Ever wonder what the biggest food stars and chefs eat in their free time — when they're paying? Find out on The Best Thing I Ever Ate! It's the ultimate guide to the country's most-amazing meals, eats and treats as told by the pros who spend their lives obsessing over food.
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The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Top 5 Highlights 7 Videos
Behold the best pizzas, burgers and more top food picks from the show.
Take a Bite Out of These Best Things 26 Photos
Find your favorite flavors with the most-popular recipes from CookingChannelTV.com.
The Best Of The Best Thing
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Episodes
See Episode GuideButtered Up
It's official: Everything is better with butter! Chefs and food experts are revealing the richest, creamiest buttery dishes out there. Alex Guarnaschelli brings on the butter with a one-of-a-kind shrimp-and-grits combo from Tillie's in Short Hills, New Jersey. Jeff Mauro hits the streets of Chicago to satisfy his butter craving with an amazing honey butter chicken sandwich from the aptly named restaurant Honey Butter Fried Chicken. Then Marc Murphy travels north to Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, Maine, for a signature buttered delight.
Stacked
With layers upon layers stacked with flavor and ingredients, these favorite dishes seem too good to be true. Wolfgang Puck gushes about an unimaginable seafood platter at Cassia in Los Angeles. Down south in New Orleans, monstrous pulled pork nachos from Kingfish have Marc Murphy stunned, and Katie Lee unveils a massive sandwich that will overload your taste buds at Anna's Deli in Sarasota, Fla.
Picture Perfect
We're going after picture-perfect dishes that taste as good as they look. Carla Hall shows off beautiful beets from Michigan, and Molly Yeh reveals the surprise inside the ultimate breakfast muffin. Aaron Sanchez shares his warm cookies and milk, while Alton Brown talks about his favorite dish at Destroyer in Los Angeles.
Hamburger Heaven
It's burger time, and your favorite food personalities are pointing you in the right direction. Carla Hall unveils an unbelievable burger masterpiece, while Tregaye Fraser will have you traveling to New York to grab the ultimate cheeseburger and fries. Ali Khan showcases a traditional burger, but Eddie Jackson's favorite is decidedly nontraditional.
Buttered Up
It's official: Everything is better with butter! Chefs and food experts are revealing the richest, creamiest buttery dishes out there. Alex Guarnaschelli brings on the butter with a one-of-a-kind shrimp-and-grits combo from Tillie's in Short Hills, New Jersey. Jeff Mauro hits the streets of Chicago to satisfy his butter craving with an amazing honey butter chicken sandwich from the aptly named restaurant Honey Butter Fried Chicken. Then Marc Murphy travels north to Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland, Maine, for a signature buttered delight.
Personal Favorites
For years, they've shared their cooking secrets. Now eight popular Food Network personalities open up about what's on their plates when they're not the ones behind the stove. In this half-hour special, they'll reveal their favorite foods, tell us where they go to get them, and explain why each qualifies as THE BEST THING I EVER ATE.
Snack Attack
It's just past lunch and not quite dinner ... hmmmm, must be time for a snack! From pickles to tacos, nachos to nuts, we reveal the snackalicious snacks craved by Giada, Ted Allen, Alex Guarnaschelli, Curtis Stone and more! These bite sized treats are perfect to kick-start the Super Bowl and satisfy any SNACK ATTACK.
In the Last Place You'd Expect
Sometimes the best dishes are in the last place you'd ever expect to find them. We've scoured the globe, searched far and wide, and the hunt stops here. Alex Guarnaschelli ends the debate over where to find the best bagel -- it's in North Yarmouth, Maine! Jeff Mauro finds a game-changing falafel in the back of a jewelry store, and Geoffrey Zakarian unearths hidden Mexican treasure in Buffalo, New York.
Crunchy
What do onion rings, corn fritters, egg rolls and caramel corn have in common? They all make the same sound ... "CRUNCH!" And they are just a few of the best crispy foods Duff, Claire Robinson, Brian Boitano and others have ever eaten! From bowling alleys to movie theaters, find out where that delicious sound is coming from!
Brilliantly Baked
It's time to indulge in some of the best baked goods imaginable as Martha Stewart shows off a beautifully perfect brioche she can't get enough of in New York City. Then, find out why Alex Guarnaschelli's favorite lemon bars are simply off-the-charts brilliant! Finally, Tregaye Fraser has a new take on an old classic in Atlanta.
All American
Guy Fieri, Michael Symon, Alton Brown and Bobby Flay are just a few of the star spangled chefs wavin' a flag for their favorite All American dish. We're talkin' sauced-up BBQ Fried Chicken, a Hot Dog with 50 topping choices, an Apple Pie smothered in salted caramel, and a sandwich so gloriously over-the-top it can only be American!
Life Changers
We're revealing all the unforgettable dishes that changed our lives. Alex Guarnaschelli names the dish that resulted in her being born, and Fanny Slater explains why she wouldn't get married without catfish and grits. Chef Jonathon Sawyer discusses how one dish changed the lives of over 200 inmates, while cake ace Duff Goldman talks about the slice of pie that makes him weak in the knees.
