From creative dishes that honor customers to specialties from around the world, these are the best breakfasts Guy Fieri tried on "Triple D."
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00:00From creative dishes that honor customers to specialties from around the world,
00:05these are the best breakfasts Guy Fieri tried on Triple D.
00:11Al's Breakfast in Minneapolis exemplifies the philosophy of diners, drive-ins, and dives.
00:18It's inconspicuous and hasn't changed in decades, but it's also won a James Beard Award.
00:24Al's is old school, making everything short-order style, like they have been for 60 years.
00:30Fieri visited the diner to try out the José, a breakfast named after one of Al's loyal customers.
00:36This messy breakfast plate with a base of hash browns on top are two poached eggs,
00:41salsa, and cheddar cheese. It's crispy, greasy, and exactly what your stomach is calling for
00:47after a late night out. The best way to eat a José seems to be by piling chunks of it on a
00:53piece of toast and not worrying about how big of a mess you make in the process. After all,
00:58breakfast is the most important meal of the day, no matter how messy you get.
01:03Full Belly Deli in Reno, Nevada combined two fan-favorite brunch orders into one with its
01:09biscuits and gravy burrito. It starts with homemade sausage gravy made with breakfast sausage
01:15and chorizo. The gravy is the showstopper, thanks to its intense flavor. Full Belly Deli also makes
01:21homemade flaky biscuits to chop up and throw inside the burrito, along with hash browns,
01:26cheddar, and a fried egg, before wrapping everything up in a tortilla to make one monstrous burrito.
01:33"'Oh, so it's for the whole family, I see."
01:35This is definitely the dish to order if you've worked up a massive appetite or plan on splitting
01:40it with someone else at your table. But the blend of flavors inside make it worth having a full
01:46belly afterwards. A waffle-centric restaurant sounds fun, but the story behind Waffles & Whatnot
01:53in Anchorage, Alaska is even more inspiring. The owner began making waffles to help two family
01:59members get through cancer treatment. He found that he could hide a lot of healthy ingredients
02:03in waffles to help their healing. The standout sandwich that Fieri tried at Waffles & Whatnot
02:08was the Confused Cousin Chicken Sandwich. Crispy fried chicken, garlic mac and cheese,
02:14bacon, more fried cheese, and barbecue sauce were all nestled between two waffles. Fieri figured
02:21that the sandwich weighed a whopping two pounds on the plate, which is as impressive as it is
02:26intimidating. It looks like the ultimate chicken-and-waffles breakfast sandwich,
02:31with an inspiring story to accompany it.
02:34The Governator Special is a dish at Patrick's Roadhouse in Santa Monica, California.
02:39Named in honor of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the only man who holds the titles of both the Terminator
02:45and the former governor of California, the dish is based on a staple meal that Schwarzenegger's
02:50mom used to make him as a kid in Austria. So Patrick's put it on the menu for him to enjoy,
02:55given that he used to come into the restaurant every day to eat breakfast.
02:59It's basically everything but the kitchen sink, with vegetables, sausage, bacon, ham,
03:04potatoes, and more mixed into scrambled eggs and served hot.
03:08The Governator Special is far from the most visibly appealing dish,
03:12but it sure is a hearty breakfast plate with quite a memorable backstory, too.
03:17Kalachis are a Czech pastry that are stuffed or topped with different fillings. They might
03:22just be the center of the universe at Ruska's Kalachis in Salt Lake City, Utah. Ruska's entire
03:28menu is dedicated to this dish, with an impressive list of both savory and sweet varieties to
03:34entice even the biggest skeptic. During Fieri's visit, he chowed down on the restaurant's famous
03:40Sausage and Gravy Kalachi. It's one of the heartiest options on the menu. Filled with
03:45homemade peppery sausage gravy, that might be the ultimate way to eat breakfast on the go.
03:50The Sausage and Gravy Kalachi deserves its shout-out because there's nothing else like it.
03:55Unless you decide to visit Salt Lake City,
03:57odds are you won't be able to try out a Sausage and Gravy Kalachi elsewhere.
