Diners, Drive-ins, Dives, and Disgusting

[TonyO]

I thought I had seen it all until tonight's episode featuring a disgusting school bus serving various forms of hot dogs. As if the setting wasn't bad enough, Fieri is shoveling disgusting amounts of food into his pie hole to the point that it is all over his whiskers. Is there really any value to showing a hot dog topped with ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo, some awful meatsauce, coleslaw, and a few other "condiments" ?

Maybe TFN can come up with a new show called Dumpster Divers.

[silence9]

Last night a segment showcased a joint's 'Level 6' hotwings. Guy and his posse each grabbed a wing (they were literally red like the color of molten lava), and Guy was so uncomfortable that he started guzzling the ramekin of bleu chees dressing, most of which coated his facial hair. A second later, he was given a big glass of milk, into which he dunked his lips, tongue and said facial hair/chin. It was very entertaining and disgusting at the same time, and not at all shocking. What continues to shock me, though, are apologists who insist that his sense of decorum in such instances is above the level of a rowdy teen.Guy is who he is, I have come to terms with that... By the way, I recently saw an old episode of his Guy's Big Bite, and thought he related to the camera/audience like a fairly cool adult...

[John E.]

Your description reminds me of the 'challenge' shows. I find it annoying when a restaurant, or anyone for that matter, makes the food so hot that it burns a person's nerve endings such as Guy's who has shown in the past that he is not particularly sensitive to spicy foods.

[tommy]

The people who enjoy it likely don't get annoyed.

[Servorg]

That reminds me of the legendary basketball coach, John Wooden who was well known for his tight lipped verbal riding of the referees when calls didn't go his way. One game, when he had griped to the ref several times about one particular call the ref made against UCLA, finally replied to Wooden as he ran by "John, they liked that call just fine on the other (team's) bench."

[John E.]

Yea, I don't think anyone outside of some parts of Asia would really enjoy wings that hot. I think those wings are about the challenge and not about 'enjoying' them.

[tommy]

They sure seem to be enjoying themselves. I don't recall guns to heads, but I haven't been watching that closely, either.

[John E.]

My only real reference is what I have seen on television, but it's a theory that I will stick with. Although, these posts are probably more thought than I have ever put into the subject, or will again.

[sandylc]

Does the apostrophe in "drive-ins' " bug anyone else? As a side note....

[Servorg]

I don't see one "apostasy of apostrophe" of drive-ins in this entire thread...

[acgold7]

There are no apostrophes used either in this thread's title or on the show's web page, on-air graphics, title sequence, promos or anywhere else that I can find.

[tommy]

The apostrophe is in the opening graphics at the very least. Unless they've fixed it.

[ttoommyy]

Is this the apostrophe some of you are referring to? If so, it is not an apostrophe. It is just a sort of serif that is part of the letter "s."

[tommy]

A serif? Come on!

[Servorg]

It's an obvious apostrophe...

[ttoommyy]

No, it's a serif. As a copywriter I stare at fonts all day long. If you remove the serif the width of the "S" is not consistent with the other letters (excluding the "I"). You all can think of it as an apostrophe, but I will stand by my argument until the earth crumbles around me. Or until I get bored with arguing. Whichever comes first.

[Servorg]

Don't you normally "serifize" all the s letters then? Where is the serif on Diners or Dives?

[ttoommyy]

They are in completely different fonts.

[Servorg]

But that also means that the s in drive-ins (which has the two i's that are consistent with the s in terms of width) is simply "stylized" - as is the d is at beginning of the word (to look snazzy). It really just weakens any argument to keep saying something that is, on the face of it, illogical. I like Guy and I like the show. But some dummy did indeed add the apostrophe to the end of that word. Maybe they are grammar ignorians or maybe they are just too cool and "stylin" for their own good. But I've seen serifs, and that sir (or madam) is no serif! ;-D>

[tommy]

At the very least that silly serif is the same shape and size as the comma!

[Servorg]

I've looked at serifs online just now and I can't find any examples of serifs that are "detached" from the letter they are supposed to decorating. They may be out there, but I can't seem to find them using Google image search.

[ttoommyy]

Sorry. Posted Dives twice.

[acgold7]

Wow, I never saw that as an apostrophe. If you remove it from the S it looks weird and incomplete. It's obviously not on Diners and Dives because they are different fonts.

[ttoommyy]

Thank you acgold7!

[tommy]

At best it's a dangling serif. Can you provide another example of this? I will ultimately defer to your expertise, but I will continue to stand by my opinion that it looks like an apostrophe.

[tommy]

I prefer this look.

[John E.]

I replied before reading all of the posts so this is an edited post.

I don't happen to believe the apostrophe is an orphaned serif. I have worked with a lot of fonts as well. If it is, whoever let that go through is an idiot because few people would see it as anything other than an apostrophe. Perception is reality.

(None of this is meant for you AC).

[acgold7]

You're in a good position to settle this debate. Why don't you just call your contacts at Page and ask them?

[John E.]

Naw, he's gone now. The last I heard he followed his girlfriend somewhere. What I do find interesting about that topic is they still give Page credit in the credits of D, D, & D.

[acgold7]

That's pretty typical when creative elements change or leave.... Usually one of the first things they negotiate. Well, after the money part.

[John E.]

To put it mildly the place got 'blown up'. They had another FN show with one of the contestants from a recent Food Network Star but it has not been shown for many months. Apparently they did not renew it which is not surprising.

[mattstolz]

did i just see an episode of this show where Guy decided to feature his own resto? which appears to be nowhere near a diner, drive-in, or dive?

[tommy]

I'd say a majority of the restaurants wouldn't qualify as a diner, drive-in, or dive. Surely that's obvious to even the casual observer.

[Servorg]

I did a quick search on the full episode guide and didn't see one by the name of any of his places. I doubt that the network would allow it, but these days who knows. Do you recall any thing about the name of the place you thought was his? I'm aware only of Johnny Garlic's and Tex Wasabi's as the names of places that are his.

[John E.]

I didn't watch last night's new episode but I did see the description provided by Comcast. Yes, Guy did do a show at his own, original restaurant in Santa Rosa, California, Johhny Garlic's. I wonder if they will put up a sign that reads: "As seen on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives"?

http://www.tvrage.com/Diners_Drive-In...

[keefgr]

Yes, I just saw that episode myself and jumped on the net to see if my eyes were deceiving me. It was a very strange segment; I missed the beginning where they may have explained what they were doing there in the first place. Especially awkward how Guy had some employee doing dishes he created a decade before the cook worked there.

Just read through this thread for the first time; there's plenty of opinions but I figured one more wouldn't hurt. I used to hate the show but have come to see it as the FN's best offering (whether that is a result of the show improving or the other shows significantly declining is another topic). Initially, the Fieri-shtick drove me up a wall, but I came to realize that I would adapt similar personality-driven defense mechanisms if my job forced me to interact with the continental range of characters Guy encounters who run these restaurants.

And perhaps I've become more attuned to the nuances of Guy than I should admit, but I think it's obvious when he doesn't enjoy something. This show presents actual restaurant cooking more in-depth than anything else on TV, and when some untrained cook starts making terrible mistakes I love watching Guy's oh-so-subtle (not being facetious) hints...."No salt on the roast huh... really?"..."Well Guy we don't like the salt to distract from the pile of dried rosemary I haphazadly plopped on top". And then when he eats something he doesn't like, he always says "that's interesting!" or repeats exactly what the owner said was going to be good about the dish. I really appreciate that he doesn't call anyone out, because I'm also the kind of person who in restaurants will always say something "tastes great!" even if I hate it.

In newer episodes, there's a marked trend away from the diners/dive and more towards restaurants proper. The places he went in his recent "Detroit" Michigan episode (Traffic Jam and Snug, Union Cafe and Woodshop) would be considered somewhat upscale by most of our state's proleteriat, and stand in marked contrast to the previous places he's visited here (Rosie's Diner, Blimpie Burger, Joe's Gizzard City). Visiting his own restaurant on last night's episode fits this trend. This actually is fine with me, but my dream food TV show would be a diners, drive-ins and drives type show about Michelin star restaurants so I don't know how I compare to the rest of Guy's audience.

He's also significantly cut back on things like the sandwich hunch, and does it seem to anyone else that he may be cutting back on how much he eats in general on the show? I see a lot more small nibbles these days than sandwiches entering gaping mandibles. Typically these days, when I find myself getting annoyed with Mr. Fieri I hit the info button on my remote and it turns out it's one of the earlier episodes. Perhaps he saw this chowhound thread and decided to tone it back somewhat.

[ttoommyy]

"This show presents actual restaurant cooking more in-depth than anything else on TV..."

I think you hit the nail directly on the head, keefgr. So many "reality" shows that profess to show the behind the scenes of a restaurant are really very scripted; you can just tell from the "drama" that goes on. It always seems so forced. But on DDD what you see is what you get. Sure, Guy is working from a loose script but the chefs/owners are real in every sense of the word. I learned early on to get past Guy's shtick and to enjoy the cooking lessons, tips, tricks and general look behind the scenes that is at the heart of this show.

[TonyO]

There seems to be a morphing with some "celebrities" where certain traits/mannerism become so overblown they eclipse the core of the person. Granted, some of this is a case/affect relationship but even those that may have found Emeril's "BAM" ! or "Kick it up a Notch", Paula Deen's reference to butter or saying "Y'all", or Rachel Ray's propensity to abbreviate everything (EVOO or her name into "Rach"), and in the case of Guy, the over the top clothing choices, the hideous catchphrases like "money" and "off the hook" (which he claims are his but I'm sure the movie "Swingers" said "money long before Guy)....Some personalities don't seem to relay on this (Bobby Flay would be the primary example IMO).....maybe you like it in the beginning but when it becomes so forced it seems to have a negative impact on most viewers

[Caroline1]

I think NOT becoming a charicature of yourself is the key to "staying power." Worked for Julia!

No, wait! mmmmm... Saturday Night Live?

[Friend of Bill]

I'm too lazy to read some of the earlier posts here, so I'm not sure if this has been addressed, but....my only complaint about this show is his (to me) annoying habit of being in the kitchen asking the chef how a particular dish is cooked and then interrupting him/her with his guesses as to ingredients/cooking time/ cooking temperature.

[mattstolz]

after watching Guy struggle to take a bite of a pizza at Lola's on this most recent episode because it had the yolk of a sunny-side egg on it, i officially decided i no longer can respect fieri. there is nothing better than a good runny yolk on a pizza!

[tommy]

That's quite a stance. The guy doesnt like eggs. Is everyone supposed to like everything? There are tens of threads on chow hound about things people love but you hate. LOL!

[mattstolz]

it wasnt the lack of love of eggs. it was the pouty-like reaction to having to eat them. and it was more of a last straw thing than a this one thing made me not like him thing. have been teetering on the edge between annoyance and amusement for a while now.

[ttoommyy]

Like many other people he has an aversion to eggs. It's not just a dislike (I know a couple of people like this) they cannot stand the smell or the site of an egg when presented with eating one. The pouty face was obviously shtick for TV. It is a TV show after all.

[linus]

maybe people who have an aversion to eggs shouldn't be hosting a show called 'diners, drive-ins and dives.'
maybe he could be a little more adult or a little more entertaining about it. he could request beforehand not to be shown egg dishes. he could not throw a hissy every.single.time.
obviously, there are people who like watching a grown man throw food issue fits like a six year old.
o.k., it's his schtick. but it's an unlikeable one. say what you will about bourdain, but at least he ate that warthog anus like a grownup.

[John E.]

I have never seen him throw a fit over eggs, hissy or otherwise. I have seen him flip the egg to the side and not eat the egg. I gave also seen him eat a poached egg.

[mattstolz]

i agree with this. it should probably be assumed that on a show mainly about diners, one will probably end up eating some eggs. if ya dont like them, maybe ya should find a different show concept, or a different host. cuz im assuming that pizza was recc by so many people eating at Lola's to be on the show because they love the runny yolk all over the pizza, not because they are grossed out at the sight of it. if its gonna be described on the show, id rather hear why the people who recc it like it, not why the host is disgusted by it.

[tommy]

The show concept and the host seemed to have worked out pretty well. Not sure if they're kicking themselves after reading this suggestion.

[linus]

excellent point. let's delete the whole thread then.

[Servorg]

Certainly food for thought. Or are you just egging us all on? A little yolk perhaps? My thoughts have become scrambled. You crack me up? Playing deviled advocate? I refuse to be coddled any longer! Are you saying this thread is ova? I'll stop poaching from the pulpit now. ;-D>

[Caroline1]

Shameless! Shameless! '-)

[Servorg]

Thank you...I'll be here all week! I mean, I like this show but I'll admit up front that Guy is pretty damn silly. But most of this food is silly, stupid and over the top. Guy's over the top personality and schtick fits the food and the owner/chefs who cook it for the most part.

I have to remember back though to when I liked Emeril. But slowly, over time his schtick and personality started to wear on me to the point where I just couldn't watch the show anymore. Guy's a cheerleader for this type of brash food. I like that. It fits. But I can see his personality can also rub a lot of folks wrong.

But if they had someone a little more staid or buttoned up I'm not sure that it would work as well. Anyway I really need to let this thread go and check out the Home Cooking board for the upcoming week. I have to tell you Caroline that I used your pork shoulder recipe last week and it came out great (Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and apple juice). So thanks for that.

[Caroline1]

Isn't it easy? Great to get feedback, and glad you like it.

The ONLY thing that scares the hell out of me about GF/DDD is the possibility that some people watch it thinking that's the way they're supposed to eat! Using that POV, there are LOTS of really scary food shows around today, possibly doing more harm than trans-fats ever dreamed of.

[tommy]

I'm pretty confident that people realize it's a TV show and get life lessons from elsewhere.

[Caroline1]

DON'T hold your breath! Pay attention to the size of most of the people Fieri talks to in those places! I rest my case.

[tommy]

In my part of the world people learn from their family, friends, community. Not from TV.

[kurtt]

I agree. I watch food network and have never learned a thing!

[John E.]

I have learned quite a bit about ingredients and cooking techniques that I otherwise likey would not have been exposed to.

[mattstolz]

if that was the case, would there have been an uproar about good ole PD's diabeeetus?

(but, as AB says, thats another show)

[tommy]

Two different issues. Besides, people love getting into pointless uproars. Look all over the internet for examples. It gives them reason for being.

[John E.]

I saw him not eat the egg part of a slice but it was not a recent episode. I dud just see a rerun where he took a bite of a poached egg from an Eggs Benadict dish.

