Celebrity chef Guy Fieri came to Dallas on December 7 — officially on a meet-and-greet in support of Santo Spirits, a tequila brand he owns in partnership with rocker Sammy Hagar. But the visit was also an opportunity for Fieri to spotlight a new round of restaurants in Dallas on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, his massively popular long-running show on the Food Network.
The TV show brought two crews to town, who began recording at restaurants around Dallas on December 4. The duration of the filming was originally slated to continue through December 6, but spilled over to December 7.
Six restaurants welcomed Fieri and the DD&D crew who taped segments for future episodes.
All restaurants were required to sign nondisclosure agreements, and a spokesperson for Food Network said they had no news to share.
But intel culled from a variety of anonymous third parties, as well as posts on social media, has gleaned a list of restaurants that seem pretty certain to appear on a "Triple D" episode soon.
The restaurants are as follows:
- Slow Bone, the acclaimed barbecue restaurant from beloved chef Jeffery Hobbs
- Starship Bagel, the award-winning bagel shop on Main Street in Lewisville
- Hello Dumpling, the darling dumpling shop in East Dallas
- Angry Dog, the venerable bar, burger, and hot dog joint in Deep Ellum
- El Palote Panaderia, Dallas' very first completely vegan Mexican restaurant
- Rye, the critical favorite on Greenville Avenue
Note: Since none of these restaurants were willing or able to confirm that they were selected, and since no one at Food Network would even acknowledge that tapings had taken place, it's not quantifiably certain that these restaurants are definitely the six.
They could also have hosted tapings that may not make it on air.
But Fieri and/or a crew were definitely spotted at these six — nearly all of whom fit the typical profile of a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives special.
They're all small and independently-owned. They're (mostly) all affordable. They all do cuisines that are favorites of Diners Drive-ins, and Dives, — burgers, BBQ, Mexican, quirky over-the-top dishes.
Perhaps most importantly, they all have interesting stories: From Slow Bone chef Jeffery Hobbs, who left the world of fine dining to turn out a chef-driven version of BBQ; to Starship Bagels founder Oren Salomon, whose obsessive quest to restore the bagel to its historic Jewish roots has won Starship unprecedented national attention and awards.
From the heartwarming story at El Palote, where the Arais family transformed their conventional Mexican restaurant into vegan after the family switched their diet — to Angry Dog, a classic Triple D pick (and candiate not only for best wings but also best hot dog) whose motto is that they've "been doing the same thing since the fall of 1990 and plan to continue just as we are."
They've all been open a minimum of two years and display business smarts, since the show does not want to recommend a place only to have it close.
The only one that stands out slightly from the pack would be Rye, a self-described "creative American small plates and cocktail restaurant" with a small, super seasonal menu that changes frequently, which also recently was among the Dallas restaurants to earn a nod from the Michelin Guide.
Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives has been airing on The Food Network since 2006 and has spotlighted at least 1,000 kitchens in all 50 states. Getting featured on the show has an incomparably beneficial effect because the episodes go into reruns and bring restaurants subsequent waves of customers that keep them in business long after the show first airs.
About two dozen restaurants around DFW have been featured including Afrah, Avila's, Cane Rosso, Chef Point, CrushCraft Thai Street Eats, Fred's Texas Cafe, Jamaica Gates Caribbean Cuisine, Louie's, Maple & Motor, Nora Restaurant and Bar, One90 Smoked Meats, Original Chop House Burger, Pecan Lodge, Pepe & Mito's, Prince Lebanese Grill, Tacos Mariachi, Taste of Europe, Tutta's Pizza, Twisted Root Burger, and Whistle Britches — nearly all still open.
As for Fieri's official reason for being in town: He drew a crowd of about 150 happy fans on December 7 to Spec’s at 9500 N. Central Expressway #200, where he gamely posed for photos and bottle-signing from 6:30-7:30 pm.
