accent] Next on Diners Drive-Ins, and Dives. -And Dives.
-[laughs] -And Dives.
I'm here in Puerto Rico, PR as the locals call it,
on Ashford Avenue.
This is kind of like a hotel row where all the tourists come.
You can find all kinds of restaurants down here.
But can you find yourself a real deal Puerto Rican restaurant
serving meals like Grandma made?
You will, right here. This is Orozco's.
-[bell rings] -Beef empanadas.
From 1 to 10, it's a 10.
[chef] Alcapurrias ready.
[man] Curry bean style Puerto Rican cuisine,
spicy but not hot.
I always pass by and say, "I gotta go to this place. This is Orozco's."
It's like soul food.
[Guy] And this food definite runs deep in the soul
of the owner, Jaime Orozco,
who runs this spot alongside his wife, Maria,
and learned the tricks of the trade from his late father.
-Your dad was a restaurateur. -Yes.
[Jaime Orozco] I started working with him,
I was studying computer engineering.
And I realized that my life was here.
So, I used to have a restaurant down the block.
For 30 years, he owns this place
and we build this from ground to the top.
And I try to keep it as a ho cooking as close as we can.
[speaking foreign language]
Trifongo is yucca, which is cassava in English,
the sweet and the green plantain.
On top is the pork, it's really spiced really well.
It was really delicious.
Puerto Rico is known for mofongo,
one of my favorite things in the world to eat.
But if one fongo's not enough,
come on down for three fongos.
[Orozco] So we gotta make the wrap for the pork.
-We have sazon with achiote. -Beautiful color in that.
[Orozco] Oregano, chicken base,
-adobo, bay leaves. -Adobo.
-Garlic paste, sofrito, cooking wine. -Okay.
[Orozco] The pork, of course We'll take the skin off
and put some holes in the middle.
-I like it. -Garlic in the holes.
[Orozco] One, two...
-Three fongo. -Three fongo.
[Orozco] I put the wrap seasoning here on top,
cover that with the skin.
Put some water here
and then we cover overnight.
-[Guy] Then we roast it in the morning. -Correct.
3 to 4 hours at 350.
-We're gonna do the trifongo now. -Green plantain.
And sometimes they're difficult to peel.
-[Orozco] We have sweet plantains. -Same thing, just ripe.
[Orozco] And the cassava, this is a little tougher, of course.
-that's just the beginning, folks, stick around. -That's just the beginning
of the long route.
The long road.
[Orozco] Plantains to fry, three, four minutes.
Boil the cassava.
Gonna take that sweet and green plantain together.
Couple of cassavas, some garlic, butter, adobo.
This is looking good for me right now, folks.
And then we'll take the maceta in the pilon.
And every order is done this way.
-We don't have any sitting on the steam table. -No.
-[Orozco] You put it in the mold. -Make a little cavity.
-[Orozco] Now we work with the pernil. -Beautiful.
Okay. Look at that.
[Orozco] Get a pan with some juice.
-Some of the fat and the marinade, got it. -Yes.
[Orozco] And we just heat i up a little bit, put it righ in the middle.
-I'll put the cup upside down. -Got it.
-Don't worry, don't worry. -No, listen.
I've heard "don't worry" before, you just do.
[Orozco] You see?
Famous last words when you're the one with a blue shirt on.
[Orozco] Put some pork right here on top.
I can do a dance party tonight.
[Orozco] Drop whatever is left of the juice.
Cilantro and alfalfa.
Why would you put alfalfa sprouts?
[Orozco] It's what makes it prettier.
The trifongo roast pork.
This is dynamite. It takes mofongo to a new level.
Thank you.
[Guy] One minute you get sweet plantain,
little banana flavor.
Next you get really creamy, which I know is the cassava.
Then you get some hard texture,
a little more chew to it, which I know is the green plantain.
Then you get a little kiss of the garlic,
incredibly flavorful pork
and the jus of the pork.
Very moist. This right here
makes me feel like I'm at Grandma's house.
I didn't want anybody to mess with my mofongo.
Now I have three fongo.
Trifongo pernil congri.
An amazing dish.
