I'm Guy Fieri
and we're rolling out looking for America's greatest Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
This trip...
Here's the secrets, folks.
We're getting meaty...
Stand back.
Cheesy...
You're not gonna get a bad bite.
And a little sweet.
Take me to Flavortown, brother.
Like with wild waffles in Anchorage.
I'm actually scared. Can I phone a friend?
[chuckles]
Loaded Latin in Albuquerque
You're going to fit all that in there?
And a killer ski spot in Aspen.
The lift is right there.
Cooking up double diamond dishes.
[chuckles]
It's all right here...
- [both] Right now. - [all chuckling]
[theme music playing]
[Guy] All right, Hunter, here we are.
This is Aspen Highlands.
This is where the locals come to board and ski.
Actually, we can't do any boarding or skiing right now
because it's summer.
- Good. Good point. - Right.
So what is it we're going to do, son?
[Hunter] We rent bikes or maybe go see Maroon Bells
I like those ideas but actually this is Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
we're here to check out the place.
Now, Hunter, this place is open year-round,
and they are offering ski resort food
like you haven't seen before.
This is Highlands Alehouse.
Highlands Philly for Table 26.
[woman] Having a great plac like the Alehouse
at the base of the mountain is a treat for all of us.
Chicken sandwich.
The lift is right there.
And this is usually where you come
and get the frozen chicken tenders?
[man] No frozen here.
Frozen's out there...
- Fresh is in here. - Yeah.
[Guy] Elevating this slope-side menu was a gamble...
Excuse me, ladies.
[Guy] ...taken by owner, Kevin Joseph.
Enjoy!
There were six restaurants in 12 years before I took it over.
[Guy] And his secret weapon
Chef Miguel Izquierdo shredding in the kitchen.
Miguel and I get it all day from customers.
They're, like, "Wow, the food's actually amazing."
You're a ski resort, and it's good food!
Highland nachos with carnitas coming out.
We specifically bring people here to try the nachos.
They're loaded, layered and we love it.
[Miguel] So, we're going to make some carnitas.
Then, we're going to place those in our nachos.
[Guy] Boneless butt or bone-in?
Bone is the flavor.
[Guy] Break this down.
- Then, I salt it. - [Guy] What are we going to cook this in?
In lard and bacon fat.
Cook this one until it's a nice, brown color.
[Guy] This is what we're talking about.
- That golden-brown color. - [Hunter] Oh, yeah.
[Miguel] We're going to squeeze some oranges into it.
[Guy] And you'll leave the oranges in there, too?
Now, the garlic in. Stand back!
- [Miguel grunts] - [Hunter] Careful.
And then we're going to pour all that water in there.
In the oven, three hours. Stir every 20 or 30 minutes.
- [Miguel] Correct. - Got it.
[Miguel] We use fresh guacamole for our nachos.
[Guy] Fresh avocado every day.
[Miguel] Jalapenos without the seeds.
Chopped down nice. Same thing with the onion.
[Miguel] Cilantro, lime juice.
[Guy] A little salt and pepper.
- Delicious. - Money.
[Guy] What do we got next?
- [Miguel] Cheese sauce, a cheese fondue. - [Guy] Cheese sauce?
- Cheese fondue? - Fondue.
[Guy] You got roux?
[Miguel] Salted butter, all-purpose flour.
[Guy] So you're gonna warm the milk up before you drop it in?
[Miguel] Sharp cheddar and asadero cheese.
Asadero is, like, pretty close to Monterey.
- And then, the milk and cheese to the roux. - Oh, okay.
[Miguel] We add the chips.
We're making two nachos or one?
It's one nacho, but I would like it to get melted,
like, everywhere, you know.
- [Guy] Okay. - [Miguel] So I have to make two layers.
Throw in the oven?
Probably 600-700 degrees right now.
Just slide it off.
We're going to add some carnitas.
Look at that, it just falls apart.
[Guy] Beautiful.
[Miguel] Refried beans.
A good thing that when you're eating this,
you're going to work it off on the mountain.
[Miguel] Cheese sauce.
And this is just one beginning layer.
[Miguel] The second one.
[Guy] You're not gonna get a bad bite.
[Miguel] So we add the Pico de Gallo first.
You need a bigger plate.
