Hey, everybody. I'm Guy Fieri
and we're rolling out
looking for America's greatest diners, drive-ins and dives.
[Guy] This trip...
-Where are we going? -You'll know when we arrive.
[Guy] ...we're digging into Asian flavors...
Oh, my goodness. Outstanding.
...and a taste of Italy...
-You wanna try? -I'm dying to.
[Guy] ...in some surprising spots
This is really getting weird.
Like a passport to Vietnam in Albuquerque, New Mexico..
Amazing.
...an international bar foo twist in Laramie, Wyoming..
My mouth just started to water.
...and a real deal Italian deli in Anchorage, Alaska...
This is how you do it.
...conjuring up some magical meals.
That little hocus-pocus.
Watch out for Merlin over here
and the funky dust.
That's all right here,
right now on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
You ever notice on Triple D
how we take the everyday common foods
like barbecue or food truck
and kind of blow them up to the next level
and show you the best of the best?
Well, how about delis?
Say deli to somebody and they're like, "Yeah it's a deli."
Well, listen, I'm here in downtown Anchorage, Alask
where a husband and wife and daughter team
are taking Italian deli to the next level.
This is Originale, Caffe and Deli.
[man] Lasagna is ready for Table 3, please.
Everything that they have here is just delicious.
You taste the difference compared to what you'd call
average deli?
Oh, yeah. The bread, meats, cheeses.
Spicy Coppa.
Everything's from Italy.
Everything's really authentic
[Guy] Just like owner, Sergio Anzilotti.
Moved to United States when I was five years old.
Then, Brazil and then...
-Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait -...met wife,
-...went to Italy-- -[Guy] Italy, United States,
-and Brazil? -Brazil.
Came up to Alaska...
looking for a real authentic Italian place
and just couldn't find anything.
So I said, "This is where we're gonna do something."
It really truly does bring me back to my studies in Italy.
It's become like our Friday lunch date.
Do you order something different when you come here?
[man] I stick to the Diavolo.
You've got the spiciness from the pepper.
You've got the melty cheese.
You've got the crunch of the focaccia.
-I think he's going after my job. -[laughs]
It is an amazing sandwich for sure.
What are we making?
This is a focaccia bread.
Put the flour in here.
Yeast.
Salt, olive oil.
Water here.
[Guy] How long is this gonna mix?
-[Sergio] About 10, 15 minutes. -[Guy] Great.
So we proof it whole?
[Sergio] And we roll it out.
[Guy] Once this gets spread out on the tray,
we're gonna proof one more time.
-And then we hit it with olive oil and water? -[Sergio] Yes.
And then we bake it up for what temp?
[Sergio] 356.
"356"?
-356 and 17 minutes. -Not 54?
-"Seventeen"? -Yes.
With three trays in there.
-Otherwise it gets too hot with two trays? -Yes.
- Tre? - Tre.
-Yeah. -Okay.
What's up next?
We're gonna make our spicy pepper spread
-that goes on the Il Diavolo. -Okay.
Onion, garlic.
Tomato paste, red Fresno pepper
-with seeds. -I know.
-Red wine vinegar. Good cold pressed Italian olive oil. -Yeah.
-You import it? -Yes.
I don't make it here.
Salt and oregano in there?
Aspetta.
Okay. Capisce.
This is how you do it.
[Sergio] Okay, ready to cook.
Oregano and salt.
How long will you let that cook?
[Sergio] Eight minutes, five minutes.
You choose. Six and a half, okay?
-Eight, six minutes. -Eight, six minutes.
Eight, six, fourteen. So seven minutes.
Got it?
[laughs]
-What temp are we gonna cook that? -285.
[laughs]
Now we go to refrigerator. An hour and a half.
-Eighty nine minutes. -Okay, 89.
-And this is that focaccia we made. -Yeah.
I love the cold cuts.
-Sliced daily? -[Sergio] Upon order.
-Upon order, these are sliced? -Yes.
Delicious.
-All imported? -All imported.
So, here comes the pepper sauce.
