Restaurants

A British couple visits California and what do they decide to do? Start a British comfort food shop! Guy and his son loved these "real deal" fish and chips made with wild Alaskan cod. The bangers with a side of mash also garnered praise. Feeling brave? Try the fried haggis balls.

The authentic Mexican recipes make the food at this family-operated restaurant irresistible. Guy liked the juicy flavor of the carnitas, which can be ordered in a taco, burrito, enchilada or torta. The pork stew pozole also impressed Guy; he recommends topping it with cabbage, cilantro and lime.

Diners say The Banshee is Chico’s best kept secret. Chef Will Brady’s food combines his Boston background with his time in Southeast Asia into true fusion comfort food. The Pho French Dip is made with braised beef and topped with house-made pickled cucumbers, onion, carrots and spicy mayo and then dipped in a spicy broth. “You’re taking folks international and they don’t need a passport,” said Guy.

Diners head to Grana for pasta and comfort food done right. This centerpiece of this farm-to-table restaurant is the oven that Chef Jeff King had imported from Italy. Two must-try dishes are the Braised Pork Ragu topped with a bright salsa verde and the deceptively simple Braised Chicken Leg served with dreamy white cheddar polenta and braised greens.

When Guy was growing up, his family would stop at Granzella’s Deli on road trips for the best muffuletta ever. Stop in and try one of their 30 different sandwiches.

Good eats, indeed. This Triple D destination offers up American fare that includes a must-try Nashville Hot Fried Chicken Sandwich and a Blueberry Bacon Blue Cheeseburger that's an absolute winner. Bonus: While waiting for your food, enjoy a drink from the Lucky 13 bar, located adjacent to Scolari's.

At ZAZU kitchen + farm, Chef Duskie Estes and her husband Chef John Stewart are serving up true farm-to-table dishes with a creative flair. Their menus change daily based upon the ingredients they grow and source from the surrounding area. Guy loved their Bacon-in-the-Batter Waffle served with house-made bacon toffee and bourbon gelato. Get anything with their house-cured bacon!

Wilma & Frieda is a brother-and-sister-run joint that specializes in eclectic breakfast and lunch food. The luscious short rib melt is freshened up with peppery arugula and tangy pickled onions. Their breakfast tarts are filled with fruit and slathered with frosting and sprinkles.

This San Francisco destination is one of the biggest Triple D joints ever, with seating for more than 450 people. Serving up traditional Chinese fare, Grand Harbor regulars rave about the pork buns, dim sum chicken feet and a selection of fresh seafood. Bonus: The restaurant's view of the San Francisco Bay is absolutely spectacular.

In a first for Guy, he checked out this food truck dishing up Laotian street food, which Chef-Owner Mony Vangsoulatda characterizes as “spicy, sour (and) bitter.” Guy tried the Kao Piek, a garlicky, chile-laced chicken soup featuring noodles that Chef Vangsoulatda makes herself. “These noodles got some texture and some bite,” Guy exclaimed, declaring the dish one of the top three Asian soups he’s ever tried.

Guy heaps the praise on this restaurant's Pad Thai and Tom Yum Kung soup, calling it "nice and light and bright and fresh."

Former NFL player Steve Smith has traded in the pigskins for wings, which he slings at this Stockton joint. One popular option is the Damn Hot, which Guy called a “good old-fashioned funky, crunchy wing.” For this dish, the wings are coated in a paprika-laced flour mix, fried and then slathered in a fiery sauce whose heat factor is kicked up with cayenne, smoked jalapenos and green chiles.

For a taste of New Orleans in the midst of Stockton, Calif., Guy made a beeline for this Miracle Mile restaurant. In addition to crepes (both savory and sweet), this spot also serves up its own twist on traditional beignets (chocolate or caramel dipping sauce, anyone?).

Guy's trip to Burger Me had him witness everything from chicken burgers to the beloved BBQ Bison Burger. But the Italian Stallion burger (where burger meets deli sandwich) forced Guy to hunch over to take a bite, as it included beef, salami, mortadella, hot peppers and Cabernet vinaigrette.

This authentic Italian deli churns out 4,000-plus ravioli a week using a ravioli machine that dates back more than a century. “I have seen really cool kitchen equipment in my day,” Guy said of the gear. “This might be the coolest.” The deli’s signature ravioli are stuffed with a combination of beef, cheese, spinach and Swiss chard, then served with a homemade Bolognese-style meat sauce