[Miguel] Fresh guac, pickled jalapenos,
finish with a crema.
[Guy] Mmm!
Every chip
- has got to have the goods. - They have it, yeah.
The way you make the carnitas is...
really moist.
The pickled veggies are money on that.
[Guy] Really good guac, too.
Mmm.
These are deconstructed taquito.
Yeah.
- It's got the crunch, it's got the ingredients. - Exactly.
[Guy] This is probably one of the best nacho presentations I've seen.
- Okay. - Killer.
One more minute on the carnitas.
It's not just the first layer, you get down into the bottom
and it gets better and bette
[Guy] And there's more than just Mexican here.
Kevin's pizza ovens are what started all the locals coming here.
Oh, my God. The pizza's so good.
Really? Where are we with that, Miguel?
What you got here, bud?
Black truffle base...
Show-off.
Good crust.
That's a good pie, buddy.
How about you, yourself? Favorite thing on the menu?
Steak tacos. Hands-down.
[Miguel] Del Dia arrachera tacos.
The arrachera tacos,
they've got the steak on them, the corn...
They actually make the tortillas here in-house.
That's phenomenal.
[Guy] So, what is the taco?
Arrachera steak.
[Guy] A skirt steak.
- And this will be a marinade for the steak? - Correct.
You're gonna blend the skirt steak?
- It's okay, he's new. - [both chuckle]
[Miguel] We'll start with the soy sauce.
Very Mexican.
[Miguel] Salsa Inglesa.
Salsa Inglesa is Worcestershire sauce.
[Miguel] Smoked paprika.
- Dried onion. - Mmm-hmm.
[Miguel] Garlic powder.
Fresh lime juice, black pepper.
And add the oil.
[Guy] Blend that up. And we're going to vacuum-seal this?
[Miguel] Yes.
You have to marinate this for at least six hours.
We're going to cook it on a flat top.
[Guy] Right on the flat top. Got it.
What else goes on the taco?
Corn Pico de Gallo.
So, shuck the corn...
- Here, some of your hair fell out. - [laughs]
Here, Hunter, the goatee that you wanted to grow.
It's all right here...
- [both] Right now. - [all chuckling]
- So, then we take the corn. - [Guy] Roast it off.
[Miguel] Some Roma tomatoes,
red onions, jalapeño.
- [Guy] A lot of cilantro. - Cilantro,
fresh lime and salt,
black pepper, mix it up.
And we slice this.
[Hunter] Hands of steel right there.
Mmm.
- You're going to add pico to it? - [Miguel] Yep.
[Guy] Beautiful.
So, you make your own tortilla?
I make my own masa [makes swooshing sound]
out of organic blue corn.
[Guy whistling] Okay.
[Miguel whistles] Add the water and that's pretty much it.
A one-portion ball is about one ounce.
Tortillas on the flat top.
What do we have left?
[Miguel] Jalapeno-avocado aioli.
And what's in that?
[Miguel] Avocado, cilantro,
jalapeño, lime,
mayo, little bit of salt and pepper.
- Love it. - Uh-huh.
[Miguel] Slice this up.
Against the grain.
[Miguel] Tortillas.
[Guy] I like that the meat's not overcooked.
It's got a little medium-rare to it.
[Miguel] Corn pico.
[Hunter] Love the colors on that. That's beautiful.
[Miguel] Jalapeno, avocado aioli, cotija cheese.
[Guy] It's a good-looking steak taco.
[Guy] That's elevated Mexican food.
A lot of time and attention to the marinade on the skirt steak,
the way you sliced it,
handmade blue corn tortillas
roasted corn pico,
the crema.
I mean, just every little piece that you do...
[Hunter] That is so killer.
It's delicious.
- Your arrachera tacos. Enjoy. - Thank you.
[man] The steak tacos are amazing.
I could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Like you're back in Mexico, having those.
[Miguel] Basil pesto pizza.
Going in the oven.
- You're spoiled. - We are.
Locals' mountain, locals' restaurant,
Locals' prices, fantastic food.
[Guy] And loco chef.
- Loco and local. - Can't beat it.
[Guy] I don't know what's more impressive, the Highland ski resort,
or the fact that a chef from Monterrey, Mexico
is blowing it up in here.