04:02French toast is a dish you expect to find on every breakfast menu. But Pingala Cafe
04:08in Burlington, Vermont, put its own spin on the classic with French Toast Puffs.
04:12These are bite-sized balls of baked French toast, served alongside ginger butter and
04:18a maple berry compote. The kicker? It's totally vegan, even that to die for, butter. Making the
04:25puffs is similar to making bread pudding. The bread is soaked with a mixture of bananas,
04:29oat milk, toasted coconut, cinnamon, brown sugar, and a few other ingredients.
04:35Those are all mixed together and the resulting batter is scooped out and baked in the oven.
04:40Fieri seemed a little skeptical of the dish before he tried it,
04:43but was pleasantly surprised with the explosion of flavors contained in just one bite.
04:48This isn't any French toast, this is a Christmas cookie.
04:51A cachapa is the Venezuelan version of a pancake made out of corn. It resembles a crepe,
04:56though it is usually packed with more fillings than what you may find in a French-style crepe.
05:01Pica Pica in San Francisco serves up the heartiest Venezuelan dishes,
05:06from cachapas to arepas, that make for a filling and flavorful breakfast.
05:11When Fieri made his way to Pica Pica, the chef made a vegetarian version of a cachapa filled
05:17with tofu that is marinated overnight. Once the sweet corn crepe base was fried, the chef tossed
05:23in a mix of ingredients that included black beans, garlic aioli, tofu, plantains, and avocado.
05:29There are so many different flavors going on inside the cachapa that it's easy to forget
05:33that it's all plant-based. Pica Pica has plenty of options for carnivores,
05:38but the version featured on Triple D stands on its own.
05:42Egg Benedict has gone from a staple brunch dish to a category of breakfast plates all its own.
05:48Instead of the typical ham-and-poached egg on an English muffin covered in Hollandaise sauce,
05:53many breakfast-centric restaurants have gotten creative. Some spots might riff on the ingredients,
05:59perhaps inspired by a variety of different cuisines. Citrus in Virginia Beach created
06:05an Eggs Benedict that is as much as a visual feast than it is a literal one.
06:10Thanks to the addition of fried soft-shelled crab beneath the sauce-covered eggs, chefs at Citrus
06:16deep-fry full, soft-shelled crabs until golden brown, and then top them with poached eggs and
06:22homemade Hollandaise. They throw in grilled tomatoes and sautéed spinach for good measure.
06:28But we and Fieri both know that the tender, fresh crab is the true star.
06:32The soft shell looks just dynamite.
06:35The drunken French toast at Nighthawk Breakfast Bar in Venice, California,
06:39is as wild as it sounds. It's perfect to eat for your recovery after a raucous night out.
06:45The chefs take brioche and coat it in Rice Krispies cereal. The French toast also features
06:50pear brandy, pear compote, and cardamom mascarpone mousse for a dish that tastes
06:56more like a dessert than it does breakfast. In the best way possible, the French toast is
07:00crispy and sweet, with bright fruit and warm spices to cut through the sugar and cream.
07:05Plus, the mascarpone mousse is the grown-up, fancy version of whipped cream.
07:10Food Network was able to get Nighthawk to share a recipe to make this at home,
07:14but we think it's definitely worth a trip to the restaurant to taste it.
07:19Yohalla may sound like a greeting, but at Metro Diner in Jacksonville, Florida,
07:23it means a plate of delicious breakfast goodness. The Yohalla is challah bread French toast,
07:28with tons of toppings. First, the chef takes a mixture of caramelized bananas and cream cheese
07:34and spreads it in between two massive slices of the sweet, enriched bread. Then, they fry it up
07:40and top the whole thing with a homemade blueberry and strawberry compote. The plate is pretty
07:45massive, so it's not a dish to order if you're looking for something light. It's clear the
07:49combination of flavors make this dish unlike any French toast that you'd find at the average diner.
07:55That's absolutely a good thing.
07:58That's more French toast than I've eaten in the last 10 years."