[kengk]

I've seen him flip an egg out of the way and not eat it. Never seen him have a "hissy" fit over it. There are very few things I won't eat but eggs are one of them so I can relate.

I have seen "clip" shows where they go back and have "viewer favorites" or best hamburgers or whatever.

I enjoy this show. Don't care for Guy's cooking show at all.

[John E.]

I agree. I don't even know if "Guy's Big Bite' is even currently being produced anymore. I can understand someone avoiding various food products but for me eggs are part of my family's diet. However, if someone served me a dish with mayonnaise as one of the main ingredients I would politely decline. Sunday mornings are when we eat fried eggs, sausage/bacon, and hashbrowns. I don't cook this every Sunday but we just finished that meal a few minutes ago.

[Jerry P. Santa Monica]

I can only eat hard boiled eggs. All other forms are gross to me. Mayonnaise-gross.

[zzDan]

The reason Guy Fieri makes so much money is that Diners, Drive-ins, Dives is endlessly recyclable. Food Network can always throw two episodes into an hour slot they don't know what to do with. If I'm doing something I don't mind have a recycled episode in the background. Many are like me. They have seen (or half seen) the same episodes quite a few times

[ttoommyy]

I agree 100% zzDan.

[2roadsdiverge]

They can also mix up the segments so that it feels like a whole new show.

[tommy]

Have they ever done that? Seems unlikely. The Food network isn't in the business of re-editing shows, and with these shows, they seem to do OK playing them over and over.

[ttoommyy]

Yes, they do it; sometimes to string 3 places together to fit a theme, such as BBQ, burgers or a specific state. They also do it with Unwrapped.

[tommy]

When you say "they", who are you referring to? Food Network? Or is the production company doing this, after the fact? I have seen the themes, and figured those are basically regular shows, produced along with the others, to add a few theme shows to the season or latest batch that FTV ordered, but I could be wrong.

[ttoommyy]

I have no idea who "they" are. It's just a word I used. You know, like when you were a kid and you didn't want to wear a pair of stupid pants your mother bought for you and she said "but they are all wearing them" but you had no idea who she meant because no one you knew wore them. That kind of "they."

All I know is that I have seen the same segment used in two different shows various times. No big deal.

[tommy]

Sorry if you were offended by my request for clarification.

[ttoommyy]

I wasn't offended. I just thought it was a little odd to ask that question. I don't work for FN. How would I know who was responsible for editing the shows? I just know I've seen the same segment on two different shows.

[tommy]

No question is odd during rational reasonable discussion. But I do understand what you are saying.

[acgold7]

I don't know the specifics of the contracts in this case, but typically networks order x number of original episodes and x number of clip shows, which are re-edited versions using other existing segments to fit a theme.

DDD clearly does this for their theme shows, in which Gaifyeddy says "remember when we visited..." x and then they show the old segment. It takes about five minutes to shoot the wraparounds while they are already shooting other stuff, typically, and just a few minutes to drop the old segments into a new timeline in the re-editing process. Cheap and easy and you get more episodes for less cost this way.

The re-editing is done by the production company at the Network's request. And yes, they do this with Unwrapped too, as well as many of their "talking head" shows. A similar but more complicated re-edit of existing stuff is what "Survivor" does for CBS for the episode they show the night before Thanksgiving.

Again, I haven't seen the DDD contract but I know I've seen re-edited themed clip shows.

[John E.]

What I do not recall seeing is entire segments ie whole, edited shoots at a restaurant being repackaged with other previously used segments from other prior episodes being edited into new episodes without going on-location again.

On the Trabl Channel they created an entirely new Adam Richman series using segments from Man vs Food.

[acgold7]

I'm pretty sure I've seen many episodes that are exactly what you describe. I'm fairly certain that all of their theme shows are exactly that (i.e. places that have two repeated names, like Taco Taco).

But I could be wrong.

[John E.]

Neither the original producer nor the current producer has cut up D,D, & D segments to make new shows. They repeat them constantly but they have not shown first season episodes in a while.

[linus]

which were pretty stilted and slow. there was a sweet spot for a while after the first series or two when the shows were well paced and smooth, and showed a lot of cooking.
the last couple, the chefs cook one or two dishes and there is a lot of bullshit. the production company switch has exacerbated this problem.

[John E.]

I too would rather see the kitchen shots of cooking instead of too much front of the house comments from customers.

[ttoommyy]

linus: Then how do you account for the same segment appearing on two different shows?

[John E.]

I don't believe they have except possibly a flashback when they returned to Al's Breakfast in Minneapolis. If there has been a repeat, please tell me which episodes or the names of business and I'll look it up.

[malibumike]

I agree with ttoommyy, i've seen them do this many times, "they" are not the only ones that do this, the "cheaters" show also does it.

[John E.]

I have not seen it. If you can come up with the names of the featured restaurants ir episode names/numbers I would like to check it out.

[ttoommyy]

Sorry, I can't come up with any right now. Yes, that makes me seem like I don't know what I am talking about. So be it. I've already spent way too much time on this subject so I will just concede to you John E.

[John E.]

My request was not so much a challenge as it was curiosity on my part. I used to produce a local television program that had 'segments' and I was always attempting to get the boss to allow us to recycle segments and was told that we could not. We had shorter 'bits' that we recycled too often and I requested the budget to produce more of those, again I was turned down. By the way, we produced 52 one hour shows per year, all on-locatio shooting. It was a grind.

[Servorg]

This "recombining" of segments has allowed 60 Minutes to defeat my DVR setting for "first run" vs "both" shows during the summer months. Nothing new for those guys (and I can imagine more and more "news" and other types of programming will be following suit).

[John E.]

I used to be sure to watch 60 Minutes every week. They recycle stories so often that it doesn't seem critical to watch every week and we don't even have a DVR. As an aside, my mother appeared on 60 Minutes 9 months after she died. It was quite a surprise to my father to see her on TV. She appeared in some stock footage at an airport on a segment on the TSA. When Lesly Stahl said "...they even search little old ladies in wheelchairs..." there was video of my mother.

[The Chowhound Team]

Hey, folks, we removed a few recent posts from this thread that were getting very personal and focused on other hounds opinions rather on the show itself. We'd ask everyone to please review our new guidelines for discussing food TV: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/334317

Thanks.

[SteveRB]

I enjoy the show except for one thing, the editing is so fast paced my eyes can't keep up.

[ttoommyy]

Personally, I run hot and cold on DDD, but I've recently been catching up with episodes I've missed. I've been watching with a somewhat critical eye after reading most of the posts in this thread and I have to say that even though Guy comes off as a buffoon sometimes, he seems like a likable buffoon. He never denigrates anyone and he has a sincere approach when speaking to restaurant owners and their customers. I actually find his sense of humor funny sometimes. It's not always just "frat boy" silly; he can be pretty witty at times. And I find in each half hour there are always a few things I wind up salivating over. Plus, I just LOVE to watch people cook and many of the chefs and cooks spotlighted can really cook.

[silence9]

While I strongly agree with you that an intriguing aspect of DDD is looking into the lives and kitchens of nice, hard working and quirky cooks (young and old, alike) who know how to run a business and put out some serious diner chow for loyal patrons -- I don't see the wit on display by the show's host at all

. It _is_ largely fratboy humor, which is OK the first half dozen times, but then one will begin to see it coming yet again from a mile away. On a recent episode, Guy wanted to snag a taste of a braised roast piping hot from the oven. So he looks into the camera, then back at the sweet grandma who just made the roast and he points behind her a says ( I kid you not) "look over there, is that your wallet?" I cannot imagine what was going on in her brain in that incomprehensible moment, but she humors him and look behind her to see what he the heck he was pointing at. In that moment, Guy pinches off (with his grubby fingers) shreds of the roast and pops them in his mouth, and again mugs for the camera. The only thing missing is for him to get up in her face and shout "Psyche ! "...I've looked on and seen over a dozen versions of this 'witty tactic', to the point of dread where I actually must turn my head away from the screen.

But I do keep watching, because its' those adorable bubbies and quirky OCD cooks who continue to entertain (and educate) with their years of experience. So in the end, DDD (Guy) wins, because I keep watching. But the dude's a hugely successful fratboy with a knack for guessing the secret components in a spice rub. Which is obviously enough...

[dave_c]

Guy relies on the same playbook for many episodes. The old misdirection play is a standard.
The few times I've paid attention to the "look over there" bit, he's been good at using a fork to sneak a taste.

To be honest, I'd probably try to steal a bit if I were there too, especially for beautifully roasted meats. I'll leave desserts and sweets to other people. :-)

[ttoommyy]

"Guy relies on the same playbook for many episodes. "

Which is the golden rule if one is producing a show in which the goal is to appeal to the masses and garner good ratings.

[TonyO]

I will say this, that pizza featured at Lola (Minneapolis) looked great and that area has a FANTASTIC food scene.

[Passadumkeg]

Has any been to Guy's restaurants? I'm just curious.

[LN2008]

Guy bothers me, but I'm glad to see small Mom and Pop places featured, even if the food isn't "fancy".

[AdamD]

I like the show for the local color and "behind the scenes" footage. GF can be annoying but its television after all. Lots of interesting places with interesting food and interesting stories to go with it. I dont rely on GF to tell me if a place is good or not (even though he does it anyway).

[Toni6921]

AdamD, I couldn't agree with you more. I wish there was a neighborhood restaurant near me that served really good food. Would love to have a place to eat on Saturday or Sunday afternoons like some I've seen on the show.

[Puffin3]

Mario's clogs are very common in commercial kitchens. (the color not so much LOL) Anyone who has actually worked in those kitchens knows why clogs with leather 'uppers' are a smart move. G.F. wearing 'flip-flops into a commercial kitchen speaks volumes about what a 'poser' he is. IMO.

[tommy]

I suspect he doesn't wear flipflops in his kitchens. Just for the TV show. When, you know, they are doing a demo and shooting for the show, not during service.

Can you define 'poser' in this context?

[ttoommyy]

"G.F. wearing 'flip-flops into a commercial kitchen speaks volumes about what a 'poser' he is. IMO."

It's a "costume." He has a brand to portray. On TV. Like it or not, that's his shtick. That's all. Very simple.

[tommy]

Yeah, I've spoken to a few owners where they've filmed and none mentioned being disrespected or bothered by Guy's clothing. Not one. Not even close.

[Servorg]

Whether you like Guy's "personality" or "dress" or "table/eating manners" you have to like the fact that they "show case" real mom & pop one of a kind, creative places to get your feedbag on...

[monavano]

That's why I enjoy watching the show. It's about some good old diner food, which warms my heart. I think for the most part, Guy puts people at ease and jokes with them and shows genuine enjoyment.
I have no idea what goes on behind the scenes or what winds up on the editing room floor.

[jmckee]

I have now eaten at two local joints that were featured on the show, and the staff says what you see is what you get: He's great to hang with, very appreciative of their work, very knowledgeable about food, and all in all they were very happy with the experience.

[sandylc]

He is knowledgeable about food production - not necessarily about food.

[jmckee]

Oh PLEASE. Which means WHAT?

[monavano]

I've eaten at one place so far, and it's a place that I've been going to for years when in the area. They have a likeness of GF spray painted on the backside of their building, like "Guy was here".

[2roadsdiverge]

As long as you are not gay, or a woman, or Jewish, I'm sure he is lovely to be around.

http://gawker.com/5850521/guy-fieri-accused-of-harassing-women-disliking-gays
http://www.citypages.com/2011-10-12/r...

[tommy]

Coming from a disgruntled ex-producer.

[monavano]

I had the same thought when I read it. If this were coming from restaurant owners/chefs, I'd give it more weight.

[tommy]

Right. Any of the hundreds of people he's interfaced with over the years. But alas, nothing.

[melly]

We liked the show the first year or two. Not so much anymore.

[ladooShoppe]

Guy looks like he's going to have a heart attack every time I watch that show. Same thing with Man vs. Food. You have to respect food! Disgusting.

[monavano]

I don't understand how GF does not respect food. He advocates proletarian food that is soul satisfying and doesn't take it too seriously, which to me, does not equal a lack of respect. In fact, I see it as opposite.
2 cents.

[John E.]

I think he respects most of the restaurant operators he visits for his show. That being said, I think he could show that respect more by actually wearing shoes and socks into their kitchens instead of flip flops.

[monavano]

I think that's about as likely as Mario B. wearing pants and losing the orange clogs. I did read that GF almost threw a hissy when told to wear a long sleeved shirt when filming an episode that would air around Christmas.

[John E.]

First, I would not put Batali and Fieri in the same category. Second, flip flops with no socks is much different than a long-sleeved shirt. Do you know why they were attempting to get him to wear a different shirt?

[monavano]

They are certainly in the same idiosyncratic clothing category, which is what I was alluding to, not the degree of offensiveness or slight one might perceive from the sartorial offense.
They wanted GF to dress for winter, because the episode was supposed to be set in winter and cold during the holidays.

[Caroline1]

Unless the program is franchised in Australia.... '-)

[John E.]

I bet it was the North Pole, Alaska episode. I'm actually with Ferry on this one because it was not an outdoor shoot. I don't often wear long sleeves myself, just when I need to be dressed up.

[monavano]

I wonder if GF has ever been told to put some real shoes on from a safety standpoint. There's a lot of hot stuff in a kitchen!
I see chefs wear long sleeved jackets and think 'ugh, that must be so hot", but I get the safety reason to cover the arms.
OTOH, the short sleeved jackets make Gordon Ramsey look like Steve Martin in Novacaine.

[Kelli2006]

Michael Symon wears short sleeved chefs jackets on Iron Chef episodes because he cannot tolerate long sleeves.

Guy could wear the generic food service Dansko clogs in the kitchen when you don't see his feet.

[tommy]

sure. then change back into his flipflops for foot shots.

[Toni6921]

I would watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives if my brother was hosting the show. I like to see what folks are eating across the country. I get so sick and tired of the TGI Fridays, and other chain restaurants around the country. It's refreshing to see family-owned restaurants that have been doing business for generations, places where you can get a real home-cooked meal, cutting edge food being served at strip malls. I love the show, and GF is not the reason why I watch it.

[Puffin3]

Well at least now G.F. has moved on to a 'real classy' show. You know. The one with his 'sista from anutha mutha'.

[tommy]

How do you know what the show is like?

[Daniel76]

I watched last weeks DDD and I must say the Cuban Place in Queens they showed looked hideous.. I watched them make the ropa vieja and it was all ketchup and tomato paste and they used cooking wine.. It looked so sweet and disgusting.. I wonder how often the stuff on this show is horrific and he has to smile through it.

