In a stroke of genius, Kent Rathbun served his special guest, Julia Child, curry lobster as a shot instead of a soup. The "Shooters" are now famous and Melissa d'Arabian also thinks they're worthy of The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Abacus is genius itself: a five-star restaurant serving global cuisine.

Move aside, fruitcake cynics Marc Murphy thinks Collin Street's version will turn you into a fruitcake fanatic. With nearly 1 million fruitcakes made each year, Collin Street packs their cake with Costa Rican papaya, Washington cherries and Texas pecans that make up almost a third of the cake.

Raz'z Bar and Grill may be in heart of Nashville, Tenn., but its love of New Orleans and African-style cuisine runs deep. Razaak Ademosu -- Chef Z" -- serves tasty plates of wild rice gumbo as well as Pat and Gina Neelys' favorite "set-you-off dish" of spicy jambalaya, served over a bed of linguini.

The saying goes that if Colonel Sanders had Uncle Lou's fried chicken recipe, he'd be a general. On The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Guy loved Lou's "crazy" fried chicken that's dipped into a sauce once called "Corruption." Now, thanks to Guy, it has been rechristened Sweet Spicy Love.

Claire Robinson insists that guilty-pleasure foods be "over-the-top outrageous" and Iris doesn't disappoint. The French-Creole cuisine is "guilty pleasure on steroids," as the Surf and Turf gets a po' boy twist with fried oysters stuffed into juicy steak under a thick creamy sauce.

Although Rendezvous is world-renowned for its barbecue chicken, ribs and pulled shoulder, Tyler Florence argues on The Best Thing I Ever Ate that the charcoal-smoked pulled-pork sandwich with coleslaw is the real winner. As he suggests, first see Elvis Presley, then it's off to Rendezvous.

Although Pete & Sam's has a loyal following for the toasted ravioli, Hungry Girl Lisa Lillien can't stop dreaming of their pulled pork pizza. Any good Memphis citizen will tell you the South is known for pulled pork, and Pete & Sam's pizza, drizzled in barbecue sauce, is no exception.

Claire Robinson loves the chopped pork barbecue sandwich from Payne's Bar-B-Que. According to Claire, Memphis, Tenn., is the capital of barbecue and nothing beats a pork shoulder that has been roasted low and slow. The yellow mustard sauce and secret barbecue sauce send this sandwich over the edge.

If you're from Memphis, you may have already heard of Alcenia's famous "Cha Cha" cabbage relish or the sweet potato cobbler. Guy swooped in on this mother-daughter operation for Triple D (as did the Neelys). Locals claim it's true Memphis cooking and Guy had this to say: "Mmm, that's good."

Hog Heaven may be famous for its hand-pulled pork and mouthwatering ribs, but Sunny Anderson found her heavenly bite from the smoked pulled turkey sandwich. The "Kickin' Chicken" white barbecue sauce made with mayo and super-secret spices lends itself perfectly to the turkey -- and everything else.

When the holidays hit, Claire Robinson wants nothing more than a "hot, yummy, greasy, fattening, killer sandwich." Luckily, The Patterson House's Elvis Panini does the trick with grilled bacon, peanut butter and bananas. For an extra special treat, she'll finish her meal with a Bacon Old Fashioned.

Instead of a sundae, Kerry Vincent opts for Cafe Pacific's over-the-top Pecan Ball. On The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Kerry claims that although the food receives high marks, it's the Pecan Ball (a ball of vanilla ice cream rolled in pecans, hot fudge and topped with an almond tuile) that gets the A+.

On The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Michael Symon, burger specialist, admits "mastery on a bun" comes from Ray’s Place and the humongous Mo-Fo Burger made with two 6-ounce beef patties, smoky bacon, cheese and more. After 36 years, it's still the best complement to Ray's jerk fries and beer.

It takes a special genius to make a grilled cheese lasagna sandwich. Lucky for Ohio diners, Matt Fish opened Melt Bar & Grilled with the lasagna Godfather sandwich. But he didn't stop there: The Monster grilled cheese goes mad scientist with its 13 different cheeses and three slices of bread.

Michael Symon grew up with plenty of memorable meals. But on The Best Thing I Ever ate, he reminisces about Bucci's and its Cavatelli. The pillowy dumplings made with ricotta and tomato sauce take Michael back, but diners keep returning for the classic Bucci lasagna baked to bubbly perfection.