by Guy Fieri
*News Flash* Rich got another smoker. BBQ is now much more available….
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Sides are not ignored here: their mac and cheese is engineered like none other. It’s a four-cheese wonder, and the cheese outweighs the pasta, with a crusty Goldfish topping that’s classic. Check it out on Gorilla Mac and Cheese; good is good, but Gorilla BBQ is great!
Gorilla Mac and Cheese
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF RICH BACCHI AND JEFF GREATHOUSE OF GORILLA BARBEQUE
Now, this is my kind of cheese-to-pasta ratio, cheesy good. Be forewarned, it takes some serious, constant whisking to get the cheese sauce right—quite a workout, but worth it.
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Kosher salt, for the pasta water
5 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3½ cups shredded Asiago cheese
3½ cups shredded four-cheese blend
8 cups large ribbed elbow macaroni
1 Spanish onion, peeled and cut into chunks
10 garlic cloves
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1½ tablespoons ground oregano
1½ tablespoons paprika
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups milk
1½ cups heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2½ cups Cheddar-flavor Goldfish crackers, pulverized
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
2. Toss the cheeses together in a large bowl.
3. Boil the macaroni until it is about two-thirds cooked; drain, and transfer to a large bowl. Toss the hot pasta with 4 cups of the cheese mixture.
4. Puree the onion and garlic in a food processor. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat until the foam subsides. Scrape the pureed vegetables into the pot; it should sizzle. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper.
5. Whisk in the milk, heavy cream, and sour cream and continue whisking until everything comes back to a low simmer. Whisk in about 6 more cups of the cheese mixture and keep whisking until the cheese melts; the mixture will stop simmering. Whisk in the eggs.
6. Pour the hot cheese sauce over the pasta, mix well, and transfer it into a 10 by 15-inch baking dish. Scatter the remaining cheese over the macaroni, and top with the pulverized crackers. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
AT GORILLA, THEY’LL SPELL IT OUT FOR YA…P-O-R-K R-I-B-S.
Photograph by Jeremy Ortega
WEST AND SOUTHWEST
HANK’S CREEKSIDE RESTAURANT
EST. 1992 OUTTA-BOUNDS BREAKFAST IN MY OWN BACKYARD
In my hometown, Santa Rosa, California, in the heart of the wine country, it’s about real people serving up real food like at Hank’s Creekside. One of the things I love about the place is Hank Vance himself, a father of six who cooks the show in the center of the dining room.
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TRACK IT DOWN
2800 4th Street
Santa Rosa, California 95405
707-575-8839
www.sterba.com/sro/creekside
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Normally when we shoot the show, the person I’m interviewing or talking to doesn’t dwarf me completely, but at six-foot-six, Hank has a massive wingspan. I should’ve had a little orange flag: where’s Guido behind the Hank? This big guy has been cranking out big food here for over fifteen years—the breakfast basics, from eggs Benedict to blintzes—and people just keep coming back. As one local puts it, “You don’t have to look for other places when you have Hank’s.”
Let’s just let the cat out of the bag: this is one of my favorite places to come, and I can’t even get a reservation—because they don’t take any reservations. The wait can get over forty-five minutes or longer on Sundays. When I come here I order the hash as an appetizer to my breakfast. The ratio of meat to potato in that recipe is like eight to one; they call the potato the “hash helper.” Holy hash, Batman; there’s definitely more beef in it than normal. It’s basic and simple but it’s so killer.
Of course not everything’s simple here. When it comes to the eggs Benedict you’ve got to make a choice: traditional, Florentine with fresh spinach, the Benedict Arnold with smoked salmon, homemade crab cake Benedict, or California style with avocado and tomato. It’s a family affair: Hank’s wife, Linda, and all six kids have worked here at one point or another. And it’s hard work, even for something as simple as pancakes: they grind the whole wheat themselves to make the flour, and I’m not kidding. You see, it loses a lot of nutritional value, says Hank, if you get it already ground. He does blueberry, strawberry, and banana. That’s a good pancake—nice crunch on the outside, tastes like dessert.
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[GUY ASIDE]
This is “my brotha from another motha,” Hank. When I first moved up here, Hank and his family would come into my restaurant; he was well known because he has one of the number one breakfast joints in the area, and he’s like six-foot-six. All his kids are good lookin’ and tall. Now, I am not a big breakfast man, but he won me over: 1) He had killer corned beef hash. 2) He had grits, and I love grits. 3) It’s a show, with the whole family working and Hank on the grill. Hank’s was one of the first places I wanted to do for DD&D, not because he needed the business, but to honor my buddy and recognize the mom-and-pop places in my own backyard.
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But if that’s dessert, what’s the cinnamon-walnut French toast? The bread’s dense and rich, dipped in egg wash and flipped on the flattop, and it gets dusted with confectioners’ sugar. I would be scraping my son Hunter off the ceiling if he ate that.
