CHUCK TAKES A BITE OUT OF AMERICA 24 Photos
Flip through Chuck's photos of some of his favorite places to eat on the continent.
GO EAT THE STREET
Get a list of all the spots Chuck hits on the show so you can eat the street for yourself.
HOME-COOKED TAKEOUT 30 Photos
Print top recipes from some of the amazing restaurants Chuck visits on the show.
Season 3 Web-Exclusive Videos
What's the Dill with These Pickles?
Pooyie! Poutine
Thriving at the Drive-In
Bacon and Caviar
Honky-Approved Steamed Buns
Mexican HOTT Chocolate
The Greatest Joe on Earth 12 Videos
Austin's Lulu B's truck has a way of making coffee taste like chocolate.
Episodes
See Episode GuideBoy Meets Birmingham
These days, Birmingham, Ala., is known for great cooking, especially in the historic neighborhood of Five Points South. Chuck starts his foray into Southern cooking at Highlands Bar and Grill, where the chef/owner, Frank Stitt, treats Chuck to his signature dish of baked grits with parmesan-thyme sauce, wild mushrooms and country ham. Next, Chef Jan Moon shows Chuck how to make ice cream sandwiches with oatmeal cookies at her food truck, Dreamcakes. At the French-inspired Chez Fonfon, Chef Adam Grusin prepares a kale and egg salad tartine after playing the quick game of boule. Chef James Boyce showcases Gulf seafood at Veranda on Highland, where he and Chuck prepare a crab, avocado and blood orange salad. Last, Chuck stops at Melt, a food truck where Paget Pizitz and Joey Dickerson make over 25 different grilled cheese sandwiches, including the Black and Blue featuring steak and blue cheese.
Big D, Little Street
Dallas, Texas, has a big reputation, but on the other side of the river, in the little neighborhood of Bishop Arts, is the center of the best food scene in Big D. Everyone goes crazy for the little pasta and salumi spot called Lucia, where chef David Uygur shows Chuck how to use a hand-cranked machine to churn out the bigoli pasta that accompanies duck ragout. At German-influenced Lockhart Smokehouse, Chuck learns the history of legendary Texas barbecue from pitmaster Will Fleishman who serves up both brisket and shoulder clod. Dessert is handmade, artisanal chocolate "salami" at chef Katherine Clapner's simple, storefront lovingly called Dude, Sweet Chocolate. How sweet it is.
Taste of Soul
Memphis is on the bucket list for most music lovers, but it's also a mecca for food. Chuck gets a taste of rock-n-roll with peanut butter and banana pancakes cooked in a wood-fired pizza oven at Rock-n-Dough Pizza Co. Then, he experiences a nutty treat that's been popular since 1929 at The Nut Shoppe, along with soulful barbecue with a Memphis pitmaster at Rendezvous Rib Shipping. And no trip to Memphis is complete without fried catfish with the Queen of Southern cuisine at Felicia Suzanne's.
Houston Goes Global
Houston, Texas, is a huge city with over two million people and to meet its equally huge community of chefs, Chuck heads to Westheimer Road. First stop is Underbelly, where Chef Chris Shepherd is known for his crispy ham ribs with sorghum mustard glaze. At Osteria Mazzantini, Chef John Sheeley uses red snapper straight from the Gulf of Mexico to create a recipe with squash and cabbage handed down from his Italian family. Next, Chuck samples an Indian breakfast crepe at Chef Anita Jaisinghani's restaurant Indika. And no trip to Houston would be complete without Mexican food and Chuck gets his fill at Hugo's, where Chef Hugo Ortega prepares handmade blue tortillas filled with salsa, guacamole and chapulines -- grasshoppers!
Straight Up San Antonio
San Antonio has a beautiful river winding through downtown, cool art deco, old Spanish missions and fantastic food. On the colorful and quirky street called St. Mary's, Chuck digs into a new spin on a classic Tex-Mex breakfast, the Chalupa Robert, that Amador Montoya prepares at El Milagrito. At The Monterey, chef Chad Carey demonstrates his high-end take on a Texas football favorite, Frito pie, by smothering a po'boy with smoked pork chili, jalapeno mayo, cheddar and corn chips. At Restaurant Gwendolyn, Chuck samples chef Michael Sohocki's pre-Industrial cooking and makes braised quail with oyster mushrooms using only tools and methods that existed before 1850. Where St. Mary's crosses the river, Chuck stops in at legendary Biga on the Banks where he samples Chef Bruce Auden's oysters, an ode to Texas' love affair with everything fried.
Hudson Valley Hot Spot
The small village of Rhinebeck, N.Y., is a hundred miles north of New York City, has less than 3,000 inhabitants and over a dozen delicious eateries. Across Route 9, Chuck tastes the bounty of the Hudson Valley, first at Le Petit Bistro, where Chef Joseph Dalu uses a global inspiration to create an Asian Fried Oyster dish. Chef Josh Kroner from Terrapin brings Chuck to get maple syrup direct from the tree for his Maple-Brined Pork Chops with Apple Jack Demi-Glace and Maple-Bacon Almonds. And just next door at Gigi Trattoria, Chef Laura Pensiero creates healthy dishes that taste decadent. On the edge of town, Chuck finds Cinnamon, where owner Shiwanti Ridyarathna and her chef husband, Charminda, make South Indian and Sri Lankan dishes.
