The Funky Finds in Flavortown: America's Classic Joints and Killer Comfort Food

November 3, 2008
The iron-stomached Fieri, restaurant owner and Food Network personality, has probably choked down more burgers, bacon, pancakes, hash browns and fried eggs than any person should have to, and this dense, photo-packed retrospective allows viewers to replicate many of his favorite restaurants' recipes at home. Like the show, Fieri takes diners on a tour of the country's best local eateries, like Kansas City favorite YJ's Snack Bar, which uses two electric burners and a sidewalk grill to crank out exotic fare from around the world; James Beard Award-winning Al's Breakfast in Minneapolis; and all culinary points in between. The book contains a fair number of predictable classics like coconut cream pie, macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and burgers (including one that's dipped in batter and deep-fried), but has an equal number of interesting riffs such as Cap'n Crunch French Toast, Nut N' Honey Pancakes, Pork and Sweet Potato Empanadas and Chicken Fried Lamb Chops. Viewers' requests are also featured, including the Red Arrow Diner's American Chop Suey. Rounded out with plenty of behind-the-scenes anecdotes and local color, this tour of off-the-beaten-path establishments has enough regional entries to keep culinary road-trippers busy (and full) for many, many miles.

June 24, 2013
Having visited more than 600 restaurants over 17 seasons on the Food Network (while opening four of his own eateries as well), Fieri has yet to run out of gas as he swerves his way through this third book in the DDD series. Fans of his no-holds-barred zeal for just about any edible ("I am freakin' for some Costa Rican") will not be disappointed in this road trip that covers some 50 restaurants and provides nearly 70 recipes. The entries are presented geographically, an essentially meaningless format since nearly half the book is focused on his home turf of the West and Southwest. Plus, while there are some dishes that are in keeping with their locale, such as the fried green tomatoes from a joint called Louie and the Redhead Lady, in Maudeville, La., there are numerous examples of chefs who have succeeded by ranging far outside their town's native cuisine. In Mooresville, Ind., there is Zydeco's BBQ shrimp. In Boise, a Basque restaurant serves up roast pork sandwiches with pimentos, and in Cleveland, the Momocho Mexican restaurant offers braised brisket made with a rub of coffee and ancho chile powder. A recipe index broken out by food type makes navigation easier, but for those who want to relive their favorite Triple D episodes, browsing is best, since each stop is punctuated with behind the scenes memories from various TV crew members, all of whom have bro-mantic nicknames such as Big Bunny or Butterbean.

August 1, 2013

This is Food Network star Fieri's third cookbook with ties to his immensely popular television show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives (DDD) and his first to feature Canadian locations. With food and lifestyle writer Volkwein, who collaborated on Fieri's previous books as well, he shares recipes (e.g., green chile stew, Sonny's steak hoagie) from restaurants featured on the show. Restaurant profiles, organized by region, include behind-the-scenes notes from Fieri's "Krew" and updates on how the businesses have fared since appearing on the show. The book also has a fold-out map of diners, a recipe index, and a complete list of restaurants shown on DDD. VERDICT This tie-in cookbook effectively complements Fieri's program and will please fans. Public libraries should expect demand.

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