That’s the essence of Hank’s: everything’s made fresh, all of it made well, served by a family at a place that feels like home.
QUESTION IS…CAN HE LAND IT? COME AND SEE!
Corned Beef Hash
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF HANK VANCE OF HANK’S CREEKSIDE RESTAURANT
I think running the beef through the meat grinder makes it mix with the potatoes better than cubing it. At Hank’s, they cook the hash by the handful on a well-seasoned flattop. You can do that too, using a bit less butter if need be.
MAKES 2 (10-INCH) CAKES
½ pound corned beef, coarsely chopped
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded
2 ounces (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Pulse the corned beef in a food processor until it looks like coarsely ground beef, or run it through a meat grinder. Toss the meat with the shredded potatoes.
2. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of the butter and add half of the onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add half the corned beef and potatoes; season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss to mix well. Press the mixture down with a spatula to flatten it into a compact layer.
3. Reduce the heat to low. Cook the hash for 10 to 15 minutes, until the bottom is nicely browned. Flip with a spatula, pat down, and continue cooking another 10 to 15 minutes or until the bottom is well browned. Remove, and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.
Whole Wheat Pancakes
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF HANK VANCE OF HANK’S CREEKSIDE RESTAURANT
Remember, Hank grinds his own whole wheat to make the flour so that all the nutrients are preserved…but no pressure.
MAKES 14 PANCAKES
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1¾ cups milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
Melted butter or oil, for the griddle
Blueberries, strawberries, or banana slices (optional)
> Real maple syrup, for serving
1. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs well, then add the milk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined.
2. Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Brush lightly with butter or oil. Pour on batter by ¼ cupfuls. Drop in berries or banana slices, as you like. When the batter bubbles on the surface and the underside is golden brown, flip over to finish. Serve with maple syrup.
HANK’S CREEKSIDE DANCE TROUPE!
WEST AND SOUTHWEST
HOB NOB HILL
EST. 1944 COME HOME TO THE 1940S
Something I’ve always said since we started Triple D is that a classic diner on the East Coast is just like a coffee shop in Cali, without the stainless steel and all. You know it’s one of those places that you always want to go to—good food, good prices, and it feels like it’s been there forever, like this joint in San Diego. They opened the doors on this place back in the forties.
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TRACK IT DOWN
2271 1st Avenue
San Diego, California 92101
619-239-8176
www.hobnobhill.com
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When the original owners were considering selling Hob Nob Hill to current owners Tania and Jeff Kacha, they asked the Kachas what they’d do with it if they got it, and Jeff responded, “We wouldn’t change a thing.” And that’s why they were chosen to buy it. They’ve got regulars who’ve been coming for forty years, with standing reservations sitting at the same table at the same time of day. It’s all as it always was—the French toast, the short ribs, and that childhood favorite, chicken and dumplings. When I was a kid we used to pack on the horses up into the mountains. It was cold, and my dad said he was going to make something that would warm me up. It was chicken and dumplings, and it was the greatest thing in the world. Man, I couldn’t wait to try theirs. Get out. It’s massive flavor—the dumpling being done in the steam, the whole giddy-up; it’s the definition of chicken and dumplings.
Tania and Jeff do a monster lamb shank served up with mint jelly, and they’re making their own corned beef, too. They don’t trim the big old briskets because they want all the fat for the flavor. The meat cures for seven days in the pickling-spiced brine, and they make a new batch every day. Pretty cool, huh? Then they put it in a pot with more pickling spice, brown sugar, and water, then it simmers. When that’s sliced, it’s so tender it’s falling apart, and they serve it on a hunk of steamed cabbage with a side of steamed carrots and mustard. It’s super tender, and the fat just melts in your mouth like butter. Yep, just like “buttah.”
YOU CAN’T TRY JUST ONE! TRUST ME!
Photograph by Alexandra Kacha
HOB NOB BOWLING TEAM.
Photograph by Alexandra Kacha
Hob Nob Hill Old-Fashioned Chicken ’n’ Dumplings
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF TANIA AND JEFF KACHA OF HOB NOB HILL
This recipe will take you back, and it just might be better than your mom used to make it.
MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
Chicken and gravy
1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces, plus the backbone
4 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 quarts (8 cups) water
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt, to taste
Cooked peas and diced carrots (optional)
Dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1. FOR THE CHICKEN AND GRAVY: Put the chicken, celery, carrot, onion, water, seasoned and garlic salts, and pepper in a small pot. Bring to a simmer, skimming the surface occasionally, and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes. Let the chicken cool in the broth for 15 minutes.
