by Guy Fieri
The meat’s roasted fresh every day down in the basement. (I wondered where this food came from.) It’s been done by kitchen manager Eliseo Orozco and his crew for thirty-five years. The corned beef comes brined, but Eliseo adds some more juniper berries and bay leaves and boils the beef for three and a half hours. It’s got great marbling, it’s not too salty, and it’s super-melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Eliseo and his crew go through three steamship rounds a day for their roast beef. He salts and peppers it before popping it in the oven. There are times I like roast beef better than prime rib, and this is one of them; it’s so juicy and flavorful and tasty. And they do fresh-roasted turkey sliced in front of you and served on a sourdough roll for $5.50. Crazy! The turkeys are twenty-eight-pounders—you could work out with those guys. They’re seasoned with salt and black pepper and roasted, plain and simple. That’s a big bird bonanza. Tommy’s Joynt is known for good food and good beer at a good price, like corned beef and cabbage over potatoes, meatball subs, and chili done their way. The chili starts with buffalo meat, then Eliseo seasons it with granulated onion, garlic, white pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, sherry wine, hot sauce, and ketchup boiled together. He adds the beans and serves it up. It’s thick, not too spicy, with a great texture to the meat; that’s good chili.
The lamb shanks are savory, roasted down with tons of flavor; check out the recipe on Tommy’s Joynt Lamb Shanks if you can’t get to San Fran pronto.
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[GUY ASIDE]
One of things about Diners is that I always like to show places close to home. We’re in a food mecca here in Northern California. Before or after concerts I like to go to Tommy’s and get a killer thick-cut hot pastrami sandwich, so I thought, why don’t we do that? Tommy’s is the capital of funk and great food. Sometimes I don’t want to poke a hole in local joints for fear of disappointment, but you’ve gotta believe it, these guys really are making everything. Every walk of life comes in there, and the cats are knocking it out with sliced roasted meats. It’s a bunch of characters in the center of San Francisco—you can’t miss it.
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WOW, SIAMESE TURKEYS—ONLY AT TOMMY’S JOYNT.
Tommy’s Joynt Lamb Shanks
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF TOMMY’S JOYNT
They always serve the same specials here for each day of the week. Sundays and Thursdays are lamb shank days.
SERVES 2 HUNGRY PEOPLE OR 4 PEOPLE WITH A NORMAL APPETITE
1 cup water
½ cup red wine
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon beef concentrate, such as Better Than Bouillon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large lamb shanks
2 to 3 cups beef or turkey stock, or low-sodium broth
¼ cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cooked potatoes and carrots, for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Stir together the water, red wine, granulated garlic, onion powder, beef concentrate, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan just large enough to hold the shanks. Turn the shanks in the mixture to coat. Cover the pan with foil and roast for 2 hours.
2. Take the shanks out of the roasting pan and set aside. Scrape the drippings in the roasting pan in order to loosen the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, and pour them into a saucepan. Add 2 cups of the stock, bring to a simmer over medium heat, and then whisk in the tomato paste. Take some of the remaining stock and mix it with the flour in a separate bowl to make a paste. Whisk it into the simmering gravy to thicken. If the gravy seems too thick, add more stock.
3. Put the shanks and the gravy back in the roasting pan. Roast, uncovered, for another 2 hours or so, until the shanks are brown and tender. Make sure to turn the shanks frequently during cooking so that they brown on all sides. Serve with potatoes and carrots.
WEST AND SOUTHWEST
HARRY’S ROADHOUSE
EST. 1992 THE CULINARY CHAPEL OF SCRAPPLE
The show’s called Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, but we’ve got room for all kinds of funky joints, like a roadhouse. Now, the last roadhouse we’d been at was Patrick’s Roadhouse on the southern Pacific Coast Highway. This one was off I-25 in Santa Fe, and they were serving up all kinds of breakfast and—believe it or not—homemade scrapple.
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TRACK IT DOWN
96-B Old Las Vegas Highway
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
505-989-4629
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When I had scrapple in Philly, no one could tell me what part of the pig it came from. The owner here tells me it’s everything but the oink. It’s a breakfast staple back in Philly, where Harry Shapiro grew up, hanging out at some classic East Coast diners.
They were places where they served good food at reasonable prices, where you could hang out—and that’s exactly what he’s doing here. “It’s crazy,” says Harry. “I’m this Jewish kid in Philadelphia, and I fall in love with Mexican food. I say, that’s it, I’m moving to Santa Fe.” And with his wife he bought an old gas-station-turned-restaurant on Route 66. They’re running an all-day roadhouse, serving comfort diner and Southwestern fare for all sorts of folks from all around Santa Fe—including Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman, who happened to be there when we were. He says he loves it; he cruises in and nobody bothers him—until we come dragging our cameras in, of course.
