Ate Day8 of Destination DDDining

While I’d really like to smack the sunglasses off the back of his head, I do love me some Guy Fieri. I recently visited Texas Live! (1650 E Randol Mill Rd, Arlington, 817-852-6688) and tried one of his concepts. Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint serves scratch-made tacos, salsas, and guacamole, paired with signature cocktails in a fast-casual setting. The margaritas are made with El Jimador tequila, Grand Marnier, fresh lime juice, and sweet-and-sour mix, plus the Caliente version also includes a jalapeno elixir. Foodwise, I’m a fan of the carne asada taco, which is grilled skirt steak with an avocado-tomatillo salsa, Cotija cheese, and sweet onions.

My renewed interest in Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives happened back in March. While working on our annual Zest issue, I wanted something food-oriented streaming in the background and found that all 55 seasons of DDD are on HBO Max. I made it through only some of them but did watch long enough to realize that a lot of North Texas spots were featured, including some in Tarrant County. If you will be a staycationer this summer rather than a world traveler, here are some destination-dining eateries that food travelers visit when they come to us. Be a tourist in your own backyard!

1.) The Dallas location of Cane Rosso was featured on DDD some 12 years ago (Season 14, Episode 5) and also on the spin-off show Triple D Nation. Serving authentic Neapolitan-style pizza, Cane Rosso has five area locations, including Fort Worth (815 W Magnolia Av) and Arlington (200 N East St). Along with its artisan slices and pies, the place is also known for its animal rescue efforts. Read more about that in our annual Creature Comforts issue in late July.

2.) Chef Point Bar & Restaurant (5901 Watauga Rd, Watauga, 817-656-0080) appeared on DDD’s “Funky Joints” special (Season 6, Episode 1). The episode homed in on the gas station resto’s bread pudding served with a scratch-made cognac sauce and the epic Bloody Mary garnished with bacon, fried chicken, and more. It’s basically a meal in a glass.

3.) During the “Crankin’ Up the Classics” special (Season 14, Episode 3), Guy headed to Arlington with his favorite football player of all time, Earl Campbell, and checked out Chop House Burgers (2502 Little Rd, 682-213-2253). Guy was impressed with the beef and brisket blend, calling it “outstanding.” (Note: The owner featured in this episode has since sold the place, which is why it is now simply Chop House Burgers and no longer The Original Chop House Burger.)

4.) Given that it is a perennial favorite with our staff and readers alike, we were very interested to check out the DDD that showcased Fred’s Texas Cafe (7101 Camp Bowie West, Fort Worth, 817-332-0083) (Season 6, Episode 9) back when it was in the West 7th corridor. (Artisan Circle, formerly Crocket Row, formerly West 7th, recently bought that old space, by the way. I can’t wait to see what they do with it.) The show focused on Fred’s steak with chipotle brown butter and the green chile and lamb stew, but Guy acknowledged that the locals came for the burgers. Duh! Read our coverage of the DDD visit to Fred’s at Bit.ly/DDD_Freds.

5.) Jamaica Gates Caribbean Cuisine (1020 W Arkansas Ln, Arlington, 817-795-2600) (Season 6, Episode 9) impressed Guy with curry goat, goat head soup, and red snapper, stewed or fried whole. This restaurant has always been a staff fave, so DDD’s visit got our attention. Read all about it at Bit.ly/DDD_Jamaica.

6.) Along with falafel, shawarma, tabbouleh, and other traditional Mediterranean classics, Guy tried the Middle Eastern Breakfast Pizza on his visit to Prince Lebanese Grill (502 W Randol Mill Rd, Arlington, 817-469-1811, Season 7, Episode 4). This summer, you can also try Prince delights at some Texas Rangers games at Globe Life Field (734 Stadium Dr, Arlington, 817-533-1972). The Arlington Eats booth (near Section 101) will also house Ella B’s Restaurant, Sugar Bee Sweets Bakery, The Tin Cup, and Cartel Tacos, along with newcomers Shrimp Doc and TJ’s Catfish & Wings. Read more about this season’s ballpark food in our “And Boom Go the Sticks” article on FWWeekly.com.

7.) During Guy’s visit to Taste of Europe (1901 W Pioneer Pkwy, Arlington, 817-275-5530, Season 14, Episode 12), he was served Russian comfort food, including potato pancakes with meat inside. Not unlike Grand Prairie, Arlington lies smack between Fort Worth and Dallas, so our friends at the Dallas Observer took notice when the film crew hit the area. Read their coverage of this episode at Bit.ly/DDD_TasteOfEurope.

8.) While DDD stopped at the Deep Ellum location of Twisted Root (2615 Commerce St, Dallas, 214-741-7668, Season 6, Episode 4), this Texas purveyor of gourmet burgers has 13 locations around the state, including some near us like Arlington, Bedford, Mansfield, and even DFW Airport. For the one nearest you, visit TwistedRootBurgerCo.com/locations. Guy enjoyed a venison-and-bison burger with spicy fried pickles, but he really loved the Western Burger with pepperjack, bacon, onion strings, and jalapenos.

Over the years, Guy has visited Big D a lot, hitting up Afrah Mediterranean Restaurant (318 E Main St, Richardson, 972-234-9898, Season 14, Episode 10), Avila’s Mexican Restaurant (4714 Maple Av, Dallas, 214-520-2700, Season 6, Episode 13), Maple & Motor (4810 Maple Av, Dallas, 214-522-4400, Season 14, Episode 2), and Pecan Lodge (2702 Main St, Deep Ellum, 214-748-8900, Season 14, Episode 7), plus my personal favorite, Pepe & Mitos (2911 Elm St, Deep Ellum, 214-741-1901, Season 13, Episode 13). I recommend the botanas platter.

The folks at iHeart media — who recently brought 97.1 The Eagle back to the North Texas airwaves (thank you very much!) — compiled a list of every local restaurant profiled by DDD through 2020. Check it out at https://ihr.fm/3V85uf3. For those traveling the country this summer, find restaurants by state (including the most current episodes that may feature even more Texas spots) at Guy’s website, FlavorTownUSA.com.

Achieve maximum chill with our Top 6 fizzy, hemp-laced quaffs. Read about them in our Summer of (THC) Seltzer article here.