Make sure you cover everything.
We call it coast to coast.
Spicy sopressata.
Pepper salami.
Fresh mozzarella.
-And fresh coppa. -Okay.
-Now we go to the panini. -All right.
Secret spices.
Paprika, onions, garlic, rosemary.
Lemon peel.
This is interesting.
Still have zero idea what's going on here.
[Sergio] Spicy olive oil.
So, this little crunchy little dust program on the outside is all magic dust?
-You wanna try? -I'm dying to.
You gonna quit gardening?
That's outstanding.
Focaccia is dynamite.
We've reduced this big, luscious puppy
nook and cranny focaccia down to a crisp...
great Italian cold cuts.
But the piece de resistance
the pepper sauce
That little hocus-pocus
changed your name.
It's not Sergio anymore. It's Merlin.
That's magical.
Sergio the Merlin.
He's got his new album coming out
It's called the pepper sauce and the funky dust.
Outstanding.
Table 2, Il Diavolo.
That combination of the cheese
and the meat, just perfect blend.
The focaccia is not gonna weigh you down,
and the flavors are masterfu
Okay, there you go. You know how to prepare it, right?
Absolutely.
So, it's a market,
-a deli, a restaurant, to-go catering... -[Sergio] Yeah.
The focus is paninis and our pinsas now.
-Pinsas? -Pinsas.
This is not like any other kind of pizza.
It's a Roman style.
It's nice and light and crispy. It's just perfec
So, we're now gonna make the pinsa dough now.
Wheat flour, rice flour, soy flour
and then a blend of sourdough.
And we add water.
Now we're just going to proof.
-Seventy two hours? -[Sergio] Yep.
A little pillow here.
Treats it like a little baby.
[Sergio] Into the tray and bake it.
What temp are we gonna cook this at?
[Sergio] 500 degrees, seven to eight minutes.
-Then we're gonna bring it down and top it? -Yeah.
-I guess you'll tell me when we get there? -Yes.
Good talk.
Where are we going? You'll know when we arrive.
Pinsa La Puttanesca.
Today, I had the Puttanesca pinsa. It was really delicious.
Fresh-cut meats on it.
The olives tapenade is so good,
it feels like it's 16 ingredients in there
What's the next step?
Tapenade to put on that Puttanesca.
Green olives.
Capers.
The secret spice.
[Guy] The bomb.
Olive oil.
-Which you make here? -No.
[Guy] We've got our parbaked pinsa dough.
You know what this is, right?
[Guy] That's the mother sauce.
Shredded mozzarella with provolone.
Tapenade.
Now we're ready to bake.
Let me guess.
391 degrees for 11.25 minutes.
500 degrees for seven to eight minutes.
This is where the magic happens.
[Sergio] Mortadella.
Stracciatella.
[Guy] So, fresh morts and little heavy cream?
This is high-end.
It doesn't even eat like pizza crust.
It eats like brioche.
Really nice texture.
The pepper sauce is just a whole different category of itself.
-I'll eat that on a flip-flop. -[Sergio laughs]
The Stracciatella gives this total juxta-flavors.
Sweet, salty, crunchy, tangy, smooth, silky...
That's something different, man.
It may look like pizza, but it's outrageous.
La Puttanesca.
[woman] Every thing that's on there
is just completely different from a regular pizza.
[man] Super fresh,
and the cheeses just really bring it home.
Pastrami.
There's deli and then there's deli.
And this is...
Deli.
I tell everybody about this place.
Unless I don't like them.
[Guy] Small little place,
very unassuming.
Massive flavor.
Gateway to Italy.
Watch out for Merlin over here
in the funky dust.
Dude's gonna get ya.
Up next in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
Ta-da!
...a Vietnamese joint
raising the bar on banh mi..
This is a trophy of success.
...and whipping up
scratch-made tofu...
Perfectly made.
...that'll keep you wanting more.
I would come back
minimum once a week, if not twice a week
just to get that dish.
So, at Triple D,
I've been there, I've done that
I've met them, I've heard their story
and I've tasted just about every type of menu that there is.
