Guy Fieri Tears Up Lebanese Food in Texas 🤤 | Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives | Food Network

I'm a drive-in magnet. If it's a drive-in making killer food, I'll probably find it. And here I am in North Arlington, Texas, at what used to be a fast food drive-in turned into this place, Prince Lebanese Grill. One shish tawook is ready, sir. It is just incredible. It's great. This is wonderful food. The hummus is the best. Beef and chicken shawarma. When you've got the need, the need for Lebanese. This is where you go. The bone is done. It's the kind of food Francis Kupty grew up with in the Middle East. Two falafels. We try to make it as original as possible. He came to the States 30 years ago. Your prince is ready. Thank you, sir. And brought his nickname with him. So you're the prince. Prince of the Lebanese food, I guess. Bring it. And now he's got a whole lot of Texans eating his way. Did we eat? I come here all the time. I love this place. Probably twice a week. It's excellent. I need the mash with shish. I love the mash with shish. It's the beef. Not just any beef. I use the top of the line stuff on it. Beef tenderloin. You're in Texas. Yeah. How many pieces come in an order? Three pieces. Everybody out of the pool. Exactly. Montreal steak seasoning. Yes, sir. A little mustard seed, coriander. Now we're going to add it with what we call an allspice. Is allspice pretty predominant in Lebanese food? They use it on everything that they have. Okay, so we got that all seasoned up. This is olive oil. From Lebanon. That's the one I really like. Now, will you let this marinate? For almost about 24 hours. Apple cider vinegar. Just mix it up a little bit here. This was imported from Schenectady. Nice. We're going to start the rice pilaf. We get some vermicelli and we fry it. This is corn oil. So I start off all my dishes. I'm frying my uncooked pasta. Just wait until it becomes a little bit more brown. Put the rice in there and the rice has already been soaked and washed. What are we doing here? This is our chicken broth. We're going to make chicken stock. Yes. And this is our mixture of about 14 different spices. Put some water in here. Okay. So dried herbs, chicken stock, fried vermicelli, and some basmati rice. And you too can start your rice pilaf at your Lebanese drive-in that you find in Texas between a bunch of Mexican restaurants close to a hospital. Cover it and let it sit for a little bit. On heat or off of heat? No, on heat. Nice hot grill. Take a little bit of that vinegar coming up right off the bat. Next thing that hits you right there is the allspice. Yes. And what typically gets served with this? Grilled onion, grilled tomatoes, and the green pepper. We're going to put any oil or anything on the? No, we don't do anything. Good, I was making sure. Cut it into a butterfly. Look at that. So is our rice ready? Our rice is excellent. Taking this, they do a bigger in Texas thing seriously, aren't you? Yes. Because I'm a starch junkie, you know I got to go after this pilaf first. Great texture. Very creamy. It's almost like you put butter in it. Mmm. All right. So here we are with some filet. That's great. Thank you, sir. That's killer. Thank you. Mmm. Do you air mail? Load a trunk up? I'll drive it up there for you. Wow. Lightly seasoned, not over seasoned. Served with delicious pilaf, handmade by the guy in the dress shirt. You got to check this out. The most tender beef I've had. The rice is out of this world. It's just like perfect. Main thing is all fresh. My mom used to go to the store. She never buys canned food. We never had canned foods in the house. And the prince is still doing it all mom's way. Yeah, I need some tomatoes. From tabbouleh, with parsley, tomato, bulgur, wheat, spices, and mint. The tabbouleh. Tabbouleh's wonderful. To the eggplant dip called baba ghanoush. Oh man, I love that stuff. To this classic. Falafel plate on table four. I love the falafel. We're getting into making some falafels. You take the garbanzo beans and you soak them overnight to reconstitute them. Yes. We mix some of the parsley, one onion, garlic, our hot peppers, a bit more of an onion. What happened to that gold ring you had on? Oh, it's somewhere in there I guess. We've moved from chickpea spaghetti into wheatgrass. Black pepper in here. Another one of those fine measuring techniques. Yeah, exactly. A little bit of a salt. Cumin powder. A little bit of a baking soda. To make it fluffy when I fry it. Now do we let this set? We let it set for a little bit. What we're going to do is. That's cool. There used to be a spoon way back. You take the spoon. And just hammer it. Pull it back. Strand it around. So not a lot of pressure. There you go. That's awesome. All right, now we fry these bad boys. That's 1040, right? Yeah, 1040. This is actually what you call corn oil. I like the wok. I say wok, he walks away. You going to feed the town or what? Normally it comes 12 in an order. Falafel nuggets of friendship right there. Those are your breads. This is the hummus. Pickles or skin lizard? Skin lizard with a little bit of a tahini sauce. Mixed with a bit of a garlic lemon juice. Put a drop of olive oil on there. Then we get the falafel. A little bit of tahini. Yes, you could smash the falafels with the bread. That's funny. This is mine. Okay. Where's yours? Want to show me how? A little bit here. One of