Join us for a culinary road trip across six standout American food cities—where bold flavors meet powerful stories. Our Australian Foodie Gary travels the America to six unique and unexpected food cities in this compilation of food travel episodes perfect for an afternoon binge, or for background viewing while you get your housework done. This marathon comprises six full episodes of United Plates of America.
Here’s where you’ll be going:
In Washington, D.C., food becomes a force for social change. From the iconic Busboys and Poets, where art, activism, and cuisine unite, to immigrant-run Foodhini and the pay-what-you-can Sakina Grill, D.C. showcases conscious cuisine, global dishes, and radical hospitality—all tied together with farm-to-table freshness.
Denver delivers community-powered innovation. Chef Dana Rodriguez serves global comfort food at Super Mega Bien, while Kamal empowers immigrant women to become entrepreneurs through food. At Same Café, guests pay what they can for healthy, sustainable meals. The city’s food scene is united by its compassion—and its booming craft beer culture.
In Sacramento, California’s capital leads the farm-to-fork revolution. We visit B&L and The Firehouse, where chefs source directly from local gardens like firefighter Kyle’s urban farm. At Kru, sushi is reimagined with hyperlocal ingredients like Sacramento-grown rice and shade truffles. We close with handcrafted sourdough pizza made with just-picked produce and generations-old technique.
Hartford, Connecticut is on the rise with a booming West Hartford food scene. We explore The Place 2 Be, a high-energy brunch spot built for social media, then shift to Mediterranean flavors at Zohara, and close with fine Italian cuisine at long-loved Bricco.
San Antonio blends heritage and heart. Local chefs honor their Tex-Mex roots while pushing culinary boundaries. From elevated tacos to flavorful fusion, this city’s food is full of spice, soul, and history.
Finally, in Newport, Rhode Island, we enjoy a catered gourmet picnic, dive into coastal eats and sample Rhode Island’s famous grilled pizza. From fresh seafood to chef-driven bistros, this seaside gem balances tradition and trend with every bite.
Whether it’s activism on a plate or pizza from a backyard garden, these cities prove that America’s food culture is about more than great taste—it’s about community, identity, and innovation.
#FoodTravel #FarmToTable #ImmigrantChefs #PayWhatYouCan #AmericanCuisine #CulinaryJourney
Washington DC food, Denver restaurants, Sacramento farm to fork, Hartford food scene, San Antonio Tex-Mex, Newport Rhode Island seafood, food travel documentary, American food cities, social justice restaurants, urban farming food, farm to fork, farm to table, American Food, International Cuisine, Food Documentary, City Food Culture, Food Traditions USA, American Food Cities, Food Travel Show, United States Food, Washington DC Restaurants, Best Vacation Towns, Best Food Cities, Best American Food Cities, Best Restaurants Denver, Best Restaurants San Antonio, Best Restaurants Sacramento, Best Restaurants Hartford, Best Restaurants Newport, Top American Vacation Towns, Summer Vacation Destinations 2025, America’s Top Food Cities, Food Review Show, Australian Foodie, Australian Foodie in America
Chapters:
00:00 – Washington, DC
23:55 – Denver
48:05 – Sacramento
1:10:05 – Hartford, CT
1:35:04 – San Antonio
1:59:06 – Newport, RI
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[Music] This is the political capitol of the world.
Here, restaurants are where deals are done, secrets are spilled, and where presidents party.
But in the midst of this exciting atmosphere, restaurants in this city are inspiring social
change through food and art. Today we explore the world of conscious cuisine and sustainable
farming here in Washington DC. [Music] [Music] [Music] We visit an iconic restaurant leading to
social change. We were really honored and delighted when President Obama chose Bus
Boys and Poets to come to when he offered his amnesty program. Wow. To low drug users. I
try exotic dishes prepared by emerging immigrant chefs. We’re using food as a way to build
community, right? We’re connecting people that normally probably wouldn’t be talking to
each other or communicating or connecting. I pick up some produce from a local farm for
a delicious meal. We are a natural farm, so a lot of our weeds are controlled by hand.
We just pull them directly out. I’ve been to the farm and I’ve got a whole bit of healthy
goodness here, which eat well. What can we make with this? And before we leave, we visit
the famous zucchini grill. You can sit, relax, eat your food, and go without paying because if
you don’t have money, we respect you the same way. I start my exploration of Washington DC with
a visit to bus boys and poets. A gathering place for artists, activists, thinkers, and
dreamers. It’s an iconic restaurant serving conscious cuisine. Andy, what you’re doing here
is kind of like I’m getting my head around it because it’s a little different from your average
restaurant, right? In so many ways. First of all, the pivoting um theme is poetry. Yeah. Poetry
is about the human condition. It’s it’s so much um about change and um and that’s kind of what
you’re doing here a bit, right? It’s also very subversive. Okay. That’s interesting cuz poets are
the first the first ones who tap into the culture. They tap into the nerve of a society and they’re
able to touch people in ways that no politician, uh no bureaucrat can possibly come close
to. And therefore it always has been the instigator of change as you say. Absolutely. And
the modern version of that is obviously you know the hip-hop kind of like rap. I mean I know it’s
not poetry as such. It is poetry but it is it is it’s spoken word. The first restaurant you started
you got seven now. The very first one was was was not unlike this this one here. Right. So tell us
about that. So it we opened it in an area that was transforming very rapidly. Lots of gentrification
lots of change was taking place. in that what is called the US street corridor which is considered
um birthplace of the civil rights movement in the United States. Wow. The venue features a laid-back
ery showcasing local art, a full bar mixing up some delicious cocktails and a bookstore with
literature by and for people of color. There’s a whole lot going on here. You almost get a sense of
the spirit of the restaurant just walking through the bookshop. I mean, the books that are there
kind of give it all away. Yes, they do. Yeah. And um it’s about about people. So which is which
is so cool. You don’t see many of the books that we carry here in uh traditional bookstores. Uh
we carry books uh offline for people of color. Uh often times under-represented in many many
bookstores of course throughout especially when it comes to children books. It’s an important uh
addition to what we’re trying to create here where we have kids that come here that can see people
on the pages of those books that look represent. This restaurant is a space where art, culture,
and politics collide. Andy’s goal is to inspire social change and transform the community.
We have poetry, we have panel discussions, we have conversations about important issues
that people want to talk about. We have authors that come here. We have music. Uh all kinds
of elements that are used on this stage. This is the kind of thing you you kind of see some
some good government taking responsibility for. But this is not a government thing. This is
this is a person making a difference. Uh it’s always people that make the difference. Also
employing people. You do not discriminate no matter what. Absolutely. What what if someone’s
been incarcerated? We actually were one of the first businesses here in the city that uh ban
the box. You don’t have to check off on an application that you were previously incarcerated
because that used to be the norm. Yeah. Uh so we removed that from our applications. We feel
like we need to be able to give people a chance. people that have been incarcerated that have
served their term to society. They should have a chance. Otherwise, what happens to them?
They return back to prison. This is great. So, you have people that come here really appreciate
the fact that they’ve been given this second opportunity. And some of them really excel
and do incredibly well. Bus Boys and Poets strives to fight prejudice and show what it really
means to be an equal opportunity employer. Uh we were really honored and delighted when President
Obama chose Bus Boys and Poets to come to when he uh offered his amnesty program. Wow. To to low
drug users. Did you get to meet him? Yes. That’s awesome. Yeah. Yeah. He he came and he actually
brought some of those folks that had just been released from prison for small drug crimes.
Yeah. Um ended up having lunch with them. It was really remarkable to see that. Very exciting.
That’s what I’m talking about. I mean, you know, this little idea that’s made this changing lives.
The restaurant’s goal is to provide healthy, nutritious meals in poor neighborhoods. This is
a vegan dish made with brown rice and um curry sauce and a variety of vegetables, all fresh.
Love that. Yeah, this is great. And um and this is this is black and salmon. This is one of our
most popular dishes. Um it’s it’s salmon that is um grilled and then uh wild rice underneath it.
of course, asparagus and this beautiful corn salsa with uh a lemon sauce. All right, so I’ll eat some
of this and then we can switch. Let’s switch over. I’m going to just try a little bit right right
here. So Oh, yum. Oh my gosh, that has a real um almost an Indian flavor to it. Um curry, which
obviously, you know, which is curry, which is just stunning. Great. Like try this. Yeah, they’ll
switch. Let’s swip. Let’s switch. Oh, wow. Look at that. That’s a really great piece of salmon.
Mhm. And of course some of the wild rice which is going to give it some of that crunch. Kale. M.
Oh my gosh. Is it got a mustard on there as well? It’s the black and spices which you’re
tasting. Wow. Bus Boys and Poets is a great place to take a deliberate pause
to feed the mind, body, and soul. [Music] Foodini was founded on the idea of using food to
create sustainable jobs for immigrant and refugee communities. The result is epic tastes from around
the world. We wanted to support immigrant refugee communities. Very much like my parents, right?
They came to this country, didn’t speak English, not much education. So finding work was really
tough. And so really giving a place for people like my mom and my dad to be successful, to use
their skill sets to earn a living, a good living, but then also be able to share their food and
the culture uh not just within their own kitchen, but basically the entire city. Um so I think
we we see this as a great opportunity to not only help feature put a put a spotlight
on the different communities of diaspora, you know, within DC, but we’re using
food as a way to build community, right? We’re connecting people that normally
probably wouldn’t be talking to each other or communicating or connecting. The restaurant here
celebrates stories, heritage and cultures of these budding home taught chefs. This is a East African
Eritrean. So this is made by Chef Ibraim and this is Ingera bread which is like a spongy bread
little bit soft. Um and you enjoy that with um these two dishes right here. It’s called
ziggney which is a like a buttered beef stew. uh shiro right here, which is like a chickpea
mash is how I like to describe it. She probably doesn’t, but that’s how I describe it. Um both
really delicious. So, basically what you do is you take the bread, a slice of it. Usually comes
in like a a piece this try now. Yeah. Okay, great. So, you just um maybe if you had
something like Have you had this kind of I have had it before. Yeah. Then dig right in. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean um so what we just generally do is put a little bit of bit of meat on here. Just a
little bit. And can I put a bit as well? I mean, if you want. Yeah. Look at that. This is going to
taste amazing. And there you go. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. So, we’ve been to Africa. Yeah. Where are we going
next? We’re going to Laos. Oh, we’re going to your home. Yeah. Yeah. So, here you have a a Lao
dumpling called sakuyatsai. Okay. Which is it’s made with tapioca pearls. No. So, actually what
you do is you just basically take a lettuce leaf like this. Y and then you put one in like this. It
has a almost a Vietnamese kind of look about it. Mhm. And then you just take a bite and that’s it.
And you’ll do you get transported back home when you kind of taste that? Every time. Every time. So
on the inside you have you got shiitake mushrooms, a little bit of tofu, and a little bit of crushed
peanut. Peanut. You can really really taste the peanut. The peanut is the hero in here. Yeah. And
the outside shell is really kind of chewy. Mhm. Um it’s kind of like a mo almost like a like a mochi
kind of. Yeah. Like like a Japanese sweet. Yeah. So, here’s uh one of the signature dishes of Chef
Mina, who’s our Iranian chef. This is a kufta, but it’s a tabrizi style, which means it’s like
northwest uh northwestern part of Iran. So, you want to just take a fork and just kind of take
a little bit of it. Look at this. What’s on the outside here? Where is y It’s basically a ground
beef mixed with um some u a mix of some uh Oh, wow. some slip peas and then you got barberry
on top which is like specific to Iran. Um some walnuts and then on the inside there’s actually
like uh we have some like um some dried fruits on the inside as well. First time trying Iranian
food. Yeah. Cool. Awesome. Which is going to be great. Is it spicy? Yeah. Nope. It’s uh it’s
a little bit sweet and savory. And it’s got a different texture. It’s not it’s not like
the ground beef texture. That’s a very very interesting tasting. In fact, I can’t even tell
you that it’s like something else. Yeah, it’s not always it’s very very unique. Yeah. Providing a
platform for undiscovered chefs from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Foodini also allows locals
to taste some truly unusual flavors. [Music] [Music] Having sampled food from different
corners of the world, it was time to go local and visit a small farm just outside of DC.
My mission is to pick fresh produce, bring it back to our chef for a truly farm-to-table
experience. Well, we are really on a farm. This is this is like way out of Washington, right?
Yeah. It’s um only about a 40-minute drive, but it definitely is completely 180 in the city
life. Yeah. It’s so peaceful here. And this is this is your office. This is where you work.
Yeah. thumb to table is so is so big right now, isn’t it? I mean I mean I can remember like
you know 10 years ago it was like just just kind of starting but this is a really big
deal for restaurants. Yeah, I think it’s um especially important down here too seeing as
southern Maryland is such a small close-knit community and a lot of people do do this for
a living including me. So it’s really cool to actually go to a restaurant and see something that
your neighbors have grown. We are a natural farm so a lot of our weeds are controlled by hand. We
just pull them directly out or use natural things like vinegar. Great. Because otherwise you’re
getting pesticides and then it becomes a whole you’re defeating the whole purpose of running
a small niche farm. Right. Exactly. Eatwell Farms grows a variety of seasonal vegetables and
fruits without using chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides. Organic matter from local restaurants
is bought back to the farm and composted to complete the cycle. This is a starfighter
lettuce mix. These heads look pretty good. Okay, great. Okay. So there they’re a bit more mature.
Yes. All right. So should I shall I get some? Here you go. Yeah. So you can just pull the head back
and you just want to cut it off directly at the head. Right at the root. Okay. So you you leave
the root in there. All right. I’m going to grab this one here. This one looks a really good
one because it’s got it’s really thick leaves and is quite mature. So you need to go right at
the root. There you go. Wow. You’re hired. I’m hired. All righty. What else we going to get?
Uh yeah, we can go get some pea shoots. [Music] Okay. So, this these look cool. Yeah. So, these
are pea shoots. Um they’re similar to snap peas. Um but we just harvest them when they’re just
starting out. And you like them young like this? Yes. Just when they’re starting to tendril.
So, you can see these tops right here. Okay. Yeah. Perfect. Yeah. Um great. Let’s do it. What
do we do? So, you can just grab a handful. Oh, really? And just pull it out of the ground.
And just actually just take your knife and just cut them right off. Okay, great. Yeah.
Okay, great. Like right here. Mhm. This will be enough. I’m assuming that we’re going to
make a salad here today, right? Yeah. There you go. Perfect. Pop that in there. So, is the
farm kind of is it is it making a profit? So, um it’s not really about profit. Um I think
one of the best things about Eatwell DC is that they’re doing this more for the environment
and the farm to table movement. Okay, great. And we got some radishes behind you by the
looks of things. Are we going to get some of those? Yeah, we definitely can. That’s fine. You
can pick more. That’s a beautiful that one. Look at that. I know. So nice. All righty. So, and some
more. Yep. Okay. Perfect. Um, they’re really cute. They’re really kind of small, but cute. I picked
lettuce, pea shoots, and radishes. But there was one more thing we needed to accomplish
our dish, and that is a freerange egg. So, this is Roxanne. She’s probably one of our
friendliest chickens. Um, we got her as a baby in October. Really? Yeah. Can hold? Yep. So, just
keep her wings down. Okay. Otherwise, she’s going to fly off. Yes. There you go, gorgeous. Let’s
look at you. Thank you for laying all these eggs. Okay. So, here is our egg box. Oh, wow.
