You know, people are asking me all the time,
"Hey, Guy, that one joint you checked out in that one city
when you were doing Triple D, how they doing?"
You know, I don't know. We should check it out.
[engine revving]
[theme music playing]
Over the years, I've seen and tasted it all.
This is ridiculous, dude.
But, it turns out, it was only the beginning.
'Cause Triple D joints have been blowing up
and we're going back to see what's cooking.
Like, on this trip...
We've got fresh.
It's light, it's fresh, it's crunchy.
Fried.
That's French fry-tastic.
And full of flavor.
You make me hungry, too. [laughing]
Like a lotus salad and pan-fried noodles in Florida.
I can eat it cold, in the morning, at night, late at night.
Cheese steak filled egg rolls in Philly.
I'd eat those every day.
And in Memphis...
'Cause they fall off the bone, they so great.
...BBQ rub brisket.
[Guy] Nice and tender.
[owner] Tender as a woman's heart.
And a peanut butter sundae fit for the King.
You can't get that flavor anywhere else.
Familiar faces, new places, and more off-the-hook flavors.
This is Triple D Nation.
[upbeat music playing]
All right, J-Dub, when I say Florida, what do you think of?
Oranges.
Okay, when I say Orlando, what do you think of?
-Theme parks. -Okay.
When I think of Orlando, Florida,
and I'm thinking of restaurants, what am I thinking of?
-You're thinking of banh mi Asian restaurants. -Exactly.
And once Justin Warner and I hit this noodle shop back in 2017,
it wasn't just the Floridians blowing this place up.
This is Saigon Noodle & Grill.
[upbeat music playing]
[owner] Meat stew, table number 2.
Guy made a fantastic decision to come to Saigon Noodle & Grill
and he brought me here when I saw it on TV.
And I got hooked.
[owner] ...fried rice, table number 4.
[customer] It's great Vietnamese food, authentic.
Feels like home here.
[owner] Saigon pancake.
It's delicious and there's lots of music playing in here
and it's really fun.
[Guy] The fun factor comes from Vietnamese-born owners, Vincent and Tudy Nguyen,
who are famous for the parties they throw.
[singing in Vietnamese]
[Guy] What's the name of the band?
[speaking foreign language] means "Blue ocean."
And where did you learn to cook?
My family's own four restaurants in Vietnam.
I was there with Justin Warner, we had the pho.
[Vincent] Your pho for you, mister.
Pho is the national dish of Vietnam.
There's so much flavor, it's so good.
-[Vincent] What do we have here? -[Guy] A lot of hot water.
-Hot water. -Okay.
-[Vincent] Beef bones. -[Guy] A lot of collagen in there.
-[Guy] So, the bones for ten hours. -Yes.
-[Vincent] Beef briskets right here. -A lot of beef brisket.
We cook for about three or four hours.
-[Guy] Slice that, and that's what you get in your pho. -Right.
So, we've got our broth. Next, shallots and garlic.
[Justin] Oh, put it straight on the heat, why not?
[Guy] A lot of ginger.
-And then flavor it with the spices. -Yeah. Right.
-What do we got? -[Vincent] Costatum.
[Justin] It's black cardamom.
[Guy] Then peppercorn, cloves, coriander.
[Justin] Licorice root, wow.
-[Guy] Licorice root? -Yes.
The star anise, that cinnamon all day.
And the last would be...
-[Justin] Fennel seeds. -...fennel seeds.
Okay. And how long are these gonna toast for?
[Justin] Oh, boy.
Wait for the ginger.
-[Guy] But you can definitely smell it. -Mmm.
[Guy] And how long is this gonna go for, chef?
[Guy] Then we're ready to add the sugar.
[Guy] Strain this to get the broth really, really cleared.
[Vincent] Add the noodles.
-Rice noodles? -Yes.
[Guy] To wake him up,
I would like to have the eye of round and the brisket.
[Vincent] And the brisket right here.
Justin will have everything else that's funky.
-Okay. -Load me up.
[Justin] Oh, look at that.
[Guy] The stomach! There you go.
He likes to party. And what do you got back there?
Meatball?
-[Guy] Very nice. -[Justin] Nice.
[Guy] You going big, huh?
-Then bring it back over here. -[Vincent] Over here.