DC's Diverse Cuisine
People from nearly every country make their home in Washington, D.C., and they don't keep their food traditions locked inside the gates of the embassies. A mile past the White House is an old neighborhood that's become the new capital of the Washington food scene -- 14th Street Northwest. At Estadio, Chuck learns the secret to making the perfect tortilla Espanola, a dish that chef Haidar Karoum went to the far corners of Spain to learn. At The Pig, chef Robert Cain blends American farm-to-table philosophy with European technique to prepare barbecued pigtails. Chuck visits Pearl Dive Oyster Palace where he samples the saltiest oyster around along with the best fried chicken in D.C., then stops by Andy Shallal's Busboys and Poets, a cafe named for D.C.'s most famous busboy, poet Langston Hughes.
The Last Little Italy
Sure, you know the Bronx, N.Y., has a zoo, the Botanical Garden and Yankee Stadium. But did you also know it is home to New York City's biggest Little Italy? Here, on Arthur Avenue, Chuck gets his fill of Italian home cooking. Starting at the legendary Mario's, known from a famous scene in The Godfather, Chuck samples Joseph Migliucci's octopus salad. At Zero Otto Nove, chef Roberto Paciullo makes pasta al forno, the homey baked pasta dish just like mamma used to make. Next, Chuck heads to Casa Della Mozzarella where Orazio Carciotto turns plain old milk into amazing fresh mozzarella. At Vincent's Meat Market, Peter De Luca and Chuck make lamb sausage that Peter's Aunt Lillian prepares with peppers and fresh bread to make a delicious sandwich. Mangia already!
Rocky Mountain Meals
Nowadays, Aspen is famous for being a swanky winter hangout, but it was built by miners, ranchers and even hippies. Those folks are still here, and they eat on Hopkins Avenue. A snowball's throw from the slopes, rodeo rider turned chef Kathleen Crook serves Chuck a massive 30-ounce steak with a big rib-bone handle called the Tomahawk. At Ute City, so named for the original Ute Indians of the region, chef Rob McLanahan shows Chuck how to grill duck a la plancha. After stopping in at Sarah Helsley's Cheese Shop, Chuck indulges in fondue, the ultimate post-ski meal. Chuck finds dessert at Creperie du Village, a cozy eatery where chef Jason DeBacker makes a sweet crepe with a jaw-breaking German name: the Schokoladepalatschinke. Try saying that with your mouth full.
Authentically Austin
While Austin, Texas, is the eleventh largest U.S. city, a lot of people thinks its food scene is number one. Chuck heads to Lamar Boulevard, where he first meets Chef Jeramie Robison, from Uchi, who oversees a stunning collaboration between black cod, white chocolate and olive candy. Next, at Odd Duck, Chuck helps Sous Chef Sam Hellman-Mass and his crew prepare Pork Belly Sliders With Citrus Cabbage Slaw. At El Meson, Chef Marisela Godinez makes a Chile Nogada, using her family's recipe straight from Puebla, Mexico. Last, Chuck stops at the craft-style barbecue joint, Stiles Switch, where Lance Kirkpatrick teaches Chuck how to stoke the fire for his famous beef ribs.
Little Osaka, a Lot of LA
In West Los Angeles, Sawtelle Boulevard is the main street of Little Osaka, where a new world of influences is turning this street into a hotbed of California cuisine. At Mizu 212, owner Irene Paek teaches Chuck how to cook his own beef, seafood and veggies in a pot of bubbling seaweed broth using chopsticks and an array of fun condiments. Next, Chuck indulges his sweet tooth on snow cream at Blockheads Shavery where Alex Yu and his partners create incredibly tasty frozen treats that combine the best qualities of shaved ice and ice cream. At Bar Hayama Chef Toshi Sugiura teaches cooking students how to make authentic Japanese sushi. Chuck joins the class and tries his hand building the Haneda roll. Last, Chuck visits Primo's Donuts, where Ralph and Celia Primo have been making buttermilk and cake donuts since the Eisenhower administration, and they're not showing any signs of slowing down!
Planet Portland
The food culture in Portland, Ore., is famous for being casual, quirky and totally amazing and Chuck checks out the good food on Division Street. Despite the notorious rain, chuck finds sunshine in the Monte Cristo sandwich with an egg on top at Chef Jenn Louis' Sunshine Tavern. At Sen Yai, Chef Andy Ricker specializes in mythbusting Americans' view of Thai food. Next, Chuck stops in at Woodsmen Tavern to sample chef Andrew Gregory's lamb skewers with romesco and pea salad. Chuck's last stop is at Block + Tackle, where chef Robert Lucas makes delicious old-fashioned Oregon seafood dishes like crispy fried cod sandwiches with tartar sauce and brioche buns.
L.A.'s Island Paradise
Catalina Island is a unique place, with species of plants and animals that are found nowhere else on earth. You can find them, however, on diners' plates all along Crescent Avenue, a hotspot for cruise ship tourists and foodies alike. Lloyd's of Avalon is famous for caramel apples, and Taylor Wilson shows Chuck how to make their iconic creation replete with all the trimmings. Chuck stops in to Steve's Steakhouse where Chef Frank Blair prepares stuffed Channel Island swordfish and garlic mashed potatoes. At Cafe Metropole, Chuck and Pam Albers forage for wild fennel to incorporate into her cole slaw and deconstructed elote salads. Finally, Chuck can't resist the fried sea bass and French fries that Miguel Tejeda prepares at Avalon Seafood.
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