Just lift this up slowly. They’re still being manufactured. Yeah. So,
there’s two hens in here. That looks very comfortable. Yeah. But I think
you can grab some right here. Am I going to get attacked? I think you’ll be
okay. Okay. No promises, though. So, yeah, they’re beautiful eggs. Look at that. One
brown and one is almost like a a greeny color. Mhm. Which is just gorgeous. Most of the farm’s
produce goes to six Eatwell restaurants in the city. The menus are designed to offer dishes
that are seasonal and fresh. I’m heading over to the Charles, a neighborhood gathering place at
the forefront of the farm-to-table movement. With all this beautiful produce in hand, I couldn’t
wait to see what the chef comes up with. Hello, chef. How are you doing? How’s it going?
Great. Welcome to the chs. Thank you so much. I’ve been to the farm and I’ve got a
whole heap of healthy goodness here which I’ve picked from eat well. What can we make
with this? We are thinking about a catfish sandwich right now. It’s seasoning down in
southern Maryland right now. We’re going to make aioli out of this cilantro man. It’s going
to be the dressing for the catfish. These ones right now for this sandwich, we’re going to
use it as a salad and we’re going to do some pickles with the with the radishes as well.
Well, let’s get started. Awesome. Let’s go. Why I like the fine rays? Because then you avoid
having the catfish like feeding from the from the bottom of the Because they do feed from the
bottom of the of the ocean. But these are farmed, right? So, they’re actually better.
Okay. Yeah. Yeah. What I do here, this is a buttermilk base. So, we’re
going to pass the catfish to this one. So, we do this breading out of flour, rice flour,
cornstarch, and also cornmeal. Yum. And then from the the bottom meal, we’re going to
pass it to the to the breading. [Music] [Music] the same letters you grab from the from the
farm. There we go. We come, we clean them, you know, the small ones. We come, we clean
them, wash them, and there we go. Okay, so we have it here. Yeah. Two breads.
What I going to be is open face bread like this. We have or jalapeno,
mint, and cilantro. Yum. [Music] [Applause] That’s a lot of lot of fish. Yeah, that’s very
generous. That’s our order here. Unfortunately. Yeah. We are going to do a little bit more of
this right here. Oh, on top of the fish. Yeah, it does. On top of the fish. It looks nice.
Okay. [Applause] [Music] You know, just for color. Awesome. And then that little one there
is the one like this right there. Yeah. [Music] For salad, I have a mignonette dressing. Okay.
Red wine. Okay. With some bell peppers. And some onion. By the way, some shallots flavors that look
alike, but they’re going to contrast, you know, contrast in your in your plate. So, just a little
bit like this. Yeah. Just a little bit. You know, the flavor is already overpowering. I do
a little salt and pepper on top. Perfect. Nice and soft. Just like that. That’s
going delicious just on its own. And especially just we just we literally just
picked that out of the ground an hour ago fresh from an hour ago from two miles away
from here in our in our farm. So we do this. Okay. And we’re just going to slice
it here. Wow. From the farm. That is fantastic. Look at that sandwich
in 1 hour from coming from the farm. What do you think? Oh yeah. There’s so
much flavor going on there. Mhm. It’s absolutely stunning. This iconic restaurant
place is in the heart of historic LLA. It’s one example of how the movement is
gathering pace. Using ingredients grown only a stones throw away. It sets a
standard for what it means to eat local. Our final destination is an immigrant-owned
restaurant in DC. Here, the poor, homeless, and hungry eat for free. Sitting side by side with
full paying customers. Sakina Grill. Now, the name is kind of like important too, right? Yes. What
does it What does it mean? It means uh peace, tranquility, and actually it’s a big honor to
have this name because of my mom and I name after my mom. I love that. Yes. So, um this is really
unique. I mean, so you’re taking social justice to a whole new level here in Washington alongside
people who are paying guests. You mean you have sort here. You have like the most richest people
from around the world. Sitting alongside them, homeless people. That’s true. How does that
work in a restaurant? This uh this idea is actually it take me to my own childhood. When
I landed here I thought like I I landed in a you know country was a American dream and I had
that dream where I will flourish and I will but I see many homeless. Yeah. Uh looking through
trash can and all that stuff. Yeah. Yeah. So my intention was to um have a restaurant
where where offer a free meal to homeless. How how many homeless people do you serve? Um uh
for till last year we counted over 80,000 meals we have served. Is the restaurant still profitable?
Are you still My business is still profitable? Isn’t that incredible? It’s going it’s going very
well. You can come use restroom. you can sit, relax, eat your food and go without
paying because if you don’t have money, we respect you the same way. This is fighting
against the whole thing about, you know, people have to make their own way. Some people
can’t make their own way. Some people do need help and what you’re doing is just a remarkable
thing. And having fed so many people still being profitable is an absolute raise the bar
for for all of us. So yeah, I I you know, that’s why I want to challenge the corporate
business. I tell them, look at me. Yes, it’s going to be a chain business and those are the members
of this uh community, those restaurant, they will benefit greatly because people look at me as
exemplary restaurant as exemplary human being. Despite serving meals for free, the restaurant
doesn’t skimp on quality. To keep with traditional recipes, most spices are directly imported from
Pakistan and the dishes are prepared by authentic Pakistani Indian chefs. Today on the buffet that
we were serving is a plain basmati rice. Okay, let’s try some of this. Uhhuh. What What should
I have that with? And you have a non naan bread, of course. That is like This is traditional.
Traditional. And you have a This is tandoori grilled chicken. Wow. This is great. This is a
grilled chicken. And that’s we have a potato and cauliflower. Okay. So, what what is what is this
meal? Having once been in a similar situation, the owner vowed to help the less fortunate and
lead the change by feeding the poor with dignity and respect. Food is um it it’s kind of similar to
to Indian food in some ways, isn’t it? Yeah. Well, usually is pretty much uh similar spices. Yeah.
Um you know, every Oh, it’s How does it taste good? Amazing. You really taste the spice. Yeah.
Thank you. Thank you. This is all back home spices that we use from um we import from Pakistan. Yep.
Because otherwise uh the food won’t be great. Yep. I opened my door to the homeless community and
we’ve been doing since uh 2013. God actually you use me to inspire people to bring towards light
and hope which I’m trying to spread around the globe. Right. That we are one. Mhm. We have to
see you know other human being as as you want to see yourself. Yeah. Uh because this is a very
dark time where everybody looks very judgmental. Judgmental and if you don’t have any status you
know nobody really want to shake a hand with you. From leading the farm-to-table movement
to employing immigrant chefs and of course feeding the poor, the restaurants in
Washington DC are setting a new standard for the rest of the country. Thanks for
coming on the tour with us. Join us next time as we continue our tasting
journey throughout America. [Music] In the era of drive-throughs and microwave
dinners, Denver provides a pleasant escape from the hustle. Nestled at the foot of
the Rocky Mountains, life in the Mile High City has a slower, more deliberate
pace. More than serving up quick bites, the culinary leaders here are redefining what
it means to serve their community. [Music] [Music] [Music] Today we meet a generous woman that’s putting
her Mexican spin on world cuisine. I don’t know what cuisine that is. That is a real mixture of
everything. Islam. At a restaurant in the arts district, Syrian and Ethiopian refugees prepare
some of their homemade recipes. And of course, tortillas. Here in Kumal, we make the tortillas
handmade every day. Brad and Tisha explain the history behind Denver’s first pay as you can
restaurant. This place is so cool. I’m lucky I get to be a part of it. And before we head out,
we try some craft beer at a tap room operated by an archaeologist. [Music] Dana Rodriguez
has opened a truly eye-catching restaurant in Denver’s coolest new suburb. From the innovative
decor to the globally inspired menu, locals can’t get enough of Super Mega Bien. But perhaps what
is most intriguing is Dana’s mission to serve. You’re living the high life now and you’re
glamorous and you know you’re doing some amazing things here. But your life started off
very simple, didn’t it? My life is still pretty simple. I love cooking. You know, I love what I
do because it’s my way to actually give something back to the community that you don’t have time or
the money or the resources to do a lot of things for other people. But if you have a restaurant,
you can do that. Meeting Dana is an experience in hospitality. Uh there is so much love uh in
her food and also her whole story. You know, I came from Mexico, grew up in a farm. Yeah.
No electricity, no water. Like you have to go to the river and you boil your water. It made
me appreciate every single thing in life. I love it. You know, like going to the store to
buy a bag of tortillas for $3. I’m like, damn, I used to do all the work and they don’t pay
me $2. So that’s the that’s the beauty of that, you know, appreciating everything and um respect
everything. Social justice is important to you, isn’t it? Coming from your roots. Yep. Um why why
and what do you do? What do you what do you do in the community? Um I mean in the community we do
so many events. We do like 36 a year. You know, Colorado, all the chefs, they are very um
helpful to create a lot of benefit events uh that he help and support our communities. You
know, this seems to be a theme in Denver. I mean, I’ve never seen so much uh it’s almost the core of
culture here is you you got to help others, isn’t it? Yeah. So, one thing that we all agree in the
industry, you know, we are a family. We spend more time in the restaurant than your own house. So,
this has become your new family and all the chefs, we gather together to see what the community
needs. We all very involved, you know, like it can be a benefit for uh the volunteers of America. It
can be work chopper for woman’s kidney foundation but also uh if there is a need like in this
restaurant this server was driving to work and he was in a car accident uh we all make a big dinner
we all donate our food we collect all the money and it’s going to the to these families that so
we help to each other not just to the communities to ourselves to our families like you start from
your own home Denver is redefining the service industry chefs like Dana are changing lives by
serving food. You know what I that is I don’t know what cuisine that is. That is a real mixture
of everything. It’s love. And that’s exactly what I love about this. I was not expecting such a
diverse menu. Ceviche, chicken wings, spring rolls. Each dish perfectly prepared. Let’s have a
look at this ceviche here. Oh wow, look at that. That looks absolutely stunning. Thank you. Oh, how
long did it take to cure that in the in the two hours? All the fish is no more than 2 hours. The
ceviche is a traditional um dish we do in Mexico. You cook the fish with lime juice, fresh lime.
Ah, that is just absolutely refreshing, zesty, citrusy. Love at first sight. The ceviche really
is quite special. The produce is really fresh, which kind of surprises me that we’re in the
middle of Denver, in the middle of the country, but yet that shrimp is really fresh. Okay, let’s
try some of the Spanish rice here. Look at that. Absolutely beautiful. Perfect. That’s one of the
dishes that people love the most because it’s very easy to share and very comfortable flavors. It
is the casella. We call it a Spanish rice. It’s almost like a it’s an skillet that the rice get
really crusty and crispy in the outside and the bottom with manego cheese, goat cheese, roasted
vegetables, spicy rice, and the chicken that we grill to order. Really cheesy. Yeah. Um the
goat cheese. Goat cheese and manego cheese. Just shown in Denver gets really cold. That will warm
you up. Yeah. And that is stay hot for a while while you’re talking and eating the chicken and
other stuff. The Spanish rice is just gorgeous. Um and it just melts in your mouth. Okay. This
one here is your favorite, right? Yes. What’s this one called? It is moka de Camaron. It’s from
Brazil. Uh we name it on the menu simple so people understand. Uh it’s a coconut curry shrimp soup.
It can be halal, whatever white fish you can find. Um, and we use shrimp here. Look at that. I know.
That’s one of my favorites. Yum. Let’s try this. Oh, Dana, that’s so good. Hang on. Something’s
happening. That is really quite zesty. And now you need water. The spice is coming. The spice
is coming. It’s an after effect, though. It is. World cuisine with a mission. Super Mega
Bien is making Denver a better place. Kamal, it’s a flat pan used in Mexican cuisine
for cooking tortillas. But here at Kamal Heritage Incubator, this cast iron skillet represents far
more than lunch. I mean, what you guys are doing here in the community is um is just mind-boggling
on how you’re taking people who don’t have the means, training them, and setting them out
empowered and they feel empowered to go and start their own restaurant. Correct. Just amazing.
I want to get inside and hear about this and take some of the food. Can we do that? Absolutely.
Can’t wait. Let’s do it. The first thing you notice when entering Kamal is the smell. ancient
recipes steeped in culture contrasting with modern new decor. But perhaps most apparent is the
energy in this place. Just looking around at all the faces, everyone seems to have a everyone
seems to be happy here. Everybody’s happy here. I like it here. I love it. That’s great. Yeah. I
mean, just looking around, the girls all look so happy. Yes. So, something’s going on here. What’s
going on? What do you guys do? Uh I start always by saying that we create magic here and we create
a place where everybody belongs. To me that’s a number one. But what really our goals of this
place are is to help women from the low-income communities acquire skills that they need to
launch their own small businesses in the food industry. Okay. And a lot of them are immigrants,
right? They’re all immigrants and refugees. Yeah. They’re all immigrants and refugees. Yes. Wow.
An entire kitchen run by women forced to flee their home. For these cooks, their recipes are the
result of rebirth and a brand new start if they’re coming from different cultures and different
backgrounds. I mean, how how do they get on and how do they kind of relate? Uh they relate
through food, through culture, through being in exactly same situation at this point in their
lives. And so there is much more commonality there than differences. Have you learned anything from
the Assyrians and from the Egyptians? Really? Yes. Yes. We sometimes we cook when a person order a
catering for example like mixing menu. We learn from each other. We always ask oh what is that?
What is it? And then we taste the food and we like that. There is something about food though, isn’t
it? I mean if they there are different religions back there as well. Yes. And it doesn’t matter.
No, because food is one of those things that unites people, isn’t it? It does. We all enjoy
good food. Uh we all um have families that we love and traditions that we respect. Y and so and
people get that. People get that and that really and truly connects them. And it’s been amazing.
You know, when we first started it was mostly just Latina cohort. Yeah. Uh and then later on
we added uh refugees from Syria and Iraq and then as of recently also Ethiopia. I grow up Ethiopia
and from East Africa. Uh I love cook. That’s why I need for open my own restaurant. I eat Mexican
food for here. Before I not eat for outside. I I don’t have I don’t like for my I like my country
food. I cook. I eat. I’m coming here and I eat for Mexican food. I like it. Taco. Taco tortilla. I’m
going to go back and in the kitchen and uh learn how this is all made. In fact, can I have a go at
cooking myself? I think that would be fantastic. That’s the best way to experience what’s going on
in the kitchen. Okay, wait right there. I’m going to whip something up for you. What are we going
to cook today for Sabita? We are going to cook papas with the spinakas. All right. Papas with
the spinach. All right, let’s do it. Okay. So, for cook the tostala, because we’re going to
make a tostada, okay, you need potatoes. So, you need to put to boil some potatoes until they
open. So, here are your potatoes. Okay. Beautiful. Turn it on. You want me to do this? How do we do
that? Like that. Oh, that’s so simple. See? So, then you put a cooked potatoes. You are going to
need a spinach, onion, little bit of oregano. Yep. Cumin. Cumin and oregano. And salt. That’s it.
Six ingredients. That’s it. But this recipe is not for the faint-hearted. Decades of experience
and perfect execution are the keys for this portal into a Mexican kitchen. All righty. Here’s one
I just whipped up. Oh wow. This looks almost as good as Sylvia’s. Well, do you know what? She
did a little bit, but I mean I I had a big play on this. Okay. This is great. Um and it was really
great getting back there and actually experiencing the kitchen. She’s a wonderful lady. She is. They
all are. So proud of all of them. She’s kind of running the kitchen, right? She is she’s actually
already launched her own business as well. Yes. And we are currently working with her on securing
her a food truck because that is really her goal. I love this. Mhm. Okay. Try my cooking and see
what you think. Okay. Um so you made us some pastadas today with potatoes and spinach. Yes.
