55 South serves up traditional Southern dishes like the Nashville Hot Chicken and the Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. But the fresh seafood served here is also a major highlight. Guy loves the “wood smoke component” of the char-grilled oysters topped with garlic-lemon butter and Parmesan.
At Blue Koi, two sisters cook up traditional Chinese dishes with some tasty twists. Guy devours an entire dish of the chili pepper wontons filled with a mouthwatering mixture of shrimp, pork and chicken and topped with chili sauce. Want even more heat? Add the firebird chicken noodles to your meal.
Guy heads to Caffe Nonna for a rustic Italian meal, and nothing on the menu is more rustic than the Lasagna Nonna. This delectable eight-layer dish is filled with butternut squash, spinach, pasta, ricotta and sauteed Swiss chard, and it's finished off with two sauces and lots of cheese.
Overlooking the beautiful marina, Tiki Bar is not your typical Mexican restaurant. It’s serving up some of the best sushi in Cabo. Guy can’t get enough of the Heavy Nagasaki featuring layers of fresh fish inside a butterflied shrimp roll, which is fried and then drizzled with homemade eel sauce.
This outdoor oasis serves seafood caught straight from San Lucas Bay. Guy sampled the stuffed fish drenched in a rich lobster reduction, whose freshness factor left him impressed. Stopping by for breakfast? Try the chilaquiles: a tasty mix of tortilla chips, cheese, shredded chicken and salsa.
The philosophy behind The Cube is simple: "Real food with a real smile." That includes whipping up scratch-made barbecue every day over hickory and cherry wood, served with housemade barbecue sauce and classic Texas toast. Guy loved the Guadalajara Dog fried with applewood-smoked bacon.
Succotash's eclectic vibe can be seen in everything from the eight-layer citrus cake with teal frosting to their artistic, kitschy decor. For breakfast, locals love the pork hash with sides of black beans and potatoes. Guy says of this spicy plate, "Holy hash, Batman."
At Nexus Brewery and Restaurant, Guy learned about a new cuisine: New Mexican soul food. The restaurant is named after Star Trek but it's clearly a union of southern-New Mexican flavors with dishes like green-chile mac 'n' cheese, pico de gallo gumbo and Guy's pick: hot sauce chicken and waffles.
There's a little something for everyone at the Tin Shed Garden Cafe. Guy devoured their ooey-gooey (and vegetarian) heartless artichoke grilled cheese. For a heartier bite, try the juicy pulled-pork barbacoa sliders or the Baby Beluga black curry lentils, available vegan or gluten-free.
At BB's Lawnside BBQ, it's one juicy Kansas City-style barbecue plate after another. Lawnside still uses the original 1950s smoker for their burnt ends and hickory-smoked pork spareribs. For a real treat, try the BBQ Sundae, a three-layered Mason jar of pit beans, coleslaw and pulled pork.
This spot's famous for its beef brisket, especially the burnt ends sandwich. Called "Ol' Smoky," the beefy bomb features the flavorful edges of the brisket, slow-smoked with hickory. They also offer beef, turkey and pork by the pound and a three-meat special for those on a carnivorous streak.
This "blink and you'll miss it" restaurant brings a little bit of Brooklyn to Santa Fe, N.M. With owner David Jacoby, aka the "Duke of Soup," Guy discovered the secrets to the "dynamite," award-winning Smoked Turkey Wild Rice soup. For an unforgettable finish, try the scratch-made pumpkin pie.
At Jambo Cafe, Chef Ahmed Obo brings African-Caribbean Cuisine to the Sante Fe locals. The Kenyan native uses a collection of Caribbean spices and flavors for the grilled mahi mahi platter. But as Guy learned, the goat stew is nothing short of "the real deal," with its tender goat and handmade roti. The food is so popular, Obo has opened a second location, in Albuquerque's NE Heights.
Guy tried hand-pulling noodles, but it was no match for Frank Fong's mastery. At Frank's Noodle House, noodles are the star of the plate, as they're hand-pulled and handmade every day. Frank offers the noodles with vegetables, beef and even squid. But Guy likes his with Frank's marinated chicken.
Owners Daniela and Maxime Bouneou modeled Torinos' @ Home after Italy's great trattorias. Guy swung by on DDD, and he learned that the food is honest and authentic, with dishes like handmade squid ink pasta and tender beef cheek manicotti that's "no filler, all thriller."
Make restaurant favorites at home with copycat recipes from FN Magazine.
Let Guy take you on a coast-to-coast tour Friday at 9|8c.