- [Guy] Well done, my friend. - [Hunter] Gangster.
[Guy] Up next,
a funky waffle joint in Anchorage, Alaska.
So, it's your license to do whatever you want?
[Guy] Putting together creative combos...
- Aren't we chef-ing it up a bit now? - [chuckles]
[Guy] ...great enough to call home about.
Give me a 1-to-10 on the Heaven Waffle, Ryder.
[Ryder] 12 out of 10.
[laughs]
So, we're here in Anchorage, Alaska.
And on Triple D we always say "If it's funky, we'll find it."
Well, this goes beyond funky.
This goes into inspirational,
this goes into a place I don't think we've ever seen before.
You take a 21-year military vet
who learns how to cook, teaches himself
to help his family through cancer
and turns it into a restaurant that everybody's talking about.
This is Waffles and Whatnot.
Sarah's Waffle up.
Everything's waffles here. And these are the best waffles in town.
More waffle batter.
They're appealing to the eye and your tongue will be happy.
[Guy] But it was actually health
that was Derrick Green's true inspiration.
[Derrick] Recipes and everything that I came up with
literally was because I had a wife that had cancer
and also had a mom that had cancer.
And you can hide a lot of ingredients
in the waffle
so that they don't have to take as many pills.
[Guy] After his wife passed Derrick took his waffles to the public,
working his way to opening this joint
that he runs with his wife, Liron.
What is the basis of Waffles and Whatnot?
I mean, what is Whatnot?
Whatnot can be anything that you want it to.
That's the beauty of the name.
- So, it's your license to do whatever you want? - Exactly.
Here is your Heaven, ma'am.
Heaven Waffle is delicious.
[woman] It has, like, marshmallow on top
and then a caramel sauce and whipped cream and bananas...
to make it healthy.
All right, Chef. What are we into first?
[Derrick] The Heaven Waffle.
- We're going to make our cookie butter. - All right, hit it.
[Derrick] Pot with some hot water in it,
golden syrup, it's a European syrup.
Pour this mix into the mixer.
These are European cookies.
[Guy] You're into this whole European thing.
They don't have as many chemicals and additives in their products.
Canola, coconut,
ghee, house-made spice blend.
[Guy] What was your spice blend?
Coriander, ginger,
a bunch of different little things.
[Derrick] Ceylon cinnamon.
We're going to incorporate the whipped cream.
And let that go for a little bit.
What's the next step?
[Derrick] Our signature apple cinnamon waffles.
Here's the secrets, folks.
[Derrick] Unbleached all-purpose flour,
brown sugar, pure vanilla powder,
- Ceylon cinnamon. - A lot of it.
When you eat the apple cinnamon waffles,
you actually get your daily dose
of recommended Ceylon cinnamon.
- White sugar in it. - I didn't know that we're supposed to have
a daily dose of Ceylon cinnamon.
-If you have issues with regulating your blood sugar, -Right.
Ceylon cinnamon helps to stabilize your blood sugar.
Get out!
[Derrick] House-ground dehydrated apples, baking powder.
All right, next step.
[Derrick] Almond milk, coconut oil, batter.
And we're gonna cook some waffles.
[Guy] What do we have next?
The marshmallow fluff.
Were making it? We're not buying it
- and getting it out a jar? - No.
- We're gonna make fluffy marshmallow. - Oh, this I gotta see.
- This guy kills me. - [chuckles]
[Derrick] Egg whites, cream of tartar,
gradually incorporate
- sugar, light corn syrup... - [Guy] Right.
[Derrick] And water.
I'll let this go until it stops steaming.
- Apple extract. - [Guy] Little apple extract.
All right, Chef. Let's see it.
[Derrick] That marshmallow fluff that we just made,
bananas,
cookie butter that we made earlier.
Whipped cream, that's great.
[Derrick] Salted caramel drizzle.
And that, is the Heaven Waffle.
Here's Ryder, you guys.
So, take a look at this.
[Ryder] That's amazing, huh
You need to actually wrap that up
- and take that home. - [laughs]
[Guy] Big bite, Ryder?
[Ryder] Nah, up to you.
- You're kidding! - [chuckles]
[Guy] Here's what I'm gonna tell you about this,
the waffle has amazing texture.