those. There you go. Wow. I think the falafel as it is, is great. But you got to put the pickle and tomato in there. That gives it more flavor. That's falafelistic. I'm the prince of North Arlington. Prince of North Arlington. There you go. It's really crispy on the outside and you can still taste what all of the different spices are on the inside. It's great. It tastes great. Everything I've had here is wonderful. Thank you. It is simple food, but they take their time. Back in 2010, I found this little spot on a street corner in Cambridge, Massachusetts, dishing out Greek classics. And it was, well, music to my ears. These days, they're still singing the same tune. Moussaka. This is Greek Corner. Swordfish kebab. If you want authentic Greek food in the Boston area, this is the place to come. The food here is always amazing. People here really care about the place. The way that Georgios and Themis came off on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is how they are in real life. That'd be the Boretos brothers, Georgios and Themis, who have been cooking up their cultural cuisines for over 30 years. Very traditional, simple flavors, but made over time, like moussaka. It is on the menu from the first day, 32 years. We start building up the moussaka with the potatoes. We fry them, then bake them for an hour, so they don't become potato puree. Now we're going to add the eggplant to the meat. We start with extra virgin olive oil. From Italy? From Greece. Because we have better oil. Onions, fresh garlic, bay leaves, pepper, cinnamon sticks, cloves. Now we can add the meat. So brown all the meat up? Break it apart. Now we continue with fresh tomatoes. That's Italian, probably, tomatoes. Tomato paste or puree? Puree. We stir it, and we leave it until cooked together with the meat. And now we're going to add it to the pan, distributing the meat even, and then the bechamel sauce. Now it's ready to go to the oven for 50 minutes, 350 degrees. And we're going to cut it. We serve it with rice. Moussaka ready! It's really delicious. It's sort of a comfort food. So next time you're cruising to Yellowstone and you're going through Cody, Wyoming, love this town, by the way. Lot to do here. But, you know, my jam is, what's the food scene like? I hear about this husband and wife team that are doing this fast, casual joint where at least half the menu is Lebanese. In Cody, Wyoming, I got to check it out. This is City's Table. Flatbread's coming out hot. It's just a nice little gem in the middle of a little cowboy town. Plating a hot beef. Everything's fresh, and you can't get anything else like it in Cody. You probably couldn't get anything else like it in Wyoming. Mic drop. The credit for this goes to husband and wife team, Porter Corey and Jacob Scott. Maddie, pick up kofta. The kofta is just one of our favorites. The meatball is just amazing. Kofta? Of course you're going to go old-school mortar and pestle. Yeah, we are. We have coriander, cumin seed, and black peppercorn. We've got some currant. Oh, wait a second. We're going to use something mechanical to make something here? Onion, roasted garlic, eggs, fresh garlic as well, cinnamon, a little red chili flake, and then all of our spice. We're going to let this kind of come together. 5 pounds of our lamb, 5 pounds of our local beef. Here's our mixture from earlier. Fresh parsley, salt. After it's mixed thoroughly, we'll let this rest. Form this into a little football. I'm going to par-cook them 425. Just give it a quick hit. We'll get into making the tomato relish. We have green tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, olive oil, pepper, fresh parsley, fresh dill, mint, fresh squeezed lemons. The salad's done. What do we got next? Roasted garlic yogurt. So we have some thickened yogurt, roasted garlic, fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, date molasses. Never heard of date molasses. Salt, fresh parsley. Last but not least, the pita. We're going to make it. Yes, of course. Of course. Our yeast that's been bloomed in water. Sugar, salt, white Sonora flour. The AP flour. We're going to let this proof. Let it double in size, give it a couple folds, and then it'll be ready to go. We're just going to form it into the balls, and you bring out a hot sheet tray and drop it right on there? Just a real quick cook. There's the puff. Some yogurt. We're going to place our meatballs. Lebanese pizza. Relish. A little bit of that tahini sauce. Zatar. And pomegranate molasses. Crack black pepper, salt. There you are. It's dynamite. The kofta is nice and tender. The tomato relish, crispy and bright. Everything is just done right and just fulfilling. Lamb kofta. The lamb meatballs have so much flavor, and the garlic yogurt sauce is really subtle, but really flavorful. Their flatbread is fresh and puffy. You should try it when it just comes out of the oven. Pick up mezze bowl. You try something new for the first time, you can trust that it's going to be done the right way. So I'm here on the east side of Hollywood in an area close to Little Armenia, and I'm with the one and only super chef, Naisha Arrington. Hi, do you know where I'm taking you? I do. I've actually been wanting to get to this restaurant for a long time. The incomparable Jonathan Gold wrote about this place and my restaurant. Fantastic. Well, if you're into falafel, if you're into shawarma, if you're