With an on-site brewery and 12 house beers on tap, this family-owned spot proves that beer's not just for drinking. The kitchen infuses a bevy of entrees with brews, from the crispy wings with Red Eye Ale cider sauce to the Thai Curry Mussels With Wild Warthog Weizen, which Guy deemed "prime time."
Guy's visit to Nana's was a lesson in sustainability. Run by a crew of four siblings and Nana, their mother, the restaurant is all about local, organic produce. On Triple D, Guy devoured the sizzling pupusas. As for the shrimp and oyster po' boys, you could eat those morning, noon and night.
Located in a former frat house, The Sink is serving up quality scratch-made bites. According to Guy, the crust of The Buddah Basil pesto pizza is as much of a treat as its center, which has pizza and pesto sauces, artichoke hearts and Parmesan. Like spicy? Try the Texas Onion Straw Burger.
Bang! describes its cuisine as "new American, classics with our little twists." Take, for example, the righteous gumbo served with a slice of warm jalapeno cornbread. Guy called the gumbo "killer," but his Flavortown GPS quickly led to Bang!'s signature meatloaf drizzled with spicy homemade ketchup.
Take a drive to the southern tip of San Francisco and you'll be in good company at the Broken Record. Guy's Triple D crew marveled at the more than 300 kinds of whiskey. But Guy got a real kick out of the food, including the creamiest roasted mushroom polenta. The real kicker -- it's only $8.
Before Munch's became the go-to spot for fried chicken and shepherd's pie, it was Munch's Restaurant & Sundries, selling candy and toys and even acting as a post office. When Guy swung by, he only saw a St. Petersburg, Fla., institution serving up tasty, legit hash and a killer Creamed Chipped Beef.
Tocabe is neither a diner nor drive-in nor dive. Yet Guy still visited it on Triple D because of the off-the-hook hominy salsa. Tocabe brings a modern interpretation to American Indian food for lucky Denver locals -- the fry bread, bison ribs and overflowing Indian tacos are all must-tries.
As a San Antonio landmark of more than 60 years, the Bun 'N' Barrel knocks old-school classics out of the park. Must-try favorites include the Terrace Burger and the succulent brisket sandwich. Or, if you're Guy, try the "pretty addicting" spicy burger paired with the super fiery Thai chile sauce.
Each of the 150,000 tamales made each year at The Tamale Place are handmade and hand-tied. As Guy learned on DDD, that means the masa for the tamales is made with freshly ground corn every day. It's also used for everything from tacos to tortilla chips to the just-like-grandma's apple pecan tamale.
San Francisco locals swear by HRD for its Korean-style breakfasts. On Triple D, Guy hunkered down on the huge spicy pork and kimchee breakfast burrito. Want another pick-me-up? Try the Korean Loco Moco made with a hodgepodge of kimchee-fried rice and burger patty all atop sunny-side eggs.
If you head over to California Tacos to Go in Tampa, Fla., expect a quick, al fresco experience. As Guy learned on Triple D, they serve their tacos in an outdoor patio only -- like Guy's perfect California fish taco made with super thinly sliced cabbage slaw and spicy white chile sauce.
Guy couldn't stop himself from taking nibbles of Moroccan Bites' dishes. For starters, the fall-apart lamb served on fluffy couscous was playing a "tune called delicious." And don’t forget the Moroccan sausage sandwich made with an earthy spice mix and totally "out-of-bounds" relish.
With a whole family of sauerkraut fanatics to support her, Robin Lauer-Trujillo opened Lauer-Krauts, a play on her maiden name, Lauer, and homemade sauerkraut recipe. But Guy came for one thing: the Krautburger, a flaky German-Russian pastry pocket stuffed with beef and sauerkraut.
All the recipes at Zest! come from owner Valerie Vanderpool’s imagination -- and lucky for Guy, she's willing to share. On DDD, Guy demolished the tomato bon bons. As for the fried chicken breaded in Asiago cheese and served with rosemary-Gorgonzola polenta, that's just 'golden-funka-cruncha."
Even with its rock 'n' roll vibe, The Sparrow Tavern has a knack for fresh and healthy bar food. As Guy discovered on Triple D, The Sparrow Tavern has a righteous bacon and Brie burger. For the ultimate twist, try the super moist veggie burger -- the maple cayenne mayo is addictive.
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.