[John E.]

I wonder about the pre-production process with the new producers. The staff that has to sort through all kinds of places to find those interesting enough with food that's good enough to warrant a visit by GF and the crew.

[Jerry P. Santa Monica]

Guy dyes his hair, is tattooed, wears bling, wears flipflops and shorts, and has sunglasses.

He eats like a slob like many people,

Now you know why he is popular wth the masses.

His show is entertaining, and that is why so many people watch. And why now you have 6 or more DDD repeats in a row on tv. Just like NCIS.

[SmartCookie]

You don't like the show, don't watch it! Nobody is making you. If you didn't like a political candidate, do you watch them?

Get over it. People love him, like him, tolerate him. That's life.

[John E.]

I don't really disagree with any part of your post. Why was it directed at me?

[Jerry P. Santa Monica]

No John, I clicked incorrectly.

It is fun discussing millionaire food show hosts, sports figures, candidates, dotcom founders, and entertainers. You know what my mammy said, stop watching and start doing.

[EarlyBird]

I love D, D & D, and find Fieri extremely likeable. I like the food, the places and the people on the show. It runs a very close second to "Good Eats," and they are the only two shows that I watch on that channel. Fieri's having fun and enjoying himself. There's nothing wrong with that.

Also I can tell when he thinks something is just pretty good, very good or wonderful. He's of course not going to say "gross!" on TV, but you can tell what he really likes and considers so-so.

[bottle_o_red]

I love DD&D, in fact he hit up a great diner nearby where they grow all their own produce and farm their meats. He's showcased many fabulous little joints. I think there is a place in anyone's repertoire for this type of food. One does not need to sustain oneself on snobby upscale fare alone. Sure, there is some stuff on there I probably would not eat, but variety is the spice of life!

I think it is a shame some in the current foodie culture seem to enjoy panning FN. I find there are many shows on FN that have great pearls of wisdom. I've learned much from Alton Brown, Ina Garten et al. Heck, I've even made a dessert or two from - gasp - Paula Deen. I prefer to spread around my food education, I find it makes me a better all around cook. To each their own!

[DoobieWah]

Well said.

As I noted above, while I sometimes get tirede of the schtick, he hits my kind of places and has actually been to two of "my" places.

I agree with your second premises as well. Wisdom is found all around; the trick is to recognize it when it presents itself.

Have a great day.

[James Cristinian]

Doobs, this crosses over to local yocal, but wasn't aware he's been to Polonia or Baker's Ribs. So what two Houston favorites of yours has he been to? By the way, I love the show.

[DoobieWah]

Cafe Pita + and Kenny & Ziggy's.

[jeanmarieok]

For every fine dining place I patronize, I probably visit twenty diner type places. I like Guy's show. Sometimes he gets on my nerves a little bit, but I like the places he showcases. It's nice to see good working people get some attention.

[EarlyBird]

"I think it is a shame some in the current foodie culture seem to enjoy panning FN. I find there are many shows on FN that have great pearls of wisdom. I've learned much from Alton Brown, Ina Garten et al. Heck, I've even made a dessert or two from - gasp - Paula Deen. I prefer to spread around my food education, I find it makes me a better all around cook."

Well said. I recall there was a thread asking why "foodie" has negative connotations. It's the snob factor.

[silence9]

It's not the food or venue per se that many do not care for, it's the host. There is a rightful place in one's chow rotation for diner fare and much of what is showcased looks alright enough; it's Guy that some find to be unseemingly unctuous.

I personally cringe when I see him cajoling a grandma/grandpa old-world chef/cook into learning his riduculous "hunch' move (you know the one,- elbows out, hunched over, and designed to stuff as much food into his piehole as can be accomplished); and when he gets in the faces of the customers already enjoying their food, in order to teach them his 'hunch' move, I want to ask him if he understands the notion of 'personal space' and boundaries. Looked on as he cajoled a woman eating an appetizingly plated huge 'native american taco' into going along with his 'hunch' lesson. After one bite, what was actually left in her hands to set back down on the plate looked like a surgery-gone-wrong. I felt bad for the woman, who now had a veritable mess strewn on her plate, where she once had an entree. All to satisfy the host's penchant for mugging for the camera/audience.

And he really needs to stop dramatically jumping clear of cans of crushed tomatoes, as the cook pours it into a soup pot. It's a _working kitchen_ in a diner. Put on an apron and stop worrying about those fugly shirts. He's likely doing more damage to the men's room toilet afterward, than that can of crushed tomatoes does to his shirt.

[sandylc]

I always measure food quality on the individual merit of each dish/restaurant. There are some very good DDDs on this show; I see a lot of good ingredients, good flavor combinations, and hard work at these places. For this I enjoy watching this show.

That said, I am a little bit weary of the schtick. I also sense that were I to run into Guy at a party, I wouldn't like him very much. I have heard rumors that, if true, don't reflect well upon his character.

I will continue to watch the show because I enjoy seeing real people creating real food, but I'm not in love with guy. I have wondered many times if he feels trapped in his fashion choices and maybe would be open to a new look. Sound like a great idea for a show! "Makeover: Guy Fieri". I would watch this.

One last note: Guy, stop holding your utensils like a two-year-old. I mean, really. You're on TV. And keep the food out of your icky facial hair, please.

[TonyO]

silence9, I fully agree !

[poser]

Maybe the show is popular because not only do the places Guy visits look interesting But the host has a likable personality who doesn't think he is curing cancer.

[tommy]

That would make too much sense.

[Passadumkeg]

I feel Bourdain's shows have declined so much into alcoholic, neurotic, ego boosting whining monologues, that I now find Triple D to be pleasantly up lifting by comparison. I just wish Guy would drop the Camero schtick. Even Bore-disdain now has his old T-bird convertable. Get to the food, guys.

[tommy]

How much time per episode do you figure the car takes away from the food?

[Servorg]

(muffled laughter heard)... ;-D>

[Passadumkeg]

A low class prop fit for Jersey hot dogs. Now if it was an old Porsche 356 C, I wouldn't whine.

[Duppie]

{knowing smile}........

[wolfe]

A Rutt's Hut ripper and a Camaro with the wind blowing through my thinning hair, heaven.

[Servorg]

Guy in a type 356 brings to mind a turd floating in a punchbowl...

[wolfe]

You and Passa remind me of an old vaudeville act. Which of you is Gallagher and which one is Shean?

[Passadumkeg]

I would always stop at Rutt's on the way to my folks in a SAAB 900 SPG.

Servorg, a good 'un.

[zzDan]

I would be sure to watch a new Bourdain show when it came out. Now I don't care. He's jumped the tunafish. Guy is a huge money maker for FoodNetwork because his shows lend themselves to recycling again and again because he puts so much pizazz and energy into them. I have zero interest in some of the restaurants he visits and don't watch. But I know others are watching or leaving it on in the background

[Antilope]

Maybe they should change the shows name to CHOMPED!

[rozz01]

Dont know how reliable a source this is..

http://www.citypages.com/2011-10-12/r...

If it is true maybe that's why I could appreciate him.. I would freak him out...

[cgarner]

Seems to me after reading this that Page is nothing but a big bully, who verbally abuses his staff. Notice how the ones that are corroborating his story are the ones who are still working for him. I picture them cowering in a corner while he gives them their talking points… “or else!” Makes for a great article for people who believe EVERYTHING they read.

He really felt the need to throw everything but the kitchen sink at GF too…

Lecherous - check
Homophobic – check
Greedy – check
Anti-Semitic - check
Megalomaniac – check

Let’s see, I think he missed racist…

I like that GF and TFN are rising above the level that Page had sunken

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutc...

[joonjoon]

Sounds like they were both giant assholes whose egos were too big for 1 show.

[rozz01]

Well, don't know about the other things, but people are backing Page on the homophobia thing, she's saying it was written into into the contracts.

[John E.]

While I do not have a dog in this fight I have been somewhat interested because I have some experience in the video production business in the Twin Cities. Your last sentence does not realky make sense. It is easy to take the "high road" when you are the winners in a situation like this. Obviously I do not have all the information but Page and the emlloyees no longer working on D, D, & D seem to be the only losers in this situation. It is human nature to get defensive. Could Page have handled it differently? Sure, but again, we don't have all the details.

[TonyO]

One more observation about D,D,D: it seems like a lot of the places on the show get a lot of support for being "small" and "local" yet very few of them seem to mention sourcing locally. My guess is many of them are buying exclusively from companies like Sysco or US Foods. Yes, that is a way to keep prices down and help them qualify as a "dive". So everyone embraces them as a local place while chowing down a pork roast from Smithfield that was shipped thousands of miles and processed in a disgusting facility. If you want to fully embrace a local restaurant, whether a dive or a fine dining establishment, find one that sources locally. Your mouth and stomach will thank you.

[tommy]

I think you're confusing local food and local businesses. The "local" aspect is that they are family owned and operated, and serve the community. It has nothing to do with where they source their ingredients from.

[Servorg]

I wonder where the oil comes from that makes the gasoline that these local owners use to drive to and from their home to their business? I mean really, it it's not locally produced I think they ought to be hauled before the courts... ;-D>

[TonyO]

Guilty as charged !

[TonyO]

No confusion at all............I just wanted to make a point that "local" restaurants are often given a pass on a lot of the aspects of running a restaurant. Again, I will always give them the benefit of the doubt (we rarely eat at chains, especially when travelling) but there really is more to it than buying/renting a building, putting your name on a signe, and serving commercial grade food.

[Davwud]

I know for a fact that one that I visited buys locally.

Wallace Station.

DT

[TonyO]

Good for them. Know where your food comes from......................

[jeanmarieok]

Generally speaking, local means 'not a chain'.

[joonjoon]

Actually Tony there are restaurants on DDD that are really into local sourcing of the food and when that's the case, it'd definitely showcased.

[TonyO]

Agree, I have seen a few and think that is great.

[rozz01]

We have a drinking game for when Sandra uses food not made in nature and when Guy spews a bad pun or catch-phrase... It's dangerous

[twyst]

LOTS of drama going on there it seems

http://guyfieri.blogspot.com/2011/09/...

[Davwud]

If what Page says about Fieri is true, Guy was acting like a jerk. Even if he was justified in axing Page, you still have to be professional. Ture or not, Page comes off like a jerk for airing dirty laundry.

I'd like to hear Guy's/DDD crew's version of events

DT

[tommy]

I'm embarrassed for this guy.

[Jase]

Page does not come off looking good to me, the way I read it. Definitely drama though.

[sandylc]

I don't feel any more knowledgable about the situation after reading what Page has to say. It is well-written with the apparent intent of shedding no light upon the facts while allowing the reader to infer negative things about Fieri. Maybe Fieri deserves that and more; I will probably never know.

[TonyO]

About time for Fieri's extended 5 minutes of fame to come to an end. No substance, just another example of personality replacing person..................

[sandylc]

You do have a point. I have often thought that he needed to grow and change in order to continue his career, rather than to keep repeating himself repeatedly. He is too old to continue his fashion choices.

[John E.]

I fully understand Page's anger and frustration. He basically created Guy Fieri when he created D, D, & D. Fieri turns on him because he wishes to be in charge and wants someone to be beholden to him to produce his show. Page lost a fortune in future earnings.

[TonyO]

I would really like to see that show done without a tool like Fieri.........

[linus]

"lost a fortune"? how so? page produced the show for years, and reaps the financial rewards from that. how many more years do you think the show will run? didn't fieri sign on for one more year only?

[John E.]

According to Page, his company had signed a new, three year contract. I don't know about Fieri's contract except that I know FN would do almost anything to keep him happy. The evidence of that is in the firing of Page. I'm sure the buyout was much less than the value of the contract. The fortune he lost was that contract and possibly more. Nobody knows how long the show will last. It has been on since 2007.

[linus]

lotta ifs there. too little information and way too early to say if page has indeed lost a fortune.

[John E.]

Page no longer reaps the financial rewards of this program, reaped would be accurate. I have been in the video production business. Believe me, if (this is the first if I have posted here) he lost the D,D, & D contract, he lost a fortune. (I don't wish to debate the definition of what a fortune consists).

[linus]

page no longer reaps the rewards of future programs. who knows how many future programs there will be?
o.k., let's not debate what a fortune is. instead, let's consider today, you and i lost a fortune, because a giant gold boulder didn't fall at our feet.

[John E.]

Now you are being just plain silly. Page made a lot of money on the show and very likely would have made a lot more with, at a minimum, his three year contract. You're right, we don't know how long the show will last, but until this setback, it did not appear to be slowing down in the ratings. I cannot even believe anyone disagreed with my statement that Page lost a lot of money by losing this contract. Will he MAKE more by losing the contract? Sure, anything is possible, but the likelihood is infinitesimal.

[linus]

you have stated page lost a fortune. i haven't read anything here that remotely backs that statement up with anything resembling evidence. unless you work for page, fieri, the food network or, y'know, god, you're really just guessing.
more power to you, as you seem passionate about this subject.
i am not.

[John E.]

You state you're not passionate about it, and yet you keep replying and saying Page is fine and did not lose any money by losing the Diners, etc. video production contract. No evidence needs to be presented. The fact that he lost the contract is evidence enough. I don't know the guy personally, but I have been in the video production business with an annual contract of $1 million plus. I know about these things. (I left the firm before they lost that contract. The firm folded.)

[acgold7]

None of us know the terms of either the contract or of the settlement. FN can't just unilaterally terminate the deal just because gaifyeddy says so. Page would have to be in breach for FN to just cancel and there's no evidence this was the case. So the settlement would most likely be somewhere towards the middle between zero and 100% of the value of the three-year deal, plus most likely a commitment for one or more future projects -- that's the way these things are usually done.

[DoobieWah]

"gaifyeddy"

Thanks for the chuckle.

[John E.]

Uhm...yea, but why are you telling me this? That is as obvious as the fact that Oage is iut a lot of future earnings because he lost the contract. The buyout is never equal to the total value of the contract, plus they may have either manufactured a breach, threatened a long legal battle if Page does not accept a settlement offer, any number of things. The only thing I know for sure is that Page is the Guy that was responsible for creating the Guy Fieri phenominom and now he is on the outside looking in. (The video production 'community' in the Twin Cities is not as large as say New York or LA and Page is located here).

[acgold7]

I'm not disagreeing with you and you could be right, it's possible Page got hurt. Or he could have come out ahead in the long run.