08:02Some of the breakfast dishes that Fieri gets to chow down on while filming Diners,
08:06Drive-Ins, and Dives are also basically a dream-worthy dessert. A prime example is the
08:12pumpkin bread French toast from In A Pickle in Waltham, Massachusetts. In A Pickle's entire
08:17menu seems inspired by breakfast foods that an imaginative kid might invent. Just take one look
08:24at the cookies and cream pancake stack and you'll understand what we're talking about.
08:28But it's that pumpkin bread French toast that stole the show. The homemade pumpkin bread is
08:33first fried, French toast style, before it's topped with sweet cream cheese frosting and
08:38drizzled with dulce de leche sauce.
08:40That's more sugar than I've had on Triple D probably ever."
08:44He was especially happy with the savory elements that help cut through that intense sweetness
08:49of this decadent dish.
08:51Monte Cristo sandwiches aren't that unique of a menu item for a breakfast spot unless
08:56you're spending the morning at Storm Castle Cafe in Bozeman, Montana. Much of the food
09:01at Storm Castle Cafe is genuinely farm-to-table, as it literally comes directly from the owner's
09:07family farm, including the insanely delicious ham used in the sandwich. The Monte Cristo
09:12features fluffy, savory French toast that is loaded with Swiss cheese and shaved ham,
09:17and they don't skimp with the portions. The chef then dunks the sandwich in pancake batter
09:23and deep fries it before serving the result with seasonal syrup.
09:26Fieri called the sandwich a destination dish, especially true given that Montana is quite
09:32the trip for many people. That sort of praise alone surely earns this dish a spot as one
09:37of the best Triple D breakfasts of all time.
09:41Apple Fanny Cookin' was not easy for Fieri to pronounce.
09:45"'Fanna floppin'."
09:45"'Farfin' lugin'."
09:46"'Fanny cookin'."
09:47But it sure was easy for him to eat the apple pie disguised as breakfast at Magnolia Pancake
09:53House in San Antonio. The chef takes sliced apples loaded with cinnamon, brown sugar,
09:59and other spices and cooks them in a pan. Then, they dump a light pancake batter onto the mix
10:05and gives everything a good stir. Fieri rather accurately dubbed it
10:10Apple Pancake Scramble. Magnolia tops its Apple Fanny Cookin' with house-made whipped cream
10:16and powdered sugar for good measure, resulting in a luxurious dessert that's disguised as the
10:21most important meal of the day. The Fanny Cookin' is a textural wonder, coming in gooey and custardy
10:28with crispy pieces of caramelized apple and fluffy batter.
10:32Guy Fieri got to chow down on the famous Tasso Ham and Cheese Grit Tots at The Fancy Biscuit
10:39in Richmond, Virginia. To start off the festivities, the restaurant's chefs first
10:44make a flavorful diced Tasso Ham base. They don't skip any steps, either. Even starting
10:50with the house-made chicken stock base. Then, they throw in grits and extra sharp cheddar cheese,
10:56before spreading the grits on a baking sheet to allow them to cool. The semi-solid grits
11:01are then chopped into cubes, tossed in flour, and deep-fried to golden perfection.
11:07These savory bites are shockingly light for a fried food and are likewise full of flavor.
11:12The Fancy Biscuit serves them up with Sriracha Aioli, if you like a little more heat. Fieri
11:18praised the dish's texture and lack of greasiness, making them sound like the ultimate breakfast side
11:24of all time. The least appealing aspect of a garbage plate from Frank's Diner in Kenosha,
11:30Wisconsin, is its name. Otherwise, it's a wonderfully hearty breakfast that your body
11:35craves. It starts with hash browns, green peppers, but the rest is up to you. Garbage
11:42plates can be customized by adding different meats, cheeses, and vegetables to really amp up
11:47all of the flavors going on. Next, they add a bunch of eggs, three, or even five. Frank adds
11:54a few thick slices of house-made bread that are perfectly made for sopping up all those ingredients
12:00going on in the garbage plate. Even though it includes every ingredient you could think of,
12:04the chefs at Frank's don't skimp on technique. They make sure that each
12:09element of the garbage plate is cooked to savory perfection.
12:17Frank's Diner.