I'm here in Albuquerque, New Mexico
and that might get broken today.
This is a story about an immigrant family like I've never heard before
They're doing a menu that I've...
well, I don't think I've quite seen before.
This one's unique.
This is Coda Bakery Vietnamese Deli and Tofu House.
One shrimp and pork sausage banh mi.
In Albuquerque, I was not expecting
to find such a great hidden gem of this Vietnamese restaurant.
[speaking other language]
I was born and raised in Vietnam.
So this food is home to me.
[Guy] It's home cooking that owner Uyen Nguyen inherited
when her Vietnamese-born parents made the journey to America.
You were leaving Vietnam,
your wife's pregnant...
I was the one that was born on the boat.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
So, on the birth certificate in my citizenship,
it says country of birth is international waters.
-Seriously? -Yes.
[Guy] Would we call this a Vietnamese restaurant?
[Uyen] Absolutely. This is a Vietnamese, like, casual fast food
but the flavor is authentic.
I have a Dac Biet sandwich for table number four.
Banh Mi Dac Biet is layered with types of pork.
Very tasty.
We keep coming back for it over and over.
Dac Biet. What does it mean?
Special.
We are gonna start with the house-made bread.
High gluten flour, butter.
Oil, salt, dough conditioner...
-Sugar. -[Guy] And yeast.
Ice water.
-It will retard the yeast development. -Yes.
which allows you to make the bread,
roll it out
-and give it a longer shelf life before it proofs -Exactly.
-Have time. Yes. -so you can get the flavor.
Ta-da!
So, now we're gonna make the Vietnamese ham.
We're doing more of a pressed ham,
-like a sausage. -It's like a baloney.
-It's pork cushion, actually. -Pork cushion?
And then, boneless skinless chicken breast.
This is just, like, everyday equipment that you have here
at this random Vietnamese bakery.
No. This thing right here
is what you find in meat processing.
[Uyen] Tapioca starch.
Little binder.
[Uyen] Glutinous rice flour.
Baking powder.
White pepper.
Salt, MSG.
Vegetable seasoning.
-[Guy] Crank it up. -Oil.
Ice water, sugar water.
Like a simple syrup.
Now we're gonna whip it.
[Guy] Then freeze it.
-Then it goes to emulsifier. -[Uyen] Yes.
That's where you really get
that creaminess.
Whereas, she said that it was gonna break down like baloney.
Nothing I love more than
-meat ice cream. -[Uyen laughs]
[Guy] Put this into the mold.
[Uyen] And we're gonna steam it.
An hour and 15 minutes.
Now we're gonna make the pates.
Of course we are. 'Cause we're gonna make everything here.
I'm probably gonna go mill some paper
to make the bags.
-[Uyen] Pork liver. -Great.
My favorite.
Pork fat.
Pork butt. White onions.
Fresh garlic.
Bread crumbs from our bread.
Glutinous rice flour.
The binder.
Garlic powder.
Black pepper.
Baking powder.
Salt.
Five-spice powder.
Little bit of sugar.
Onion oil.
-All right. -[Guy] Puree this.
-[Uyen] To the mold. -[Guy] Steam for...
[Uyen] An hour, 15 minutes.
That's how big the sandwich is?
They're about a foot-long.
House-made garlic mayo.
-Okay. -And then the pate that we just made.
Pork belly.
The head ham.
We call it head cheese.
Jambon. Like a garlic ham.
-And then the Vietnamese ham that we just made. -Right.
[Uyen] Soy sauce.
Pickled carrots and daikon.
Cucumber. Some jalapenos.
Cilantro.
That makes banh mis look boring.
[Uyen] That's why it's called Dac Biet.
-Yeah. -'Cause it's so special.
-[scraping] -Do you hear that crunch?
My mouth is watering.
[Uyen] Bon appetit!
[Guy] Amazing!
This is probably one of the most
remarkable sandwiches
I've had a chance to try.
This is a trophy
of success
for all your hard work.
Oh, my goodness.