2. WHILE THE CHICKEN SIMMERS, MAKE THE ROUX: In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Dump in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Take the chicken out of the broth, pull the skin and meat from the bones, and set the meat aside. Discard the skin, bones, and backbone. Strain the broth into a clean saucepan.
4. MAKE THE DUMPLINGS: Bring water to a hard boil in a pot that can hold a perforated steamer, but the water should not rise into the steamer. Whisk the flour with the salt and baking powder in a medium bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg and the oil with a fork, then stir in the milk. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingedients until just combined. Drop 8 equal portions of dough onto the steamer insert (about ¼ cup each), cover tightly, and steam for 15 minutes, until the dumplings are firm to the touch.
5. WHILE THE DUMPLINGS STEAM, MAKE THE GRAVY: Bring the broth back to a simmer. Whisk in about three quarters of the roux, let it simmer a few minutes, and then add more until the gravy is thickened to your liking. Season to taste.
6. Add the chicken (and peas and carrots, if you are using them) to the gravy, season to taste, and heat through. To serve, place 2 dumplings in a bowl and ladle over chicken and gravy.
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[GUY ASIDE]
We were in San Diego, and we’d shot Pizzeria Luigi while we were there, and we pulled up to this place. I’d been past there many times; my buddy used to live down the street. So I’m thinking, by the looks of it, here’s some country club food: club sandwiches, chowders on Friday. I go inside and it’s circa-1970s decor, there are thirty-year employees, wooden booths—but, again, don’t get caught thinking you can stereotype. These guys are making their own corned beef; it’s made in such volume nowadays that people can buy good prepackaged corned beef, but no, these guys do it old-school, like the chicken and dumplings. I get jealous that it’s not in my town.
This is a great town: fly into San Diego and have a full experience of food in a weekend.
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WEST AND SOUTHWEST
PIZZERIA LUIGI
EST. 2004 TRIPPIN’ TO ITALY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
I’m down here in San Diego. Now, Mexican food in this area is on point, but I’m not feeling like Mexican food, I’m feeling like pizza, and I hear this is the joint. Eighteen-inch, thin crust, hand-tossed New York–style pie in Southern California? I had to check this out.
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TRACK IT DOWN
1137 25th Street
San Diego, California 92102
619-233-3309
www.pizzerialuigi.com
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This place is doing pizza up to twenty different ways, made entirely by hand, like back in northern Milan, Italy, where owner and chef Luigi Agostini was raised. He came to the States in 1994, worked in a couple of pizza joints, and then took a chance and opened his own. He says making good pizza is all about really paying attention to the details, and he means it. He uses bottled water for his pizza dough because it tastes better. And water, he says, affects the way the pizza tastes in Naples versus northern Milan. The chlorine in some water affects the whole deal. He starts the dough with the water at room temperature and adds a little sugar to get the yeast going (as well as using his arm to stir it in and warm up the water a bit—old-school). He then adds the salt and the high-gluten flour; the gluten is what adds the elasticity and chew to the dough. Luigi does eventually use the mixer attachment, and it goes for fifteen minutes. Seriously, even uncooked this dough is delicious. Each ball of dough is formed at eighteen ounces, and he lets it proof a little bit more. He forms the round, then throws his dough, spinning on the back of his hand. That’s beautiful—I’m not gonna play that game! I can throw it, but not at eighteen inches on the back of the hand. My bling will snag i
t!
His Capone is a meat lover’s pizza. I sauced one and told Luigi my theory that if you run the sauce heavier on the outside, it goes back into the middle while cooking and ends up even. He said I could fill out an application and we’ll see how it goes. (So there’s a future!) He then lays on the freshly grated mozzarella, then the sausage, pepperoni, and ground meatball. His oven’s at 525°F or 550°F at all times, and the pizza comes out smokin’ hot. That is really great pizza, ridiculous. The Mona Lisa has sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, red onion, green bell pepper, and black olives. It is some of the best pie; the crust is perfect. I would move into this guy’s house and live in the kitchen.
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[GUY ASIDE]
I’d never have believed I’d get real-deal Italian or New York–style pizza in San Diego. And this place is so nondescript—there’s a liquor store across the street, palm trees all around, wide streets. It’s a picturesque, made-for-movie situation. The joint is nice and clean, and here comes this skinny little soccer player guy with this big smile that comes through the minute you start talking to him. He’s got a big personality, and he was embodying this pizza-shop-owner energy so well. Then you look around at the guys working there: surfers from San Diego are his band of pistoleros knocking out great pizza. I’ve been back quite a few times, and I think he’s opening a second location. I’ve never been around anyone who’s met him and not said what a great dude he is. And the pizza’s out of hand. It has a real quality, cultural flavor to it. It’s a unique feeling, like you’re on the coast of Italy, a very tranquil, cool environment. This is the pizza joint I would model my own Guido’s Pizza joint after.