into Armenian, Lebanese food, you are going to love Marouche. I need more yogurt sauce. There's nothing flashy about it, but when you come in, the food is just killer. Tabouleh on the pile. We live down the street. We pay the sunshine tax and the Marouche fee, and it's so worth it. I've had a lot of Lebanese, Armenian food. This is easily the best. And it stayed that way even after Haikoui Tatarian took over from the original owners in 2018, and she brought in her mom Nelly to run the kitchen. Beef shawarma, ready. Today I had the beef shawarma, and I am the happiest boy in the world. I killed all of it. What are we going to have, chef? Beef shawarma. Vinegar and white wine. Oil, allspice, seven spice, black pepper, cardamom. We have salt, onions, bay leaves, lemon juice. Now we're going to put our meat in it. It's tripe. How long will we let this marinate? Two days. And then we'll put it on the skewer? Yes. Small pieces first, so the bottom will be narrower. Now we're going to top it with the fat. Continually basting itself as it cooks, I got it. And an onion. There we go. All right, now we throw this on the rotisserie. How long will it stay on the rotisserie before we're ready to start slicing? 20 minutes. That fast? Wow. So we're ready to make hummus. Yes. Cooked and cooled garbanzo beans. Tahini. Wow. Salt, garlic. Or lemon juice. Olive oil. Mix it with hands. With hands? Yes. Squeeze the beans. Kind of break them down a bit. Sort of a layering and blooming of flavors so you create this really beautiful experience. It's like she's doing an interpretive dance. When do they go to the food processor? After they rest a couple of hours. And then we add more lemon juice, more salt, more olive oil, and more tahini. Yes. This is onions and sumac. And parsley. And a little tahini. We're going to cut the... Can I do it? Yeah, sure. It's the holiday carving knife that's my favorite part. There we go. Is that enough? Yes. We're going to put some here. And your bread. Start building. Okey dokey. It's really light and fluffy. Yeah. I feel so warm up from the shawarma. The flavor of the lemon is incredible and how it sort of tenderizes the meat. There's so much flavor in the meat. And when you get that hummus with it, and the pilaf, that's a meal right there. Beautiful. This is the way I want to eat five nights a week. Delicious. Beef shawarma. You can't come here and not have the beef shawarma. The meat is so juicy and it's so tender. The hummus is smooth and creamy. It's got a ton of flavor in it. Oh, that sesame sauce hits. I'm here on 16th Street in central Phoenix, Arizona. And you know on Triple D, I've seen some of the most unique places, the most creative chefs, the biggest characters you could ever imagine. But from what I hear, this husband and wife team that are making kebabs at this place, well, they're doing things in their own special way. Whoo! If you're ready for an adventure, this is Kebab Grill & Go. Two orders of thigh. Oh, you're in for a real treat. It's always amazing. You can see the smoke of the whiskey grill, and then you just get hit with the flavors. Perfection. His glazes, his sauces he puts on is just amazing. And his giant personality, it's pretty off the charts, too. Thank you. I love you, brother. You gotta buckle up for this guy, Tony Chiligarian, who along with his wife, Hazmik, is cranking the grill into overdrive. What is this, Persian food? It's Persian Armenian with my twist. Whoo! Whoo! Let's go! We are fired up! Kubideh down! The kubideh, it's smoky, meaty, a little bit of rice to die for. Kubideh's from Persia. Okay. So we grind all our meats in-house. Ribeye roll, short plate, and chuck. So you gotta have a good consistency. Next step? Grind the veggies as well. Red bell pepper, green bell peppers, white onions, jalapenos. Got it. And then we'll make the dry rub that'll go in. Turmeric, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt. Mix it with my hand. Do you sing or anything right now when you do this? Whee! Yes, man. All right, so now we put this on the kebab. My skewer, oh, sorry. Each order comes with two skewers. You get two of these? Yes, sir. Well done, my friend. You make it look like you've done this a million times. Yes, sir. What comes with this? Basmati rice. So we have some washed basmati. Water. You want to add a little turmeric. Garlic powder. What? Chicken broth. Vegetable oil. The rice cooks. What's next? My style of chimichurri. Green bell pepper. Serrano. Red bell pepper. Garlic. White wine. White wine vinegar, got it. Avocado oil. Salt. You want to get it creamy. So it's more of a dressing than it is a chimichurri. So that's the dipping sauce for it. We cook the meat in the back in the mesquite. There we go. All right, so this is where all the work's done. Yes. Was that a little dance move I just saw there when you put it down? Yes. It looked like a little down, and then it looked like there was a dance move. What is the sauce that we're putting on here? That's just straight butter. Okay. See, right now, it's done. Basmati rice. Skewer. Who beat that? That's a lot of meat. Two grilled Roma tomatoes. Anaheim. You like jalapeno? Yeah, yeah. Throw a couple of those in there. That's it. It's really delicious. It's very juicy. You can take that meat and do about anything you want with it. You can make a sandwich out of it. It's very good. Let's do it, baby! Yeah!