She really did dish you well. I dare to say. Thank you. I feel really proud. And it wouldn’t
be true Mexican, Syrian, and Ethiopian hospitality without, that’s right, more food. So, what have
we got here? Um, this is a traditional Ethiopian plate. And this is this is new for you guys. It
is. It is. We started uh with a court about 3 months ago. Uh, but first they have to go through
series of certificates before they actually start cooking for the customers. Really? And so, yeah,
we started that offering recently to our customers and it’s been very popular. Let’s try. I think
lentil is probably my favorite. Um Wow. Right. Wow. That’s got a real punch to it. Good taste.
Um Ethiopian certainly Mhm. certainly know how to put some hot spice in there. Wow. And I really
love the bread. Yeah. I call the sponge the sponge cake. It’s fermented bread in a sense. It takes
them about 4 days to make that. The whole process takes about 4 days and they make it from scratch
which is kind of becoming a lot odd. And there’s no way you see that. I mean that that really is
definitely from that from that region. Um which is just a stunning. Oh my gosh. I can still taste
the hot from from the lentils. Mhm. And what is this one here? So this is prepared by Vala who
I’m sure is going to launch her own business. Uh not only does she have a talent and passion for
cooking, she also really has a business sense. Good business sense. Um well what what did she
do when she was back in Syria? She was a lawyer. She was a lawyer. Yes, she was. She was. And you
know that’s kind of a story of refugees as well. how your life gets adopted and changes and you
know how you have to let go of some of your dreams but then you discover the new ones and for WA it
started with cooking when we met her and so she made cabbet for us today with some hummus with
chickpeas and inside here’s lamb inside is lamb they cook a lot with lamb um it you know again
simple but you really have to know what you’re doing so it’s it’s years of practice and watching
your mom and grandma do do it you know what I’ve absolutely loved being here. I’m almost emotional
because I feel as if I’ve kind of I’m kind of eating the food from the world and I’ve eaten the
stories of the people that you know who who’ve cooked and it’s it’s a wonderful experience.
So, thank you so much for um for having us. Absolutely. And thank you um for your interest
in us and for helping us tell our story. More than making dinner, this restaurant is changing
lives. A powerful theme I’ve found here in Denver. We’re catching up with a cafe called Same and
they’re all about feeding the community. People who visit there only pay what they can afford.
So if that’s like $2, that’s what they pay. So I’m interested to taste the food uh and then be
able to to pay for it. So it’s going to be fun. Thank you so much for reinviting me to your little
palace here of goodness. It it really is a palace of goodness in so many ways. One is because um
you’re doing good, but also the food is all about being healthy as well, right? And delicious thanks
to her. All organic, sustainable. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, let me decide whether it’s delicious
or not. [Music] We were started almost 13 years ago by a couple named Brad and Libby Burky. Um and
they had been working in soup kitchens and food pantries and realized there were two significant
issues at the time. One is there weren’t healthy options. Um, and so they wanted to have a place
that was focused on healthy food. And the other is is that there’s a perceived lack of dignity
in a soup kitchen. And so the only folks who go there are the people experiencing extreme home,
you know, homelessness or extreme poverty. And they wanted a place that would feel dignified for
everyone. Well, I mean, this is this is this is every hipster cafe. I know. Isn’t it great? And so
they created this thing and everyone thought they were crazy. They thought this would last for maybe
6 months and then it would close down. But that’s been almost 13 years ago. And we’ve inspired
over 60 other restaurants to try a pay what you can model. Wow. It’s so cool. Yeah. Isn’t that
amazing? This place is so cool. I’m lucky I get to be a part of it. I really find um that hardship
creates can create good character. I mean, that is so true of Brad who was homeless um who is now
running the cafe. My background is in nonprofits and um I was fired for being gay and I actually
came to Same Cafe as a guest um about 7 years ago whenever I was homeless. I had my version of
homelessness. Yeah. I was couch surfing. Um, and I lost access to healthy food. So, I came
here as a guest and was a because I knew they were going to ask me a bunch of questions and I
knew I could get access to healthy food here. So, I had this incredible full circle moment
uh about 7 years later when I got to take over the organization that had helped me at one
point. Isn’t that amazing? It’s amazing. Serving everyone no matter what. It’s a transformative
power found in the DNA of this cafe. Tisha, when people come in, um, what do they pay when
they when they eat here? They can pay whatever they have. It’s uh we run on donations of time,
money, or produce. Is that right? And we have no suggested donation or prices anywhere in the
store. All we have is a transparent budget. So, it’s just the real numbers. $2 is how much
it costs us for the food on every plate. $5 is our average donation and $12 is how much it
costs us when you add in staffing and overhead and all that. So, then people can decide how much they
want to give based on how much it costs us. I want to give double. Well, there you go. Cuz you can
afford it and that’s great. So, we have some folks that come in and give us $2 a day or volunteer for
their meal. And then we have others that come in and give us $5,000 for their meal because they
can afford Oh my gosh. Yeah. That is great. It’s the whole community, everyone together that makes
this place run. And we need donations of time and money and produce. Love what’s going on here with
this community. I feel like a better person just being here. Well, should we try the food? Yes.
Let’s have a look what you prepared earlier. You know what? This is the thing about this restaurant
that makes it special. This is not a soup kitchen where it’s just kind of slop. This is good food
that you would pay top dollar for and it is just sensational. All right, let’s try the kale first
and we’ll work our way into it. Huh. Look at that. It’s fresh. Yeah. Wow. All of our food is fresh.
Wow. Most of it came in yesterday and now it’s on the menu. Oh my gosh. The taste and the freshness
of this food is just so stunning. All right. One piece of resistance is the cookie. Now, this
this has a story to this cookie, right? Yeah. This this cookie was from the founders uh family
recipe. It’s a shortbread sugar cookie with lemon icing and it was built into my contract when I
started that I can never give that recipe away to anybody. Yeah. Wow. But it’s kind of our
signature cookie and focus. Can I have the recipe for that? Nope. But you can give me a lot
of money and I won’t give you the recipe. Well, that comes to my point. It’s my turn to pay.
Um, so I’m looking forward to seeing you how much I can give for this. You guys have been
amazing. Thanks for showing me around and um I feel a little bit cheerier than I did when
when I first came. That’s fantastic. Thanks, Brad. Thank you for stopping in. Denver has me
feeling inspired. But now it’s time for a drink. Behind the crisp, refreshing, and often surprising
taste of good craft beer is a long and arduous process. And who better to balance the mix with
art and science than an archaeologist. So Andrew, I’m looking for a intrepid surgeon or beer project
person. You’ve come to the right place. That’s a long name. It is a long name. How did that come
about? Um, so sort of through my background, I was an archaeology student and um, so when I
started home brewing, it was a lot of influence from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East
where I was working and then we were in Colorado with the brewery. So we wanted something that kind
of tied into the adventurous spirit of Colorado and something that kind of connected to that whole
world’s mentality. I love it. It’s really smart. And um, people have said, “Come to this place
cuz you’re going to love the beers. You’ve got everything on on tap here from kind of like u more
vanilla if you like. Sure. To crazy stuff. Yeah. So we focus on sort of internationally inspired
culinary beers. So a lot of our beers start um from the culinary side. So we’re looking at
recipes. All right. I want to find out how this all happens. Should we get inside and Yeah. Let’s
go inside. I’ll show you where the magic happens. When you were studying um to do archaeology, did
you ever think you were going to be a brewer? No. No. I mean, I it wasn’t something that like I
got into historically as an archaeologist. It wasn’t really even something I like parttook in
until, you know, beyond the legal age. Are you you glad you you did this? Abs. Yeah. It’s been
a ton of fun. Fun. It’s the motivation behind all the discipline and training from the barley to
the glass. It’s what makes this place so great. Obviously, we’ve got so many different shades
and shapes and and varieties here. Yeah. So, we’ve got a couple six beers in front of us. Uh
the chamomile heit is uh kind of starting on the lighter end. Let’s do it. Let’s have a look at
it. Okay. So, what do you do here? Uh so, you can kind of swirl it. Um and that’ll release some
of the flavor compounds. Um, you know, if you’re tasting it, um, sort of critically, you can do if
initially you do like a long snip because there’s there’s certain compounds that like will bind to
the receptors in your nose. It’s the chamomile. I’m This is going to put me to sleep. Yeah. So,
it’s a little Yeah. kind of a soporific beer, but Yeah. So, it’s chamomile. It’s coriander
and orange peel. Well, cheers. Yeah. Cheers. Ooh. So, real light. It’s very light. I mean,
obviously there’s not not an amazing not a strong flavor profile here. Um, but you can taste
the chamomile. Yeah. Even even so slightly. So, um I mean that would be a great very light beer to
have with some fish or something, I guess. Yeah, absolutely. It’s hard to believe that less than
10 years ago, there were only a handful of craft breweries in Denver. Now, the city boasts some of
the most creative and award-winning blends in the country. the micro brewers per capita in Denver
is greater than so many other places. Why is it been such why is it taken off here? Um well
I think uh to a large extent it has been the laws in Colorado have been very friendly uh to
breweries. Um so we function with two licenses. A manufacturing license which we’re standing
in the manufacturing area now and then we have a wholesale license which allows us to have the
top. Okay. Um and so a lot of states don’t have those two uh sectors. Well, I mean it’s a bit like
um like a winery. It operates kind of like that, right? A little bit like a winery tasting room.
Yeah. So, let’s wake us up a bit a little bit cuz we’re getting into the dark beers now. And this
is kind of where things um can either get messy or can get really good. Yeah. So, darker multi-air
beers are some of my favorite beers. I like to sort of sip on a beer as opposed to having five
or six of them. Okay. Well, one that I can like sit and read a book with or smoke a cigar with
or something. So, this is a great beer for that. Almost like a wine. Yeah. Almost like a wine. Um,
so the quad is going to be almost 13%. It’s going to be big, boozy, malty, have that little bit
of like residual sweetness that’s common to like Belgian beers. Yeah. So, this is then this beer is
probably this beer’s been aged about a year. Um, and so yeah, some of the hop character will drop
out. Beer for that, by the way. Wow. Yeah. So, some of the hop character will drop out. uh some
of the carbonation will drop out, but it’ll really sort of concentrate the the flavors. You’ll
get a little bit of like rich richer malt notes um from some of the oxygen that’s worked
its way in. Should we try? We should. Yeah. Oh. Oh, that is almost like drinking I think
almost like a cognac beer or something. Yeah, cognac is exactly what I was looking for. I
couldn’t think of the word. Very much so. And thick and boozy. You’re right. Um but yeah,
that that would be my favorite. And again, if you’re reading a book, you would sit you would
sit that. Absolutely. Yeah. Or sit on a patio on a kind of a cool day like this. It’s a good beer for
that. Whether it be through craft beers or Mexican inspired world cuisine, Denver is redefining the
service industry. Thanks for coming on the tour with us today. Join us next time as we continue
our tasting journey throughout America. [Music] The United States is experiencing somewhat
of a food revolution. People are leaving processed food behind in search for a more
healthy lifestyle. And perhaps there’s no better example of this than the farm
to fork movement. And none are doing it better than in California’s capital
right here in Sacramento, California. [Music] [Music] Today we dine at a restaurant that changes their
menu every day. Yeah, that’s a Meyer lemon. Chef actually picked it from his front yard this
morning. No way. Yeah. My guest Kyle takes me to his urban farm. Absolutely stunning taste.
It’s pretty good, right? I mean, it doesn’t get more fresh than that right off the plant. We
try an eclectic menu at a famous sushi spot. Now, look at that. Now, this is what I’m talking about
eating with your eyes. You know what? That’s just like a piece of art that you just do not want
to want to spoil right there. Right. It just looks incredible. And before we leave, we whip
up a pizza with some fresh local ingredients. Our [Music] journey begins at BNL. It’s a
restaurant famous for their fresh seasonal menu. This is how my day just started. I’ve
walked past a smoker, which obviously they’re smoking some amazing food in there. Yeah. Chef
Bobby Mulaney always has something awesome going on. They’re always smoking some meat out here.
And I’m really looking forward to our meal here. From the decor to the menu, it’s clear that chef
Bobby pours his whole heart into this restaurant. When I came back from Europe and I worked for
Leslie Revson, I this is she said to me, “What my food says it is, it tastes of.” And so whenever
I make dishes, when we make create our menu, what we want to do is highlight the ingredients
that we’re putting on the plates. be it beets, be it a piece of steak or a pork chop or bacon,
right, which we’re famous for. But um that’s what we’re doing. [Music] And while Kyle is a fresh
food expert, he also has a surprising day job as a fireman. Now, you’re a food guy and a fireman.
Yes. So, you’re taking the day off from fighting fires and and helping the community, and you’re
going to eat some food with me, right? Yeah. I just got off this morning and already we’re back
at another firehouse. Oh. Oh, serious. This is a fire. Yeah. This is an old historic firehouse here
in downtown Sacramento that they’ve converted into one of the most amazing farm to fork restaurants
here. 1893 became a firehouse and uh this was during the ’60s one of the busiest firehouses
in America. People were coming from all around because of all the uh Victorian wood-framed houses
that were here. 1983 it closed. It was empty and we came in. We did catering for two years and then
opened. Catching up with Kyle today. Kyle is kind of like known in the area for his passion for farm
tot um produce. In fact, he has his own little small little micro farm um which is right here in
town. So, when we first moved here, I’ve always been passionate about growing food. So, I knew
that I wanted a big vegetable garden that I could share with my wife and friends and neighbors.
But, as it evolved, we started to really see this farm to fork community in Sacramento. And by
the time we were harvesting our first tomatoes, I actually heard about this urban farm ordinance
that was going into effect in Sacramento that allows and even encourages urban farm stands. Wow.
Yeah. So, right off the bat, we started this farm stand where we take the produce from our backyard,
wheel it out in this farm cart, and we just give everything away to the community and accept
donations that go right back into the farm. Fresh food really makes a difference. a difference you
can really taste. And you can really just see how fresh everything is. This is not produce that was
shipped across the country. It wasn’t harvested months ago and kept in storage. These beets, these
greens, the pomegranates, all of them were freshly harvested right here in the Sacramento area. I
love winter because you get to eat pomegranates. It’s one of the best parts of winter. Oh my gosh.
Ray Young has some winter squashes. We’ve roasted those and put them inside ravioli. Little bit of
arugula from Full Belly Farms and some candied walnuts from our friends the Silvas. And then a
salad with Alden’s greens with uh shaved beets and uh pomegranate and a little uh shaved uh tom
a little shaved cheese from Point Reyes on top. And I love the nuts and the and the greens in
there as well. Yeah, it looks like we’ve got some kale in there and some walnuts. Pretty
much all of these things grow right here in the Sacramento Valley. And there’s some lemon in
there. Yeah, that’s a Meyer lemon. Chef actually picked it from his front yard this morning. No
way. Yeah, meyer lemons are amazing. They’re actually a cross between your standard lemon
and a mandarin orange. So, they have a little bit of sweetness and tartness with them. It’s
really good. And I can really taste the um the sweetness. The sauce that’s on that is beautiful.
Nuts. Oh my gosh. It’s California in the winter, right? What what does that look like out here?
We’re very much an outdoor an outdoor place, right? And what you’ll taste in here
are the greens that he’s having here, the pomegranates that we picked
from the neighbor down the block, right? And the earthiness and the real piece
of Sacramento. These ingredients really make for a unique Sacramento dish. It’s a flavor
and experience you can only get here. Then of course we have over here the pomegranates.