So back to the scrapple. Harry says Pennsylvania Dutch scrapple has a lot of pork liver in it, but Harry’s doing it different. His scrapple uses pork butt (I’m a little bit more at ease; see the recipe on Scrapple). I got to be part of the scrapple nation—the flavor and the crunch; his was awesome, and I didn’t want to like it. Trust me, you’ll like it too.
He does lemon ricotta pancakes with strawberries, massive cinnamon rolls, and blue corn waffles done Harry’s way, with a couple strips of bacon cooked in (recipe on Blue Cornmeal Waffles). That’s what I’m talking about, the sugar with the salty, and so moist.
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[GUY ASIDE]
I didn’t want to bother Gene Hackman, but
I’m a big fan—come on, he was Lex Luthor. He’s an iconic actor. He gave me a nice interview, and I went back to give him a Diners hat to say thank you. When I did there was an older lady sitting at a table close to his, and she starts to tell me how we forgot the sour cream on her omelet. So I say I’ll be right back and scoop it up. Gene comes up to me and asks if I’m from the restaurant business and
I say, yes, you’ve got to jump in and get it done. Turns out he has brothers and sisters in the restaurant
* * *
Of the Southwestern dishes, one favorite is an egg, bean, and tortilla dish with a salsa he’s making himself. He starts by sautéing whole peppercorns and cinnamon, cumin, and anise in a dry pan to toast and open up their flavor. Then he grinds them up. Next he blends together roasted tomato and onion and grilled garlic, pours in fresh orange and lime juice, and a little veggie stock and salt. The spice mixture is added into the pool; then he cuts an habañero, sticks a toothpick in it (that way he can retrieve the hot little devil easily and it won’t accidentally end up on someone’s dish!), and lets the pepper sit in there overnight to release its heat. This fabulous sauce is served over tortillas that are lightly fried, then stacked with refried beans and topped with an egg cooked as you like it, with a garnish of some cubed ham, peas, queso fresco, and fried plantain slices.
Great job, Harry, you get to go to the next round.
FOLKS…SORRY, YA GOTTA GET IN LINE!
Photograph © 2009 by Jack Kotz
Blue Cornmeal Waffles
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF HARRY SHAPIRO OF HARRY’S ROADHOUSE
Harry’s Note: We serve the waffles with honey butter and sliced bananas, and make them really special by putting two or three strips of cooked bacon to the waffle iron after
adding the batter.
MAKES 12 (3 BY 4-INCH) WAFFLES
1½ cups blue cornmeal
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 large eggs
1/3 cup (5½ tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1. Preheat a nonstick waffle iron. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In another bowl, beat the buttermilk, eggs, and butter with a fork. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry.
2. Pour a generous ¼ cup batter per waffle into the waffle iron. Cover and cook until the waffles are fragrant and golden brown, and the steam slows, about 4 minutes.
I WON AT TIC-TAC-TOE AND NOW I EAT YOUR FLAPJACKS! DEAL WITH IT!
Photograph © 2009 by Jack Kotz
Scrapple
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF HARRY SHAPIRO OF HARRY’S ROADHOUSE
Harry’s Note: You can make your own pork stock from pork neck bones, boiling them with chopped onions, carrots, and celery.
SERVES 10
1½ pounds boneless pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
6 cups pork or chicken stock, or low-sodium broth
1 cup polenta
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 teaspoon dried sage
¾ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Nonstick spray
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Vegetable oil, for frying
Poached eggs, for serving, if desired
1. Simmer the pork in the stock until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the pork, reserving the stock. Grind the pork coarsely with a meat grinder. Stir the ground pork into the stock. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, then whisk in the polenta, salt, pepper, sage, marjoram, and thyme. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until you leave a track when you pull a spoon through it, about 45 minutes. Taste and season again if necessary.
2. Spray a 10 by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and pour in the pork mixture. Refrigerate overnight.
3. WHEN READY TO SERVE: Put some flour in a shallow dish. Turn the scrapple out of the loaf pan and cut it into ½-inch-thick slices. Heat up about ¼ inch of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Coat the scrapple slices with flour. Cook the scrapple until it is crispy on both sides, about a minute or two per side. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately with poached eggs, if desired.
WEST AND SOUTHWEST
TUNE-UP CAFÉ
EST. 2008 HOME OF THE FLAVORTOWN VOLCANO
I’m rolling through Santa Fe, New Mexico, and I’m taking you now to a little joint that’s probably a perfect example of what we’re looking for here on Triple D. It’s owned by a husband-and-wife team, they’re scratch-cooking just about everything, the place is full of character, and the neighborhood totally digs it.