-Outstanding. -Thank you.
[man] Banh Mi Dac Biet for you.
The whole sandwich is really fresh and tasty.
[man] It has the vegetables,
it has the butter on the baguette.
-They make the baguettes here, so... -Right.
[man] It's better than pretty much any sandwich you can have.
[Uyen] Beef lemongrass sandwich
You can pick anything on the menu, and...
-And you're gonna dig it? -Yeah.
[Uyen] Tofu...
So, I don't eat meat in my diet.
And I love that
it's also a tofu house.
So, if you really wanna make the bomb tofu,
-this is the process? -Yes.
We have soy beans.
And then I'm gonna grind it
through the grinder.
[Guy] Which looks like
-it's a water fountain in elementary school. -Yes.
Turn on the water.
Milk comes out on this bucket.
Cook it in my dad's amazing steamer
that he converted
from a water boiler.
to a steam generator.
[Guy] We're steaming milk like we're drinking at a coffee shop.
Skim off the foam.
E&T Foamhome.
Now, I'm gonna develop it.
We use vinegar and water.
It's like making cheese.
So we're gonna go ahead and strain.
Use some cheese cloth
that I soaked in a little bit of vinegar and water.
Now I'm gonna scoop in the curd.
-I curd what you're saying. -[chuckles]
Fold this.
Now we're gonna press it.
I'm so impressed.
-Here we go. -Gorgeous.
Ah, like a big birthday cake.
[Uyen] Cut it up and fry.
We're gonna add some oil.
[Guy] White onion.
[Uyen] Tofu, house-made.
Korean barbecue sauce.
Just glaze that sauce on there a little bit.
Now we're gonna make the tofu noodle bowl.
Rice noodle, lettuce.
Cucumber.
-Pickled carrots and daikon. -[Guy] Gorgeous.
[Uyen] Bean sprouts.
Cilantro.
Mint from my mom's garden.
Put it on the plate.
Scallion oil.
Roasted peanuts.
Soy vinaigrette.
I've been eating tofu since I was kid.
But this is...
tender, creamy, sweet...
But, like, that's the top best
three tofus I've ever had in my life.
And this dish...
...that is perfectly made,
perfectly balanced.
Gorgeous.
I would come back
minimum once a week if not twice a week
-just to get that dish. -Thank you.
-How's your tofu noodle? -Oh, my God. So, so good.
[woman] This tofu is amazing.
The consistency on the inside
is like a custard.
And then, it has the little bit of crisp
on the outside.
Combined with all these
pickled cucumber and carrot and daikon,
and then there's the sauce
that is just the right amoun of salty and sweet
with a little bit of spicy to it.
It really just
knocks it out of the park.
[Uyen] Shrimp and pork sausage spring roll ready.
This is really amazing.
There's so many corners
that they can cut. But they really...
-Right. -...stick to their guns and make authentic food.
Absolutely.
You really feel like you're getting the best of Vietnamese cuisine.
The story,
the character
and the food...
All A-plus.
-You're a rockstar. -Thank you.
[Guy] Coming up...
A Laramie Wyoming hotspot..
Oh, come on!
...adding flair to their fries...
I'm double fisting.
Don't judge me.
...and pumping up their pies
Is that another piece in my hand?
Well, I should, then.
All right, hang on. Just once second.
You guys, I'm here in Laramie, Wyoming.
And I got chef Justin Warner on facetime. Say hi.
How's it going?
He's telling me all about this place
I gotta check out.
What's the story?
My wife grew up with Andy.
And Andy is just a huge fan of Triple D.
So much so, that it actually
inspired him to open a joint.
I love this. What should I try?
You cannot miss
the bulgogi fries
They're lights out.
"Lights out." If chef Justin Warner sends me,
you know I'm checking out.
This is The Crowbar and Grill.
Summer Salad with flat iron steak.
It's just unique food.
Banana for the Kingbird burger.
Some of the best in Laramie.
[Guy] Which makes it even sweeter
that I played a part in owner Andy Glines
opening this joint.
This place exists because of Triple D.