The cookie butter is the bomb.
The marshmallow fluff
is nice and creamy, but not too sweet.
Give me a 1-to-10 on the Heaven Waffle, Ryder.
12 out of 10 on the Heaven Waffle.
[laughs]
Love you, bud. I'll bring you some of this.
And I do have to bring some for Ryder now,
'cause I'm really gonna be in trouble if I don't.
- [laughs] - Don't worry, Ryder.
Some coming for you right away.
- We can get some to go. - Oh, yeah, of course.
Heaven up.
What do you like about it?
[man] The cinnamon on the waffle's awesome.
And you can't go wrong with marshmallow and cookie butter.
30 seconds on the Sarah Waffle.
Derrick is a fantastic cook.
[woman] He started it off as an awesome food truck
in downtown Anchorage and expanded
to this restaurant that it is now.
Don't go anywhere, folks.
When we come back, we're going savory.
Confused Cousin up.
It's a sandwich, but the bun is two waffles.
It's kind of everything mixed into one.
See you in a bit.
I had a ROTC instructor
when I was a freshman.
He was kind of asking,
"What are you doing with your life?"
- Right. - I credit him as being
- one of the foundations-- - You keep in touch with him?
I don't know where he's at. We tried to find him.
Let's find him. Whoever knows anything about
- Fort Pierce Westwood High School? - Yes.
Smith was his last name?
- Yes. First class. - Sergeant Smith?
So, hopefully, somebody will see this,
somebody will pass this along.
I bet you, he would love to hear from you
and love to find out how you're doing.
And I would love to tell him.
Welcome back.
Triple D hanging out in Anchorage, Alaska over at Waffles and Whatnot
with Chef Derrick.
You're gonna love this guy.
Maple Syrup on the vegan Unicorn Dream Waffle.
Derrick just has so much creativity on what he does.
Four Confused Cousins.
[man] This one has mac and cheese and has barbeque sauce
Chicken's phenomenal.
You will not go away hungry.
[Guy] What are we into, Chef
This is the waffle for the Confused Cousin chicken sandwich.
Confused is right here.
Almond milk, flour,
baking powder, pure vanilla.
I have a second type of vanilla,
also a pure vanilla,
white sugar, brown sugar,
and then we have a substitute for eggs.
Keep it vegan.
Coconut oil.
[Guy] And let her fly.
- Next step? - Chicken coating.
Unbleached all-purpose flour,
adobo, granulated garlic,
white pepper.
This is a Mediterranean spice-blend that we import from Israel.
That's awesome.
[Derrick] Parsley, granulated onion,
- kosher salt. - [Guy] Got it.
[Derrick] Next, for the chicken.
We're going to go dry flour,
egg wash, dry flour, grease.
350, six minutes.
What are we making next?
- [Derrick] Garlic mac. - Okay.
Colby jack cheese,
- Oh, you're going immersion circulator. - Yes.
- Aren't we chef-ing it up a bit, now? - [chuckles]
[Derrick] Sharp cheddar cheese,
sodium citrate, to make sure that it doesn't clump up.
[Guy] And some heavy cream.
Seal it up.
[Guy] Why not just melt it in a pan like everybody else?
[Derrick] Sous vide.
Hotshot.
[Derrick] We have our noodles in the pan,
eggs, bacon fat.
[Guy] Oh, so it's not a vegan dish?
Nothing vegan about this one, brother.
Ghee, garlic salt, granulated garlic,
- white pepper. - You got a thing about white pepper.
The white pepper is there because a lot of our dishes have turmeric,
an active ingredient that is curcumin, very healthy for you.
And one of the best ways for the body to absorb that
- is mixed with white pepper. - [Guy] Okay.
Dump that cheese sauce and then some heavy cream in this.
The last thing we have to make is barbecue sauce.
- And then the barbecue sauce is part of the house sauce. - Correct.
[Derrick] Water, brown sugar, paprika,
mustard, garlic, black pepper,
- salt. - All right.
[Derrick] Ketchup, lemon juice,
molasses, liquid smoke, light corn syrup.
Take me to Flavortown, brother.
[Derrick] So, for our house sauce
we're gonna begin with some hot sauce, ranch,
then that barbecue sauce,
- honey. - [Guy] Let's see it, bud.