[Justin] Let's load them up.
Mmm.
That's a great meatball.
The little kick of the sugar really carries this a long way.
This isn't just broth, it stands so good.
I think the best thing about it is
the harmoniousness of the salt, the sugar, and the spices.
-[Vincent] Yeah. Yeah. -It's like you've made this before
-for, like, the last 45 years or something. -Yeah.
[Guy] How many pho do you sell now?
-Really? -Yes.
[Tudy] Your pan-fried noodles.
All right, what did you bring me today?
[Tudy] And that's the same noodles that we use with the pho.
-So, you take the noodles that you do for the pho... -[Tudy] Yes.
-...and then you fry them? - [Vincent] Yes.
[Tudy] And we coat them with a thin layer of eggs.
-To help them stick? -To help them stick together.
Yeah, you know me and my eggs.
And what's the sauce?
A little fish sauce in there?
-[Vincent] Yes. Yes. Yeah. -Yes, yes, you can taste it a bit, yeah.
-What makes it so great, it's the fried noodle. -[Vincent] Fried noodle, yeah.
But you don't taste the egg part of it, at least I don't.
But you get the nice crunch of that and then you get the...
shrimp, and the chicken, and all the vegetables.
But it's that bite right there...
-You make me hungry, too. [laughing] -Go, eat up.
[Vincent] Here, the pan-fried noodle.
You got so many different textures,
broccoli, and the carrots, and beef, and some shrimp.
Everything just melts in your mouth.
It is a bit sweet, and I took the spicy sauce. It was really, really good.
Excellent.
[Guy] And coming up...
Vincent's firing up more heat.
Here we go. Here we go. Hey, hey, hey!
Sweet.
And crunch.
[Vincent] Shrimp cracker.
There's an art to eating this.
So good. [chuckles]
See you in a minute.
[Guy] We're at the Saigon Noodle and Grill, in Orlando, Florida,
hanging out with my buddy, Justin Warner and the famous Vincent.
Papaya salad, table number 1.
Vincent and Tudy, they're such great people.
Enjoy your food.
They have energy, culture,
and then when you get the plate of food, you can't wait to eat it.
But, see, that's what's so great about you two,
you understand where you come from,
you understand midwestern culture,
and you're the ones that are making it available to people.
Why do they call it shaken beef?
-[Justin] Isn't it due to the cooking process? -[Vincent] Yes.
-It's, like, semi stir-fry. -Yeah, shaken beef, yes.
-[Justin] That's the magic. -[Vincent] Yes.
[Guy] So, it's gonna go into a real fast fry, right into the oil.
-[Vincent] Right, that's it. -Wow.
-[Guy] That's it? -Yes.
Butter?
Okay.
Here we go. Here we go. Hey, hey, hey!
-[Guy] So, garlic, a little soy sauce. -[both] Soy sauce.
[Guy] Special seasoning.
-[Guy] Let's go, baby! -That's it.
[Guy] Green onions. Yellow onions.
[Guy] Hot and fast, baby.
The daikon and carrot is of my favorite things.
-A little sugar in there, I bet. -Right.
All right, here we go.
[upbeat music playing]
Mmm.
[Guy] You know, such a big flavor, got that heavy soy,
-the oyster, the garlic, all that coming through. -Mmm.
You get the bright, fresh green onion,
you get a nice little bite out of the yellow onion,
then you got super tender shake in the soy.
You call it shaken beef in Vietnamese, also?
-Oh, that's hard to say. -Bo Luc Lac.
-[Justin] Mmm. -Delicious, chef.
[Vincent] The shaken beef.
I love Vietnamese food,
so we've been going through the different dishes that's great.
Fried noodle, table number one.
Everybody asks what's my favorite kind of food,
soy sauce, fish sauce, ginger.
-[Tudy] Mmm-hmm. -Garlic.
I don't know.
I can eat it cold, in the morning, at night, late at night.
[Tudy] Your lotus salad.
-All right, and what's this one, lotus, too? -Lotus salad.
Lotus stem that they soak in vinegar and a couple other things,
I guess, I don't know, but it's so good.
How does the lotus root get prepared?
Okay.
-There's an art to eating this, too. -Okay.
If you watch Vincent, it's a little delicate.