This is my favorite around this time of year. Um and then beets. Oh yeah. And again, you can
taste the fresh produce. It’s just stunning. Just great. The pasta is obviously made really
well, but do you know what it is? It’s it’s it’s the beets and it’s the wonderful pomegranates that
just explode in your mouth. This is great. The reason I love pomegranates is they just burst in
your mouth. So you might have something like for beets which you got to you got like a flat line of
a taste. Then bang, pomegranate just explodes in your mouth and just gives you that sensation. Love
it. B&L shines as a haven for organic foodies. [Music] Our search for fresh food in Sacramento has led
us to Kyle’s very own farm. This is not a plot of land you’d find in the middle of nowhere.
It’s right here in his very own backyard. So, this is kind of cool. I mean, I feel like at your
house. Yeah. Well, it basically is. Yeah, this is our urban farm and it’s actually in our backyard
here in East Sacramento. My wife Morgan and I moved to Sacramento a few years ago and started
a big urban farm in our backyard. Originally, we planned on just having a large vegetable
garden, but through the farm to fork movement here in Sacramento and the city encouraging and
allowing urban farm stands, we decided to start giving away our produce from a farm stand in our
backyard. So, these are our rain gutter planters. They’re basically just regular roof rain gutters
and I plant all sorts of different things in them. They’ve got strawberries growing in them
year round. Got a lot of mixed greens. Yeah, strawberries. Um right now we still have some
that are probably going to ripen up pretty soon. I intermixed some greens. So this is arugula right
here. You can taste that. It’s kind of peppery. Um Kyle, that is Oh my gosh. This that is that is
I just ate from the soil and it’s the absolutely stunning taste. It’s pretty good, right? I mean,
it doesn’t get more fresh than that right off the plant. That is really good. [Music] What I wanted
to do was have a place where people could come and get produce, but also see where it’s growing and
have that in an area in the city so that people don’t have to travel out to the country to see
all of this. They can come here and see a diverse amount of fruits and vegetables all growing
in one space. Maybe even harvest some things on their own and then be inspired to grow their
own food. So, do you have people come here? Yes, we do. We host an a farm stand where we wheel out
this farm cart in our driveway, fill it with our produce, and when the people come by to the farm
stand to pick out what they want, we always invite them back here to see where everything’s growing.
Yeah. All year long we’re growing something. So, whether it’s summer, spring, winter, or fall,
there’s always something growing, always something to see, and something to taste in the garden.
Okay. I can say what this is. This is kale, right? Yeah. This is a whole bed of red kale.
Okay. And although most major farms wouldn’t really be harvesting at this size, they’d wait for
it to get a lot larger and then start harvesting it. The nice thing about growing your own food or
growing things on a small farm and having those relationships with farmers is that you can really
harvest whenever you want. So, these are ready to eat and we’ll harvest these all winter long.
Great. Just pull off a leaf. Great. And this is uh this is the good stuff. Your kale has gone
crazy in California, right? It is. Oh, yeah. Hey, that’s that’s different to the the normal kale.
Why does the red one taste differently? Well, the red and the green can sometimes taste pretty
similar, but what’s different about the flavor of this kale compared to what you might have had
from a grocery store is that when we’re growing kale during the right season in the winter time,
it gets sweeter. Actually, after a frost and after a cold snap, it will change something in the plant
to bring out sugars and make kale more sweet. A lot of thought must have gone into this farm and
it sure seems like a lot of work to keep it going. Okay. As far as sustainability and organic goes,
are you doing the organic thing here or do you use some pesticides? We don’t use any pesticides
here. No, none at all. We don’t use pesticides or herbicides or any chemical fertilizers. We find
it really easy to maintain and sustain everything organically, sustainably. We’re not certified
organic, but we do it all organically. So, how do you do that? cuz you kind of plant other
plants that kind of stop the insects from other plants and there’s a whole there’s a whole theory
behind it. How do you do it? There’s a lot of different ways and a lot of techniques to maintain
or an organic garden or farm. A lot of it is choosing the right plants and doing crop rotation.
So, making sure you’re not planting the same plant over and over in the same soil because when you
do that, the soil pest will build up in that soil. A lot of it’s about choosing plants that will be
companion plants to others. Maybe certain plants deter a pest that you don’t want around another
plant. So, we plant our basil with tomatoes. So, a lot of it is really thinking a lot about what
you’re planting with what to create this own little ecosystem. And it’s self-sustaining and
you’re really not doing that much work in the long run. So, who taught you how to do all this?
I’m a self-taught urban farmer, so I picked up things here and there. I always loved gardening
with my mom, but she had a big flower garden. I worked for California State Parks for a while.
learned a little bit about greenhouse work and then I just pick up a little bit of information
here and there. The internet these days is a great resource and so I learned a lot there and I try to
share it as well through my social media platforms to help other people learn what I’ve learned.
[Music] You’ve really opened my eyes up. I mean we really are in a neighborhood backyard and look
what’s going on here. You I mean there’s so much you can eat and enjoy and this is kind of like
your passion, right? I mean, I can imagine just coming out here on a Saturday just loving this.
I do. I do really love it. And it’s one of those things like people say, if you love what you do,
you never work a day in your life. And when I’m back here, even if I’m doing chores like pulling
weeds, I enjoy being back here and working in the soil. So, it really doesn’t feel like work,
even though it might be. Exactly. I love it. Kyle is setting a positive trend with his urban farm,
and his results are absolutely delicious. [Music] Next up, we head to Crew. It’s a restaurant
famous for their sushi and creative menu. This is Crew restaurant in in Sacramento,
California. So, we’ve been around about 15 years. We opened in 2005, about seven blocks
that way on J Street. A little tiny spot. It was 1,800 ft² and then now uh we moved over
here in 2016 and it’s a little bit bigger. So, why’d you bring me here? So, Crew is a
restaurant that’s been around quite a long time here in Sacramento, and Billy does such an
amazing job with not only focusing on traditional Japanese cuisine, but elevating it, bringing
in as much of the local sustainable produce and things like that as he can, while also just
taking it to the next level of Japanese cuisine and sushi. The food here is a culmination of uh
what I’ve learned and what I like to eat because I am an immigrant, Chinese Vietnamese from
born in Hong Kong. Uh grew up in Sacramento, California. First job I had was in a Japanese
restaurant. Learned how to cook at culinary school that taught classical French. So,
you know, it’s just a mixture of everything. Rice is really important here. And what I
love about Sacramento is you actually do grow your own rice here. In fact, it’s it’s one of the
bigger bigger industries, right? Yeah. Sacramento actually grows the majority of the rice in
California. Wow. And it also produces almost all of the sushi rice that’s consumed in the United
States for real. Yeah. Why from here? Like what what what’s what’s so good about this rice?
Well, there’s a couple things that contribute to it. It’s the climate for one thing. We’re on
almost the exact same latitude as Japan is. So, we’re able to grow that short grain Japanese sushi
rice really well here. One reason because of that, but also the soil all along the Sacramento
River. It’s very thick clay soil. So, when people came here after the Dust Bowl and tried to
grow a lot of the same crops they were growing, they weren’t growing here, but they realized one
thing they could grow was rice because that soil, so much clay there, it just holds the water and
it works really well for growing rice. And that’s what they started to do and it worked out really
well for them. [Music] Now, look at that. Now, this is what I’m talking about. Eating with your
eyes. You know what? That’s just like a piece of art that you just do not want to want to spoil
right there. Right. It just looks incredible. All right. When you walk in, the biggest thing, the
first thing you see is the the big sushi bar. So, we’re known for sushi, but also we do a lot of
fun dishes from the kitchen. Uh, incorporating a lot of seasonal, local ingredients that you
don’t really see too much in sushi restaurants, you know. This is a pea shoot. Okay. And
then some watermelon radish. So, radish are in season right now. They grow really fast in
the cool season. These are green on the outside, pink on the inside. Have a really mild flavor
for radish. And what’s on here on top of this one here? On top of that is shade truffles.
Yum. You know how expensive that stuff is? Uh, it’s probably pretty pricey. Wow. That’s going
to be great. All right. Well, I’m not sure where to start, but I mean um we’re meant to start from
the other side and work this way, aren’t we? Yeah. The more mild to the more rich and fatty. I think
I’ll just do a nice uh nigi flight. A plate of 10 different types of fish. Uh that’s my favorite
way to eat uh sushi because we try to make each piece taste different from the last. So it’s like
a mini meal each bite. Like rolls are awesome, but you know, you could get full off one roll and
it tastes the same. Same with me. I love steaks, but you know, I can’t sit down and eat like
a 16 oz steak because it’ll be delicious, but after your fifth bite, it’s the same flavor
over and over again. This is fun because you you can sit down and eat put down 10 to 20 pieces
and you can literally feel like you keep eating because every bite tastes different last,
you know, so it keeps your palette excited. Oh, look at the rice under there. Hey, that’s
all grown locally. Yes, it is. Yeah. Sacramento grows almost all of California’s rice. Oh, what
an amazing cut of fish. Just stunning. And that rice? Well, they use rice vinegar and salt and a
little bit of sugar to sweeten it and give it a little bit of acidity as well. That is really
nice. And there’s so many flavors that going behind that fish. Mhm. You know what? Sometimes
when I have simi or or sushi, they don’t really add enough for me, enough rice or flavor cuz I
really want the ingredients to do all the work, right? I tasted the fish first, thank God. And
then I went into the flavors are on the back of that thing with a bit of rice. Really, really
beautiful and really, really well designed. These flavors are so unique and powerful. Each item
on this flight is so delicious. And of course, I can’t leave without trying the black truffle.
The reason why black truffle is so expensive cuz there’s nothing else that can mimic that
taste. No, it’s it’s really intricate. It almost tastes like a pleasant cigar smoke in
some way if that’s possible. And then add to that a little bit of mushroom a little bit off
because it’s a fungi. Sure. Earthiness, smokiness. Delicious. Love it. I could eat that all day, but
guess what? I’m not because it’s too expensive. A delicious creative menu made from local ingredients. It doesn’t get
any better than this. [Music] [Music] Our last stop is a popular pizza joint.
And while the place feels modern, the traditions behind the counter go back generations. You are
well known for the science of pizza and there’s more to just throwing something in an oven, right?
We we use a wood oven and yes, that’s a big part of it. But we do a sourdough starter. It’s not
sour in taste. But in that, you know, English doesn’t really have the right words, but um so we
mix the starter the night before. We mix the dough and then it rests for another two days um before
we actually then process. It really improves the flavor and it’s, you know, much older fashion,
but it takes longer, but it comes through in the table. Each step of the pizza making processed
here is intricate. I’m excited to try a slice. All right, so let’s do something that’s going to
showcase local produce. So, what do you got? Well, the Belgian endive is grown here in Sacramento
County, just down the river a little ways. It’s not a typical topping, but it really is
nice with anchovi and some of the sharper green herb sort of flavors. Let’s do it. [Music] Local
ingredients and a well practiced technique. This pizza is already looking so good. Okay, here’s
the base. This is really already stretched out, right? Yeah. We stretch it out almost all the
way and we’ll give it a final stretch just before we throw it in the oven. But we can start
topping it now. Yep. We’ve got the fur de latte, the cow’s milk version of mozzarella. Okay,
this looks really good already. So, we got some anchovies there. We have the vegetable
which you called a Belgian endive. Endive. Great. And what’s that? What’s that going on right
there? Is that basil or uh oregano? Oregano. Okay, great. From our backyard, you get the And then
we got some um some salt on pepper on top there. Just some salt. Salt and some spicy anchovies.
Yep. And that’s it. That would be it. Yeah. This pie only needs a few ingredients and it’s
ready to throw in the wood burning oven. All right. So, what do we do here, sir? This looks
great. Let me Let me put this one piece of wood in so we have a good jump. Yeah, we got to get
that science just right in there. And just in case there’s any ash that has settled where you’re
going to put it. Okay. See you ash there. So, you’re just going to put this in about arms length
and then gently pull the Yeah. Pull this back. Oh, wow. Oh, you don’t want that to stay in there?
No, this this burns. Okay. Okay. Okay. [Music] Okay. So, how long does that stay in
there for? It’ll be about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. That’s really quick. Yeah.
This is the key um to Italian food. It’s about letting the produce do all the
talking and keep it as simple as you can. It’s about the flavors you put together
that make it work. Right. Exactly. Exactly. While places like this are popping up all around
Sacramento, California’s capital hasn’t always been known as a place for foodies. Sacramento is a
cool town. There are so many different um so much culture in the town. I mean, have you noticed that
the food scene here has changed? It certainly has. I mean, when I was a kid, to hear my parents talk,
granted, I was too young to appreciate it. Um it was almost non-existent. The quality food and uh
there there certainly were great ingredients and people were doing Well, yeah. It’s a food bowl.
Anything grows here. The top soil in my parents backyard is 6 ft deep. It’s you know we’re here
in the where the rivers used to flood this part of town and so you can grow we have apples oranges
lemons all in average backyard I the lemons right now are coming from my tree so yeah we we really
blessed with that kind of thing and now that it’s really Americans are really waking up in general
to food it’s it’s caught on quite well here too okay so what’s this one here this is periad
so it’s kind of the cousin to pesto cross into proven. So, we actually little French here, but
parsley, anchovies, garlic, olive oil, anchovies in there as well. Yeah. And that looks so cool.
And some Okay, let’s We’re definitely in America, so we’re going to cut it beforehand. Um, I love
it. Yeah, this is great. Yes, please. Thank you, sir. Look at that. Absolutely fantastic. Look at
this. All local produce except for the anchovies, obviously. Um, but just amazing.
Let’s taste it, shall we? [Music] Cheese is amazing. Love the green the green
pestoish. What do you call it on top? Preiad. Presiad. Absolutely amazing. And the and the
base, it’s just cooked to perfection. What an amazing dish. What a great way to finish
off Sacramento. I had the best day today. Just a few ingredients cooked perfectly. This
pizza is definitely a must try here in Sacramento. Thank you so much for joining
us on our tour today. Join us next time as we continue our tasting
journey throughout America. [Music] Within a 2-m radius, this town provides
a myriad of gastronomic options. There are over 40 restaurants with globe spanning
cuisines. The scene here has been steadily gaining traction for decades. Attracting culinary
enthusiasts from around the US, this has become quite the food tourist destination. With
so many great restaurants to choose from, I have my work cut out for me here. Expect
all the trimmings that New England has to offer and is a must stop for any foodie in
the know. Welcome to Hartford, Connecticut. [Music] In this episode, I try three distinctly different
restaurants in the surging West Hartford food scene. a generation Z offering catering to
the millennials of Hartford with extravagant presentations and Instagram worthy dishes. Then
some Mediterranean from Albanian chef Lewis Fior that takes us through the many flavors and dishes
of this expansive food region. And with renowned chef Billy Grant, I head to his restaurant Bricco,
a Hartford staple for over 25 years. Here I learn the secrets of his most popular dish. But first,
I head to meet Scott. He’s the head of Connecticut Restaurant Association for a quick rundown on
what’s what in this hub of West Hartford. And Scott, great to meet you. Nice to meet you, too.
Here we are in Hartford. Um, the restaurant scene here is booming. And apparently you’re the guy
to talk to. Well, yeah. I mean, I’m the head of the restaurant association for the state, but
we’re here in West Hartford and it’s been booming for many years, but over the last few years it’s
really taken off. So, why West Hartford? Why has it gone crazy here with the restaurant scene? I
mean, it’s just booming. I think I think a lot of reasons, but most importantly, I think people
are looking for that Alfresco dining and this this setting here, the West Hartford Center, you
know, they’ve taken out streets and, you know, obviously redirected traffic and allowed all of
the restaurants a chance to expand their footprint and people love it. People love to walk around and
see the options that they have and and you know, we have probably well over 45 or 50 restaurants
within like a a mile and a half little square block. is we have so many different options,
you know, with with different um ethnicities, different different I mean, you can go, you
know, down a 100 yards and you can you can be an Afghanistan restaurant. You can go you have
so many options. Well, so um West Hartford is kind of attracting people from all over the state.
