This trip, Guy Fieri's diggin' into dumplings, deep fried and lights-out Latin. There's amazing Asian in Dallas, dishin' out delicious dumplings and traditional beef noodle soup. A funky spot in Naples is embracing Florida fare, like gator sausage, frog legs and fried chicken. And in Chicago, a DDD blast-from-the-past has gone from chef in one kitchen to owner at his own joint, servin' up flavors like mojo pork with plantains and amped-up chicken tacos.
The Kitchen is stirring up weeknight favorite recipes, like Geoffrey Zakarian's Mediterranean Steak and Potatoes. Jeff Mauro steps up the classic red sauce routine with a One Pot Super Easy Fusilli, and cookbook author Gaby Dalkin takes over taco night with a Taco Skillet Bake. Sunny Anderson spices up chicken and rice with some Grilled Sweet and Spicy Chicken Thighs and Rice, and Katie Lee adds a surprise to her dessert with Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. Finally, the hosts predict the coolest items to freshen up the freezer.
The remaining two chefs walk into the hallowed halls of Kitchen Stadium to complete their final test: Imagination. With the Chairman looking on and host Alton Brown (Iron Chef America) commentating from the side, the two finalists compete in a head-to-head battle. Using everything they have learned, they must take the secret ingredient and create a five course meal that reflects the melting pot that is the American culinary experience. One of the chefs will then be selected as the winner and become the new Iron Chef!
In this episode Chef Rahm Fama tracks down some of spiciest meats in the country. His first stop is The Little Bitty Burger Barn in Houston. There he’ll learn the secret of one of the hottest burgers in the lone star state - a saucy jalapeño-habanera creation that tips the spice scale with its extreme heat. The temperature continues to rise as Rahm heads to Cochon in New Orleans, where the chef is putting a fiery twist on a local Cajun favorite; gumbo. Finally it’s on to Philly where things heat up at Han Dynasty, one of the most authentic Sichuan spots in the city. Here, our brave host digs into hot pot lamb made with hundreds of sizzling red peppers.
To kick off the second season of Meat & Potatoes, Food Network chef Rahm Fama heads out across the nation in search of All American Meat. His culinary crusade takes him to unique eateries from coast to coast, as he sinks in incisors into some of the best meat in the country. To start, Rahm takes his carnivorous quest to Old Original Nick's Roast Beef, a 70-year old, Philadelphia institution serving up simple, succulent sandwiches that are so good the locals have developed their own language for ordering. Then he heads to Founding Farmers, a Washington D.C. eatery owned by 42,000 American family farmers. There, chef Al Nappo is using grass-fed, sustainable beef to create single servings of the Colonial classic, Yankee Pot Roast. To wrap up the episode, Rahm touches down in Los Angeles, where newcomer Chili Addiction is spooning out over 90 varieties of American's favorite one pot dish.
Tom Pizzica travels to San Antonio, Texas, to a self-proclaimed outrageous restaurant, Marianito’s Extreme Tex Mex Grill, where one diner challenges another group of diners to eat a seven-pound burrito in just one hour. Then he heads an hour west of Fort Worth, Texas to help the "outlaw chef" feed a bunch of working cowboys the old-fashioned way, off a chuck wagon with parts of the cow most folks won’t eat. And for a breakfast of champions, he stops in at Shelby’s Kitchen & Deli in Deerfield Beach, Fla., for a two-foot pancake topped with eggs, bacon, home fries, sausage patties, and toast.
Chef Marc Murphy challenges Iron Chef Bobby Flay. Whose cuisine will reign supreme?
Judges
Ted Allen
Cady Huffman
Julie White
Challenger stats: Chef Murphy
From: Grew up all over, now I live in New York City
Restaurants: Landmarc, Ditch Plains and Landmarc at Time Warner Center
Cuisine: French bistro, rustic Italian
Interests: Family, surfing, cooking, art, ballet and opera, motorcycle riding
Ideal secret ingredient: Bacon
Culinary inspirations: Traveling. I grew up all over Europe and each city I lived in (Rome, Genoa, Paris before I was 10) provided inspiration.
Ideal judge: Gale Greene, Ruth Reichl, Melissa Clark
Culinary secret weapon: My team
Favorite restaurant: Crispo, Extra-Virgin, A Voce
Favorite food: Grits with blood sausage and a fried egg
Food you won't go near: Coffee, okra
Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: Goat eyeballs
Favorite food destination: Italy
Alternative dream job: Racecar driver, architect
Alex celebrates an early Thanksgiving with some of her close friends. Alex grew up with some serious family traditions and this sugar cranberry pie is one of them. It's made with a flaky homemade crust and tangy cranberry filling, then topped with a sprinkle of sugar. The centerpiece, a golden turkey, is paired with a sourdough bread and spicy sausage stuffing. Plus, a stovetop green bean casserole that is topped with fried shallots. It's a Thanksgiving filled with family traditions and some new additions.
Big Daddy's in the kitchen whipping up the most important meal of the day, it's a "Breakfast of Champs!" First, he's making his Rise and Shine Eggs Benedict w/Pancetta. Then, he's putting the meat in the middle with his, Slammin' Sausage Pancakes w/Honey-Maple Butter. Big Daddy rounds the meal off with his, Get up Granola, a treat so divine you can eat it as a meal or a snack. Trust me, this is one "Breakfast of Champs" that'll leave you full until dinner!
It's time to relax, go ahead unbutton that top button and slip into the "Comfort Zone!" Step One, Gina's Individual Chicken Pot Pies; these beauties are jam packed with flavor and nutrients. Step Two, Homemade Apple Sauce, Pat's got a new gadget for peeling and slicing apples, get ready to be amazed! Almost there, Step Three, Gina's Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches! Pat and Gina's daughter, Shelbi, joins them in the kitchen to make these scrumptious cookies, and then they're sandwiched between butter pecan ice-cream and rolled in chopped pecans! You've officially made it; you're now in the "Comfort Zone!"