Food Network star Guy Fieri takes you on a tour of America's most colorful diners, drive-ins, and dives in this tie-in to his enormously popular television show, complete with recipes, photos, and memorabilia.
Packed with Guy's iconic personality, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives follows his hot-rod trips around the country, mapping out the best places most of us have never heard of. From digging in at legendary burger joint the Squeeze Inn in Sacramento, California, baking Peanut Pie from Virginia Diner in Wakefield, Virginia, or kicking back with Pete's "Rubbed and Almost Fried" Turkey Sandwich from Panini Pete's in Fairhope, Alabama, Guy showcases the amazing personalities, fascinating stories, and outrageously good food offered by these American treasures.
Editorial ReviewsAbout the Author
Since Guy Fieri won the second season of
The Next Food Network Star, he has been working nonstop. He is the host of Guy's Big Bite, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and Ultimate Recipe Showdown. An acclaimed chef, Fieri is also the co-owner of Johnny Garlic's California Pasta Grill in Windsor, Santa Rosa, Sacramento, and soon Roseville, California, and Tex Wasabi's in Sacramento and Santa Rosa. He lives in Santa Rosa with his wife and their sons.
Customer Reviews
A great companion to the series Guy Fieri is one of the Next Food Network Stars that really has become a star, and that doesn't mean prima donna! He is funny, smart, and knows how to get the best out of the DDD's he visits. Accompanying the information about the diners, he includes a recipe from that establishment - my favorite? A coconut cream pie! Fun, great read and good recipes! A winning combination!
Too little of everything I have been a DDD fan from the beginning. I have seen every episode at least once, some thrice. I have wanted a book forever, and have long thought about what I wanted it to be. So maybe that is why I am disappointed so much. I was hoping for a travel guide that I could use to seek out DDD favorites. But this guide does not cover everyplace he has been, just some of them. And it lacks a good index by state and city for the locations he does cover. You can flip thru the pages by part of the country, but it is tedious and not as easy as it could be. A national map with numbered locations would have been good too. The fact that the pictures of the people and locations are black and white keeps it from becoming exciting or make me want to visit. A black and white picture of a building sign is just a waste of book space. These places have character, and you get NONE of it in the pictures. The whole book feels boring and drab from the minute you pick it up. The book tries to be part travel guide, part cookbook, and part show diary. IMHO, it fails at all three. It has a recipe from most of the selected locations, but no pictures of the food. That may be just as well, because black and white pictures of food would take the book to a new level of dullness. The narratives for each location are uninspired, and sound like they were written by a newly-graduated ghost writer rather than the inimitable Guy. Most of it reads more boringly than a small-town restaurant review. As a show diary, it lacks any funny stories or off-camera tidbits that might have brought some humor and interest to an otherwise exceedingly dull book. Maybe i will feel better about this book once I make a few recipes. But I suspect that this one is going to end up on eBay or Amazon Used Books in a few weeks.
Like diners and dives? Check this out! I'm addicted to Guy Fieri's Food Network show, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives." Whenever I have a chance, I tune in; normally, it's a cool one hour trip across the country. His enthusiasm comes right through the screen as he tries out different dishes at each establishment. This book provides a sampling of some of those establishments across the country. The format is simple: a brief description of the diner or deli or dive, a photo of the place, and one or more illustrative recipes. In a sense, using one of his own terms, this is a trip to "Flavortown." One nice touch: his recognition of key players in his crew, as they work together as a team across the country. Some examples of the places he looks at and the recipes that he spotlights. The "Blue Moon Cafe" in Baltimore, Maryland. I am looking forward, in the near future, to a long weekend in Baltimore; it's an enjoyable visit. This time, I may choose to try out this place. He focuses on breakfast in his two cafe examination of this cafe. The recipe given is intriguing--but not for me, Cap'n Crunch French Toast. I'm not going to ever make this, but it's fun to imagine making it and tasting it. Ingredients: heavy cream, eggs, vanilla, Cap'n Crunch, sugar, bread, sugar, berries. The 5 steps in the recipe sure look doable for amateur chefs. Interesting. . . . Then, there is "Panini Pete's," located in Fairhope, Alabama. One interesting aspect: the head cook is a classically trained European chef. One recipe: Pete's Rubbed and Almost Fried Turkey Sandwich. Focaccia bread, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Kosher salt and pepper, Dijon mustard, fried turkey (a menu provided for that, too), roasted red pepper, baby greens, mozzarella, and garlic mayo. Oooh. Read the recipe and imagine the tasty results! Then, there is Joe's Farm Grill in Arizona. Much of the food is grown right there. One specialty is hamburgers, with all sorts of eye popping toppings (e.g., apple-cider smoked bacon, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, and so on). But this isn't just a burger joint. Witness the recipe provided--Asian Slaw with Spicy Thai Vinaigrette. Combine the vegetables, including green and red and napa cabbage, julienned green onion, julienned red bell pepper, shredded carrots, salt and pepper, topped with spicy Thai vinaigrette. Looks yummy. Anyhow, this is worth the price of purchase simply for the description of the diners, delis, and dumps--and seeing the building where the establishment is located. The recipes are interesting, too, although I would not even think of making many of these (some may be great tasting, but they're awfully fatty and loaded with cholesterol). If you like Guy Fieri's show, you'll enjoy this book, I think.