I mean, it's delicious. It's light, it's fresh, it's crunchy.
[Vincent] Here's one lotus salad for Triple D Nation.
The lotus tastes cabbage-like and more exotic.
Kinda crunchy, but very fresh.
[customer] So healthy, but it's got so much flavor.
A little fried, a little bit crispy.
I didn't even know that you could eat a lotus.
But I'm telling you, it was really good.
Saigon pancake.
You believe in your culture, you believe in your food,
and that, to me, is what makes you so special.
-Dude, well said. -Do I bring you to cool spots or what?
-Dude, you nailed it, man. -Triple D, in Orlando.
Get out of here.
[Guy] And coming up, in Memphis, Tennessee...
Graceland meets Flavortown...
[owner] Homemade peanut butter sauce.
...with this King-inspired creation.
[customer] You can order one for the whole table,
just tell them to bring you five spoons.
Usually on Triple D, you see me cruising that sweet red Camaro,
but back in 2008,
I traded it for something a little more fitting for my surroundings.
You see, for a lot of folks, a trip to Memphis means
first you hit Graceland, then you come here.
And here was an out-of-bounds BBQ spot,
fit for the King himself.
Now, it's still serving up the classics, along with new hits.
This is Marlowe's.
All right, guys, full slab going out.
[customer] The best restaurant in Memphis is Marlowe's.
You're just a few blocks from Graceland.
I've got brisket dinner coming through.
Born and raised in Memphis, I know BBQ.
Marlowe's is the best, hands down.
Fried Gouda going out to table ten.
Saw Marlowe's on Triple D
and the first chance we had when we got here in Memphis, it's the first place we went.
[Guy] And who could blame him, since father and daughter duo,
Tony Gigliotti and Missy Coleman,
built their business pulling from their roots
and the roots the city is known for.
Who learned the BBQ and who did you learn it from?
[Tony] We actually use the recipe that we got from one of Elvis's cooks
and we played with it and worked with it.
A lot of it has an Italian flavor.
You can't get that flavor anywhere else.
Full rack of our pork ribs.
My favorite dish is delicious ribs.
'Cause they fall off the bone, they so great.
Not only do I put them on, I rub it in,
because you need to break the fabric of the skin
in order to get that flavor all the way through.
We're cooking it for 12 hours.
-In 12 hours, these... -And you're gonna cook a rack...
-for 12 hours? -Yes.
At what temperature?
-225 degrees. -Is there any left in 12 hours?
Right, you watch and see.
This is the old Hickory?
This is the old Hickory machine.
-Now, what kind of wood are we using? -Fruitwood.
-Fruitwood? -We use applewood.
Now, we're not gonna put sauce on it?
Not now, not until we take them out.
-What is it? Hey, now let me-- -Uh, this is...
-Hey, tut-tut, tut-tut there. -Let me taste it. I just want to taste it.
All right, you can taste it.
-Wow. That's got some tang. -Yeah.
We're gonna let it go for a good 45 minutes to simmer down.
[exclaims in approval]
That's not gonna be bad.
-Mmm. -Sauce good?
-Excellent. -Nice tang.
Pulls off the bone nicely.
It's nice and tender.
Tender as a woman's heart.
I got a full slab going out to 12.
It's basically a family tradition
that's carried on, you know, through the decades.
My father has retired.
We're teaching our son, Michael, on how to run it for the future.
Full rack of our pork ribs.
Marlowe's has an...
You can always be assured that the food is good.
[Michael] Brisket dinner, beans, and slaw.
In addition to the ribs, which I absolutely loved,
I had the juiciest brisket I've had and I live in Texas.
[Michael] We got a choice grade beef brisket.
First, always have our rub on there.
This is the exact same seasoning we used
when Guy was here the first time.
-So, this is the coveted secret rub. -Yes, sir.
-That's seasoning salt. -Seasoning salt.
There's two other things in there.
Two things you're not gonna tell me.
-We're gonna add a little bit of sugar. -Sugar.
A little bit of salt.
-A little chili powder? -We're gonna add some chili powder in here.
Garlic, lots of garlic.
-This is our Cajun seasoning. -Of course.
Some pepper in there, paprika, a little bit of onion powder.
I put a lid on here.
We're gonna let it sweat in the fridge.