My only point is we shouldn't make assumptions and pretend we know stuff when we don't. I've had a little bit of experience with this and these kinds of exit deals can be completely unpredictable, especially when out-of-control "talent" is involved.

[John E.]

I have made fewer assumptions tgan you assume. I'm in the same town as Page and have heard things. Is it hearsay? Sure, but that does not mean it is not true. But, I am niw done with this dicussion. My head hurts.

[cgarner]

John E, I don't get where you're coming up with the idea that Page "Created" Guy Fieri? Do you know Guy? Do you happen to understand that the "on screen" Guy Fieri is just a magnified version of his every day persona? Again, I'm in the "friend of a friend" camp, but if GF didn't have the personality that he did, if he weren't the funny, stupid, likeable person that you see on the DDD show, then the phenomenon that is DDD wouldn’t exist.

At best, I’d say that for the last several years, they had a mutually successful relationship, a symbiosis which has dissolved and therefore, since GF is the person who people tune into the FN to see by the millions, the obvious choice for FN is to get rid of Page if the relationship isn’t working anymore

It’s like any breakup… he said/she said, depending on who’s story you believe, the other person is horrible, manipulative, controlling, prima donna… whatever.

None of us are PERSONALLY involved, so all that you’re doing is speculating.

[John E.]

I was using a 'poetic license' when I said Page 'created' Fieri. Of course you could not necessarily plug anybody into that role and be as successful as Ferry is. My point was that prior to the show, Guy had a mildly successful show on the Food Network, similar to other winners, D'Arabian and McCargo. After the Diner show started, he skyrockted to fame. Page had already done a show similar to D, D, & D that was a one-time with Al Roker in Fieri's role. Because of the success of that project and the thought that Guy would do well in a weekly show like that, FN told Page to make a one-hour pilot of DIners, etc. They used three different cars, one of which was the 1967 Camaro. Do you think that was Guy's car before the show was produced?

Of course there is a lot we do not know. My only real point was that Page lost a lot of money with the cancellation of his contract and I was told that I did not know what I was talking about. I do however know more than mere speculation, as I indicated in a previous post.

I hope this is the end of this part of the thread. My head is starting to hurt again.

[cgarner]

Page had already done a show similar to D, D, & D that was a one-time with Al Roker in Fieri's role.
**************************************************************************
and PBS did a three part series on Diners across the United States, the whole Diner culture thing has been done in several different incarnations, tell me how many of them parlayed the specials into a weekly series? Why do you think that the rest of them failed to do so? Maybe because they found a personality that people liked.

I don't discount your statement that Page lost money, of course he did, ... I was only trying to indicate that you're making a sweeping statement in the negative about Fieri when (unless you're part of the crew and not telling us) you don't know what's been going on for sure.

[John E.]

I called it like I saw it, with both the information Page released and inside information that has not been made public.

Your PBS analogy does not work since PBS is not a network dedicated to food.

[inaplasticcup]

I watch this show often because the Man and the kids both love it, and I think Guy actually gives some non-verbal indications when the food is not so good...

[Jetgirly]

I don't get a lot of channels, so I can only watch Food Network at the gym. Ha! I was on the elliptical the other day and this show was on... as a vegetarian I thought I'd watch it to validate my eating choices. Instead, I ended up seeing a dish that will haunt my elliptical dreams forever. This guy had homemade potato and cheese perogies, which he fried in a ton of butter and then topped with sauerkraut. Then I think he poured vodka all over it until it burned off, and then put the perogies and sauerkraut on bread that had thick slices of cheddar on each side! It was VEGETARIAN! It probably had my entire weekly caloric allowance in one dish! The SECOND I lose fifteen pounds I'm going to make one myself. Thank you, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives!

[Kelli2006]

That was the Parmageddon sandwich at Melt in Lakwood Ohio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTD9Bt...

[jeanmarieok]

Sounds incredible!!

[chef chicklet]

saw that one too! Yeah me too, I have at least 15lbs and I too am making that dish. Lately he's been going to some outrageously good dives(?) I use that loosely because they don't look all that divey. The restaurant in the bowling alley for one, I sat there with my pad and pen trying to write down ingredients for some of the menu items.

[Jetgirly]

I had a grand plan to eat this on my birthday AND I lost thirty pounds! But now I can't actually be bothered to procure all of the ingredients (my birthday is on Monday and three days later I'm going abroad for two weeks, so I don't want to be buying stuff like cheese). Alas. Maybe when I turn thirty. Or am officially categorized as "underweight". (Joking.)

[John E.]

You could make this at home a lot easier with frozen pierogies. Mrs. T's is a brand of frozen pierogies that is not a bad approximation if they have them in the frozen food section of the grocery store where you shop.

[jeanmarieok]

Sounds delicious!! I could stop at the pierogis covered with sauerkraut part, and save a few calories.

[John E.]

Or you could buy the kapusta pyrohy (sauerkraut peirogies).

[Passadumkeg]

Saurkraut peirogies, a big lenten food in Polish areas.

[kubasd23]

sauerkraut pierogies are my favourite kind of pierogues! I'm the only one of my cousins that likes them, so I say all the more for me :)

[a213b]

Just chucking in my $.02 ... yeah, the show it over the top, poorly edited, and Guy is a larger-than-life type of character.

BUT ...

Isn't he doing, as others have pointed out, a good thing in highlighting Mom & Pop type places that serve good food (usually of the "comfort" variety) for reasonable prices? Why are so many being so condescending about this? It's not like you have to eat at these places, or even watch the show?

I very rarely watch the show (maybe a handful of times a year), but I like the fact that he is helping to give these places some media attention, and a boost in business. I know I've eaten a place or two he's pointed out while on a road trip. Just did last night, as a matter of fact.

[tommy]

Poorly edited? I find the editing top-notch.

[monkeyrotica]

The editing is rapid-fire, but it isn't poorly done. To me, a poorly edited show would be Jamie Oliver's: nothing but dutch angles, pointless zooms, lots of out-of-focus shots, and the camera is never still. It's like being strapped to an epileptic while they're having a fit.

[hamboney]

It's called a seizure.

[joonjoon]

I don't know about top-notch, but it's definitely one of the better produced shows on FTV...maybe the best.

[joonjoon]

I find it really amusing how so many people in this thread seem to think their opinion of Guy Fieri is fact.

[karenfinan]

+1

[DoobieWah]

I couldn't stand this show the first few times I saw it as Fieri just seemed too ... "brash" is the best word I can come up with.

I've either gotten used to his schtick or learned to look past it so as to enjoy the places he visits. Many of them are ho-hum, but more often than not are exactly the kind of places I enjoy most.

And in fact, he has done shows with two of my favorites here in Houston.

Regarding the health department issues, my assumption has always been that he is there during the off hours and any food he is involved with is NOT going to unsuspecting paying customers. It seems most often that he helps with a dish and then digs in!

[Passadumkeg]

Yes, last night he did one of our favorite places in Albuquerque, a French Cafe and a Basque restaurant. All look like places where the owners put a lot of love in their cookin'.

[Servorg]

Brash food (and brash owners/cooks) deserves a brash host... ;-D>

[Passadumkeg]

Your avitar is in contradiction w/ your words. The Dead would love DDD, i feel.
Peace w/ the Season

[Servorg]

Since I do love DDD, and have defended Guy in this thread with my posts, I'm not certain how my Dead avatar and my words here are at odds?

[Passadumkeg]

Only the last "brash" statement. None of last night's show were, I feel, brash.

[Servorg]

I do think Guy is brash. In a good way. And much of the food he reviews on the show fits that particular parameter. I didn't see last nights show (just back from Albuquerque and trying to recover my equilibrium) but generally I don't think the term (brash) is pejorative when applied to either Guy or DDD.

[Passadumkeg]

Sylvia's on 6th St. in Alb. was one of the featured restos. I guess I'm brash too.
I enjoy the show too.

[Passadumkeg]

I'm more upset there is a Chains board on Chowhound that Guy being a slob at locally owned and operated Mom & Pop places!!!

[rozz01]

Huh?

[tommy]

He's more upset that chowhound has a board specifically for discussion on chain restaurants than he is that some TV show host is being somewhat of a slob at some restaurant.

Neither bother me, because I have the ability to not read the Chain board, and not watch a TV show. But I'm a happy-go-lucky kind of fellow.

[Passadumkeg]

Spot on tommy. I find chains, anti-chow and am not bothered by Guy in the least and enjoy the local "joints". I'll take Guy any day over Adam Richmond and hate the food competitions.. I'm a 'Nam vet and I feel the experience affected me in the food realm, where I search for real food every day at every meal. I'm unsure whether I'll be here tomorrow and want every bite to be as if it were my last.
Hadda be there. So it goes.
Pax Americana
Dumkeg
ps I used to have to fill my canteen from the dirty water in shell craters and at times had nothing to eat. I find the discussion on Guy's flip flops and fingers entertaining to say the least.

[wolfe]

On the Repose we had a saying "Never open your mouth in a rice paddy."

[Passadumkeg]

God bless the Repose, it's doctors, nurses and corpsmen and the lives it saved.
Merry Christmas Wolfie! We will meet some day.

[wolfe]

Plus a thanks to the men that didn't get much credit, the guys that drove the boat.
http://www.dustoff.org/photo/images/p...

[gadfly]

I dig your philosophy on food, and I don't have any problem with Guy being a slob. I love the kind of places he profiles. The thing I don't like about him is that he is by far the lamest human being I can recall having his own television show over the last seven decades. He's a walking, talking joke about grown up Gen-Xers desperately trying to cling to the last vestiges of youth.

Adam Richman, on the other hand, I really dig. I hate his show, and I detest competitive eating and food "challenges" just the same as you do. But Richman didn't go looking for the job he has. I watch the first ten minutes of his show, which is much the same format as Guy's. He profiles local greasy spoons, and does so in a very entertaining fashion. His food knowledge blows that of most food TV hosts out of the water. The kid wanted a food travel show, just like Guy's minus the lameness, and this is what Travel Channel offered him.

I can't blame him for taking it, as it was his best shot at eventually getting to do what he wants to do in life. It's clear when watching the show that he hates doing the overeating part, and it takes every bit of his Yale School of Drama talents to keep making the jokes. I just hope Travel Channel gives the kid a show without the overeating before they finish wrecking his health.

[Passadumkeg]

Guy is shallow, without doubt and Adam great schtick. I too watch Man vs for the first ten minutes, but often w/ the volume off just to watch Adam's song & dance.
As a fan or the little guy, however, I try to look past Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum(b) to see these mom & pop food enclaves that, in their own way, try to serve good grub to the masses, through a labor of love.
Dumkeg the Every Man

[karenfinan]

please see my response upthread- while I don't know him, I know several people who do know him and he is anything but shallow, or lame. Please separate the human being, whom you know nothing about, from a persona you don't care for.

[cgarner]

I know this is an old post of Karen's but I'd like to "ditto" to what she said. I'm in the same "friend of a friend" boat and I've heard nothing but complimentary things about Guy as a person, when the lights and camera are turned off.
His on screen persona from what I understand is an over-exaggeration of his personality... a caricature of the person he really is.

So his show isn’t for EVERYONE… obviously it’s for a LOT of people though. I think it’s a fun and funny show and it beats the heck out of shows that are in the same vein like man vs. food… only you don’t see Guy trying to shove a five pound burrito down his gullet in 10 minutes.

So he takes a couple HUGE bits and tells everyone how much he likes something and he says silly catch-phrases… if you don’t like it there’s a simple solution: turn the channel!

[wolfe]

rozzo01 I had the same problem but it works if the typo is corrected.
I'm more upset there is a Chains board on Chowhound than(I am by) Guy being a slob at locally owned and operated Mom & Pop places!!!

[mucho gordo]

I watched last night's double header: comfort foods and regional favorites. I couldn't stop drooling over most of the dishes that were prepared. They looked, and probably tasted, fabulous. I came away with some ideas I could apply to my own dishes.
The show is not about Fieri; for me it's about the food. As for his somewhat unsanitary antics, it wouldn't surprise me to find out that, in addition to the free publicity, FN compensated the place for wasted food

[Kelli2006]

The possibility of comp'ed food by the network is irrelevant if Guy's unsanitary practices keep people from venturing to the establishment. Ive heard that appearing on the show is worth $250K in increased sales, but Guy is a trained chef and restaurant owner so he obviously knows better than to use bare hands, eat or lick utensils.

I love the show and I've also worked in the industry as both a cook and a baker.

[mucho gordo]

I knew he owned a couple of restaurants but wasn't sure he was a trained chef. I've noticed that many chefs prep and taste food the same way he does, using either a finger or a separate utensil. Still, being in the business himself, he should know better than to wear flip-flops in the kitchen.

[Kelli2006]

I mistakenly thought that w he was a CIA grad but Guy has an unspecified BS degree from UNLV in hospitality management.

I agree with you that he knows the food regs and should know to use a single use plastic spoon to taste and to wear gloves. The wearing of shorts and flip-flops in a kitchen is a pet peeve of mine and is dangerous if a knife is dropped or something is spilled. I don't expect him to wear a chefs coat and checkers, but a T-shirt and jeans would be appropriate.

The sanitary is as much of a real problem but it is a PR issue because the DD&D episodes are all posted on YouTube and anyone s can see what he did and that might affect their decision to patronize a restaurant, much to the owners dismay.

I don't want to be negative because the show is a godsend for local food, and small restaurants that are all too rare in the current chain craze, but many of the problems are easily corrected and it would be a shame that a restaurant is penalized for something out of their control.

[mucho gordo]

I sincerely hope the food he's had a "hand' in preparing is not served to the public. Most likely the FN crew gobbles it down.
I also get the impression that some owner/chefs really don't approve of and are annoyed by his antics,

[Servorg]

Not aiming this at you mucho, just a general comment about this "sanitation" issue, but when I notice Guy putting a finger in something it's usually before it's about to be cooked. Not only that, but if we all think about all the girls (or boys) that we've kissed over the years I doubt strongly that anything Guy is doing on his show is going to rise to the level of a matter for the CDC to worry about.

[mucho gordo]

I agree, Servorg, and even if he puts his finger in while or after cooking, I'm sure nobody will get sick. The food is hot and it takes a while for a contaminent to take hold.
Still, just seeing him do it makes one wonder what really goes on in a kitchen.

[Kelli2006]

I thought that the sausage maker was going to do something to Guy when he kept putting his head in the horizontal batch mixer.

[mucho gordo]

Didn't he make a comment about that at the time?

[tommy]

A PR issue? Really? On one hand you say it's a PR issue because it might affect someone's decision to patronize a restaurant. Other the other hand you say it's a godsend for local food and small restaurants.

