Dallas restaurant goes behind-the-scenes at Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives

One of Dallas' most acclaimed restaurants is about to enter the magical world of Guy: Rye, the seasonal American small-plates restaurant and cocktail bar at 1920 Greenville Ave., will star in an episode of Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, the series hosted by the irrepressible Guy Fieri.

The episode is called “Sauerkraut, Shoyu, and Shank," and will feature Rye along with two unidentified restaurants from Chicago and Naples, Florida.

The Food Network does not divulge the identities of the restaurants that appear on its shows in advance, but restaurants are allowed to reveal their participation a few weeks before the show airs. A spokesperson for Rye confirms that their episode will debut on March 7 at 8 pm and then air again later that night at 11 pm.

Rye is easily one of the most upscale restaurants to be featured on DDD, and has earned much acclaim in its 6-and-a-half-year existence (with 3-plus years in Dallas) — including two awards from the Michelin Guide: an Exceptional Cocktails Award and a prized Michelin "recommended" rating.

They're one of seven Dallas restaurants that were filmed in December by the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives team, and now the second with a confirmed appearance, following East Dallas Asian restaurant Hello Dumpling, whose episode aired on February 21.

Rye CEO and creative director Tanner Agar and executive chef Taylor Rause share what it was like in front of the camera.

Was the taping enjoyable?
Tanner: Of course. I’ve always wanted to be on Food Network and the crew made it a fun environment to have our debut.
Taylor Absolutely! Walking Guy, the crew, and the guests through some of our favorite dishes was just an extremely fun experience.

How many hours did it last?
Taylor: Taping ran about nine hours each day for two days. Guy was only actually in-house for about three hours, but those three hours were PACKED.

Were there pre-show jitters?
Tanner: More during show jitters because hardest part of the show is that Guy’s time is very limited so you have to nail every moment you’re on screen with him. We’re not just representing ourselves, we’re representing our entire team.
Taylor: I would say most of the jitters were mainly logistical, making sure we had everything ready, in the right place, and up to our standard for the shoot (which was a huge process!)

Any idea how Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives chose Rye?
Taylor: I'm not sure, but I'd like to think our reputation for creative, high-quality dishes packed with personality and flavor had something to do with it!

Were you Guy fans to begin with?
Tanner: Guy has spent many years drawing attention to small, independent restaurants, like Rye. I appreciate that work and that he earnestly believes in supporting them.
Taylor: Part of what inspired me to cook initially was watching the Food Network, and specifically Next Food Network Star. I vividly remember watching Guy on the second season of it which is where he got his break. So yes, I have been a fan of his since he got started, and it was a really great experience to meet him, have him try our food, and see our restaurant!

How did you decide who would attend the taping?
Tanner: Guy’s team made it clear that everyone that attended needed to be a real guest, not family or employees of Rye. Every person you’ll see on TV is one of our biggest fans that we’ve become friends with over the years.
Taylor: More than anything we wanted to include people that have believed in and supported us since the very beginning.

How did you arrive at which dishes to make?
Taylor: We put a list together of some of our favorites from over the years that really represented our passion for intense flavors, intentional processes, and playful, but approachable concepts. Then Guy chose what was most intriguing to him from the dishes we presented.
Tanner: As a special note, Guy doesn’t like dessert and almost never features it. He has also never done a chocolate cake before so we were very excited to show him our chocolate sauerkraut cake.

Did the dishes come out as you wanted?
Taylor: Yes! Guy really loved the dishes and they were exactly what you would get if you come in to the restaurant! I'm excited to see what makes the episode, but he had some wonderful things to say about the dishes that truly honored the work we have all put into Rye as a team.

Will there be a watch party?
Taylor: Yes, we will be open for drinks, snacks, and a viewing of the episode on Wednesday March 12 at 6 pm, with both featured dishes available as well as some other fun specials.