Grill some cheese,
chicken, maple syrup,
scoop up this side of cheese,
slap some bacon on here,
garlic mac, spicy barbecue.
Smash that down,
finish that off with a little bit of house sauce.
[Guy] I'm actually scared.
- Can I phone a friend? - [laughs]
[Guy] I wonder how much this little piggy weighs.
Two pounds!
You think I need more of that in my day?
- You eat this. - [laughs]
- [Guy] I don't even know how to attack it. - Hands.
[Guy] Pick it up? You have a pressure washer?
[laughs]
That's a bite.
[Guy] Mac and cheese is delicious.
Chicken, nice crisp on that. Nice crunch.
One of my favorite things is that spicy barbecue sauce.
That contrasting with the maple syrup,
you get the hot, you get the spice and then you get the sweet.
It is a gigantic juxtaposition of flavors and textures.
Dynamite.
[server] Here's your Confused Cousin.
We do not show up in Alaska without the Alaska superstar
of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,
the one and only, Benny Lin
from Pagoda Restaurant in North Pole, Alaska.
So, what do you think?
Good flavor. The barbecue sauce, really nice.
Good waffle.
Crispy, the chicken cooked just right.
Dropping you four garlic parmesan right now.
I don't really want to go anywhere else to eat.
It's what I want and what I need at the same time.
You weren't told what you can and cannot do.
So, you just took it upon yourself to do what you want.
And it just is remarkable, what you've come up with.
Well done.
You'll be here soon,
or he'll have one opening up near you.
[Guy] Coming up,
Lights-out Latin in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He's doing a great menu.
From knockout arepas...
You got sweet, you got tangy, you got rich.
to pork paninis packing a flavor punch.
It's a really good sandwich.
So, I'm here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
We love coming down here for Triple D,
we always find really dynamite joints,
all kinds of characters, too.
So, one of the types of food
that we're looking for here in this Nob Hill area, is Latino.
But I'm not talking about the Latino you'd expect getting some Tex-Mex.
No, I'm talking about Puerto Rican
and a little bit of Colombian mixed together.
This is the Guava Tree Cafe.
One Pernil, two Machillas, one Cubano.
Every bite that you take, it's magical.
Oh, wow.
I'm working on the vegetarian arepa.
As soon as the smell of everything that's cooking in the kitchen hits you,
like, you just know you're in an amazing place.
[Guy] Which is a love child of Colombian-born Diego Barbosa.
I always call him the Latin lover.
I bet you there's a story behind this.
[man] Because he is passionate around his food.
Rice and beans all day.
[Guy] And he and co-owner Ana Couyon
are putting out big flavor..
Need the hogao, please.
[Guy] from a kitchen the size of a postage stamp
What was this place before the restaurant was here?
An office.
[Guy] You made it into a restaurant?
Yeah.
- You're crazy. - [chuckles]
[Guy] So, what kind of food do you guys do?
Latino Miami-style street food.
In New Mexico, from a guy from Colombia.
- You hear that story all the time. - [laughs]
Pernil sandwich coming up.
The sandwich I had was the Pernil.
It has this slow-roasted por the caramelized onions
with the garlic sauce and the Swiss cheese.
What are we making?
- Pernil Sandwich. - Okay.
[Diego] First, rinse our pork with bitter orange juice.
Bitter orange juice?
So, a vinegar, an acid of some sort.
[Diego] Now, all of our dries in the bowl.
- Can I spin the bowl? - Please, yes.
Here we go.
Granulated garlic, salt,
- pepper... - He needs his own show.
Oregano,
cumin...
[both] Achiote.
The annatto seed ground up.
- [Diego] Vinegar. - [Guy] And a little oil.
Make a paste to rub on the outside.
Pockets for the studding of the garlic.
Little cloves. Two per hole, I like.
[Guy] Do we let this marinate?
- 24 hours. - [Guy] 24 hours.
[Diego] We are gonna use film and foil.
Really keep that moisture in.
How long are we going to cook this?
[Diego] Three hours, 350.
Okay, Chef. Next step?
[Diego speaking]
- Salsa de ajo. - Yeah, this is--
Sounds way sexier than aioli, right?