In fact, all over this this whole region really, aren’t they? You know, people travel on their
bellies and you see it, you know, with with you know, everything that have an opportunity to go
try food and West Harford’s become that staple in Connecticut. So, I’m hungry and I got a whole
day to eat. So, where would you recommend I go? So many places here. Um, but yeah, I think, you
know, one place in particular, you know, Zohara right right down the street here. I talked about a
Mediterranean. You’ve got Chef Dorian and what his Albanian roots, um, bringing it there and having
that open kitchen style, you know, behind me is is a staple in our state. You have Chef Billy Grant
and Brios. Uh, probably some of the best Italian food I think you can have, uh, this side, you
know, over here in the US. And then, you know, another great spot that actually just opened,
Gina Lari has the place to be. It’s a brunch, high-end brunch spot place to be. Well, the place
to be, but also it’s like a Instagrammable social media. You’ve got people wanting to take photos
and big, you know, big drinks, but unbelievable food and what Gina’s doing there is phenomenal.
I think I’m going to go down there now. Thanks for the tips. Really appreciate it. No problem.
Thanks. Thanks so much. Suitably clued up thanks to Scott. I head down to place to be a new twist
on a restaurant experience and one for the social media savvy denizens of Hartford. Owner Gina has
credited an Instagram-driven location with photo ops in every nook and cranny. The place to be is
often rammed with a clientele in their quest for likes and gratification. Though I do hear the food
backs it up. I’ve been in the industry for a very long time and what we really did when my parents
had a restaurant really well was breakfast. Um, so I really wanted to open something in the
area that was breakfast, was comfort food, but also very exciting and would get the
millennials that lived around the area to come down to the south end of Hartford. Um, so I just
started curating a space that I’d want to be in, my friends would want to be in, um, along with the
food, the traditional breakfast items, but making them more exciting. We we make brunch a lifestyle,
which it is. Yeah. I think breakfast is a meal, brunch is a culture. So, we really play into
the culture of brunch and it’s very exciting for anyone who comes through our doors. I meet up
with marketing guru Janette to sample its glitzy selfie worthy menu. And it’s Janette, how are you?
Great to meet you. I really like your town. Thank you. I love it, too. So, we’re in kind of West
Hartford here, right? which is kind of a little bit of a bubble cuz you got Hartsford which is has
a very different vibe and then you come into this West Hartford kind of like bubble enclave. What
is this place? It looks like we’re in I don’t even know. It’s like Disneyland here. Yeah, it is.
It is like Disneyland. We like to play. We like to have fun. And we like to eat. Yeah, for sure. And
I mean there’s so many restaurants in this small block here, right? It’s become this foodie hub
in the state of Connecticut. So people travel all over to come here, right? They come from all
over. Yeah. We have people who even like LA, you know, really? Yeah. Yeah. They hear about
West Harper. Wow. You’ve got like New York, then you got Boston, and Hartford’s kind of in the
middle. We’re in the middle. We’re no longer the drive-thru state. Now you have to get off the
exit. You’ve got to come. You’ve got to eat. Okay. Is a local and an avid foodie. Her current
passion is East Hartford and super excited about it becoming a new foodie hub in recent years.
So now you are the foodie that we want to talk to today because you know all about Instagram.
You’re the Instagram girl when it comes to your page. Yes. Eat in Connecticut. Eat in Connecticut,
which is awesome. You want to come here because this is the most Instagrammable place. It’s
incredible. Gina has created this sanctuary for Instagram fanatics. Yeah. Cuz the moment you
walk in, everything’s just kind of like, “Oh, you want to take pictures?” Right. Um and I’ve noticed
a bath in there as well. We’re going to have to go take a bath. Can we do that? We can totally take
a bath. So, what what what’s that about? It’s just about having fun. It’s about throwing the bubbles
around. It’s about living carefree. You know, you think of a bathtub and you want to relax and kick
your feet up. So, we’re very Instagram focused. Um, every corner of each every location is uh is
a picture moment and that’s that’s always fun, but it also plays into our brand. We have a lot
of fun with our food. I think how we treat our brand is is not like a traditional restaurant
brand. We treat it like a product brand. And um we really have fun with how we build the
food, how we present the food. I really have a passion for helping our restaurants. You come to a
restaurant and you just want to relax and you want to enjoy yourself, but you often forget about
the people that are working behind the scenes and these individuals are creating an experience
for you and that’s what I love to capture. Well, that’s what I feel here especially. Yeah. Why do
people like to go out and eat? think it is the safe conversation that you can have with people
no matter what’s going on in your world, in your life, whatever. You can still break bread with
someone, right? You can have a conversation, you can have a nice drink and everything feels good.
You forget about everything else, right? That’s so true. I mean, you can go for a romantic dinner, so
there’s there’s a love kind of involved. You can go out to dinner and have a hard conversation.
Absolutely. And you can always say, “Here, have my French toast.” Absolutely. This would be
a great place to have a hard conversation cuz it’s so much fun, right? Yeah. You can’t get upset with
anyone here cuz you’re like, “Let’s just go take a bath.” Exactly. Just seeing what’s been coming
out on the on some of the plates. Everything is really colorful. I mean, is that for the Instagram
theme? It is. It’s all about the pops of color, right? You know, Instagram, everyone wants to
have their perfect photo. They want to compare it to what their friends took. They do the fun
videos. So, how do you take a great photograph? Have you got any tips for us on how to take the
best or or best video? Relax. Okay. You have to relax. People think too much about their photos
and they get so nervous. So then they focus in all these outside things. It’s about relaxing and
getting good light. So today we’re going to do our Franklin stuff French show. So it’s a holo French
show. So we make it in house and we stuff it with whatever you’d like. Cream cheese, Nutella. Today
we’re going to do it with Nutella, strawberries, and Fruity Pebbles, which is a really popular
combination. And the Fruity Pebbles give it a really nice crunch. One can’t help feeling there
is an element of all show and no punch here. And I wonder if the food lives up to the visual
aesthetic. Oh my gosh, look at that. That’s just visually stunning. So that’s chicken waffles. And
then we have Franklin French toast. Oh my gosh, that is just incredible. #drool worthy. Great.
Well, look, it looks great. It does. Shall we give it a try? I want to try um the French toast, which
just looks insane. Wow. drool worthy. Just really sweet. And the toast is fantastic, you know.
Really great produce as well. Those strawberries are incredibly sweet. Just amazing. You can see
some like um this is like some candy popped on here. And can I try some? Yeah, go ahead. There’s
no way everything’s drooling. Just stunning. What do you think? The flavor and the fruity pebbles
kick it up a notch. Surprisingly, the food tastes great. Prepare to watch the likes roll in when
you post this stuff on your feed. We are an Instagram brand, so we want to make sure that
everything we send out is picture perfect. Um, and that’s that’s really part of the experience
because we don’t want to catfish our customers, right? We don’t want them to come in for a certain
photo that they saw and when they get the meal, it doesn’t look like the photo. Here we have
the booty call. This is the booty call. And it’s actually a booty. Oh my. It is. It says, “Uh, you
up?” Can you believe that? That’s just so rude. So rude, but it’s okay. All right. Should we try
this? This is so kind of cool. Oh wow, that is so cool. This is amazing place to come and do brunch.
Right. When we launched our bottomless mimosas, we used to ask our customers, did you want to
do a single or do you want to go bottomless? And that became our mantra. And where do you go
bottomless in a tub? So we started playing with the bathtub. We actually had um the bathtubs made
from a barware company out of London that makes uh barware for Bacardi. So, they’re like custom to
us, so you can’t get them. It’s uh our signature drink. [Music] And there’s more. Drink my bath
water. Drink my bath water. That is incredible. And you’re welcome to drink my bath water. Okay.
I love a little ducky in there. And then we have some uh cotton candy on here as well. Uh which is,
you know, just amazing. This is incredible. Well, let’s finish up here and let’s get some shots in
the bath. Absolutely. Let’s go swim around. Let’s do it. Time for me and Janette to get a rinse in
the bath. And of course, our Instagram photo op. [Music] Soon to be lathered and licked up. I
say goodbye to Janette. And get ready to see my friend Catherine, a local foodie, to help me
select some choice dishes from this gastronomical part of the world. Hey, Catherine. Good to
see you. So nice to see you, too. Local here, right? Absolutely. Yep. I’m a Connecticutian, a
nut maker, a daughter of the Constitution State. For real? For real. I was born and raised in
Connecticut. Wow. The perfect person to take me to a Mediterranean restaurant. Yeah. Come on.
It’s Zahara. Let’s go take a look. Let’s do it. Thank you. From Israel to Italy, Zahara covers the
flavors that makes this region so well adored by foodies all over the world. Here, Chef Lewis
takes us on a tasting journey that spans the cuisines of several thousand miles far, far from
here. My name is Louis Fiori. I am the executive chef of Zohara Mediterranean Kitchen. Zohara is a
very health conscious menu. We like to keep things vegetarian and vegan as much as we possibly can.
Most of our dishes are based around North Africa, the Middle East. Uh there’s a few influences uh
from Italy, but also a lot from Israel. Um so we kind of cover every bit of uh the Mediterranean
basically on our menu. A lot of spices, a ton of different spices. You know, we try to appeal to
everybody. This is always a good way to start a good meal with a cocktail, Gary. For people who
like juicing as well as drinking, the 24 karat, which we have right here, is the perfect place
to start. And you know what? It really is carrot juice. And it really is carrot juice. There’s 24
carats that went into that. They use cardamom, vodka, lemon juice, honey, and 24 carrots. I
love it. I know. Me, too. It’s kind of healthy. Yes. Yeah. It checks the box. Absolutely.
And this one here is like kind of spicy, right? Yes. The Zaharita. So, I would say that’s
Zahara’s take on a margarita with a little bit of a kick. I love that. So, there’s actually a real
There’s actually a real pepper in there. There’s some heat. There’s some heat in there, which is
great. Heat. Yeah. Walk in, cocktail in hand. What a great way to start this meal. This is going to
be great. Um, all color coordinated, both orange. Very different drinks though. Love this place.
This is a real throw away from American fair. We We’re traveling to the Mediterranean here, right?
Yes, very much so. Lots of spices, a little bit of a tapas style. You can get big plates,
small plates, plates to share with friends, or you can just hoard it all for yourself, but
you’re not going to go home hungry. Having small plates is great because if you share them, you
can try different things off the menu, right? Absolutely. Enjoy it. Have fun with it. But you’re
never over stuffed. So true. Your your palette can accept each piece. I love that. And this food
also, I mean, I love how the food’s all about produce cuz in in America, we put cheese and bacon
on everything, right? Sometimes. Yeah, it does. Right. Yeah. This is kind of like paired back
and more like village food, right? Yes. And it’s all very produce driven. It is. And I think this
restaurant does a great job paying homage to that. Well, that means it’s kind of organic as well.
So, we got to That’s even healthier, right? Yes, exactly. It’s okay to drink it right now. Totally
okay. Cheers. By Catherine’s recommendation, Chef Lewis and team prepare several of their
star dishes for us. On today’s menu, we try some Mediterranean classics, which Catherine tells
me are popular with the locals here at Hartford. Mark Twain is from Hartford, Connecticut. He is
not. He is too. Yes. And when he built his house, he said that Hartford was just as beautiful as
Paris. And at the time, he was probably one of the most well-known world travelers that we’ve got.
Yeah. Uh so Hartford really had its heyday and there’s no reason why it can’t be a comeback hit.
I mean, and and you can see it and you can feel it when you go to places like this. But now there’s
there’s there’s new um industries emerging here, you know, like food. Absolutely. Food has been a
huge one. And I think the great thing about this area, our community is still small enough where
we know our chefs. They know us. They’re working hand-in-hand partnerships with all of the local
and small businesses. And it’s totally normal for people in our community to walk in and to say
hi to Lou or to say hi to Dorian and to make eye contact and shake hands and have that kind of
relationship that is often missing in like the greater celebrity status. Absolutely. Yeah. I love
it. It’s really really down to earth here. Yes. Today we’ll be making uh the Iraq shrimp dish
which is a spicy Calabrian chili shrimp dish. So basically we start with the caramelizing
shallots, garlic and calabrian chilies with shrimp and then we delaze the pan with an arachor.
It’s simple, spicy, little bit sweet, very simple but delicious. Sounds superb. The smells from the
kitchen have me impatiently waiting for the first dishes to arrive. So this is it. Look at that.
Thank you guys. It’s amazing. Thank you. So we got a beetroot um on hummus here which look which
is so cool. And they change that seasonally. So, whatever’s going on with the farms, Sub Edge
Farm and other local farms, they incorporate that into their hummus. That for me is a sign
of a great chef because he’s using only fresh produce from what he can get locally. And I
love that. Um, it looks like we got lamb there, right? Lamb ribs. I’m seeing some sesame, some
garlic. It looks like we got some hot shrimp there as well. Yeah. And I believe that they’ve put in
some Calabrian chili. So, you’re in for a treat. Where do we start? This is going to be great. I
would suggest this is going to pair really nicely with your Zaharita. Okay. This is kind of hot
as well. All right, let’s get in and try this one. I’m excited to see you try it. It looks so
well cooked. M. Oh, wow. Really great produce. Can you believe it? Right here in Connecticut. We
are known for our seafood in New England. Wow. So very fresh and it’s not too spicy actually. It’s
got a real kind of tang to it. A real bite to it, but also some Cajun kind of flavors going on there
as well. Okay, this is great. Absolutely. Try some lamb. Let’s dig into the lamb. Chef Lewis provides
everything you’d expect from these well-known dishes. Cooked simply but to absolute perfection.
What do you think? It’s so moist and it’s got an excellent juxtaposition between crunchiness on
the outside and the tenderness on the inside. You can’t go wrong with something like this. Love
this. This is a legit Mediterranean fair. It’s so gorgeous. Well, we got plenty to finish up here
and some drinking to do. Thank you so much for showing me this amazing place. It was a pleasure
eating with you. We’ll get to it again soon. Okay. I say my goodbyes to Catherine and Lewis
and head to my final destination here in West Hartford. I’m stopping by to see Billy Grant, the
renowned chef and owner of the restaurant Bricco. Bricco serves up your typical Italian fair, but
with some woodfire and smoky flavors that we all know and love so much. All right, Billy, great to
see you. Bricco is the restaurant. Where where’s the name come from? So Bricco is an Italian word
that means grapes growing on a hillside. Okay. But interesting story with the original designer.
I’m partners with my two brothers and he thought Bricco meant simmering in the pot. Oh. So the
original logo was a pot with three smokes going one way and one smoke going the other way cuz my
other brother’s a pilot. Okay. My god. Bricco. Hence it was Bricco. Well, you know, the name
is actually now more synonymous with amazing uh food and you I mean you had the most amazing
reviews here in the New York Times. I mean we are in the probably one of the most established
restaurants which you see in half here. We’ve been here 25 years. So yeah, Billy’s restaurant
has garnished critical acclaim from some of the top foodie publications in the world, including
the revered and respected critics of the New York Times. Time to find out why. But you do an amazing
salmon dish that I really want to learn how to make because you this is what you’re renowned for,
right? Um what do you call it and and and what is it? So this is roasted salmon on a cedar plank.