So which is it?

And do you really think that anyone, anywhere, at any time, has watched a YouTube clip, and thought "yuck, I'm not going there."

And does anyone really think that Guy is sticking is fingers in customers' food in a manner that would be unsafe?

This whole idea that a restaurant is "penalized" or business is negatively impacted because of the clothing a TV show host wears is ludicrous. And I've seen no evidence that it is supported at all. It's just a convenient way to criticize the show. An easy position to take, because it requires no research, knowledge, analysis, or support.

[irishnyc]

If you think all chefs in restaurant kitchens, trained or untrained, are using plastic spoons and gloves to taste, rather than one spoon kept in their pocket, and bare hands, you are sadly mistaken.

[Duppie]

+1

[monkeyrotica]

I would TOTALLY watch a show called "Diners, Drive Ins, and Violent Explosive Diarrhea." It'd be just like Guy's show except with more cholera.

[SavoryTv]

It's not my style at all, but I have watched a few episodes. Despite his cheesey demeanor it's nice to learn about dives that actually have tasty food, especially when it does not come straight off the back of a Sysco truck.

[monkeyrotica]

I'm more interested in the subject matter from an historical perspective. Why have some of these places been around for decades yet other far more sophisticated places fold after 18 months? And in many cases, the former has been serving identical menu items for as long as anyone can remember. I feel that the more sophisticated the palate, the greater the need for simple comfort food. These places are a welcome antidote from cuisine that's just a little too precious. Fried hotdogs wrapped in bacon, whole belly clams, gas station tacos are about as unpretentious as you can get. And like a simple oyster on the half shell, the tendency isn't to savor every morsel but to slam them down and order another round.

[tommy]

I suspect it has nothing to do with preciousness or pretentiousness. It has to do with a larger audience, low prices and the perception of a good value. Pretty simple.

I savor oysters, when they are exceptional. When they are not, I don't eat them.

[othervoice]

I think Guy's humor and wit is just what I need in this all to "uptight" world we live in . You all need to lighten up!!! His shows are what they are and the majority of people in this country live on a budget, where a night out in a neighborhood diner is "Special"! I look forward to being able to enjoy any of Guy's recommendations.

[Passadumkeg]

Ditto. Hate chains w/ a passion, love to try any DDD. The Dude is a showman. He needs a robe and a White Russian.

[karenfinan]

hilarious, Dude!:-) I really don't watch the show, but don't have an issue with it, either. I do know folks from the nonprofit world who have nothing but good things to say about Fieri- before he was on TV, but was a pretty successful restaurant owner, he was very community minded and very generous to the local nonprofits. When he came to Jacksonville, Fl( where I was living at the time) last year he actually stopped at a restaurant that was def not a diner, drive in or dive, but an excellent very small spanish tapas restaurant. He also stopped at an excellent upscale diner and an old school seafood rest. right on the water that gets its seafood from fishing boats that literally came up to the rest. docks. 3 very good places that locals rate very highly.

[monkeyrotica]

"Is there really any value to showing a hot dog topped with ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo, some awful meatsauce, coleslaw, and a few other "condiments" ?"

I think some fans of Chicago, Sonoran, or slaw dogs might take issue with this statement.

[TonyO]

If it was of crappy quality, they would probably take issue with that !

[fitzpth]

This could be the biggest food snobbery set of postings I have ever read.

I am as much of a food snob as most of the CH world, but what makes me different is I don't think people who are not like me are bad people. I wouldn't be caught dead in a Olive Garden, but I also don't feel like a better person because of it.

I love this show and while I am on the fence with Guy, the show highlights great places to eat across the US, (although most of the places on his show are in Northern California where he lives), not fine dining. Where the average person can get a great meal, not spend a lot of money and act all pretentious like some of the posters on here.

If running down people because they are not as "sophisticated" as you are, makes you feel better about yourselves, you have issues.

[sedimental]

Well said fitzpth. I watch the show whenever can. I think it is fun, entertaining and (on occasion) given me great ideas for tweaking recipes! I have the right to be as snobbish as anyone if we were to base snobbishness on wealth, education, etiquette knowledge and worldly experience. I choose not to exercise that right *all the time*. Because, that would be simply stupid. Food is sometimes fun, sometimes messy and irreverent........... just like life......thank goodness.

[Davwud]

"(although most of the places on his show are in Northern California where he lives)"

I count about 260 and less than 60 are in California and about half of those are in southern California. So this statement is about as wrong as it can be.

DT

[fitzpth]

Taken from the FlavortownUSA website and put into excel. Actually, there are 442 places he has visited, 16.52%, the most, are in California. I am assuming that most of them are in northen California.

Cheers

State Total Percentage
CA 73 16.52%
TX 24 5.43%
FL 22 4.98%
MN 19 4.30%
IL 18 4.07%

[donovt]

California as the state with the most and most being in California are two completely different things. If 16% are in California, then 84% are not. So most of the restaurants are not in california.

[Davwud]

I guess my list wasn't as up to date.

So how is it that 16% equals "Most"

Secondly, on the list that I saw, just under half were in SoCal. So call it 10% are in NoCal. Again, not what I consider to be "Most."

DT

[fitzpth]

16% of the restaurants he visited are in the state of California. That is the most or highest percentage when compared to the other states he has been to. Texas is in a distant second with 5.4%. Check out flavortownusa.com and see.

This is how California is the most. Actually, to add to your point, if 10% are the places are in NoCal, then it is in the lead of places he visits. (10% Nocal, 6% everyplace else Cal) Texas is still in second place with 5.4%.

I should have been more specific about the list I added.

[tommy]

Your statement "most of the places on his show are in Northern California" is simply wrong. Obviously you cannot understand this, but rest assured, it is.

[James Cristinian]

I guess highest percent is correct, but not most at all. Anyway, he recently visited North Pole, Alaska, which I dvr'd but have not seen. Then there was one of my favorites when he is in an Oklahoma dive and an old guy walks in and says, "Holy Moly, it's the dinner and drive in boy." Dinner, not diner, classic. These places are nowhere near NoCal.

[fitzpth]

Why are you being such a smart ass? It's not that big of a deal and not that complicated.

If out of the 442 restaurants he visited, 73 are in California, that equates to 16.52%. If you see the data below, that is the most out of all of the states.

State Locations Percentage
Alabama  3 0.68%
Alaska  7 1.58%
Arizona  13 2.94%
California  73 16.52%
Colorado  8 1.81%
Connecticut 7 1.58%
District of Columbia  5 1.13%
Florida  22 4.98%
Georgia  8 1.81%
Hawaii  7 1.58%
Idaho  9 2.04%
Illinois  18 4.07%
Indiana  2 0.45%
Kansas  6 1.36%
Kentucky  6 1.36%
Louisiana  12 2.71%
Maine  5 1.13%
Maryland  8 1.81%
Massachusetts  12 2.71%
Michigan  4 0.90%
Minnesota  19 4.30%
Mississippi 3 0.68%
Missouri  9 2.04%
Nebraska  6 1.36%
Nevada  5 1.13%
New Hampshire  1 0.23%
New Jersey 13 2.94%
New Mexico 10 2.26%
New York  14 3.17%
North Carolina 7 1.58%
Ohio  9 2.04%
Oklahoma  9 2.04%
Oregon  8 1.81%
Pennsylvania 14 3.17%
Rhode Island 4 0.90%
South Carolina 4 0.90%
Tennessee 15 3.39%
Texas  24 5.43%
Utah  7 1.58%
Virginia  7 1.58%
Washington13 2.94%
West Virginia2 0.45%
Wisconsin  4 0.90%
Total 442

http://www.flavortownusa.com/Location...

[tommy]

Q.E.D.

[joonjoon]

Why are you fighting this? You clearly stated something incorrectly in your original argument, regardless of your actual intent.

[TonyO]

Now I know why I am upset. Guy has never rolled into Vermont ! Somebody get Guy on the horn and tell him TonyO is ready to be his host: we can hit Beansie's Bus for a Michigan and Nectar's for some gravy fries !!

[Davwud]

email them and tell them........nay challenge them to come to Vermont.

[e-mail]

DT

[TonyO]

Wouldn't that be quite a twist, me and Guy on D, D, D. I can just hear it now: , "Hey, there's the ______________ that started the thread bashing Guy and now HE has gravy all over his face and just yelled MONEY" ! Odder things have happened...............................FYI, I'll be the guy with his sun glasses on the front of my head ......................

[Shann]

That's funny. I ate at Nectar's earlier this year for the first time in 20 years and the first time ever that wasn't at the end of a night of drinking downtown! Totally different than I remembered. Didn't there used to be a cafeteria style line where you ordered and he'd just pour gravy all over everything? Of course, my memory of those nights might be a little hazy.

[TonyO]

Shann, your memory is better than you think ! The place has changed hands and been remodeled (Nectar, the former owner made famous on the Phish album) had quite a following.

[Passadumkeg]

Statistics! No New Mexico, but the Holy He of DDD has been here.

[Sal Vanilla]

To heck with all this silly arguing! Tell me more about these gravy fries! I am anxious to get my face mussed while eating them like a fat, American, evil pig that I am!

Please tell me it is sausage milk gravy.

[TonyO]

More like that slighly tan turkey gravy out of a jar if I remember correctly !

[goodhealthgourmet]

SV, there's only one place to go for gravy fries...a Jersey diner. and technically what you want is an order of *cheese* fries with gravy for dipping.

one of my favorite foods on the planet, and i miss it desperately!

[Sal Vanilla]

Cheese AND gravy? I am going to have to think about that one when I am feeling low. It will replace my "GO TO" which is French Fries fried in duck fat. I saw it on a TV program a year or so ago and well... Maybe I can combine the two.

[joonjoon]

Duck fat fries with cheese, gravy, and duck liver. Do it.

[Servorg]

And, with every order you get, absolutely free, a portable defibrillator! ;-D>

[rozz01]

Nah.. Up to Toronto or Montreal for Poutine. Over here in Iowa, I start salivating three weeks before any trip.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i've wanted to try poutine since hearing everyone wax poetic about it here on CH, but since there's no Canadian version of DDD, it doesn't count ;)

@SV, the traditional Jersey preparation is steak-cut fries (extra-crispy please!), melted American cheese, and brown gravy.

of course, you can also get the cheese fries without gravy, in which case you now have one of the only two dishes in this world that i put ketchup on...and the other is extra-crispy home fries from a Jersey diner!

[Duppie]

Is that what some call Disco Fries? Poutine is the ultimate stoner food and a must when drinking beer in Montreal or Quebec City.

[goodhealthgourmet]

close, but not quite the same. in my experience, the cheese on Disco Fries was mozzarella, not American...it was a Long Island thing, not Jersey ;)

but yes, my love affair with them began during one of [far too] many munchie-fests after a long night of partying.

[Passadumkeg]

poutine is as close as Lowell, Mass. Very popular in amny of the Franco-American areas of New England.

[goodhealthgourmet]

alas, my only real time spent in New England was summers at sleepaway camp as a child & preteen...occasionally after they had been out drinking in the local town, the counselors would come back to the bunk and surprise us with a late-night treat, but it was something along the lines of [awful] pizza, or some ice cream, never something as inspired as poutine :)

[iL Divo]

stoner food? ok, so uh..........................
never been a stoner so don't know bout that.
don't drink beer but manage without it while eating poutine.
M & QC great places :)

[tommy]

I'm not sure if steak fries are "traditional." In my experiences in diners in NJ it depends on what type of fries they serve. They simply add cheese and gravy to those.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i probably should have said "thick," but not necessarily steak-cut...i've never seen skinny fries at a diner.

[tommy]

I have. "Thick cut" or "steak fries" isn't the tradition. It's whatever the diner serves, and there is a variety of styles of fries served at NJ diners.

I'd agree that it's American cheese (if mozz isn't specified) and brown gravy.

[goodhealthgourmet]

just to be clear, when i say "skinny" fries i mean the fast food kind of skinny, like what you'd get at McD's et al. i've never seen fries like that at a [respectable] diner ;)

but yes, absolutely brown gravy & American cheese!

[jujuthomas]

oh yes, it must be brown gravy! I had french fries with white gravy once... it.was.awful!

[Bob W]

If you ever get to Florida, you can get real poutine in Dania (near Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale), which is a Quebecois tourist mecca. Try the Dairy Belle Drive-In on Federal Hwy. They also have all sorts of other Quebecois junk food too. There are several mentions on the Florida boards.

[rozz01]

I'm vegetarian... yet I still crave it. There's a lot of options for me up n Canada.. In Iowa I'm SOL

[TonyO]

Thanks for the info fitzpth, I find it interesting and certainly understood what you meant. Seems like people are just looking for a reason to attack and show how much more they know and then call others judgemental............................

[rjw_lgb_ca]

It's not that off the mark, actually. California does host 12% of the US population, after all (2009 Census Bureau estimates). What is notable is the underrepresentation of the state of New York-- with 6.4% of the US population, NY only gets 3.2% of Guy Fieri's douchy love....

[TonyO]

NY'ers see that Camaro pulling up with Guy at the wheel and they lock the door and turn off the lights..................

[Sal Vanilla]

Wait. Biting into big, messy or awkward food and getting some on your face qualifies as disgusting? It is equal to dumpster diving? Do we call our mouths pie holes when we nibble gingerly on a saltine?

I am confused.

[TonyO]

I guess manners and common decency is just too much to ask ...............why not just burp, talk with your mouth full, talk on your cell phone, and use your sleeve instead of a napkin....oh and don't forget, in the "new America" it's cool to wear your backwards hat in a restaurant as well.....'"please and thank you" are no longer needed !

[Servorg]

Tony, in all seriousness - can you eat bbq ribs with sauce (or instance) and not get some on your face? How about standing up in the kitchen of a restaurant and trying to get a bite out of some of the messier concoctions that are shown on DDD and come out of that shot completely unscathed, debris wise? I would say if you can do that you're a magician of Las Vegas caliber...

[joonjoon]

To each his own....but IMO you know you're in the middle of some good eats when you're burping, slurping, grunting, talking with your mouth full, and using your sleeve (or arms, or hands) as a napkin, and so on.

[gastrotect]

Manners? How do you eat barbecue? A juicy burger? Boiled seafood? Fried chicken? Messy hands and food on your face are unavoidable in those situations and not at all seen as slovenly or outside common decency. Strange as it may be, burping is actually good manners in some cultures, so it's not all black and white when it comes to how food is eaten.