[Diego chuckles] Huevos, salt,
garlic cloves, white vinegar.
[Guy] Okay.
[Diego] And oil.
Pepper, then we build the sandwich!
We have our bread, our garlic sauce,
Swiss on top, the lechon.
[Guy] Beautiful.
[Diego speaking]
Place it in the oven.
[Guy] So, we melt the cheese,
- goes from the oven to the panini. Great. - Yes.
[Diego] Right there.
Garlic sauce, and that's it.
The pork is dynamite. It's seasoned great.
The sauce of the ajo is what carries the whole thing.
It's a little bit sharp with the raw garlic.
The caramelized onion with the balsamic vinegar kind of bounces out.
This cheese, perfectly melted.
It's a really good sandwich. Delicious.
Three Pernils in.
That homemade pork, it was like a party in your mouth.
First, you get this amazing, like, garlic aioli
and then the onions come through.
Rice and beans all day.
- Are you the neighbor across street? - Yes.
[Guy] He's doing a great men
We're happy.
Shows his character of being creative
and to know how to do it right.
[Diego] Arepa Machilla, tres
Arepa Machilla, which is the vegetarian arepa,
it's kind of like a pita pocket,
but instead of being bread, it's corn.
From all the vegetables in I
you get that good hearty, like,
"Yes, I ate something delicious" feeling from it.
We are ready for our vegetarian arepa.
Built with white mushrooms...
A lot of them.
Garlic, salt, veggie oil.
[Guy] Roast that off.
[Diego] This is gonna be an hour.
Next, black beans.
Some green onions, pepper,
salt, garlic cloves,
bay leaves, red pepper,
and a bunch of water.
Cover them with plastic and foil.
350 for an hour.
So, time to make the arepa dough.
- [Diego] White cornmeal. - Nice and fine.
[Diego] Salt, and then we just add water.
Ooh!
- It's gonna take forever doing it like this. - [Diego chuckles]
- It'd just be easier if I poured it. - [chuckles]
Right now, we knead the dough with the hand.
- Can you add some more, please? - [Guy] Mmm-hmm.
Don't add too much, though.
[Diego] It's ready!
And we're gonna go on the panini?
And then we grill it, both sides.
- All right. - Just need some crust outside.
What's next?
Hogao, that's from Colombia.
The hogao is the sauce.
Tomatoes, green onions,
pepper, salt, comino,
more memories from home.
- [Diego] Achiote... - And then some oil.
[Diego] Blend it up.
- In the oven. - All right. How long is this going to go?
[Diego] It's gonna be an hour again.
White cornmeal, fluffy inside.
-Sweet plantains, -[Guy] That's a lot of plantains.
Oh, yeah!
The black beans, mushrooms,
You're going to fit all that in there?
[Diego] The red bell peppers on top.
I can't fit all that in my mouth.
[Diego] Top with a fresco cheese.
Right there. And some hogao on the side.
[Guy] It's heavy.
That's a really good arepa.
Nice and tender, soft and pillowy on the inside.
I love that you really roasted down the mushrooms.
That's my favorite part. Good bite to the beans.
The roasted red bell peppers are great.
- And the salsa-- - Hogao.
I like the acid of that.
You got sweet, you got tangy,
you got rich...
I mean, really good, buddy.
One Machilla ready!
[man] Amazing crunch on the outside,
and then soft and flavorful and smooth on the inside.
Layers of flavor, literally.
The sweetness of the plantains is a real surprise.
The salsa that came with the arepa was delicious.
[Ana] Two Cubanos, one more minute.
[woman] You just leave with a happy belly.
And a happy heart. [chuckles]
[Guy] How many different ite do you do on the menu?
22.
[Guy] Out of such a little kitchen, Chef.
Scratch-made, but so much flavor.
I think you've got something going on.
-Thank you, buddy. Appreciate it. -Thank you so much.
So, is this a great road trip or what?
But don't you worry,
I got plenty more joints to find all over this country.
I'll be looking for you next time,
on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Have you had the Crazy Cousin before?
I had the Crazy Cousin.
No, I'm talking about the dish, sir.
I'm talking about the dish.
- Okay, just checking. - And the Crazy Cousin.
[both laughing]
- I've got them all. [laughs] - You got it, buddy.