The different mixtures of flavors is a perfect combination.
Whole red snapper ready, rice and beans and tostones.
Is this as authentic
-as you've had at anybody's home? -It is.
-I love this island. -Yeah.
[Guy] I love the people, I love the culture,
I love the style, I love the food,
I love the music, I mean, the whole thing.
This restaurant's right by the beach, I can see the waves.
It's really the ideal spot.
[Guy] We're hanging out in Puerto Rico, we're right down by the wate
Chef Jaime knocks it out with the three fongo.
You wanna see what's next? We'll see you in a bit.
I can't eat all this,
-but I'm gonna wanna take it to go. -[laughs]
Welcome back, Triple D, hanging out in PR, Puerto Rico.
Chef Jaime, right here, in downtown hotel row,
right across from the beach
And you're making this happen 17 years?
-18 years. -18 years.
It's local cuisine.
[waitress] Fish ceviche.
[woman] We get a lot of fresh fish.
It is good for fishermen and it is good for our kitchen.
Shrimp empanadas ready.
Shrimp empanadas are my favorite, I love seafood.
[man] And then if you want some little heat,
you put some of the spicy sauce on top, also.
-[Guy] What's up next? -[Orozco] Shrimp empanadas.
-Another one of the staples here? -For sure.
[Orozco] We're gonna do some of the Creole sauce. Green pepper.
-Any oil, anything? Nada. -No, no just dry.
[Orozco] Onions, tomate,
vino blanco de cocinar.
Cooking wine, got it.
-Adobo, chicken base. -Oregano.
[Orozco] Sazon con achiote. The red is the achiote.
-From the annatto seed. -Garlic.
-Epazote? -Racao.
Racao! Thought I had it.
[Orozco] And tomato paste.
-Pate de tomate? Pasta! -Pasta.
[Orozco] Pasta de tomate.
I'm trying, folks.
[Orozco] And then we put some water.
Once it's boiling,
put some cornstarch and water just to thicken it out a little bit.
Use that to cook the shrimp, what about the hot sauce?
Oh, let's do it, right away.
-Hot sauce in Puerto Rico. -Yes.
It's not any hot sauce.
-Oh, dude, you're telling me. -It's Orozco's hot sauce.
[Orozco] Red chili flakes, garlic paste.
Cooking wine.
-Sazon. -Sazon. We...
-Called achiote. -Achiote, you got that right.
[Orozco] Spanish paprika.
-Chili powder, or? Okay. -Chili powder.
[Guy] Pickled jalapenos.
Cayenne liquid.
-Cayenne liquid? -Cayenne liquid.
-[Guy] Which is hot sauce. -Yes.
That's wing sauce.
Get some of that in your eye.
Yeah, that's right, look in there.
-[Guy] We cook this down. All right. -Simmer.
[Orozco] And then we pour in the bottles directly.
Now we build the empanada.
-[Orozco] Shrimps. -That have been chopped up a little.
[Orozco] With a little wine with some Creole sauce already done.
We're gonna use the dough, then we put the shrimps in the middle
-with some cheese. -That's it?
Want more cheese? No problem.
[Guy] The tricolor bell peppers.
-[Orozco] And then we close it all over. -That's it?
-No. -There's more.
-[Guy] We'll see if he gets that fold right. -Yeah, yeah.
[Orozco] And then in the deep fryer for four or five minutes.
[Guy] Let's see it.
The shrimp empanadas and our homemade hot sauce, cilantro.
That's on point.
The Creole shrimp, you didn't overcook them,
so they're still nice and tender.
The boss of the sauce is the hot sauce.
Slamming.
-Legit, bro. That how your pops picked it up? -Yeah.
Dynamite. It's not too spicy.
That acid coming in from the pickled jalapenos,
you can put that on just about anything. Flip-flop.
Shrimp empanadas, five minutes.
I love the shrimp on the inside,
it's seasoned, cooked so perfectly.
The kicker with the pique, the hot sauce.
Yeah, I could easily get in trouble with that.
Puerto Rican combination ready.
I like this restaurant so much.
This is the place.
-This is legit. -Yes, exactly.