-Really? -When I was out of college
and not sure what I wanted to do,
I was watching the show
and thought, "I kind of wanna do that."
-I gotta check the tape on that show. -Yeah.
[Guy] And with the help of General Manager, Emily Madden,
they're not just serving up reruns here.
[woman] It's comfort food
but then it's also really playful
and international.
Bulgogi fries...
If you're coming here get the bulgogi fries.
The sauce is fantastic.
The steak on them is wonderful.
[Guy] What are we making?
These are for our Bulgogi Fries.
My mouth just started to water.
[Emil] We cut our potatoes in-house every day.
I need someone stronger than me.
Yeah, I know. I saw how you worked that out.
I'm double parked.
Uh, wait a second. I gotta get to my kid's birthday.
Nice little shoestring fry.
[laughs] Water there, so it doesn't oxidize.
Let them leach out some of the starch
-Then we'll par cook 'em. -Mmm-hmm.
We're gonna make our bulgogi beef.
Start with our marinade.
Soy sauce, rice vinegar.
Sesame oil.
Garlic, black pepper.
-Honey. -Darling.
We're on to nicknames now?
I guess. You called me honey first.
I didn't know what to say.
Mix this up real quick.
God, it's getting so weird.
Diced onions.
So those are flat iron steaks.
-These are gonna marinade for 24 hours. -Got it.
-Drop our fries. -Drop them like they're...
Hot.
-Drop them like they're... -Hot.
Thank you very much.
[Emily] We have our marinated beef right here.
We're gonna drop it like it's...
-Warm. -Yeah, warm. [laughs]
And then we have kimchi that goes on there as well.
So, we got our fries
nice and crispy.
A little bit of salt and pepper.
Bulgogi goes on top of the fries.
Sriracha mayo, green onions.
Sesame seeds on top.
[Guy whistles]
I don't wanna use a fork.
It feels like the wrong time.
It's like clapping too early.
And off-beat.
-Exactly. -Yep.
The bulgogi meat is super tender and right on point.
Love the kimchi in there.
Need that little acid
But the kicker...
is the fry.
Fries are dangerous.
What?
Because I'm double fisting?
Don't judge me.
Kimchi going on the Bulgogi Fries.
If you're a meat and potatoes person,
it's like, the best.
'Cause it's all-in-one meal.
Crispy, fresh salty fries, really tender steak.
What's your favorite thing on the menu?
-That'll be the Pad Thai Fries. -Em...
Were are we at the Pad Thai Fries?
And your favorite thing on the menu?
[woman] The burger's the best.
They're always fun, creative ideas...
Putting burgers together with peanut butter and bananas
is just not something
that you think about typically.
[Guy] And the same off-the-wall attitude
they're putting into their burgers and frie
they're also tossing on the pizza pies.
They have a wide variety of toppings.
Large Billhook pizza...
Billhook's one my favorites.
It's one of those flavors that you won't forget soon
and you'll be back to have again.
Don't go anywhere. We're hanging out in Laramie, Wyoming
at The Crowbar and Grill.
See you in a bit.
Now we're going into making the bulgogi meat?
Yeah, I'm gonna show you how we marinade that.
-"How we marinade that"? -Yeah.
Is it a wee or we?
It's a we.
It's an us.
[Guy] Right now,
Triple D is in Laramie,
home of the University of Wyoming
and The Crowbar and Grill,
where you'll find
more than just your typical bar and grill grub.
Food's delicious.
All way around.
It hits the spot. It's comfort
but with a little flair.
Large Billhook, swinging hot.
I love the Billhook pizza.
It's really creative.
Great fusion of lamb.
It's got that homemade tzatziki sauce
and it's on that perfect homemade crust.
Just brings the whole thing together.
We're making the Billhook.
Walk me through this.
[Emily] High gluten flour.
[Guy] I like how we take
the biggest mixer you can find
and put it right on the line.
Pizza's what we do.
We have an oil mx.
Kosher salt.
Sugar, garlic powder.
Now my yeast.
Ice water.
