Restaurants

When Texan native Jack Stewart came to California, he started an artisanal Southern comfort food diner. Guy downed the potato and collard green pancakes topped with Potlikker Gravy and enjoyed the French toast-like Pain Perdue. Try the shrimp and grits and kick it up a notch with Tabasco Gravy.

A this tiny spot in Napa, Chef and owner David Lu is putting out delicious Asian cuisine with fresh local ingredients. Guy loved the Kimchi Fried Rice with braised beef cheeks and the house-made ramen.

This family-run food truck is all about community, from its origins as a crowd-funded project on Kickstarter to its use of regionally sourced ingredients. And the locals are certainly lining up for the creative comfort foods cranked out here, as Guy found out when he swung by to chow down on the Root Beer Pulled Pork.

The allure of craft brews is what first drew many locals to Commonwealth, but it’s the food that keeps them coming back. The craft tacos are one crowd-pleaser that Guy just had to try. “There’s so much flavor in each one,” he declared of the trio that included a banh mi taco layered with cilantro, jalapenos, pickled carrots, red radish and pulled pork tossed with a housemade umami sauce.

At this cool little spot in Modesto, Chef-Owner Tye Bauer serves up a tantalizing array of dishes inspired by his Portuguese and German ancestries. Guy headed here on Diners Drive-Ins and Drives to chow down on the three-meat Octavian Sandwich (think Portuguese sausage, pulled pork and Portuguese braised beef) and a lamb burger topped with mushrooms, bacon and gorgonzola.

Korean and Mexican cuisines come together at this casual restaurant in dishes like kimchee quesadillas and Korean short rib burritos.

Serving the cuisine of Yucatan, Mexico, this counter-service Downtown restaurant is popular for its Cochinita Pibil — pork cooked in banana leaves.

At ediBOL, Chef and Owner Andrea Uyeda pours her Asian-influence and a dramatic sense of style into off-the-charts creative bowls. The visually stunning layers of flavor in the Miso Peanut Ramen leave Guy speechless.

Chef-Owner Tamearra Dyson serves up Creole classics and soul food favorites with a surprising twist: All the dishes offered at her restaurant are vegan. Guy just had to check this creative menu out, so he stopped in to try Chef Dyson’s okra gumbo and her meatless spins on succulent sandwiches.

A mecca for ethically minded carnivores and anyone who loves top-quality meat, Clove and Hoof houses both a butcher shop and restaurant under one roof. Owners John Blevins and Analiesa Gosnell use only antibiotic-free and hormone-free meat in their dishes, like the cheesesteak that Guy stopped in to try.

Staying true to its name (cosecha translates to “harvest”), this Mexican spot determines many of its dishes based on which ingredients are in season. Guy stopped by this high-energy cafe to chow down on two pork-centric dishes: carne adovada (braised pork seasoned with guajillo chile) and pork belly tacos.

Since 1981, Gloria Flores has been sharing her traditional El Salvadoran cooking to adoring Los Angeles locals. Guy's visit on Triple D left him scraping his plate of Adobada, a pork stew with a rich tomato sauce. And he was absolutely bowled over by the Seven Seas Soup brimming with crab legs and shrimp. “That is delicious — deep, deep flavor,” Guy exclaimed.

This classic spot in the Mission District dishes up Puerto Rican and Cuban favorites. Guy was impressed by Chef-Owner Rafael Frias’ version of ropa vieja, which is made from a recipe passed down by the restaurant’s previous owners. “I like that there’s real texture to the meat,” Guy declared of the dish, which features tender, shredded chuck roll that’s sauteed with peppers, onions and tomatoes.

The food at this cafe is so delicious that patrons are willing to wait hours for one of the 40 seats inside. Guy thought that the cornbread and jalapeno jelly made a perfect combo and he appreciated the flavorful buttermilk dill bread. The veggie chili was appreciated for its complex flavors.

Co-owners Pamela Schafer and Richard Park are bringing the best flavors of down-home barbecue to San Francisco at CatHead’s BBQ. This joint takes its name from the “cathead” biscuit — a Southern staple that’s the size of a cat’s head. It’s also one of the rare spots in the city with a barbecue pit. As such, Guy had to try the classic pulled pork biscuit sandwich served with a housemade mustard slaw and a side of pickles.