It's a must if you come to Puerto Rico.
[Guy] This right here, bud.
I had a lot of choices on the menu that I could've picked.
But it's your dad's hot sauce.
I know how proud your dad is of you.
There's gotta be something that he put this together.
Have to be.
-Gives me goosebumps. -Me, too.
[Guy] And I appreciate you having me.
-We've been blessing. -My friend, I feel the same.
-Nice to meet you. -Thank you very much.
Wait till you find this place right down here in hotel row.
But this guy right here, make it happen, Captain.
Coming up, Mediterranean madness in Ohio...
You're gonna get us both kicked out of Cleveland.
...like outstanding octopus.
That puts you right into Greece.
...and a simple staple taken over the top.
That is, without question,
one of the most tender, fluffiest, flavorful meatballs I've ever had.
So I'm here in Cleveland, Ohio,
and it's been a while since I've visited, let me tell you.
My cousins remind me of it all the time.
You know, the food scene is really blowing up here.
And with so much culture, when I hear that there's a Greek joint
where they're importing their own goods,
you know I gotta check it out.
This is Astoria Cafe and Market.
A gyro, falafel ready.
Astoria is probably the most authentic Mediterranean restaurant in Cleveland.
[man] You can go all out and get a four-course meal
or you can just come grab a beer and a pizza.
All right, I'm dropping pasta.
It's a place to get fine imported wine and cheeses.
[Guy] Which is how cousins George Kantzios...
How are the meatballs?
[Guy] ...and Steve Daniels first rolled out,
leaning into their Greek heritage in the import business.
We started, literally, as a wholesale.
We wanted to do primarily Mediterranean products.
This is awesome. Beautiful market, love the deli case.
Dolmades.
[Guy] And when they expande into a full-blown restaurant
they brought in Chef Cory Kobrinski
to keep the Mediterranean vibe alive.
[Cory Kobrinski] Octopus ready.
When you think of octopus, you go, "I'm not eating octopus."
But no, this octopus is very good.
It's one of the best things on the menu by far.
-[Guy] What are we making today? -Our Octopus alla Karvouna.
[Kobrinski] That's, uh, jus a charcoal-grilled octopus.
Tenderize it first with a mallet.
From there, we're gonna tenderize it with some baking soda.
-Let it rest for an hour. -Got it.
[Kobrinski] We're gonna buil our poaching liquid.
Water, white wine, our olive oil.
That is some Greek olive oil.
[Kobrinski] We're gonna thro our lemons in, kinda keep th in the corners.
I'm not from Cleveland and everything,
but I'm just gonna go out there, there's no corner in a round pan.
We're gonna add our garlic, smashed, black peppercorns, two bay leaves.
The secret ingredient, our wine cork.
That's a Old World thing. When you're poaching something,
you add a wine cork.
[people laughing]
[Kobrinski] Now, bring this up to a simmer,
and then we're gonna add the body.
Any "body" hear that?
[crickets chirping]
-[microphone feedback] -Is this...
[Kobrinski] We're gonna look to keep that temperature around
-temperature around 180 degrees to 190 degrees, -Okay.
anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes.
It's time to clean and cut down the octopus.
[Guy] Rest in the olive oil we go to the grill, fantasti
A little dressed salad, add a little tail piece right there.
Cut down into some pinwheels.
We're gonna do a little finishing sauce here.
Cabernet vinegar, Picual olive oil.
-Where's that from? -Spain. Just great, peppery flavor.
[Kobrinski] Dress the octopu
Fresh thyme, rosemary, and oregano.
It's delicious. You can taste the octopus.
There's a little bit chew to it,
but not chew like you're fighting it.
This Cabernet vinegar and olive oil,
the olive oil is really pronounced.
The salad is a nice little respite, a nice little break.
That puts you right into Greece. Excellent. That's prime time.
[Kobrinski] First octopus, going down.
This is my cousin, Ellis. What do you think of the octopus?
You get a little sweet from the dressing
and it goes well with the saltiness of the octopus.
It's super tender and full of flavor.
[Guy] Iberico going down.
Part of a good meal is good ingredients.
