G heads straight to Brooklyn to see what makes this vibrant borough to visit a southern restaurant free of frills and pretension. Pies 'N' Thighs owners put their Carolina roots to the test and Sarah Buck makes the pies that have earned half the name. She gives G the scoop on how she makes her sour cherry pear pie pie. He also gets a taste of the fried chicken and all the fixings. He stops by the Burger Bistro to meet with chef and owner John. Together they make John's ossobucco burger and G makes his own Brooklyn-worthy creation. New York City loves a good drink, so much that some residents make it themselves. Brad Estabrooke of the Breukelen Distillery uses fresh grain from upstate to make delicious gin. This warehouse does everything from start to finish and Brad walks G through the process.
If Jim hadn't become a chef, he likely would have run away to the circus. He loves circuses and freak shows and was even the front man for a clown rock band. Now he's visiting a three-ringed circus of offbeat places that bring a carnival-like atmosphere to their approach to food. At Unicorn in Seattle, Jim revels in their circus-like decor and heads to the kitchen to cook carnival-inspired dishes including fancy corndogs and a stuffed "fire-eater burger." At Straw in San Francisco, Jim experiences their elevated spin on fair favorites: fried chicken and waffle Monte Cristo, the Ringmaster donut burger and fresh watermelon cotton candy. And at barbecue and juke joint White Tiger Gourmet in Athens, Ga., Jim cooks some fantastic barbecue fit for a singing clown: the Barberella, a barbecue and grilled mozzarella sandwich with White Tiger sauce and the Clown Car tofu tacos.