Now we're gonna go put this in the smoker for about nine and a half, ten hours.
[upbeat music playing]
This is our homemade BBQ sauce.
We put rub before we smoke, we put rub after we're done cooking.
Beef brisket, coleslaw, baked beans.
It's just so tender and juicy. Delicious.
[customer] It's the sauce, it's just smooth and it tastes so good.
Melts in your mouth.
And I have our pork ribs.
Everything is good. The fish is good, the wings are good, the burgers.
Coleman Double Trouble, coming up.
They've got the Double Trouble
with pulled pork and a white cheese sauce.
You don't know you need this in your life
until you have it in your life.
-I feel like I'm in a little culinary Graceland right now. -[laughs]
Got a beef brisket for Guy, coming out.
Guy coming to Marlowe's was kinda like having Elvis be here.
Once Guys picture went up in the lobby,
everyone started to notice.
That's what people want.
It's "I've been to Graceland, and I've been to Marlowe's."
Got bananas foster going out to table 12.
Anybody that knows Elvis knows peanut butter bananas is the thing,
so peanut butter and bananas foster
with ice cream and peanut butter sauce, it's fantastic.
[Missy] We melt the butter.
The second step will be adding the brown sugar.
We're gonna add our glazed donut and our bananas.
The banana liquor, to finish off the sauce.
All right.
So, now we're gonna go ahead and take our donut.
Place it here.
And our beautiful caramel banana sauce.
Fresh whipped topping.
Homemade peanut butter sauce.
Peanut butter and banana foster sundae.
[customer] One of Elvis's favorite things was
peanut butter and banana sandwich,
so this is kind of a knockoff of it, with a dessert.
You can order one for the whole table,
just tell them to bring you five spoons.
[customer] You know, having a donut surrounded by ice cream,
I wanted to lick the bowl.
Has anybody ever told you you look like...
my fifth grade school teacher?
-I mean, you look-- -Don't be cruel, man.
[customer] Guy made a great choice picking Marlowe's.
Thank you, Guy. Thank you very much.
[Guy] Next, we're wrapping things up in Philly...
I love it.
...where an old-school diner's put creative twists...
[Guy] That is an orchestra right there.
...on the classics.
That's a medley of just great flavor.
[Guy] We're in Philadelphia.
Now, we're not here to talk about cheese steaks.
I wanted something a little less predictable than that.
Way back in 2007, I found it.
Mmm.
It's one of the original Triple D joints.
Some fresh baked focaccia.
It's nice to go back and see that some things haven't changed.
This is Silk City Diner and Lounge.
You think it's just a diner, but they do it a little bit differently
and I love it.
Burrata salad, table two.
This isn't your typical diner food.
Stand up for cheese steak eggrolls.
[customer] You're not gonna find the same vibe that you will anywhere else.
Silk City is just totally different.
[Guy] And the man behind the madness?
That'd be plumber turned restaurant guru, Mark Bee.
I used to do the plumbing here.
[Guy] And after working in restaurants, you wanted to become a restaurateur?
I do, I love it.
Hey, guys, here's the duck eggrolls you ordered.
I do love owning a restaurant.
It's just the energy, it's magic.
The food is always good.
Shrimp burger.
-Bro, I'm going to restaurants all over this country. -Right.
And I'm seeing fare that's on this menu...
You got the empanadas with pulled pork that he's making out of ham.
-You don't use shoulder? -No, he's always more of a leg man
than a shoulder man, you know?
-Hey, honey, nice shoulder! -[laughing]
So, I just kinda, like, cut this up.
Just toss them in there.
-Chili powder. -Go for it, yeah.
-[laughing] I love that. -That much.
Oh! So, that much.
Smoked paprika and chipotle powder.
-You can dump it all in there. -[chuckles] It's getting wild.
-Yeah. You know... -Huh?
When do we start drinking beer?
Uh, well... Pretty soon, I hope.
[both laughing]
Onion powder and garlic powder.
-Cumin. -Gonna just heat it with some water.
And then we're just gonna sit there and simmer this
just till it renders down to fall apart?
Yeah, just so it falls apart.
Hand shred or fork shred?
Ah, fork, hand...
If you can get your foot up around there with some yoga,
-get into it. -There you go.
Chopped cilantro and a little cinnamon
and then just some black beans.
