Nigel Spence loves to jerk around. He's so good at it, in fact, that his Caribbean-inspired Ripe Kitchen & Bar in Mount Vernon, N.Y., earned national acclaim and a Throwdown win. This former Food Network intern's island-spiced jerk rib-eye steak is such a monster, he dares you to try and finish it!
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.
When Bobby heard that Manny's Buckhorn Tavern had the seventh best burger in the nation, he had to challenge them to a Green Chile Cheeseburger throwdown. The competition was tough, but in the end, Chef Bob Olguin's refried green chiles and toasted bun helped him take the prize.
The Doughnut Plant's peanut butter and jelly doughnuts will trasport you back to childhood. The square doughnuts are glazed in fresh roasted peanut butter and filled with homemade blackberry jam. Chocolate lovers should try the Blackout, which is a chocolate-glazed and filled chocolate doughnut. For the holidays, they create the Menorah Ripple, a menorah-shaped doughnut packed with blackberry jelly with a cream cheese glaze.
Auntie Em's Kitchen is a tiny Los Angeles bakery and cafe with an electric personality. Owner Terri Wahl's thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies have given Duff Goldman a sugar rush. Not stopping there, her signature cupcakes have landed Terri in the middle of a Throwdown and even Cupcake Wars.
Janet and Alice are the live-in "Pie Moms" of The Berry Manor Inn in Rockland, Maine. These hometown heroes make the self-declared "world's best pie." Bobby's Throwdown may have rolled over them, but it hasn't stopped the flocks of visitors who line up for a heavenly slice of their Mixed Berry Pie.
Pastry Chef Biagio Settepani's confections are so good he once made a birthday cake for Pope Benedict XVI. For the throwdown, Biagio made a cannoli filled with poor man’s custard ricotta and topped with candied oranges. Feeling hungry? The eatery serves brunch, lunch and dinner.
At The Good Fork in Brooklyn, Sohui Kim's pork-and-chive-stuffed dumplings with her dark soy dipping sauce quickly became a local favorite. Bobby tried his best to create a better dumpling on Throwdown, but Sohui's reigned supreme.
Bobby samples an apple pie, baked in an inventive way, from The Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago, WI, where they are making a famed Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag on Food Network's Throwdown with Bobby Flay.
Swiss Amaretto Almond is Julia Reynolds' weapon of choice. At The Ice Cream Man in Greenwich, N.Y., she's churned out 300+ homemade ice cream flavors that make crowds scream. Even Bobby couldn't resist a double dip of her Classic Vanilla with Granny Smith Apple Topping during their sundae Throwdown.
Venezuelan-born Chef Marianna Vadukul opened an Indian restaurant after marrying her Indian-born husband. On Throwdown with Bobby Flay, she cooked her Chicken Tikka Masala, flavored with cumin, cardamom and masala. Vegetarians should try the chana masala — chickpeas cooked in coconut milk.
Rodney Henry starting selling pies to pay for his Rock and Roll habit with local band The Glenmont Popes. Try his Baltimore Bomb pie, made with Berger cookies (a local delicacy that's mostly chocolate frosting) that melt down into a sweet vanilla chess filling.
On The Best Thing I Ever Ate, Beau McMillan called Flip Happy's Strawberry Nutella Crepes "pure ecstasy." With sweet and savory ingredients like Tarragon mushrooms, caramelized onions and toasted coconut, the crepes here have become an Austin landmark and a must-go for both tourists and locals.
"The best moussaka since Achilles fought in Troy." How do you argue with that? Accomplished teacher, author and chef, Diane Kochilas uses NYC's Pylos to channel Greek village food in the East Village. When Bobby sought out her secret to moussaka greatness, she said, "never flinch on the garlic."
Of the hundreds of falafel shops and stands in New York City, only one was declared to have the best falafel from New York Magazine, and that's Taim Falafel in the West Village. Owner Einat Admony's light and fluffy medley of chickpeas and spices impressed Bobby (her former boss) on Throwdown.
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.