Big Cheese
Jeff Mauro, Geoffrey Zakarian, Jamika Pessoa and Bobby Flay are just a few of your favorite food personalities sharing their all-time favorite ways to indulge in some cheesy goodness. Whether it's a cheese curd-stuffed bratwurst or a fried cheese work of art, macaroni and cheese or the most incredible Queso Fundido, these cheese dishes are sure to blow your taste buds.
Best Meal Deal
You don't have to sacrifice incredible food experiences in order to save a buck! Antonia Lofaso keeps her wallet full with irresistible Mexican munchies in Venice Beach, Calif., Duff Goldman saves a ton as he takes on the enormous Orca Platter in Washington, D.C., and Ali Khan gets incredible bang for his buck with a one-of-a-kind meal in Des Moines, Iowa, that you have to see to believe.
Rise and Dine
Wake up and get ready to dine on some of the country's best breakfast dishes starting with Martha Stewart's favorite biscuits and country ham found in Nashville. Scott Conant then brings a new take on French toast to the table and Jeff Mauro explains why beloved blueberry ricotta pancakes will change the breakfast game as we know it.
The Upper Crust
The best part of any dish is what holds it all together -- the crust! Chef Beau MacMillan's favorite pot pie in Phoenix, Arizona, takes on Duff Goldman's seafood pie pick in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Next, Jason Smith's favorite picture-perfect pork tenderloin boasts a clever crust that is sure to turn some heads.
More Than I Can Count!
Some special dishes are so good you can enjoy them over and over again. Andrew Zimmern has lost count of how many times he's indulged in the infamous barbecue chicken from Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Que in Birmingham, Ala. Aarti Sequeira can't stop ordering her favorite handmade ice cream at Salt and Straw in Los Angeles, and Duff Goldman can't keep track of all the jumbo lump crab cakes he has eaten at Faidley's Seafood in Baltimore.
Regional Favorites
What better place to chow down on a shrimp po' boy than New Orleans? You want the ultimate lobster feast? You gotta go to Maine. What food is synonymous with Philadelphia? Cheesesteak! Food Network stars including Guy, Tyler and Michael Symon tell you where to find the best regional dishes!
Yummy in the Middle
It's that ooey-gooey goodness in the middle that we just can't get enough of, so we're heading straight to the middle of things to see what greatness awaits. Jeff Mauro indulges in a 100-layer vanilla creme doughnut that's full of surprises. Antonia Lofaso cracks the yolk on ricotta and egg ravioli in Los Angeles, and Chef Lee Anne Wong heads to Hawaii for a unique and irresistible quesadilla that packs a powerful punch.
Stretchy Pants Required
America's best dishes just might burst your buttons. Anne Burrell faces off against a gut-busting club sandwich from Little Goat Diner in Chicago while Antonia Lofaso ventures to the heart of Los Angeles for heavy-hitting Korean barbecue at Park's BBQ. Jernard Wells gets weak in the knees when confronted by a massively unbelievable cake from Southern Art and Bourbon Bar in Atlanta.
Pizza
Duff, Goldman, Ted Allen, and Tyler Florence offer their personal take on where to find the best pizza -- from Seattle to Chicago, NY to LA, deep dish to thin crust.
Fried and Gone to Heaven
Some fried food is so crispy, so crunchy and so incredible that you feel like you've died and gone to heaven. Jeff Mauro heads to Proxi in Chicago for a food frenzy with the most-unique version of street corn ever imagined. Simon Majumdar takes his taste buds to the next level with a crispy pork shank at Salo-Salo Grill in West Covina, Calif., and Ali Khan keeps it old-school with a phenomenal fried hot chicken sammy from Tumble 22 in Austin, Texas.
Let's Do Lunch
The best lunchtime hot spots are sure to fill any craving, satisfy any hunger and generally just make you happy. Ali Khan makes a beeline for an over-the-top pistachio chicken salad creation in Austin, Texas. In Atlanta, Jernard Wells gets bad to the bone with finger lickin' good ribs, while in New York City, Martha Stewart has a lunchtime special you won't want to miss.
Serious Spice
Good food is the spice of life, and we're adding a little kick with our flavor-filled favorites! Jeff Mauro takes us to Chicago for 23 mole sauces, and Donal Skehan will have you sweating as he attacks the hottest taco in Los Angeles. Aaron Sanchez talks about his beloved barbecue with a surprise twist, while Duff Goldman's intricate 16-spice favorite is a can't-miss dish in New York.
All Fired Up
Nothing quite matches the incredible taste and aroma of fresh food cooked with an open flame. Marc Murphy chows down on some irresistible charred wings in Rochester, N.Y., while Brad Miller brings the fire with a cognac flambeed pasta in Los Angeles. Plus, Duff Goldman heads to Tulsa for the best grilled steak he's ever eaten.
Fried and Gone to Heaven
Some fried food is so crispy, so crunchy and so incredible that you feel like you've died and gone to heaven. Jeff Mauro heads to Proxi in Chicago for a food frenzy with the most-unique version of street corn ever imagined. Simon Majumdar takes his taste buds to the next level with a crispy pork shank at Salo-Salo Grill in West Covina, Calif., and Ali Khan keeps it old-school with a phenomenal fried hot chicken sammy from Tumble 22 in Austin, Texas.