You are equating clearly rude actions (such as talking on a cell phone while eating) with actions that are completely acceptable in certain situations (such as getting some food on your face when it's a messy dish). That seems a little disingenuous to me. I agree that there are certain things that are unacceptable in public restaurants, but I can't agree that getting food on your face at a place where the food is messy is one of them. If I'm at a barbecue joint eating ribs or a pulled pork sandwich, I'm gonna have barbecue smeared on my hands and some on my face. So will most everyone else in the place. I see nothing wrong with that.

[TonyO]

Nothing "disingenuous" about it. If you get some sauce on your face from ribs, understood, I've been there. If you cram 1/2 a burger in your face like a pig, that is a whole other story. We have all seen it and should be able to decipher the difference. As far as what is accepted in other cultures, maybe the old saying "when in Rome" should be taken into consideration......

[gastrotect]

"When in Rome" is actually perfect for this conversation. Different cultures doesn't necessarily have to mean half a world away. Sometimes that different culture is three states away. I agree that cramming a 1/2 pound burger in your face can be disgusting. I only question if you have seen someone truly cram a burger in their face though, because I rarely think that's what's happening on D,D,D. I think he gets a bit aggressive, but I hardly ever find myself thinking he is going way overboard. I have seen disgusting, pig-like eaters and he doesn't come close IMO.

[joonjoon]

I personally love the show. I haven't seen the specific scene you mentioned, but I find myself drooling over at least half of the places showcased in each episode. I'm really surprised to see how many haters of DDD on ChowHound - I thought it's the perfect Chowhound show and embodies a lot of the core Chowhound ideals.

[Davwud]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDfyFN...

DT

[TonyO]

Thanks for reviving the nightmare Davwud ! That frying oil looks like it came out of a NYC cab with 100,000 miles on it...........If that is what defines "delicious" or "mouthwatering" then I guess I just don't get it. To me it looks like another example of "if the portion is big enough, who cares about quality". I think I need to take some Rolaids....................

[Davwud]

That place is so goofy I wanna try it.

There's a burger place in Memphis that hasn't changed their oil in 100 years. They deep fry their burgers. Their slogan is "Have you had your vitamin "G" today?? They even had a big ceremony about carting oil from the old location to the new one.
Tasty burgers though.
http://www.dyersonbeale.com/

DT

[goodhealthgourmet]

i *just* saw that place featured on the Travel Channel yesterday! it was like driving past an accident site - i was simultaneously fascinated and horrified, and though i wanted to look away/change the channel, i just had to watch.

but you honestly couldn't pay me enough money to eat anything that came out of that oil. ugh!

[Davwud]

Are you talking Dyers?? I've had the burgers and they're really good.

The oil at Hillbilly Hotdogs does look pretty disgusting. I'm hoping it was just poor lighting.

DT

[goodhealthgourmet]

yes, i was talking about Dyers. i don't care if that oil is 100 years old or 100 minutes old, the color alone made me lose my appetite.

[jgg13]

The only problem with that story is that the oil in that vat is most certainly not the same oil that was around way back when. You're losing some via evaporation, absorbtion, etc. They might never be removing oil, but they're certainly adding new oil constantly.

Instead of the classic "ship of theseus" philosophical conundrum, we could have a "oil of dyers" identity problem.

[joonjoon]

"Is there some in my ear?" Ha!

Seriously...how could you not like this stuff Tony? It's gold!

If this hot dog place was nearby I would be headed there right now.

[TonyO]

Glad to see this old thread still has life...................I love the comments accusing me of being a food elitist because I expect a restaurant to be clean..............

[rozz01]

Hilarious!!!

[Servorg]

It's just that cleanliness is not always next to houndliness. When I first came to Chowhound in 2001 the threads about DiFara's (perhaps discussed here as much as any restaurant in the country) and it's state of "non" clean tables generated some very (let us call it) "spirited" debate.

[TonyO]

I guess I would treat that as an extreme example in that people are willing to tolerate long lines, ordering miscues, and cleanliness issues to eat at the 'Holy Grail" of pizza. My point is, the vast majority of places could not get away those practices and still have a rabid following. To me, a restaurant "experience" is about the food primarily, but the service, atmosphere, and cleanliness all play a role in the bigger picture. I'm not saying that the environment has to be sterile, but I'm sure most would agree, that filth is just not appetizing. I spent many years in the industry both directly and indirectly and I can tell you there are places I would NEVER eat at even if the food was free and was lauded by every television personality on the planet. I always had high expectations and standards when working in the industry and expect the same as a customer. Maybe it is just my opinion, but making a portion size extremely huge does not equate to being "houndworthy" or even enjoyable. Trust me, I eat in plenty of "dives" but if they are either filthy or the service is rude, I'm done.

[Servorg]

I think there are a lot of examples, other than DiFara's that could be listed. I mean, the entire world of Chinese restaurants and their service issues (along with the trouble they have in meeting "Western" food safety rules based on how things are cooked and served in their culture) could probably fill up a pretty long page.

[monkeyrotica]

Agreed. Once you enter the rural world of "roadfood" where the closest health inspector is at least an hour drive away, one would expect the adherence to health safety to decline. But many health inspection ratings are posted online. The ones available in DC/Northern Virginia are a crossection of the American palate. From the smallest taco truck to the highest-end restaurant, there's always some violation they're guilty of. The most popular violations seem to be not having a licensed food handler, improper food storage, and not having running water that's hot enough. I'm certain that eateries in rural America--as well as rural China--are guilty of some of these violations.

[Missi]

I love DD and D. I live in Alabama and there's not one diner in the State. One of these days when I retire, and that's not that far away, I'd like to get his book and take a road trip!

[Davwud]

Blue Plate Cafe in Huntsville.

DT

[Bunson]

This is a great show. The places are all accessable to everyone on almost any budget, the food, people, and places are unpretentious, and some of the cooks at those places really know their stuff. I've googled more places to find location/menu from watching this show than any other show on Food Network.

[kchurchill5]

Most not culinary trained, good home born and raised cooks that cook good real food that people line up for and enjoy. Kids, family, friends and that is what cooking is all about bringing everyone together

[monkeyrotica]

I used to enjoy his show, but recently they seem to have upped the amount of RAPIDFIREJUMCUTSSOYOUEVENTUALLYGETAHEADACHEFROMWATCHINGTHECAMERADARTAROUND. Rarely do cuts last longer than two seconds; after about a minute of this I had to change the channel. Which is a shame because I really enjoy the subject matter.

[HillJ]

Now that I have a few episodes of Kitchen Nightmare under my belt, I'm wondering when a few of Guy's "off the hooks" will become Gordon's "nightmares."

One programming idea just feeds another....

[Boccone Dolce]

We try and catch this show when it's on- I am a fan of diners and dives. My Daddy was a die-hard diner guy. Broke his heart when we moved from Jersey to Northern California in the 70's and there were no diners, but we found dives! Daddy went for the shiny metal-tube diners with bottomless coffee and killer home fries the most... And I was really happy to meet and marry a man just like him.
Anyway- Guy doesn't grate on my nerves too badly anymore. I'm there (like he is) for the food. On our trip back to CA we want to check out some of the places that had us drooling for burgers.

My husband is accustomed to driving 80 miles one way for us to try a puffy taco or a cuban or whatever that I read/discovered/heard about. Guy is welcome to join us, we always grab lots of napkins.

[jinet12]

Personally, I am a big "Guy" fan...Enthusiasm is catching, and he has a fun personality, which I do not find anywhere near as annoying as Rachael's...I personally think that with time, he just keeps improving...

[Spends Rent on Food]

>>"I don't care of you are serving corn dogs or foie gras, do it in a CLEAN environment."

Whatever your personal cleanliness requirements for visiting an eating establishment, it doesn't mean that everyone has to agree with you. Every city & town in the US has a board of health who live to shut places down if they don't meet santary guidelines.

Since we're here, my view on the show?
I think the show is excellent. Everyone really needs to support those great little places that have their work cut out for them just to compete with the national chains.

My view on Guy? Where Guy has lost his cred with me is he's now promoting one of those mediocre chains that competes head to head with the very people and places he visits on his show.

Whenever a Ruby Tuesday commercial comes on I get really frustrated: Guy, don't you get it? You're telling people to go to a national chain which servers inferior food, but has a bigger marketing budget and more resources to compete with (and put out of business) the better, local places that you, yourself claim are fantastic and a dying breed.

[ccbweb]

Guy does ads for TGI Fridays, not Ruby Tuesday.

Apparently not very effective ads.

[Spends Rent on Food]

Oh. I didn't realize there was a difference.

[ccbweb]

Cute.

[TonyO]

I'm not sure where I sated "everyone has to agree with" me. If people want to support dirty establishments be my guest. I personally think a restaurant has some responsibilities to their guests:

1. Properly cooked food
2. Attentive service
3. Clean facility

Too much too ask ? Maybe judging by how many restaurants fail each year.

[PattiCakes]

The view from the top of that culinary high horse must be pretty awe-inspiring.

I'll make an open confession here. I like to talk about good food, and I appreciate good food, but basically I'm a home girl who would give her right arm to take a month off & go to some the the places Guy goes. Of course I'd have to have my magic weight fairy along with me to use her wand to waive off the calories and the colesterol, but deep in my soul those are the foods I crave. The people in those places are my people. They are my mom & dad and some of my relatives; they could be me. I am fascinated by the history of those places and by the fact that they seem to be meccas for the regular folks in town. They are part of the fabric of our American lives. Oh, and lest you think I'm a food bimbo, I'm 63 and a damned fine cook in my own right.

The comparison to Bourdain is interesting. Somehow, if it's road food served in a dirty hut in an exotic country, that dirt is "clean dirt", whereas the diner dirt in the US is "dirty dirt"? Some of the culinary practices in places that Bourdain has visited make me want to barf, but I am interested none the less. And how Ugly American-ish would it be to say "Geez, I can't eat that because you have a Yak living in the kitchen; can't you get me something cooked in a more sterile environment?". If you are watching Feasting on Asphalt, does the fact that AB doesn't have peircings, looks like your nerdy neighbor, and uses big words make the places he visits more legit than those on DD&D?

Does Guy's schtick get to me at times? You betcha, but that's why God gave us remotes. Do I care that he and Rachel Ray are media whores? So are most politicians, but it wasn't a politician who got my college age kids to try cooking on their own -- it was RR. She's also gotten me to be a lot more inventive with my burgers. When she works my last nerve, I switch to CNN so I can feel all intelligent again while I eat one of her 30 minute meals.

BTW, these aren't "restaurants", these are "dives". No one has ever claimed otherwise.

[jujuthomas]

well said Patti! :)
I am with you, I would give up body parts to take my magic weight fairy on a cross country tour of some of Guy's dives. My sister and I just returned from NOLA, and while I found the recommendations on that board to be interesting, we didn't go to any of the places mentioned! :) We ate at the clover grill, cafe beignet and praline connection - which fit the triple D profile more than what other people look for.

[Davwud]

I feel completely the same way Patti. We love going to places like that and in fact, over Christmas we visited one of the places he went to and it was exactly what you, I or millions of other would expect.

I blogged about it. http://davwudsfoodcourt.blogspot.com

Can't wait to try another.

DT

[Withnail42]

Have to agree. He seems to be biting the hand that feeds him. Two faced for sure.

Never seen his 'cooking' show. It seemed that show was taking him nowhere. I am a big fan of DD&D. It seems that that show help solidify his TV presence.

But some how he seems to have it both ways. Talking about these great places that are being pushed out by these mega chains that are the ones doing the pushing. And he is a restaurant owner as well. It's a little slimy...okay very slimy.

[HarryK]

So cooking show and a food show ... represents the chain's on commercials and the mom and pops on the show ... slimy? Sounds to me the guy (pun intended) just has all his bases covered. I'd say that's pretty damned smart.

[Withnail42]

You can still have all the bases covered and be on the sketchy side of things. I believe it is called being a politician. They do it all the time.

[chef chicklet]

What?
That really makes little sense as a business person, do you think he just tossed his own interests away to do a commercial? nah.

[chef chicklet]

That's just not true. You have no idea, where the TGIF are and what the customers have available to them. He is making money when the sun shines, as is any star or sport celebrity does that endorses a product. Come on.

The local places with a loyal following are going to withstand a chain, oh yes they are. And I might point out that just about every establishment he's featured have been around at the very minimum, a decade.

[TonyO]

Sometimes chains serve to show good a single unit place can be. I personally do not brand a chain as bad simply because they are a chain. In fact, some are decent (I have yet to find one that I would qualify as "great" although some dishes may be just that at chains). I think my issue with chains is that they are so predictable. On the other hand, I'm sure that is part of their success (consistent mediocrity).

[chef chicklet]

Well me, I rarely eat at chains, it's nothing personal, I just have my favorite little restaurants.
Chains have there niche, the freeway traffic and can get a majority of the tourists business. I think we like to see those signs of familiarity when we're miles from home ya know? It's sorta comforting.

[AMFM]

i also think chains are popular with a teen crowd and you know as much as i am trying to raise mine to be foodies (my 6 & 2 year olds favorites are our local japanese and indian joints), what's wrong with them having a place to go. i'm almost (gulp) 35 and when i was 15 - 18 and couldn't drink and had friends with different tastes, fridays was a fun treat where it was ok to go without parents. i think i have eaten there maybe twice since then but to each his own. somehow i get stuck eating at applebees when driving and just want my kids to have something other than mcd's and the &@(*^*&% chili's that's in every airport. i HATE chilis. :)

[monkeyrotica]

Chains particularly appeal to college age kids because they remind them of the chains they went to when they're back at home. If you're in a new environment, you want something to remind you of home. It's a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, except with more high-fructose corn syrup and salt. I'll take some of Fieri's "dives" over the same-old chain any day; even if it's not that good, it's still something different.

[AMFM]

oh - i agree. just saying that i think there are reasons they appeal to some people. although funny about college. i went urban and there were none around and it was GREAT! a big change from my suburban upbringing! :)
it was more high school - before a dance, before i grew up for me!

[jacquelines]

You are all aware of the title of the show, no? Notice, he does not claim he is in search of America's best Michelin rated establishments. I am sure some of these places are great joints with great food, and I did not realize Chowhounders became elitist foodies. If you don't like someone shoving a hot dog in their mouth, like YOU ALL DO, then turn away.

[MattInNJ]

Common, you know that most Chowhounders have read Kitchin Confidential and watch FN and TTC. So they obviously know everything there is to know about everything culinary. Silly you.