Okay. And if I give you a little background story, when I when we took over the restaurant,
it had the two brick ovens and I was like, I didn’t really want to be a pizza restaurant
cuz pizza really wasn’t my thing. And I said, “What is what am I going to do with the second
oven?” You know, I know I can roast fish there. I can roast lasagna. I can roast chicken. And I had
read about the chef in New York that was roasting uh Larry For’s name. So I called him and I said,
“Are you roasting fish on a piece of wood?” And he told you the secret. Yeah, he told me about the
wood. So it’s untreated cedar shim. Okay. That’s what we have here. And then incredible. So, we
came here and and we tried it and it was like a I made a a glaze for the top of it that caramelizes
after the fish has been cooking and it gets smoky and the wood catches a little fire. So, the
food scene here, you probably watched it change, right? You’ve been here 25 years. I mean, what’s
been going on with the food scene? You know, well, when I first opened here, there wasn’t in this
area there wasn’t as many restaurants, you know, and I was, you know, one of the first chef owner
restaurants. And back then, you know, 25 years ago, it was so much more about creativity, okay?
And and and what was exciting and even making vertical food and and over the years for me and
I think the ind what what what people love to eat and so that’s the way we’ve evolved more local
and seasonal food, American Italian food because we’re not in Italy and there’s a difference and we
we roll with the seasons, but we keep it comfort, simple, fresh, delicious is kind of my thing.
So where in Italy is your is your heritage? A heritage goes back to to Naples. So you know how
to make really good tomato sauce, right? Yeah. Yeah. So that’s one of our other big secrets here
is we make it the old way. You know, I grew up with two grandfathers. My great aunt Josie lived
with my grandma and grandfather her whole life and she did all the cooking and she was from Naples
and she made the sauce the old way with the pig’s feet and the pork shanks and and the beef trim and
sausage and meatballs and all. Were you involved in that? Were you used to do that with your
kids? Yeah. So it’s in you. It’s great. That home cooking. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. Great. All right.
Show us how it’s made. Let’s do it. Okay. So, we start with uh this is our Norwegian salmon. We
just season it lightly. Okay. Little bit of pepper and salt. A little bit of salt and pepper. So, you
use one plank per per um Right. That’s expensive. Yeah. If somebody orders it rare, we can use
it twice. Okay. But and so we season it and then it goes into the hot oven. Okay. Great. And
then, you know, it’ll start to roast. Okay. So, how long’s that going for? So, probably about five
or six minutes depending on the oven temperature. Yeah. So, whoever’s on this has got to be right
on because if you and you you can burn that real quick. Right. Right. And you have to manage the
logs. Okay. So, you put an extra log on for a little bit of heat. If it’s too hot, you have to
pull things more to the front. If it cools down because it was busy and you didn’t get a chance
to put a log on, you have to put things closer to the fire. Oh my god. So, it’s a real it’s a
real hot, right? But it’s smoking now and that’s the flavor. So, now we’re ready to glaze. Okay.
Let’s do it. Let’s have a look at that thing. So, so this one’s kind of been a little well done,
right? Which is nice. Well, this one is a little bit more because um it was a little close to the
fire. Okay, great. And I actually like it like that anyway. So, it’s good. And then we put So,
this is a little honey mustard. Smell the wood. You can char the wood just smells fantastic. I
mean, it looks really cool on the wood. Yep. Oh, look at that. Looks fantastic. So, that’s mustard
in there. Two types of mustard, honey. Yep. Uh a little bit of soy sauce, and then some rosemary.
Wow. And it goes back in again. Yeah. Now that that’ll start to caramelize. So it’s it’s See, can
you see it? It’s starting to bubble a little bit. Yeah. Perfect. Billy’s excitement and passion
for his methods are alive and well at Bricco. Perfect. You know, we like to shoot for medium.
You know, we ask the customers like medium medium rare. So we don’t want to dry the fish out too
much. And then we serve it with some green beans and leaks and like a lentil vinaigrette. Okay.
Great. So they’re they’re just heating up just a little bit there. Yeah. Just warm warm them up.
Roast them in the oven. Okay. Yeah. Love it. All righty. We’re going to take some of our beans.
So, what do we got here? Beans and Yeah, roasted green beans with some leaks. Oh, great. Awesome.
And then here we have a little bit of a lentil vinaigrette. Okay. You know, black lentils with
a little mirror. Perfect for fish, right? Yeah. Perfect for fish. A little bit of broth. Yep. Like
so. So, how long has this been on the menu? Does this with this this meal for us? This dish has
been on the menu since day one. This dish is 23 years. This was really time. Like I mean, this was
really done. That is so cool. And the fish like so. Wow. Yep. This is And you’re the architect of
this, right? You designed it all. And then we just some plateful garnish sometimes, you know. Yeah.
Lovely. Just a bit of radish. Whatever’s fresh, right? Little bit of radish, little bit of greens.
Yeah. Look at that. That is so good. I mean, that is just amazing. Look at that. A little
bit of olive oil around the lentils. Of course, we’re we’re in uh we’re Italian here. Yeah. Made
in Italy, of course. That is an amazing dish. Just looks really colorful. Great for Instagram as
well, right? Flavorful. It’s good. You smell it, right? Oh my god. Oh my god. Just smells so
beautiful. And again, hardy food. Great for winter, right? Yeah. Yeah. Love it. Let’s try it.
Let’s get a bit of that down there. Oh my god. Absolutely love the mustard. The mustard
on the outside, caramelized, really sweet, cooked to nice with the fattiness of the fish
and you pick up a little of the smoke and some of the wood flavor. Really amazing. In fact,
the the whole wood flavor is through the whole thing. It’s just so good. Oh my god. I’m going to
finish this off. You’ve been amazing. Appreciate it. Thanks for coming. Appreciate it, Billy. This
is great. Thank you. Awesome. I think it might be time to start building my own woodfire oven.
That salmon was nothing short of impeccable. I can see why Billy still rakes in the rave reviews
from critics and customers alike. And with that, my time in Hartford has come to a close. What
an outstanding foodie enclave right here in West Hartford. A truly remarkable spot on the east
coast. I’m already planning my next visit. Join us next time as we continue our tasting journey
through the United States of America. [Music] Fiercely independent yet globally inspired, there
are few states more proud than Texas. Deep in the heart of this great land, we discover a town with
a rich history and unique cuisine. Locals call it TMEX. And where better to try it than where
it all started? Right here in San Antonio. [Music] [Music] Our journey begins in a
Mexican tortilla factory. There are no preservatives in this. You can’t buy this
a week later. You You use it today, tomorrow, and you’re done. A first generation Italian
teaches us his famous text creation. Yeah. I learned how to cook when I was about
12 years old. We catch a glimpse of San Antonio luxury at the Emma Hotel. Oh wow.
This is just insane. Welcome to the lobby. Chef Rico crams us into a converted train
carriage. This is an old refrigerator car from the 30s. It was decommissioned and then
later purchased and put here and set up as uh as retail. And Chef Elizabeth introduces
us to her all natural Texan cuisine. [Music] San Antonio is home of TexMEX, but
discovering these dishes proved a little more difficult than I imagined. Each chef I spoke to
had their own take on the cuisine. But with a history so vast and complicated, I guess that
makes sense. When the Spanish settled missions here in the 1700s, San Antonio would never be
the same. They introduced religion and culture, cattle and cuisine. Texas would later fall under
Mexican rule. All these global influences created a lifestyle in San Antonio that’s uniquely
Texan. More than just a list of ingredients, this amalgam of cultures is probably what’s
most apparent in Texan cuisine today. Not quite Mexican, not quite Texan.
San Antonio is the home of TexMex. To really understand TexMex, you’ve got to start
over the border. Here at Sanitary Tortillas, this is Mexico. And the owner will even tell you
when you walk through the door, you’re in Mexico. And the process is pure Mexico. It’s thousands of
years old. The actual old school process of making tortillas. This is Mexican. Totally. Totally. It’s
something like is real. It’s not in the 70s when the 80s someone developed around the corn flour.
This is not corn flour. This is real corn. [Music] The foundation of most Mexican dishes
is the tortilla. And to get it right, it takes quite a long time. So, it starts with
corn. Now, this is dried corn from about a 50 mi radius from here. So, it’s locally locally
uh produced and then dried. And then the dried corn gets put in these big bins, right? And it’s
cooked over a flame overnight very slowly with a calcium carbonate. If you wanted to make
the good tortillas, the right tortillas, the right corn tortillas, you have to make 24
hours before. And then it comes over here and and that’s hot, right? It’s warm. Yeah. Okay.
Yeah. And it’s ground there. And the grind is determined by what the end product is going to
be. It’s a looser grind for corn chips because the oil has to come through the chips. It’s
a tighter one for tortillas. [Music] Yeah, there’s a machine over there that um that is
that the old machine that that machine began in uh 1925 and that’s why sanitary tortillas is
called sanitary tortillas. That machine the old machine they come from 1925. They are from Mexico.
The flame warm up stainless steel pipes and they are in to directly with the dog. That’s why the
smoky flavor is is is a is a is amazing. They they they have a a smoky flavor. And what makes this
particular set of tortillas so delicious is that they’re flame kissed. So the flame actually
imparts a really nice nuttiness. Okay. Um and you’ll when you taste it, you’re going to
say, “Oh my god, it tastes like corn.” Yeah. So you have the ones on the new machine, and
these are the ones from the old machine. I already know I’m going to like the old
one. H. You know, just flip it up and you’ll get a nice hot one from the middle.
Okay, try that. Try the new one first. Oh, wow. It smells like corn. In fact,
it tastes like corn. It’s amazing, isn’t it? And now try this one. And then I’ll
then we’ll juzj it up a little with extras. Okay. There’s a flamier there’s a nuttier a
um Yeah, a more campfire taste. Well, this one was kind of kissed by the flame.
And that one was was a salted. Yes, indeed. Absolutely. A lot more flame on that one.
So, what a local might do is do just salt. Yep. Or salt and a little hot sauce. I’m so glad
we’re using the old one because I do prefer that one. Then just don’t let that slip and
take a nice big bite. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. So that’s going to get you through a work morning.
Oh my gosh, that is hot. Oh, I’m sorry. You know what? I feel I’m feeling Mexican already. Tasting
where it all started here at Sanitary Tortillas. San Antonio is the birthplace of TexMex. And you
may be surprised, but nobody does it better than this first generation Italian. Now, this
is the thing about your last name. I mean, you are Italian. Yes. But you’re making amazing
Mexican food, correct? How did that happen? My grandfather came over from Italy and settled in
Mexico first in Vida Cruz. And legend has it he rode horseback all the way up here and met his
wife and then moved to San Antonio. So that’s how all these recipes came here to the United
States. So this is Texmex what we’re having here, right? Mhm. What makes a TexMex? That’s up for
question because I don’t know that I’ve ever seen guacamole cups in Mexico. And there are only two
places uh here in San Antonio that make guacamole cups or bean cups. One of them is Steve’s family’s
former restaurant, Tech Molino, and then of course uh the Taco Hut, and now Lala’s. Steve’s family
have been cooking for generations. It’s this journey from all over the world that makes LA
better than the rest. So you grew up doing this, right? Yes. So this is your this is this My dad
actually opened the taco the year I was born. Wow. Yeah. 1958. Wow. So I grew up on this food
and you know we had a third generation clientele coming in those doors and that’s what’s so
special about this place is we’re back on the south side of San Antonio and those people
are rediscovering this food. Um so it’s very gratifying and heartwarming. Doing the tortillas
coming out of the thing that was really hard work. You had to get that right. I think I I made some
mistakes at the beginning, but we got there and these these are the cups that I made. But I’m
gonna give you a break and say it’s cloudy and it’s too humid for good tortillas today. Let’s do
that. Okay, how about that? Okay, I’ll tell you to form these cups. It’s kind of origami-ish in
nature. We’re going to do a little pinch four times. Okay. So So what goes in the cups? Uh, we
put refried beans with cheddar cheese on top and our guacamole cups have a little bit of lettuce
in the bottom, fresh avocados and a tomato on top. Texmex generally when you think of TexMex,
you think of meat. Yeah. And because in Mexico they’re not putting meat in their salsas and I
mean in their sauces. Here with the with the Texas meat. Americans have to have meat. Well, and it
was the culture of the cattle drives. Of course. Yeah. And that’s what that’s what made Texas.
Yeah. The cattle and the goats and the Well, of course, Tex is all around the world now. I
mean, it’s it own cuisine, which is an amazing mixture. Why is this called TexMex? Why wouldn’t
this just be called um That’s a good question. I don’t really know an answer to that. You
know, San Antonio is famous for TMEX food, and I think this is the home of Texmex food,
honestly, in my opinion. But it’s not just Steve. People travel from all over San Antonio looking to
have a bite in the city where Texmex was born. Now I my opinion is to eat this and if you don’t get
your nose dirty, you’re not eating it right. Okay, let’s get some I pick it up. Let’s get dirty.
And I’m sure that people would tell me I’m wrong. Oh, yum. That’s good. I’m really proud of myself there. You did a good job. What do you
think? Nice. How’s my nose? I got It’s got that dirty bit. A little messy and
a lot of fun. LA does Tex just right. The Pearl District in San Antonio is a really
cool part of town. New businesses are popping up in old buildings, giving the city a fresh new
look. I stopped by Hotel Emma for a quick bite. It’s a beautiful building that used to be an
old brewery. Much of the old equipment has been maintained, giving the place a fashionable
rustic look. Our bar is called Stanworth. Um, and actually, quick story about that, it comes from a
tradition that they used to do here at Pearl, uh, which was the Stanworth privilege. Uh, and that
basically is that if you work at a brewery, you can drink off the line a beer. You cannot as long
as you don’t get drunk. That’s the one rule. Well, you you if you drink off the line, you’re going
to get drunk. Well, eventually, but you know, they they didn’t catch on at that mine. So, yeah. So,
we repurposed the name into that. Unfortunately, it’s no longer alive for us. We can’t drink on the
job, but back then they did. I love that idea. I mean, it’s um actually I don’t love that idea
at all. It’s a very bad idea. It’s a very bad idea with machines, machinery, everything
like times have changed. Thank Thank God. There’s something about the architecture,
isn’t it? That that lends itself to be to create something as beautiful as this. I was
going to say that. Yeah. The interesting thing about the rooms like this one specifically is
that we had to work with the building. This was the brew house originally. Okay. Uh so every
room here is a little bit different because of the original building. Okay. Which is which
is great. I love the beams. Love the interior design which is kind of like a a warehouse
chic kind of wealthy. Yes. Yes. Definitely. Yeah. It’s just stunning. We like to we like to
say that is if you’re visiting a well-appointed friend’s house or well-appointed uncle or aunt.
Love that. So if I was staying here, um can I um have my meal? Absolutely. Part of what I do in
in my role of culinary here or just curate that for you. So I love that idea. We usually reach
out before you arrive. We’ll have a conversation. We’ll get to know each other a little bit so that
then we can curate something that you’re going to be surprised. And so then you can look after
vegan, you can look after if I love Italian food, you can make some I love this already. [Music]
Just like the interior, the food here is bespoke as well. This is a very interesting dish called
molletes actually. Um and molletes actually came as an inspiration from our last uh this earlier
this year. The executive at the hotel went to Mexico to get inspired um in every possible way,
right? And one of the inspirations was this dish. So this is a real Mexican dish. This is a real
Mexican dish. It’s a white bean. I mean a a real giveaway are two things on this dish. One is the
avocado and the other one is the jalapenos. Yes, absolutely. We love spicy here. This is great.