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TRACK IT DOWN
1115 Hickox Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
505-983-7060
tuneupcafe.com
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This place is run by a couple from the neighborhood. El Salvador native Jesus Rivera and his wife, Charlotte, bought it in 2008. Jesus was working at two restaurants at the same time, and Charlotte thought if he’s working that hard, he should have his own place. So now he’s cranking out comfort food, like stuffed French toast, and Southwestern favorites like chiles rellenos—along with a Salvadoran dish that Jesus grew up with, beef pupusa (see the recipe on El Salvadoran Beef Pupusas). That’s crazy good: if the meat weren’t good enough just by itself, the crispy, crunchy masa with all that corn and cheese oozing out of it would be. He completely train-wrecked me, man.
And the locals just can’t get enough. Banana leaf tacos, fish tacos, crazy tasty. Even the classics get a Tune-Up twist. He takes the Anaheims and throws them on the grill, roasts and sweats them, then removes the skin. Then he makes a little pocket and pulls the seeds out. He mixes shredded Monterey Jack cheese and chopped onion, forming little cheese torpedos that he stuffs into each pepper. They go into the freezer for twenty minutes so they’re firm, then they’re coated lightly in flour and dipped into a batter that’s made by whisking egg whites till fluffy, then adding the yolks and flour in—makes for a really nice light batter. They fry up fast and are served with roasted tomato salsa; the cheese oozes out like a lava from a Flavortown volcano. I’ve never been that much of a chile relleno fan, typically because the batter is too eggy for me, but Jesus makes ’em light and creamy and tender and on point.
This is the American dream, and I gotta tell you something, this guy is a working machine—they’ve got to think about expanding.
* * *
[GUY ASIDE]
Here’s the kicker: I was in L.A. on my way to Santa Fe, doing an event at Disney. So I’m with two friends of mine who work there, brothers Gary and Chris Maggetti, and they’re driving me to the airport. In the world of Guido, I’m a little crazy, and I say, “Why don’t we go to Santa Fe, and you guys can do a diner shoot with me?” So they park the car, come in, and fly with no luggage, nothing, to Santa Fe. So funny—they’re calling their wives as we’re standing in line at the airport. So we’re in the Tune-Up Café, and I interview these two guys; everybody’s in tank tops, and they’re in suits—same clothes as yesterday. Gary’s wife, Kelly, has come to realize that with me there’s no telling what’s going to happen. Off da hook!
* * *
“HEY, LOOK, MOMMY, A FIREFLY PARADE…KEWL.”
El Salvadoran Beef Pupusas
ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE COURTESY OF JESUS RIVERA OF TUNE-UP CAFÉ
At the Tune-Up Café, they use chile pasado, a dried chile, not the Anaheim chiles used in this version of the recipe. If you can find the chiles pasados, just simmer two of them in boiling water for ten minutes, then strain, chop, and dice—and leave the seeds in.
MAKES 6 PUPUSAS
Masa
2¾ cups masa harina (available at Latin markets)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups water, plus more as needed
Filling
½ pound flank steak
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped Spanish onion
1 large ripe tomato, diced
2 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup corn kernels, fresh or defrosted frozen
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Nonstick cooking spray, for assembly
Olive oil, for frying
Cortido, for serving (recipe follows)
Roasted Tomato Salsa, for serving (recipe follows)
1. FOR THE MASA: Mix the masa harina, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt in a big bowl. Add 2 cups of water and mix thoroughly; by hand is best. Add more water a little at a time until the masa has the consistency of Play-Doh. Cover with plastic wrap.
2. FOR THE FILLING: Slice the flank steak across the grain into ½-inch-thick slices. Pound the meat on both sides with a meat mallet to tenderize, then rough chop into small pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and sauté to get a nice brown sear, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 more minutes. Add the tomato and cook, stirring a few times, for 10 minutes. Finally, add the chiles and simmer for 20 minutes. Add a bit of water if the mixture seems too dry or close to scorching; it should be wet but not too saucy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. TO ASSEMBLE: Cut some parchment or wax paper into a 6 by 18-inch strip. Lay the strip on a work surface and spray well with nonstick spray. Form the masa into twelve 2-inch ba
lls (like golf balls). Place a ball at either end of the parchment strip.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and flatten each ball with something flat, like the back of a sauté pan, to make a tortilla about ¼ inch thick and 5 to 6 inches across. Remove the plastic.
6. Put 2 heaping tablespoons meat, 1 heaping tablespoon corn, and some cheese in the center of one tortilla. Now fold the paper at the center to flip the other tortilla on top and pinch around the edges to seal. It is important to seal the seam well, so take your time. Repeat with the remaining masa and filling.
7. Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet. Brown the pupusas on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve hot with the Cortido on the side and Roasted Tomato Salsa over the top.
POWER LUNCH!
Cortido
