Italian-American nostalgia is on Mark Bove's stove at Bove's Cafe in Burlington, Vt. Despite a Throwdown loss, locals love his meatball lasagna. Melissa D'Arabian even kisses and tells that for "garlic-times-infinity" cravings, Bove's Roasted Garlic tomato sauce is the best thing she ever ate.

Alton Brown claimed that the Mock Eel at A Single Pebble could keep him vegetarian. That's why on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Alton gave two chopsticks up for Chef Duval's creation (actually made of shitake mushrooms). It's just one pebble in Duval's sophisticated menu of traditional Chinese.

Iron Chef Marc Forgione compares Reef's Big Pork Chop to a religious experience. The Big Pork Chop lives up to its name with a double-bone portion that's equally big on flavor. Owner Bryan Caswell couldn't believe when Marc finished. But, just like the crispy skin snapper, you'd be a fool not to.

This Tex-Mex pioneer has been the driving force behind legendary dishes like fajitas and Tacos Al Carbon. But Mo Rocca finds his favorite in the Queso Flameado (think Oaxaca cheese and spicy chorizo rolled into a warm tortilla). The nachos strewn with cheddar and refried beans are also a standout.

Feast may be doing a "full throttle assault on Peter Cottontail" says Frank Bruni on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, but its hearty European-style cuisine has earned rave reviews from across the country. The fried rabbit liver and kidneys may be simple, but it easily makes Bruni's best-of list.

For Melissa, the fried chicken at Babe's Chicken Dinner House is quintessential fried chicken. This "classic country" dinner house has nine operations going full-speed ahead. With "über juicy" chicken, steaming biscuits and homemade pies, everyone’s too busy eating to stop them.

On The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Ronnie's Ribs, Wings & Other Things gives ribs the smoked, slow-cooked treatment. On The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Delilah Winder says the ribs are the "get down, get down" type of ribs that are good for eating in your car or being shipped to your home!

Duff prides himself on making a good tres leches cake. But that went out the door the second he tried Kuba Kuba's version. This Cuban-Spanish restaurant doesn't take reservations, so arrive early if you want to try the picadillo empanadillas made with sweet beef hash or traditional Spanish paella.

Ask Giada what her favorite fried food is and she'll skip the chicken and fries and go straight to the doughnuts. And Lola's made-to-order doughnuts with a vanilla mascarpone cheese and a creamy cranberry sauce are the best thing — ever. For a savory finish, try the braised lamb shank.

It's just not the holidays until Bobby gets his coconut gold bars from Fran's Chocolates in Seattle. Known the world over for her extravagant chocolate confections, Fran hand-makes these gold-wrapped bars of creamy coconut and white chocolate. As Bobby says, they’re dangerously addictive.

Smack dab in Salt Lake City, locals have been feasting on a traditional pastry hailing from Brittany, France. Known as Kouing Aman (pronounced kween ah-MON), this butter pastry quickly got on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, as Pat and Gina Neely called it "absolutely the queen of desserts."

Hubert Green not only has the perfect-sounding barbecue name but he also has an incredible grill. The 2,260-pound armadillo grill emits smoke from its tail and is as big as a car. But Ted Allen says the real reason to visit is for the brisket, served buffet style only Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

If you visit El Paso, you'll quickly learn that Chico's Tacos is an El Paso tradition (and has been for decades). On The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Aaron Sanchez claims the tacos—which are rolled and fried and drenched in cheese and tomato chili sauce—are how tacos should taste.

Aaron Sanchez says you haven't arrived in El Paso until you've had Kiki's Beef Machaca. This braised-beef dish layers flavor upon flavor with its wonderful (some say addictive) green chili sauce and then, runny egg on top. To make yourself really at home, try Rosa's spicy chocolate mole.

For Duff (who celebrates Hanukkah), Christmas means one thing: Peking Gourmet Inn. He does the happy duck dance for the Peking duck because it's crispy, smoked and includes homemade hoisin sauce and spring onions. As he says, "it's the best thing I ever ate. Period."