And then you have the scotch egg. Yeah. Cornbread, scotch egg, a little creme fresh, and of course
a little arugula on the side. Everything here is very different from LA’s, but still each meal
takes advantage of local resources. What you end up with are beautiful dishes with a strong
Mexican influence. Amazing. The jalapenos aren’t too strong and aren’t too powerful. Thank god.
Yeah, that’s just stunning. It’s a nice balance, right? And the white bean also balances the dish
quite a bit and it gives it that roundness. Can I try a little bit of yours? Absolutely. This
is the egg. What is What’s this covered in? So, this is a scotch egg. Um the the you know,
it’s a typical scotch egg. However, we do our own mix before we fry it. So, it’s like it has a
little bit of jalapenos. It has a little bit of um some of the local spices. Like, chef is
really good about sourcing everything locally. So, of course, it’s going to affect the
different dishes in a different way. Just amazing. How’s that? This is amazing.
Hotel Emma has repurposed its old brewery and given it new life. The resurgence is happening all
throughout the Pearl District. [Music] Just around the corner, we meet Chef Rico. He’s turned an old
box car into San Antonio’s coolest new restaurant. It’s not exactly Texmex, but it’s definitely
Texan. So, there’s no Tex going on here. No, no, not really. Not at But I mean there, you know,
there there’s the abbreviated TMX and then there’s Texas Mexican where there when there wasn’t a
border and it was just the land what the land offered and there’s the similarities there. But
the text that that we’re familiar with with the guacamolito and crazy amounts of yellow cheese,
that’s the stuff that we’re trying to stay away from. Okay. So, what two dishes am I going to
try today? So, we’re going to try the lobster mollete. Okay. With cotija cheese on top. And then
we’re going to uh have the the prawn uh aquachile. I wasn’t expecting an elaborate menu in such
small quarters, but it seems like Rico’s whole philosophy is doing a lot with just a little. So,
what’s the story behind this dish? So, with this new menu, we’re going with a more contemporary
take on Mexican food. Uh progressive has always been part of what we do here, but we really wanted
to draw our inspiration from art with this one. And that has a lot to do with what’s going on
in the plating as well. Okay. And uh being more of a spring menu as we’re moving into the well
Texas spring. Wanted to do something a little fresher. So we have this beautiful aguachili made
with guayabas. A little bit of vanilla, citrus, a little bit of chili to add that that perfect heat
to it. Uh here we have some prawns that have been cooked sous vide, poached sous vide with a little
bit of citrus and butter. Uh clementines that have been charred up. That that extra chars that
level just this level of bitterness that really enhances balances off the sweetness. Uh-huh.
And then this uh beautiful ribbon right here is actually pickled daikon radish that we pickled
that with a little bit of white wine vinegar and lime. Looks great. Uhuh. Lemon bomb. Well, let
me just try a little bit together here. So, I’m going to do the um I’m going to put the the shrimp
with the orange and a little bit of that sauce. Wow. And so, the charge is really adding
that extra level. It’s a zing. It’s a It’s singing in my mouth. Yeah. And saying
you’re welcome. And because it’s healthy, there’s something there’s a singing with a healthy
dish that just makes your makes eating just such a pleasure. Exactly. Exactly. The entire experience
here is delightful. Rico’s personal touch is found everywhere you look. I love the concept. I mean,
this is all happening in We’ve got to say it’s in a train carriage. That’s right. And it’s very
small in Yeah. This is an old refrigerator car from the 30s. It was decommissioned and then
later purchased and put here and set up as uh as retail. I love this. Yeah. So, um really
I can only see 10 people at a time. 12. So, so 12 people at a time. 12 people. And
they’re all watching you cook just about. Yeah. Uh it’s it’s a staff of five. So,
we’re all cooking. We’re all serving. We’re all cleaning. We’re all presenting
dishes. There’s no menus on the table. It’s a story after story and explanation and just
really engaging the table course by course. This is going to be more of a uh more of a
centralized type of dish that you find in Mexico City, but we’ve kind of drawn inspiration
from the coastlines as well. Okay. So, we start off with a uh a beautiful multi sea
bread on the bottom, lightly buttered and and crusted and charred uh toasted, I’m sorry. And
then, uh poached lobster. Yep. An avocado that we call tatamate. Basically, what we’re doing here
is we charred chilies, a little bit of onion, and mix that into the avocado to make the avocado
mousse. Love that. Right. And then you have your aged Cotija cheese on top. Now that is a cheese
that is actually inspired by Italian immigrants and their method of making parmesano reggiano. And
so this is an aged white cheese and it’s granular, you know, it has a little little funk to
it. Has a real parmesan um smell to it, too. And then finish it off with a little
bit of uh trrow. I love this. All right, let’s give this a try, shall we?
Yeah. Straight in. There you go. Right. So the acidity in the in the avocado and
then the that aged flavor out of the cheese. The bread is crunchy on the outside but it’s
a little chew on the inside. Love the seeds. Beautiful to the fresh seeds. Yeah. And you
know sesame seeds, chia seeds. This is very ancient Mexico. Uh pumpkin seeds. That’s that’s
very ancient Mexico. Love this. Ancient recipes with a modern twist. This hot new restaurant
is something to be shared with friends. This is an experience. So people who come here,
not only do you get to meet other people, I guess because I mean if the 12 people aren’t
they’re not all friends, right? Not always. Wow. So you kind of but they will be at the end.
You know, you get these uh oh this trade emails, let’s do this party again and you know it happens
that way. But then you do have people that buy the whole table and it’s their party as well.
I really like the idea of not knowing anybody coming in here. It’s a very intimate setting.
The stories are just absolutely stunning and each meal kind of matches the story. Mhm. Which is
almost like theater. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, really, it’s more of an explanation or a little tale about
history or where the dish came from, but it feels like a story. It feels like you’re theater and
you’re watching something happen and unravel before your eyes and what’s the next surprise and
this, you know, every dish is better than the last dish kind of thing. And I don’t know which one
was my favorite. Like, it just it’s such a fun um fun dinner experience. An unforgettable
experience here in the heart of San Antonio. At Pharm Table, Chef Elizabeth has created a
delicious, healthy food haven. She’s crafted a menu designed to heal with nutrition. At the time
working for the Culinary Institute of America, and I was constantly saying the word culinary, and
I was wearing using the phrase culinary medicine. Yeah. And I was looking for a synonym to culinary
medicine that was a very simple two-word phrase that was a double entendre. So here you go Pharm
table. I love you because you love food first, but you love people. Yes. And you can tell
that when you work walk into this place, everyone’s so happy and Yeah.
That that smile thing going on. Well, I’ve been trying to heal people with
food for 5 years. about two years ago, uh I joined the city in an effort to try
to uh get a city of gastronomy designation under UNESCO and uh it fits really well with
everything that I do here at Pharm Table cuz we’re about healing our community and that’s
the planet and people. Basically everything here is vegan and um and vegetarian, but you do
have meat options for those as well. We do. So, I like to say 97% of the menu is going to be
plant-based. And then we have beef, chicken, and pork that people can add to anything on
the menu because we’re in San Antonio, Texas, and people like their and people like their
meat. You Texas, which is just, you know, that is everyone loves their meat here. Well, I
mean, our city was built on the cattle drives. It was. Yes, it was. That’s how San Antonio came to
be. Pharm Table remains a deeply Texan restaurant, all while approaching food from an organic
perspective. You’re kind of honoring Mexican food and bringing it into the 21st century,
right? Well, I would say I’m honoring it and I’m interpreting it with local ingredients.
Mexican food is so profound. It will always inspire me. But we’re not in Mexico. We’re in San
Antonio. And so I take the inspiration from Mexico and Mexican cuisine and I use that as a lens
for everything that we do here at Pharm Table. [Music] You’ve taken the Mexican culture and and
and cuisine and transformed it into a modern way that is more beneficial for people to eat it
and also better for the environment. It is. Um, this is still text, right? We actually call
this text next. Wow, I like that. Text next. A fresh take on classic recipes. Should we
try it? Yes, let’s do it. Oh, yeah. Look at that. Do you know what? just looks beautiful.
Even if it doesn’t taste good, it just looks amazing. But let me just taste that. How could
it not taste good? How could it not taste good, Elizabeth? That’s really meaty. It is really
meaty and just stunning. Love what’s going on there with the crispiness of the garnishes
on top. Just a stunning, stunning meal. So, if Pharm Table was in Italy, for instance,
it would be totally different. So, you’d be able to do the same kind of thing. Absolutely.
Absolutely. Okay. When I was in China, same thing. But you know what’s funny? I was in China
in January and when I went to the farmers market, all the vegetables were the same as San Antonio
because we have because in Macau they have the same uh the same uh environment. So this this can
be applied to every culture. It can be applied to every culture and it should be because I
really believe that you have to acculturate the food to the place. Yeah. And so here in
San Antonio, Pharm Table has more Mexican or Mexican American inspired things on the menu
because that’s our demographic. There we go. So we have our black bean puree. We have our
beet noodles. We have our our our squash. Yep. Uh escareche. Now we have the carrot ribbons.
And we are going to finish this off with a little bit of avocado, purple daikon radishes, and then
this is that fabulous salsa that I love so much, which is the uh which is the coconut uh cilantro
chutney. I I just feel like you’re you’re a kid in in like Disneyland. Well, I like color
and you love color. You love food. Um you love caring for your body and and others.
I mean, this is just a great experience for me. I feel I feel inspired to take more care
of myself. Well, if you want to keep making all these fabulous TV shows, you might
have to do that. Exactly. Right. Right. Here we are. Let’s try this. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome. This is just great. We’re going to be able to try this base as well. Look
at that. Just looks absolutely beautiful. Absolutely so many flavors. The fennel. I can
taste the fennel. And there’s also a little bit of smoked Spanish paprika in there to make it
smoky. Just stunning. While the style may change, chefs throughout San Antonio are remaining true
to their Texan roots. Thanks for coming on the tour with us. Join us next time as we continue
our tasting journey throughout America. [Music] Rhode Island. This place is a hidden gem that’s
just north of busy New York. It boasts pretty open green spaces, stunning architecture, and locally
sourced gastronomic delights. The beautiful, inviting neighborhoods are laden with historic
mansions, and the town itself is rich in culture and community spirit. This episode, we explore
several iterations of a local success story, the restaurants and services of Stoneacre as it
breathes new life into this already exclusive food scene. I’m a complete sucker for the
clean, crisp, considered New England lifestyle, and Newport is sure to impress.
Welcome to Newport, Rhode Island. [Music] In this episode, we hit the local park for an
extravagant affair with Stoneacres’s co-owner, Chris. We head to their sister restaurant,
Stoneacre Garden, for some fun favorites, where I sit down with local food writer Andrea.
Then I cross town down to the team’s newest incarnation, the Stoneacre Brasserie, a typically
French affair with stunning plates and industrial decor. And if that’s not enough, I learned how
to cook pizza Newport style with Chef Mariana at the local Italian staple, Vino. Newport really
is an aesthetic dream. Knitting together the grand properties is a plethora of open parks
and recreational spaces. I arranged to meet Stoneacres coowner Chris at the park. I believe
he has something special in store for my arrival. Ah, here he is. Hey. Hey. He must be Chris.
That’s me. Does everyone ride a bike around here like that? They should. It’s the only
way to beat traffic. Good to meet you. I’m Gary. Just turn. Yeah. Good to meet you. So,
here we are. Rhode Island. We’re in Newport. It looks so pretty. Oh, it’s gorgeous.
Every time you come over the bridge, I mean, it’s a a breath of fresh air. How
long has Newport been here for? I mean, we’re coming up on the 400th anniversary pretty
soon. Wow. I’m getting ready to play in Laquan Centennial Parties, personally. For real? Yeah.
Practicing. You got like 20 years to get ready, but uh there’s nothing better than that. I
love it. Well, I mean, I love what I see so far. Haven’t tried the food yet, but I know you’re
going to probably recommend some places. I mean, you can’t go wrong with pretty much anything
in town. Some of the best chefs around. Well, that’s going to be great. We’re going to do
something really special today. You’re going to kind of take me on a picnic. We’ve got one
set up right over here for you. Let’s do it. Oh, Chris, this is insane. Are you serious? Make
yourself at home. This is great. You do this for people. Anybody, anywhere you want. Wow. So, we
sit down. Yeah. Okay. This is great. Oh my god. God, there’s a whole spread here, too. This is
just insane. It’s quite a spread, isn’t it? So, who would kind of do this um on any given day?
Well, either myself or or one of our other uh picnic guru ladies, uh they arrive about an hour
beforehand and kind of um perfect everything, do all the finishing touches, and once the guest
arrives, we take a few Instagram photos for them, and then uh we take off and and they just do
they stay here on their own. Yeah. about 20 minutes before they want to leave, we they send a
small little text and we come right back and tidy everything up. Who is usually your patrons? Like
I mean uh who a full spread? I mean anyone from uh somebody getting engaged or what anniversaries?
Well, would you look at this? Between Chris and his compatriots, they are turning their hand
to providing locals and tourists alike with a very Instagrammable picnic experience all
over Newport. Chris and his team will deliver a bougie brunch experience with some rather
comfy down pillows. So, you’re a Newport guy. What do you guys do here for fun? Um, if you
live here, I mean, it’s pretty much like an adult playground. There’s everything from, you
know, getting out on the water and sailing to, uh, recently these past couple years, we’ve really
gotten into croquet. And that’s so posh. I mean, it it sounds that way, but it’s, you know,
it goes downhill fast, but it’s a it’s a it’s a it’s a great afternoon activity. It’s
um after a couple couple glasses of champagne, you just get a little bit better. I love that.
Yeah. Well, in your own mind, right? All right. So, what are we eating here? What have we got
here? What do you got here for me, Chris? Well, this one’s more of a probably our most popular
one. It’s the the Parisian lunch. It’s little little ham and grier sandwich on baguettes. We
have our little ratatouille tartine. And one of our one of our staples of the restaurant. It’s
a kale salad with a miso Caesar. This is this is from the the Stoneacre, which is your restaurant.
Yes. Okay. Yeah, that’s a great way for us to kind of get out and about without uh opening another
restaurant or taking on another lease or anything like that. There is everything you could want
here and more. It’s time to pop the champagne. Who said it was too early to celebrate my
arrival? We got some uh champagne here, right? Should we Do you mind if I pop it? Please.
Yeah, please do. This is a great start to Newport, Rhode Island. I think I’m going to like this
place. I think it’ll fit in quite well. There we go. And now it’s a party. This looks fantastic and
goes well with the French. Nice little cremant. Yeah. Well, cheers. Glad the family made it. And
what a great way to start the episode. Cheers. If this is a welcome party, I can’t wait to
see what else is in store for me in beautiful Newport. [Music] With a spring in my step,
I leave Chris to polish off the bottle of champagne and I head to my next date. I’m quite
taken with this place already. I drop into local food writer Andrea at Stoneacre Garden for all the
gossip on what’s hot in the food scene here. So, I’m catching up with Andrea McHugh today.
She’s the food editor at Newport Life magazine, and she’s brought me here to one of
her favorite places. It’s got such great character. I love that kind of Hampton’s
kind of feel it’s got here. I’m really keen to try the food. Stone Garden started about
a year ago. We realized the need for more outdoor space and more creative energy in
Newport. Um we’re able to get top quality ingredients and then we’ve decided with this
property to put an Asian twist on everything. And it’s Andrea. Hello. Nice to meet you. Great to
see you. I know, right? Welcome to Newport. Thank you so much. I’ve been to some towns around the
United States, but I haven’t seen one as pretty. Oh, I fell in love with it myself. I’m not a
native. Um, I came to visit around 19 years ago and never left. But the coastal charm of
this place, um, it’s sophisticated, it’s chill, it’s everything. It has a little vibe everywhere.