[zygote]

My problem with shows similar to DD&D; particularly those with visiting FN cooks (ie. Rachael, etc.) that visit "great" restaurants is the extent to which a commercial operation (FN) is paid to advertise those "great" restaurants. I am not questioning the quality of the food-I haven't eaten in many-but am queasy as to how much of the show is paid advertising.

[KTinNYC]

There is no way that most of the Mom and Pop joints featured on DD&D's have the resources to pay for placement.

[RGC1982]

The formula of visiting an establishment with a reputation for a particular kind of food, or made-from-scratch food, is a blueprint for most "road" food shows. The Best Of, Feasting on Asphalt, the new Neeley's show, RR's Tasty Travels, all the same concept with a slightly different twist. The formula is the same.

I remember one episode of The Best Of, when they visited a restaurant in Cranbury, New Jersey to eat their "Cranberry" food recipes. The main recipe featured canned cranberry sauce -- the gel kind. It looked awful. Worse, apparently, none of the producers realized that the town and the fruit were not spelled the same way, yet they filmed the spot and thought it was a cool idea. I lived near the restaurant and had always regarded the food as below par, and would have preferred to see them feature a typical diner.

If you want to watch this formula, you need to find one where you actually like or can tolerate the hosts, and whose focus is of interest to you. Me, I lived in NJ for twenty years, and I like diners. I can watch one show featuring Guy, if I am in the mood, but I don't understand why they would bother to run a marathon of DDD. Still, there are certainly worse shows, and the RR shows involving travel or spending $40 per day come to mind. RR telling me what to eat when I visit XYZ? I think not. Maybe this is why we have so many cable channels to choose from, and a remote control?

[HollyDolly]

Well,I don't get Food Network,but it was in the San Antonio Express News that
DD&D was going to the Tip Top Cafe on Fredricksburg Road.From what I remember of the food,it was very good.And I think DD&D also went to Texas Pride Barbecue out in Adkins,near St.Hedwig,east of San Antonio.
Recently I ate at Checker's Diner on Nagodoches Rd. which was very good and fresh.It was also clean too.
Places with dirty windows etc. also show how little they care about the food
and safety for the customers. And I don't like it when people shove food into their mouths like people have described,that's just disgusting.
By the way how in the world do these people get to be tv hosts? How can I get his job or Ray's?

[mojoeater]

He won a cooking/hosting contest (The Next Food Network Star) and got a TV show that way. RR started cooking at a small local restaurant, hosted a small local cooking show, and worked her way up to international star.

[TonyO]

"Places with dirty windows etc. also show how little they care about the food and safety for the customers" Exactly. While cleaniness is no guarantee in regards to food quality, at least it shows attention to detail and a certain level of pride. If the windows and bathroom are filthy, you can probably guess how the kitchen looks and how versed the staff is about food handling practices. I don't care of you are serving corn dogs or foie gras, do it in a CLEAN environment.

[HarryK]

I saw a recent DDD and was disappointed. Why? He was in Philly and he ate at The Dining Car and loved it.

I am telling you, we have soooo many fantastic diners in Philly, and it seems he or the production team went out of their way to go the very very worse. These people give you watery Russian on a quarter slab of iceberg and call it a salad. They open a can of DelMonte string beans and chuck them in a bowl as a side. Overcooked hamburger smashed and topped with dry envelope gravy and it's called Salisbury Steak ...

I know because a friend told me how good it was. Despite recalling how the time before that was 15 years ago when I last was there and it was horrid, I thought maybe things changed -- this was a year for the DDD episode -- so I gave it a shot with another friend last year. Yuck. It was as horrible as remember. Worse!

Meanwhile we have the famous Melrose Diner in Center City, we have the Mayfair Diner a scant mile away from the Dining Car which often has lines around the block at dinner and Sunday mornings. (And I could name another dozen, but why?) And yet DDD picks *that* toilet and everything Guy ate he salivated over. Really, having seen that my estimation of that show and him hit rock bottom.

I mean there is nothing like having some one "love" a place that you will never go in again in your life even if they paid you!!! On top of which they told him how they eat scrapple there, and lifetime born-and-raised I know of no one outside of maybe that diner that eats it the way they did! No one! So on top of bad taste buds, zero for accuracy in "reporting" as well.

[jzerocsk]

At the same time, if you really love the Melrose and the Mayfair, having them featured on FN would draw even larger crowds. You also don't really know the selection process. Maybe Melrose and Mayfair declined before they went to the dining car. Maybe they have technical requirements/limitations that prevented them from going to these other places.

Also I gotta ask...how did they eat scrapple there and how *should* one eat scrapple?? I'll cop to being a bit of a scrapple neophyte but I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

[HarryK]

Jzerocsk, nope, neither of the others have declined in standards. I've eaten at one about a year ago, and the one closer to me several times in the last year. Dining Car can't hold a candle to them.

As to production, who knows. Not sure what would prevent one kitchen and restaurant from being able to accomodate a film crew and another being unable.

Scrapple. It's pan-fried. Sometimes with, sometimes without a light dusting of flour. I've only recently tried it the latter and it's better. Keeps it together and gives it a bit of extra crispness.

They deep fried it at the Dining Car. While I'm sure nothing wrong with that, it is in no way a traditional Philadelphia way to eat it -- what bothered me was that they said it was. (What I meant about them not getting their facts straight!) Being a large city, I was open enough to think it could be an "area" or a "neighborhood" thing, so at the time I even asked a few friends from other parts of city did they eat it that way, ever have it that way, or at least ever hear of anyone making it that way. None did.

Reminds me of another thing ... an episode of Throwdown where they did Philadelphia pretzels and they did some weird cheese sauce on the side. It might make it taste better but it's totally out of character, not in any way the norm. I read how a food blogger who was judge even said that to the producers and they said, well, don't mention that on the air, play along, it shouldn't matter in the judging.

Seems the Food Network is more intent on creating their own versions of regional traditional food rather than reporting acurrately about it. Again, the thing is, because these little incidents were local to me, were about MY food, I picked up on them readily. If I'm watching these shows and didn't know the "real" local food of another place, how can I keep trusting that what I'm seeing on the tube is real or a cute and handy fabrication???

[ccbweb]

Jzerocsk meant, I believe, that perhaps the other places you mentioned declined to be on the show; not declined in quality.

[jzerocsk]

That's correct, ccweb - we have no idea how many other ships might have said "no way." Film crews have a lot of equipment and need a lot of space in the kitchen, in the dining room, and even in the parking lot.

Also, I've gotten deep fried scrapple in various places. I don't order it often at restaurants ($3 for a "side" of scrapple? $3 buys a whole brick of scrapple!) but I can't remember NOT getting it deep fried at a restaurant. It might not be "traditional" but it seems common enough in a restaurant that is probably trying to avoid spending 15 minutes cooking up a slice of scrapple when most of the other items on a breakfast plate take much less time. Also, it's delicious deep fried.

Not saying FN doesn't sometimes play fast and loose with the local colors, but it goes without saying that it's television. Even "the news" isn't always 100% truthful.

[HarryK]

>>> Even "the news" isn't always 100% truthful.

LOL! Ain't that the truth! Especially their commercials for "news at 11".

Scrapple probably is quite good deep fried; will have to try it that way one of these days.

Oh, one more thought I had about The Dining Car. There were a *lot* of elderly eating there who eat there almost every night, or minimum once a week. It reminded me -- LOL this is awful but true, it very much reminded me -- of episodes of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares where the failing restaurant will have "a lot of white and blue hairs" (Ramsay's words). And he'll taste the food and go bleck. And he'll get some other folks in and they go bleck.

But the "old" longtime customers think it's wonderful and he has to explain to the owner, "do you want the same 20 people in here every day, who over the next bunch of years will get fewer and fewer? Or do you want this place turning over 150 seats every Friday night and you actually make money and you don't lose your restaurant and your house?"

[HarryK]

Oops, misinterpreted that one. :)

[StrandedYankee]

Scrapple SHOULD be griddle cooked, but most diners won't do that because it takes about 7-10 minutes per side. When I make scrapple at home, I use a cast iron griddle that I get very hot, but then I pull the heat down to medium low.

Most diners will griddle-cook scrapple if you ask, but acting on the assumption most people want breakfast in a hurry, they usually deep fry it for 2 minutes. It's still good, but just not quite as good.

How should you EAT scrapple? Well, depends. If you have really great, top-notch scrapple I like it best on a plate with a couple of eggs over easy. If you have cheap, nasty scrapple, I like it best on a plate with my french toast or pancakes (personally, I prefer french toast), and let the melted butter and syrup get all over everything, ESPECIALLY the scrapple! Nasty, overly strong, oversalty scrapple is oddly yummy with enough butter and syrup.

[jmckee]

Don't like it? Don't watch!

We kind of enjoy the show. It's nice to see a host who actually likes to eat. (I remember thinking on "Food Finds" that Sandra Pinckney probably never touched the foods on which she reported. And Marc Summers? Please.) And the food is genuine "Roadfood" (to use another site's word).

Curious: How did you know the meat sauce was "awful" if you didn't taste it? And why is "condiments" in quotes? Do you not believe they're really condiments.

[MattInNJ]

I agree 100% with you jmckee, I will take roadfood over fine dining any day of the week. This show is probably one of the more interesting shows on TFN. JMHO of course.

[TonyO]

There is a distinct difference between eating and shoveling massive globs of food into youtr mouth. I just don't get how watching that is enjoyable. I'll admit, I like the premise of the show and have frequented many roadstops throughout America as long as they are clean. Again, my issue with the show is that it has become more about Guy and how much food he can waste and smear all over his face than about unique restaurants. Think of it this way, if someone ate like that at your tabel would you fine it acceptable ? If you saw someoene eating like that in a restaurant would you think "cool"? I find it to be oevrly theatrical and adds nothing to the show. Again, simply my opinion.

As far as the meatsauce goes, my comment was based on the looks of it. Kind of like when some says that it looked delicious without the benefit of being in the room or having a taste. Condiments was in quotes because it seems like anything within reach is fair game. Again, shock value, "see how much stuff I can pile on top of this burger, now watch me take a huge bite as it drips all over my face while I say money and off the hook".

[Richard 16]

You know, TonyO, there is a dichotomy between taking dainty little nibbles and "see how much stuff I can pile on top of this burger, now watch me take a huge bite as it drips all over my face." GF is obviously towards the latter, but I've seen plenty of people take *much* more in.

Yes, he has a beard and *sometimes* food drips onto it. It's why some some foods are called "three napkin meals". I obviously don't know, but apparently you've never seen someone navigate around a felafel with lots of sauce, a dripping ice cream cone, an overstuffed taco, etc. Sauce dripping down their arms, tarter sauce dripping from a whole (including the belly) fried clam, butter dripping down an ear of corn or steamer clams where the fingers get messy, etc. (I can just see some CHers salivating now...) GF is nowhere these people, but he ain't -- at least in these places - - a dainty eater.

[Davwud]

Is there a better burger than the one that has juice running down your arm??
Get a pile of napkins and dig in. The messier, the funner.

DT

[Richard 16]

And yes -- if I'm in a *diner* with good food I not only hope people enjoy it but do so unabashedly.

[gastrotect]

I think you are going a bit far in describing Guy's eating habits. He takes big bites and when the food is messy he certainly gets some on his person, but he doesn't "smear it all over his face" or shovel it in like a competitive eater. I can't help but wonder if you've truly seen someone stuff their face. If you've never eaten something that was messy and got on your face I feel bad for you. How do you eat barbecue? Or crabs? Or crawfish? A juicy burger? A cheesesteak?

[toodie jane]

What gets me is that he takes such a huge bite he can't chew it. What's the point in that? It's a shtick designed to appeal to fellow gorgers. It's 'all shitck, all the time', and it wears thin, that's why I don't watch it. At least Zimmern tastes his food, not that I watch that program either. Eyeballs. Shudder. And Alton at least has a vocabulary.

The Best Place To Eat, or some-such program name from several years ago was much better at covering unusual dining spots without the gorge factor. Got several good rec's from that show for traveling.

[Jase]

I find the criticism about Guy's big bites pretty amusing. When Chris Cognac the food detective guy used to post here and have his show, he was criticized by a faction of posters for the tiny bites he used to take on the show. He was slammed for being too delicate and not really enjoying the food. That it was obvious by the small bites he didn't enjoy the food and was only doing so for the show.

Chris was gracious enough to explain that small bites helped him get through the segment faster so he could continue talking. So this barrage of criticism about Guy's portion sizes is very amusing to me. You just can't please everybody.

[Sal Vanilla]

A big bite is gorging now? I thought gorging was eating tons of food.

I beg you to reread this" What gets me is that he takes such a huge bite he can't chew it. What's the point in that? It's a shtick designed to appeal to fellow gorgers. It's 'all shitck, all the time', and it wears thin, that's why I don't watch it. At least Zimmern tastes his food, not that I watch that program either. Eyeballs. Shudder. And Alton at least has a vocabulary."

and tell me it is not rude.

[TonyO]

Another 4 star episode this week. It looked like the dude from the weird cake show was joining in the "fun" this week. Nothing like piling a plate of food 2 feet high and tehn taking one disgusting mouthful for the camera. Thanks FN for another great show.

[lscanlon]

The "dude from the weird cake show" was Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes, which is featured on Ace of Cakes. I don't see "weird" in their cakes; I think they're creative masterpieces. Ace of Cakes is my favorite FN show.

[TonyO]

I'm glad you like it.

[brycat]

Hey don't give them any Ideas, You know they'll do anything for ratings! and GF will probably host for sure, I can just see his baggy shorted backside go flying head first into the nearest dumpster!

[kb1818]

The point of the show is to feature good quality food at a price point most people can afford, and that means not stuff coming out of a can or box. Most places they showcase, if you watch the show, are places doing unique food, from scratch, in a small setting. The burger and dog places featured have their own unique twist on serving an American classic. The name is just that, a name. There are a lot of clean "dives" out there. No reputable show would risk sending people to a place that is unsanitary and where the food is not safe.

[ooroger]

I've become curiously addicted to this show, despite the fact that every diner seems the same and each customer is programmed to refer to the food as "just like home cooking."

I like to think that I live vicariously through Mr. Fieri; he wanders into places that I would probably avoid, chows down on homemade double cheesburgers topped with bacon-butter, BBQ sauce, and sauted onions, and lives to tell the tale. Not sure I could survive eating at one of these places every day, but from a distance, it sure looks fun.

