I don't come close to watching the national average --- six-plus hours a day --- of television. And as a veteran of restaurant kitchens, the last thing I want to see is celebrity chefs in a cook-off. But as soon as I chanced upon "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", I knew what I'd be doing on Monday nights at 10. First reason: the host. Guy Fieri has blond hair, short and spiked. He favors home-boy basketball shorts. He wears his sunglasses reversed, the better to shade the eyes on the back on his head. He drives a muscle car. And when he savors something truly delectable, his phrase of choice is "This is money."
Guy Fieri and fine dining --- no way. Guy Fierri in a down-home joint that we might love, as much for its prices as for its cuisine --- addictive. Second reason: the places he visits. These aren't just any owner-run restaurants with Formica tabletops and paper napkins. The proprietors must be gifted chefs who serve up surprise and originality along with heaping portions and genuine smiles. And the more out-of-the-way, the better. Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip is the record of the show's first two years. It starts, appropriately, with the A1 diner in Gardiner, Maine --- it sits on stilts, and, as Guy can't resist saying, "the food is on another level, too".
Think: mojito-glazed duck, Asian corn fritters, Greek flank steak roulade. In Baltimore, the Blue Moon Cafe serves Cap'n Crunch-encrusted French toast. J.T. Farnham's in South Essex, Massachusetts, dips clams in evaporated milk and a "secret mixture" before frying. Of course it's White Manna, in Hackensack, New Jersey, that has mini-sliders to drive for. Guy chows down on Buffalo wings that are fried, then grilled, at Scully's in Miami. Tom's Bar-B-Q in Memphis can be found in an industrial park. Hillbilly Hot Dogs in Lesage, West Virginia, are sold in a shack. In Glenview, Illinois, get your Hackneyburger in a ...house. Guy is from California, and he can't hide his preference for Western grub. Only not just the basics. He craves abalone-on-sourdough in Pescadero, taquitos in a place in San Diego I've never heard of though my brother has lived there for 25 years, and a falafel joint in San Jose.
The book features 51 places you will want to visit the next time your car cries for a road trip. There are lots of recipes (okay, too many are for pancakes, but nobody gives away the real secrets). And, in every line, you'll find a generous serving of Guy's wit, enthusiasm and food knowledge. "Where is Flavortown?" Guy often asks. This way.
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