What are the people like here? What are the locals like? Cuz you’ve got really wealthy people here.
It’s the entire spectrum. And one of the things I love about here is that everyone does the same
things, same places. You might be at a dive bar with a millionaire sitting next to you on the bar
stool or you can really just have an adventure every day. How is the food scene going here? It’s
kind of it’s changing, right? It is. You know, Newport has four centuries of food and history
and culture and hospitality. So, it’s literally woven into the fabric of the city itself. We
have traditional New England fair. Uh we of course take advantage of the sea right here. We
have more than a thousand farms from where we’re sitting right now. Really? And we’re getting an
amazing, beautiful fusion of international talent, chefs and restaurant tours that are really
elevating the culinary scene here in town. You, this is what you you’re you’re thinking food all
the time. I’m thinking food all the time. Yeah, I do. So, I’ve got the Stoneacre Garden, which
is kind of a cool kind of very cool viby kind of place. What are we going to be eating here?
We’re going to have their Poké Bowl and there are Ahi tuna tacos. Sounds good. Obviously having a
restaurant right by the water, you do want to try some seafood. And obviously the best way to have
seafood is when it’s absolutely raw and fresh. So I’m really keen to try what their kitchen is
presenting today. First we have great ahi tuna. It’s marinated in hoyson sauce and then we lay it
over some rice and a green bed of salad. So you have edamame, fresh carrots and some red cabbage.
Because of the ingredients that we’re using, we really want the freshness and the brightness to
come out layered with the quality of the seafood and then just the accents of Asian ingredients.
Sounds right up my alley. I can’t wait to try. All righty. This looks good. Thank you, sir.
This looks great. Okay, so we got a poke bowl, which is kind of like a really traditional kind of
pokey, which is kind of cool. Ai um tacos, which are kind of cool. These are a These are crispy.
Yes, it’s almost like a wonton wrap. Right, let’s give it a bit of a try here. So you get some
of that sauce with um on top of the rice there. And um look at that. A here that looks really
fresh. So amazing. I mean we have a huge fishing fleet here in Newport and throughout Rhode Island.
So we have a state pier and it’s not uncommon to be eating at dinner time what was caught that day.
That’s great. That’s right. Oh wow. It’s kind of like a really roasted kind of sesame flavor going
through all that. I really love the sauce they got of the rice there. Great. M. All right.
Let’s check out the um Look at that. They got some amazing sauce, which I’m not sure what that
is, which just looks great. Sesame seed as well, and fresh ai. Let’s Let’s get dive right in.
Let’s do it. M. Wow. A lot of things coming together. Sesame seed, which kind of give it
a little bit more crunch as well. And again, great produce. This is so cool. Oh, yeah. I like
that. Love that. It’s good, right? Yeah. We have got a lot of food here to eat. You’ve been
amazing. Thank you so much for giving me the the lowdown. Cheers. Cheers. Thanks to Andrea,
I feel educated on the scene here in Newport. [Music] I head over to Stoneacre Gardens younger yet bigger brother for Newport’s
take on French cuisine. [Music] So this is Stoneacre Brasserie. We um took over
this space in 2017 and completely redesigned it here in the heart of downtown Newport.
And we really pride ourselves on sort of a farm-to-table experience and our relationships
with local farmers and fishermen. They really come in and enjoy a local farm fresh experience
inspired by French braserie style of dining. So, I’m heading into Stoneacre Brasserie, which is
kind of like where France kind of meets uh Rhode Island, Newport, which is kind of cool. And I’m
going to try some of their exquisite food. Hey, David. How you doing? Thanks. I’m great. Good to
see you. Welcome. Good to see you. You’re you’re Mr. Restaurant um guy around here in Rhode
Island. Yeah. You know, we we’ve had our our share of restaurants here. How many have you got
now? We’ve have two currently had a small little restaurant, Stoneacre Pantry, which is the the
foundation of all of the Stoneacre restaurants. We switched that to Stoneacre Topus while
we were building Stoneacre Brasserie. So, I guess that counts as two restaurants there.
Opened Stoneacre Broserie and then last year in the midst of a worldwide pandemic opened Stoneacre
Garden. So, okay. Yeah. Well, as you do, you know, I think not a lot of people had that opportunity.
So, we kind of we kind of jumped on it. It was, you know, a silver lining. You know, co
was a crazy crazy time. Um, and it’s a, it was an opportunity that we couldn’t say no to.
Together with my picnic pel, Chris, David is the co-owner of Stoneacre and all the many successful
offshoots. Stoneacre, what does it mean? Stoneacre is a property on Belleview Avenue, Newport.
Um, it was owned and called Stoneacre about 100 years ago. There’s a big beautiful mansion
on the property that has since burned down. Then the property was landscaped by Frederick Law
Olmstead. Okay. Um Olmstead played a big part in naming the restaurant Stoneacre because one of his
philosophies in his landscaping uh was take what the earth gives you. Uh so I thought that was sort
of fantastic a good energy to base a restaurant on. Um so Stoneacre was Stoneacre was it. We’ve
been hanging our hat on that since. He was the guy who designed um he designed some other gardens,
right? Yeah, he did he did a world’s fair. He did um you know Central Park. He did Central Park.
did Central Park among many many other great uh public parks and many landscapes here uh
in New York when the mansions were, you know, a thing. You would get the greatest architect in
the country to come and design. Absolutely. The mansions here are pretty spectacular. I mean, my
goodness. Yeah. It’s uh even as a even as a local, one of my favorite things to do is, you know,
put in the headphones, do the mansion tour, uh get a little brief of history and see how
see how the the better half lived. So, I mean, what’s the story with um with Rhode Island? I
mean, obviously this was founded by really rich people, right? Yes and no. I think it was
an industrial town and it’s always had a, you know, it’s always had the vibe of
being a very wealthy, opulent town. Um, but there’s a very very good majority of the
folks here who are working class, uh, the the fishermen and fisher women. Uh, you know, the
farmers and hospitality because with all of the, um, you know, all of the wealthy coming in
town, you have to be hospitable. Absolutely. Right. They need to have some good. That princess
is so acre. Yeah. Exactly. Right. So, With a huge bar and a nautically influenced decor, the space
is inviting to say the least. Just love the look of it. And what do you call this kind of look
that you that you’ve gone? I’ve got an art deco nautical industrial is kind of what, you know, we
we were targeting. So, we wanted some industrial, some nautical vibes to it as well. Love the
front with the amazing chandelier which gives it that kind of French kind of connotation.
And I can see on the on the artwork, too, it’s there’s the nautical kind of look. Yeah, it’s
got a big copper bar, 36 seats around the bar. So, it’s a it’s a gathering place. We’re open. We’re
open a lot. We have a lot of different options for food. You can really blow it out or you can really
simply have some cheese and a glass of wine. What are we eating today? So, today we have uh a barley
style risotto where we would use the grain, cook it risotto style, sweet pea, sweet pea puree and
butterc lobster knuckle. Delicious. So, summery, refreshing, but also savory. How do you go about
um designing a u food program here? You don’t want it to be too French because you want it to
appeal to Americans, too. So, I mean, how do you how do you make that happen? The the world famous
cheeseburger um which is probably one of our most popular dishes was like the uh the cheeseburger
have appealed to a larger audience as we’ve had a larger restaurant and I think they’ve been
great successes. Yeah. Great. Amazing. I mean, just it’s just take my hat off to you. You just
started with something very small and growing into this restaurant empire here in Newport. Thank you.
It’s I mean it’s at this point I have very little to do that I pushed the I pushed the ball up the
hill to a certain point and then somehow acquired a very strong team around us that continue to
push it along. So it’s it’s less about me. It’s more about the team. Hospitality is not about one
person. It’s about our whole team. So it [Music] looks like the food’s coming out. Look at that.
Oh, thank you sir. That looks fantastic. David, this is amazing. Look at the colors in that. Do
you know what is incredible about what’s going on in food right now for those who are doing it right
is it has to be Instagrammable, right? It is. It is absolutely that’s the thing now is making
Instagrammable. So, this is one of my favorite seasons for colors and textures. Love it. I mean,
this would just come up so well on the gram. Oh my god, the food is so colorful and uh it
is so perfect visually when you look at it. Um which is kind of what you want because you
want it to look good before you eat it, right? Let’s give it a try, shall we? What should I try
first? Oo, I would dig into some of that risotto. It’s one of my favorite dishes right here. And
that’s got lobster, right? Yep. Lobster knuckles, butter poach, sweet peas, and sweet pea puree.
Okay, it looks great. So, let me try some of this risotto real quick. Get some of that lobster on
there. So good. M absolutely cooked to perfection. Tastes really fresh. Just so cool. My favorite
summertime dish on the menu. Absolutely love that. Yeah. Okay, let’s try some of this. We got
a beet with the um with pesto as well. Look at that. Just looks fantastic. Great summer dish.
Really fresh. Really, really wonderful flavors coming from so many different um areas in that
dish. It’s very earthy, chilled, and also I think uh very flavorful on a hot summer’s night.
Absolutely perfect. Great. Yeah. Thank you. Will you join me with for some food right
now? I would love to. Let’s do it. Yeah. Thank you. [Music] Well, I’ve said goodbye to David and
Christine and now it’s on for my final stop. If you ever find yourself in Newport, be sure to
check out one of their several establishments. [Music] I hitch a ride to the local
Italian where I samples some familiar classics done slightly differently.
I meet executive chef Mariana at her kitchen at Barcino. She’s going to teach me
how to bake a pizza Newport style. [Music] Hello Mariana. Nice to meet you. Nice
to meet you as well. I got to tell you, love your town. It is absolutely gorgeous. If you
imagine drawing the perfect town, this is it. It’s such a fun place to live in and work in. I mean,
it’s so beautiful. When you go to Disneyland, you see all the pretty houses and little stores.
I reckon they’ve modeled it on this town. Like, it’s just so pretty, right? I think so. Yeah.
All right. What are we doing today at Barcino? Yeah. So, we are actually known for our grilled
pizzas. Um, they’re really special. We make them in house every day. Uh, the dough itself, they
have olive oil, fresh yeast, some sugar, salt. So, we’re going to stretch some of those doughs and
we’re going to make a pushuto pizza. I love it. And then you always say then we’re going to
throw them on the grill. Throw them on the grill. I love it. So, I mean, what what do you
guys are all about here is it’s kind of casual kind of Italian kind of fair, right? So, it’s a
really, like you said, very casual restaurant. It’s almost like a neighborhood bar. Um, which we
actually attract a lot of locals, which keeps us busy all year round. Right. I like to refer to it
as like the green and white of Italian cuisine, not so much the red. So, it’s a lot lighter. So,
there’s a lot of like really nice salads and a lot lighter pastas. You’re not going to find like
the typical like steak. Yeah, exactly. Or like, you know, the chicken parm, things like that.
It’s more of the fresher, healthier version of the Italian cuisine. Well, show us how you
make your most famous pizzas. Awesome. Um, we take some dough that we have made in house.
Yeah. We put it right on the sheet pan. So, you you’ve got a lot of oil on there. Yeah. Cuz
if not, the oil is what actually helps everything stretch out. Okay. Um, and if it didn’t have the
oil, it would actually just stick right on the grill. So, and this in itself is an art because
traditional pizza making is with flour. Yep. Um, so a lot of people that actually start working
here struggle a little bit the first couple of weeks learning this specific dough. So what what’s
in this dough then? Um, like I said, there’s olive oil in it, fresh yeast, sugar, water, but we
also, like you see, we keep it in olive oil. Well, that wasn’t too difficult. No, I’ve had lots of
practice. Wow. So, it just goes straight on the grill. Right on the grill. I don’t think I’ve had
a pizza that’s done this way before. Really? Yeah. It’s actually very much um known in Rhode Island.
So something very traditional of us. Of course Rhode Islanders everything different. Everything’s
prettier. Everything’s more pristine except for these which are a little bit more grungier on the
grill. Yeah. Exactly. We’re a little quirky little state. So yeah. So we wait a couple of minutes
until a little bit bubbling up like that. Oh yeah. And you can see the marks start happening. Yeah.
And you don’t mind if it get a little bit charred, right? You like it. Yeah. Exactly. You want that
like nice grilled look to it. Then we flip it. Oh, those bubbles. So cool. Love that.
And we literally just build it right on the grill like that. Okay, great. So,
you’re going to throw it on there. Okay. Great. Cheese is down. Heat from the grill. It
has enough heat to actually warm up the sauce. And we keep it room temperature, so it doesn’t
take much. This is gorgonzola and mascarpone mixed together with a little bit of salt and
pepper. So, it’s got a real sweetness to it, hasn’t? Because you’ve already got some sugar in
the dough as well. Yep. So then we add our fig jam as well. Okay. Fig jam is going on there and it’s
just randomly actually we make everything in house for the most part. So our fig jam is made here and
has balsamic vinegar a little bit of um onions, red wine wine. So Oh wow. So it’s got a
little bit of everything on it. So then we take it off the grill. Yep. You can see it’s
quite crispy already. Put our prosciutto on it. Okay. Which we slice in house every day as
well. Okay. prosciutto. Okay. So, it’s really quite generous with the prosciutto on there. Oh,
yeah. You want people to really taste it. And, you know, with um with prosciutto, it’s really
important to us that we get the whole legs in because it needs to be thin enough that it’ll
melt on the pizza. Look at that. That’s going to be so nice. And there’s so many different
flavors going on there. You’ve got the, you know, the mininess of the of the prosciutto and
then you’ve got um the sweetness of the um the fig. And then we just finish it right up
like that. Right. And that’s enough to heat it, right? Oh, yeah. Yeah. As you can see, all the
cheese is all melted already. Yeah. So, yeah. And that’s it. That’s it. Just finish it right up.
So, we’re going to put a little bit of um a little bit of arugula, salt, and pepper. And then we just
put it right on top like that. Look at that. That looks amazing. That’s it. Check that out, guys.
Absolutely incredible. I’m going to try some. So, we actually serve scissors with our pizza.
I’ve heard about this. So, you got to cut it up with some scissors, right? Cut it up right up.
So, we’ll grab some scissors. There’s no wrong way of doing it. Okay. Great. But, Oh, wow. So, this
would feed like rich. You could feed four people with that. Oh, yeah. And if you’re really hungry.
Yeah, absolutely. Okay. I want to get some of this jam as well, cuz I think that’s going to really
give it a good tang. You can really taste fig is the hero here. The fig is just because of that
sweetness to everything, right? Love the dough as well. And um I love that it’s charred as well.
And the olive oil obviously just makes everything just sing. Love this dish. Love this pizza.
Well, I can’t believe I’ve never had my pizza cooked like this before. The dough is cooked to
perfection. Crispy and bubbly. Exactly what you want. The dashing of arugula really tops it off
just beautifully. The flavors are incredible. It’s about simple, great ingredients
coming together to make an awesome dish. I love Rhode Island. I love Newport.
Just come vis visit us more often. You’ve been amazing. Thank you so much. Absolutely.
Pleasure. I’m going to eat the whole thing. Sufficiently full of pizza, my time in Newport has
come to a close. From picnics in the park amongst stunning architecture to French and Italian
cuisine done with a Newport native twist, this beautiful part of the world has
captured my heart to reiterate the worlds of my friend Chris. An adult
playground indeed. Join us next time as we continue our tasting journey through
the United States plates of America. [Music]
3 Comments
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