[monkeyrotica]

He was at a local pit beef place last night and proceeded to assemble a foot-tall sandwich of beef, corned beef, pastrami, chicken, and a bunch of other meats. He then stuffed fistfuls into his face and offered it to his friend and the restaurant owner, who proceeded to shove great fistfuls in their gaping maws. I'm sure they had fun, but it was pretty disgusting.

[Servorg]

Why, exactly are you watching?

[monkeyrotica]

To find out which pit beef place he was eating. There aren't that many left in Baltimore.

[Servorg]

All of that type of information is available on the FN web site, and you don't have to watch anything you find disgusting.

[monkeyrotica]

I don't suppose you've ever found yourself watching a program where you found the content interesting but the delivery a pain? This is my problem with the first season of Nigella Lawson's show, the camera was never still, was constantly bobbing about, in and out of focus. I stopped watching Jamie Oliver's show completely, the rapid-fire jumpcutting camera work was giving me a headache.

With this show, I find myself watching the history and prep of the meals, but ToVoing through the competitive eating portions.

[kb1818]

It was Chap's Pit Beef and yes, it's one of the few pit beef places left in Baltimore doing it the authentic way, using charcoal.

I can't argue about what some people find disgusting as far as eating "habits". It's a show, take it at that. Again, the focus is on the "old school" mom and pop places, and even interesting newer places that are doing the food well, from scratch but on a smaller scale. Plenty attention is paid to the obvious popular gimmicky places and fine dining without talking much about how the food is prepared. It's nice to see what folks do in the kitchen instead of listening to mindless talk at the dining table while course after course of food is served with no substance talk about the food.

[jfood]

not wanting to see the same CSI for the third time and the Mets were once again reenacting the Keystone Cops, jfood gingerly turned on the FN hoping for who knows what. And DDD was on. Hmmm. Jfood never saw this one yet.

It was very amusing, entertaining and jfood, laptop in front of him googled each place.

And in the end he really liked it. Not Julia and Jacques, but the food was some good-lookin' down home grub. And just as jfood loves foie gras, some good grub is just that, good grub.

[Caroline1]

LOL! From reading this, it appears that many of you have TV sets that only recieve one channel and can't be turned off. Why did you buy one of those? '-)

[AMFM]

LOL :)

[viperlush]

Actually 2, Bourdain is on the Travel Channel ;)

[JiyoHappy]

Can we have Chris Cognac do DD&D ? He is classy

[melly]

I like Chris...but come on people. DDD is one of the best FN shows...I think most of you are just FN haters.

[wolfe]

Are you kidding. It's how I got my 5 yo granddaughter to sleep when sitting. When asked why see went to bed so early she told her parents "Grandpa wouldn't stop watching the Food Network so I left."

[TampaAurora]

I watch Food Network when stuck in hospitals. Always puts things in perspective - or at least helps me get my mind off where I am and why I am there. DD&D just made me laugh - no more and no less.

[StrandedYankee]

Guy Fieri lost me when he reacted to scrapple like a scared little b*itch. As a native Philadelphian, he lost any respect I ever might have had for him in that moment.

[tommy]

Are you a cook by any chance?

[StrandedYankee]

Nope. I considered it at one point, but I'm too butterfingered. I drop stuff, lose my grip on stuff...I cook at home pretty extensively, and I love cooking to entertain, but my hands aren't agile enough to do anything with them professionally.

[melly]

Geez, DDD is one of the few FN shows we watch anymore. At least he takes bites. I hate it when someone takes a tiny nibble when they are tasting food.

[chef chicklet]

While watching DD&D I've seen some shows where the food is not something I'd eat and others shows, thought to myself, how glad they are so far away because I would be lured in. I don't think there's anything wrong with this show, it's showing the original fast foods of America, and most of them seem to have survived for years. Pizza parlors, hamburger joints, hot dogs and diners's that are serving upscale diners food. How fun. It takes a whole lot more than heaing "that's money!" to get me irritated.
He does bring an aspect of goofiness, but he comes across sincere and respectful.
He's disgusting? Ha! Live with three sons.

[brendastarlet]

I love/hate DD&D. Guy has featured some truly wonderful places on his show, and yet, I can't justify eating 75% of the food that he spotlights except on a very rare occasion. This is definitely a show aimed at a young male demographic.

Beyond that, I think it's time for Guy to tone it down a bit, both delivery wise and hair wise. Maybe the judging panel on Next Food Network Star could give him some pointers.

[sommrluv]

I have to laugh at this entire thread, because while I'm not Fieri's biggest fan, I don't find him offensive.

But many of you speak of Bourdain in such hush, revered tones, that I thought I would point out in tonights episode of "A Cook's Tour" Bourdain ate many 'disgusting' portions of 'various forms of hot dogs' topped with many off the wall 'condiments'. One of which was guac.

And after each one he claimed to love it.

[MeAndroo]

I really enjoyed Bourdain's tour through LA. I do appreciate that he said Pink's was "the best" because of commercial popularity, not necessarily based on quality, and loved the line about Oki-dog and how after relaxing a bit, LA "pulls this crap."

Guacamole on a hot dog can be fantastic. So can mayo. I don't understand people who can't try something new on a hot dog (kudos to Bourdain for admitting his fears). A Chicago transplant in my office has perhaps the most limited view on hot dogs that I've ever heard, and she hasn't even bothered trying the LA classic "danger dog:" bacon-wrapped, with grilled onions, peppers, jalapenos, ketchup, mustard and mayo (hot sauce optional). Amazing.

[sommrluv]

I do love Bourdain, BTW

[bubbles4me]

Wow, when I was reading this thread this morning it was all, "dont like him" or "it is nasty" but now there are suppoters out there! I fall some where in the middle. Would I eat the stuff he is showing everyday? Hell no but when I am in like, Salina Kansas I hope against hope that he found some wicked nasty, (in a good way) diner for me to check out. Serve me up a plate of deep fried hot dogs on top of a chili burger and sprinkle it with fries...oh and if you have gravy, pour it on!

[jgg13]

Exactly.

I can't say that I've ever seen him go some place that I'd go out of my way for, but you better believe that if I'm headed somewhere that I'd look to see if any of his spots that I've liked are nearby.

And hey, if it actually turns out to not be good? Oh well. I'd still rather take a chance on a dingy hole in the wall or local haunt than some fancy schmancy place anyways.

[TonyO]

I guess I just don't understand the appeal of "a dingy hole in the wall". When did it become a negative to put some effort into keeping a place clean and comfortable for their guests ? Maybe it is just a difference of verbage, but dingy and dirty are never one my list of positive traits I look for in a restaurant. Small, clean, homestyle cooking set in a quirky atmosphere are fine. Granted, I'm not in any hurry to shell out $200 for a piece of foie gras, but I'm not about to risk food poisoning in some dump that is known for serving the World's Largest Corn Dog either. I've worked in chains and single units and I will say that the scariest practices certainly took place in some of the local single unit operations. I guess you take the good with the bad in an effort to avoid the mediocrity of casual / fast food chains. I think that should provide some common ground for all.

[jgg13]

As others have pointed out, a lot of the joints that he visits go out of their way to show how they're using (semi-)fresh ingredients, mixing things up themselves back in the kitchen (grinding their own beef, making their own sauces, etc), etc etc. He's not exactly going to McDs here.

As for "dingy hole in the wall" - honestly, I'm usually not terribly concerned about these things. See the hand washing thread on the Not About Food board (I think it is). My philosophy is that I encounter all sorts of dangerous things in my daily life (on a normal scale of course, I'm not an Alaskan crab fisherman or an Ice Truck Driver!), the likelihood of me getting sick from one of these places is quite small overall (example: Look at how many people as a proportion of the American population have been affected by this salmonella "epidemic").

And hey, I like me some good atmo. I'm a pretty casual kinda guy most of the time, I don't like stuffiness nor stuffy atmosphere. I want a place where the people are up front and honest, there are no pretenses, the food is good and (if they're allowed to) the beer is as well.

[Janet from Richmond]

You and I share the same philosophy re: germs, etc. And yes, these places are for the most part going above and beyond the average on using from scratch ingredients, etc.

[monkeyrotica]

I highly recommend picking up a copy of George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London." His descriptions of what goes on in commercial kitchens is spot on, and not a lot has changed, despite what the Board of Health would have us believe.

For the most part, the illusion of cleanliness is one of a successful restaurants more important skills.

[dolores]

>>the illusion of cleanliness is one of a successful restaurants more important skills.

Oh, I like that. It's as I thought.

Gives added depth to the 'server should wash their hands' brouhaha elsewhere!

[jgg13]

All of this talk about dirt & germs (on both threads) has reminded me of an adage I once read (I think here on CH!) talking about NYC hot dog vendors, stating that one should never buy a hot dog from a vendor with clean fingernails.

Why? Because that means their hands are always in the water where the dogs are cooking ;)

[AMFM]

i have to say that these places are often "dives" because not a lot of money goes into the decor - or because people simply like to keep them the way they've been for 50 years - but none of them seem dirty. in fact they all seem very well cared for to me.

[jgg13]

Amen brother. I'll take great chow over good decor every day of the week.

[monkeyrotica]

You can't eat scenery.

[TonyO]

I'm not sure of the content of Orwell's book but I suspect standards may be different around the world. There are some things that you simply can not get away with in the good old US of A, and thankfully so. I'm far from being a germaphobe, but when I see a filthy restroom, dirty glasses/plates/flatware, windows that haven't been washed in years, etc, I have to wonder how many food safety handling procedures are being followed. I mean, how many people are in the restaurant business that have no clue what temperature their coolers should be or how hot their water needs to be to sanitize their dishes ?? More than you can imagine. It is one of the few times I am glad their are some government standards to at least make an attempt at keeping us safe. If you want any eye opening experience, take a job delivering produce/linens/cleaning supplies to restaurants. It is truly amazing how some of these people conduct business "behind the scenes".

[jgg13]

What do the windows have to do with anything?

And when I go to Chinatown, I *expect* a nasty bathroom.

[jgg13]

It is pretty rare that I don't want to eat what I see on D, D & D. In fact, I don't think i've seen the ep you're talking about but your description makes me hungry just thinking about it.

[Janet from Richmond]

I love DD & D and believe that some posters start threads to bash certain FN hosts (not the darling of Chowhounds, Alton Brown, but every other host is fair game) for sport. I find Guy to be sincere and approachable and enjoys giving these businesses exposure and praise for a job well done. Not a thing wrong with that.

[TonyO]

Yup, guilty as charged. There is a difference between a "dive" and a filthy place that serves unimaginitive processed crap and then parades themselves as being "local" and somehow that makes everything all right because some "celebrity" says they are "money". "Oh, they're not a chain so that makes it ok to serve crap". My comments aren't based on anything other than my observations:

1. The "Guy" has the eating manners of a drunk frat boy
2. I sure as hell wouldn't want to be served something that he had just stuck his hands/face in.
3. Sure, some of the places are great without being pretentious and serve well executed homestyle cooking and I'm sure the show gives many of them a much needed shot in the arm. Good for those that deserve such a benefit.

I have never met any of the FN "celebrities" (although I have friends that have so I have some accountable information on many of them). I will not quote on their "sincerity" or other characteristics that I have no knowledge of.

[jgg13]

1. How do you know that the food at these places is "crap" and doesn't actually taste good? Have you been to these places?

2. Don't you think that perhaps the "Guy sticks his hand in the pot" camera shot might be just for show, that no one is actually eating this food?

[TonyO]

If you find culinary value in huge, wasteful portions of clearly low quality food, then have at it. A hot dog topped with squeeze bottles filled with commercial condiments strictly for the "shock value" of portion size, in my opinion, is crap.

[dave_c]

My curiosity is piqued about this hot dog. I need to catch this episode just out of morbid curiosity.

The hot dog sounds like some type of regional favorite like Cincinnati chili or Chicago deep dish.

[jgg13]

How do you know it doesn't taste good if you haven't tried it from the establishment in questIon, without guessing? Sometimes "low quality" does taste good, ya know.

[Ericandblueboy]

Come on, do you have to taste everything to know if it tastes good? Do you need to taste "crap" to know it doesn't taste good? This line of argument is belittling people with knowledge of how food should be prepared and how it should taste. Certainly what doesn't sound good on paper can taste good, but it's more likely that what doesn't sound good doesn't taste good.

I don't know how low quality tastes good. Low quality as in what? Pig's intestines by itself isn't low quality or high quality. It's how you cook it that makes it low or high quality. By definition, low quality doesn't taste good.

[LStaff]

Meanwhile if Bordain went to the joint and raved about hot dogs with all that stuff on it, these foodie snobs wouldn't say boo. Oh wait, he did - Cook's tour - hawaii. And the one shown last night on FN when he went to California.

<Sorry, didn't read the posts below that basically made the same point before posting mine>

[Ericandblueboy]

I would. I despise Bourdain as much as Guy Fieri. When I watch his show, I fast forward through all his non-food nonsense. The good part is that I can usually watch his entire show in about 5 minutes.

[dolores]

Really? I think Bourdain has toned down his wild boy persona. Or, perhaps I just think so because I don't watch him anymore, not wanting to see him eating live animals in homage to the cretin on the travel channel.

I realllllllllllly miss Sarah Moulton.

[Ericandblueboy]

The cretin as in Adrew Zimmern? I actually enjoy watching Bizarre Foods other than the fact he chews with his mouth open and talks as he chews.

[dolores]

Yes, him. I don't enjoy watching sentient creatures being eaten alive.

Or pets roasted on a spit.

Different strokes, and all that jazz.

[kbjesq]

I miss Sara Moulton, too. She has a new show on PBS but it is not airing on my station. I am soooooo bummed! I have tivo'd her old shows (TFN airs them late at night, I record and watch when I feel like it)

[jgg13]

Shhhhh. Quit trying to interject logic into this conversation!

[Potomac Bob]

If you hate the show so much, why would you punish yourself by watching it? Some of the places on DDD, I would like to visit if I get the opportunity. I would like to try some of the dishes. There have also been several in which I have no interest. I don't plan to go to those. I usually do the same thing about TV shows. If I don't like them, I don't watch them. I don't feel obliged to berate them just because it might not be the way I do things.

[Erinmck]

A small diner in my town was actually on his show, and it's very delicious. Not every show is going to be a great one (just like every other food show), but it a good attempt to showcase some great local places! Someone must these places if they are on television! I guess that's what I like about food network, it's a little something for everyone.

[dolores]

>>I guess that's what I like about food network, it's a little something for everyone.

You should have seen it in its heyday, pre the 'reality' garbage.

It was actually a very good channel.