-Sweet potatoes? -Get those in there.
-Mash them up. -That's tasty.
I think it's all right.
I could just make that into like a...
-like a ball. -Yeah.
-Deep-fry it. [laughing] -I'd just walk around with it.
So, we got out little skins.
Just like a little ball. That's it.
-All done. -Okay.
-So, these are ready to go. We're gonna fry-- -These are ready to go.
-Fry them up. -Fry these in the fryer at 350?
Yes, sir.
-How long does it take? -Three to five minutes.
Bro, that looks outstanding!
Wow! That is an orchestra right there.
That's a medley of just great flavor.
Table two in the window.
The empanadas are still on the menu, believe it or not. [chuckles]
Some things that have lasted a lifetime here.
Starting out with chef Peter, now chef Dave taken over.
Shrimp burgers going down.
[Mark] They bring out some classic Philly favorites.
Cheese steak eggroll for table 8.
I'm having the cheese steak eggrolls
with the cherry pepper relish and the sriracha-ketchup.
I get it most times I come here.
Philadelphia is known for cheese steak,
so we do our little twist on it.
So, we start with sauteed Spanish onions,
some prime rib-eye,
a little salt and pepper.
We saute that up.
Once it's cooked, we let it cool down.
We roll our eggrolls with the meat,
the onion, and the sharp provolone,
and American cheese.
We dust it off in a little cornstarch
and we fry it off.
And serve it with the sriracha.
Blend ketchup, honey, a little sriracha,
a rice wine vinegar,
fresh lime juice and zest.
And, also, our cherry pepper relish.
Three cheese steak eggrolls.
It's sweet, but also spicy.
Crunchy on the outside, has some good cheese steak on the inside.
Explosion of flavor.
This is my favorite restaurant to go to.
[woman] I eat here maybe three times a week.
It has a really vast menu
and it's such an eclectic environment,
that it just really draws people in.
[Guy] So, this is pan-fry at its greatest.
We got the crab.
The shrimp, really you get the texture of the shrimp back,
it didn't go too far.
Get some of the ginger right off the bat.
That's French fry-tastic.
I'm dying to try this.
Wow, that's savory.
You really gotta try that.
That's a primo wing, bro.
I'd eat those every day.
Duck eggroll, going out to the bar.
The best thing is to let the chef work his magic
and just keep his creativity to keep the people happy.
We got the wild mushroom pierogies.
You can definitely find some of the best pierogies here.
Different types of mushrooms, perfect potato filling.
The wild mushroom pierogies with mashed potatoes in it.
We start our filling by cooking some shiitake mushrooms,
oyster mushrooms, and maitake mushrooms.
Little bit of shallots, garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper.
And then we fold in the mushrooms with the mashed potatoes.
We make the dough.
We combine a mixture of eggs, sour cream, butter, and all-purpose flour.
We'll let it rest, then roll it out, and cut it into circles.
We'll take our mushroom mixture,
form our pierogies, and then blanch them.
We'll then saute it perfectly in a little bit of butter.
Wild mushroom pierogi, table 5.
The pierogies are awesome.
They're really crisp on the outside, on the top and bottom,
they were chewy as well.
I love that there was different types of mushrooms in there,
created different textures,
and then the cream on top, it was awesome.
I get this feeling about you.
You've got something going on,
that you don't really have any boundaries.
No.
Since Guy was here, we added the outdoor garden
with seating for, like, 80 more people.
And then, the lounge, we really got ramped up.
Silk City takes up the whole block. They have everything.
Glad I saw some Triple D, it's the best diner in Philly.
Meatloaf puff for table 4.
I love the people, I love, like, making people happy,
and just throwing a party.
That's awesome, man.
Plating three cheese steak eggrolls.
So, my memory is long.
[Vincent] Saigon lotus for Triple D Nation.
And the list of Triple D joints is even longer.
Welcome back. Welcome back.
Got a beef brisket for Guy, coming out.
So, we'll be checking out more, next time, on Triple D Nation.
-All right. -I feel you're in it to win it right now.
-Here we go. Hands behind the back. -Okay.
-Okay? -Fold them behind the back.
-All right. -Behind the back. There we go.
-There we go. -[laughing excitedly]
[cackling]