Pitcher of beer.
Wait, for, uh...
Oh, were you thirsty?
-Did you want some of that? -I didn't know.
So quiet. Quaint.
[Emily] We let it mix for 45 minutes.
[Guy] It's the longest knead I've seen.
-I mean, I know it builds the glutens -Yeah.
-but... -Then we proof.
We make our lamb seasoning here.
Some oregano.
Onion powder.
Kosher salt.
Garlic powder.
This is really getting weird.
-Nutmeg. -A lot of it.
[Emily] Parsley, thyme, dill.
-Black pepper. -Marjoram.
Ground rosemary.
-Cinnamon. -It's a lot of cinnamon.
Basil.
-Mix up this big bowl. -Captain.
This is five pounds of lamb.
-Fresh ground. -That's as much seasoning that goes on it?
That's it.
Put it on to a sheet pan
[Guy] Now we'll cook that in the oven.
-[Emily] For about 20 minutes. -Got it.
We're gonna make our tzatziki next.
We start with six cucumbers.
Put it through here. We drain it.
We end up with that.
[Guy] Cucumber sorbet.
Mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt.
-Lemon juice. -[Guy] Fresh garlic.
[Emily] Onion powder.
-Dill, of course. -And a big dill.
We let it pulse for a little while.
-And this will only get better with time. -Yep.
That'd be great as a dip.
Final step?
[Emily] Our roasted tomatoes.
If you can tell how many are in there,
I'll give you a prize.
-One sack. -I need an exact number.
[Guy] You didn't say that.
56. Am I right or wrong?
I don't know. [laughs]
Oh, come on!
All right.
[Emily] Salt, pepper.
Our Italian seasoning.
Our oil blend.
And then I put it on to the tray.
It goes in the oven. 350 and for 24 minutes,
we spin it halfway through.
We're gonna make the Billhook.
Start with our dough that's proofed.
Little bit of semolina down.
More of our high gluten flour.
Start stretching it out.
And make it look like a circle
-and not an-- -And not a state.
Hey, look, Rhode Island, everybody.
And then we run the docker over it.
Keeps it from getting a bunch of bubbles.
Yeah, we want a flat pizza, not, like, the Rocky Mountains.
She's full of the one-liners.
Our oil blend with some garlic powder and our Italian seasoning.
Put our lamb on.
Shredded mozzarella.
White onions.
Roasted tomatoes.
Guess how many are in the bowl.
-Into the oven. -[Emily] It's at 500 degrees, four minutes.
Give it a spin.
-So it's gonna cook evenly. -Right.
Put it back in
for another three minutes.
[Guy] Gorgeous.
-Listen to that crust. -[scraping]
Oh, I hear it.
-Feta cheese. -Can't forgetta the feta.
Our tzatziki.
Is this your prize for counting the tomatoes?
No, that's not my prize, Emily.
[Guy laughs]
Stand up crust.
It's outstanding.
The dough is dynamite.
The beer has a nice kick.
But the real kicker is the tzatziki going on top.
It's creamy, it's refreshing.
You get the brightness from the cucumber.
From the roasted tomatoes, I love getting that onion texture
to finishing it with the feta,
so you get that little briny saltiness...
Is that another piece in my hand?
Well, I should then.
I've got the Billhook pizza for you.
The crust is always really light.
It has a good crisp to it.
I didn't think I'd like lamb.
I had that, and it was just really good
With that tzatziki sauce, it's unique.
[man] Fresh basil.
It's the type of food that makes you wanna come back.
It's dynamite.
Even though it is elevated bar food,
you're even elevating it to another level.
And it's really done with discipline.
-Well done, Chef. -Thank you.
-She's so cool. -[Emily laughs]
So that's it for this trip.
But don't worry, there's plenty more Triple D joints
all over the country.
I'll be looking for you next week
on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
It's the day after we shot Originale.
And I had to come back and bring Hunter
'cause we had to have Il Diavolo.
You gotta check this place out.
Cheers.
-Is it the real deal? -This is so money.
-Hell, yeah.