They've got it.
I've got the veal and lamb ricotta meatballs.
[woman] Best thing on menu' the meatballs,
because the flavor that comes out of them, it's different layers.
Veal and lamb with the cheese.
One of the best I've ever had.
-And we are making? -[Kobrinski] Veal, lamb, and ricotta cheese meatballs.
Nice lamb shoulder and then we got a veal chuck roll here.
Cut this into strips,
partially freeze to get it cold for grinding.
-Let's do it, buddy. -We're gonna start off by building our ricotta mix.
-Where is this out of? -Italy.
Beautiful. I've never seen ricotta come in a can.
Parsley, minced garlic, kosher salt.
-That is creamy. -Black pepper, matsutake shoyu.
[Guy] That's what I was just gonna say.
You just took this completely out of the Mediterranean and went [whistles].
I like to put Cleveland flairs on things, is what we say.
-Did your eyes light up when you said it? -A little bit.
[people laughing]
[Kobrinski] Take our milk and cream mixture, add to the panko breadcrumb
Then we'll mix in the veal and the lamb, form the meatballs.
[Kobrinski] Dredge them in flour,
fry them in some olive oil just to get a nice, crispy outside
-and then we'll finish in the oven. -[Guy] I love it.
-Next step. -I'm making our house tomato sauce.
[Kobrinski] Olive oil, butte red pepper flakes.
-Add great Greek oregano. -[Kobrinski] And our minced garlic.
[Guy] San Marzanos.
Give it a stir to incorporate everything.
Add our sachet of carrots, yellow onions,
-[Guy] Okay. -basil stems, and a little bit of garlic.
-Dude, I thought that was a pillowcase full of stuff. -[laughs]
-Cops are coming, drop it. -[laughs]
[Kobrinski] Let that simmer for about three hours.
Finish it with fresh parsley oregano, and basil.
-[Guy] And a little salt and pepper. -And, uh, fish sauce.
You're gonna get us both kicked out of Cleveland.
-We'll get into making the pasta. -All-purpose flour,
semolina flour, eggs, and egg yolks, salt.
-[Guy] Traditional pasta. -We're hand-mixing the dough,
letting it rest for about 30 minutes and then we'll start sheeting it.
-And are we doing fettucine? -We're gonna end with fettucine.
Anything else we're making? Do we wanna go throw the pottery
for the plate in the back?
[Kobrinski] So our house-mad pasta is done.
I like to add a little bit of butter, a little bit of Parmesan.
Why, 'cause my kids are showing up?
[Kobrinski] Nothing better than a buttered noodle.
Make me a T-shirt that says that.
[Kobrinski] Pull our meatbal out of the oven,
finish with our tomato sauce some nice aged Parmesan.
Gosh, so light it almost flew away.
That is, without question,
one of the most tender, fluffiest, lightest,
flavorful meatballs I've ever had.
A little unique richness that comes in from the lamb
And the pasta's delicious, too.
And the tomato sauce is spot on, very nice and rustic.
That's what we call destination meatball.
That would go in the Flavortown Hall of Fame.
That is lights out.
[Kobrinski] All right, I'm gonna finish these meatballs here in a sec.
-[Guy] How's the meatball? -Nice and fluffy.
With a good glass of red wine, it's a good meal.
[man] This is amazing.
-Legit? -Super legit.
All right, Dolmades, fried chicken.
Everyone that comes to Cleveland, I tell them about this place.
I don't know what else to tell you. You wanna make some other stuff?
'Cause if you do, I need to go take a nap in my car.
-But it's a little cold to be outside, so. -Oh, okay.
[Guy] I'm gonna go back into the warehouse,
shoplift a few things, and then invite some friends over.
-Thank you, appreciate it. -Boom.
That's it for this week, but don't you worry.
I'll be looking for more joints all over this country.
I'll see you next week on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives
It's not as easy to talk about food on TV, is it?
-No. -Especially with your mouth full.
Nice job. Ellis is single, by the way.
[laughs]
Come on down, folks. If you haven't been to Cleveland in a while,
come down and meet my cool cousin, Ellis.