*BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - Welcome to Boston, a beautiful and historic city in New England with a vibrant Italian influence. Today we’re going on an Italian food tour of Boston, we’ll be checking out the North End and East Boston around the airport. Get ready for a huge chicken parm sub, pizza, and one of the USA’s greatest Italian meals! Dino’s Cafe (https://goo.gl/maps/4fDRwUq4yaRAQKARA) -
We started this tour in Boston’s north end, one of the great Italian American neighborhoods in the United States. It’s a great place to walk around, and enjoy the narrow streets and delicious food. We ate at a place called Dino’s Cafe, a wonderful spot offering home style Italian food and especially a variety of Italian style sandwiches. I specifically came to eat the massive fried chicken parmesan sub including fresh breaded deep fried cutlets, cheese, and marinara sauce. It was made fresh, and one of the best versions I’ve ever had - and on top of that, it’s huge! Price - $14 Rino’s Place (https://goo.gl/maps/j11j2aEvXVKDwFU66) -
Next up on this Italian food tour of Boston, we headed to Rino’s Place, without a doubt one of the great Italian restaurants in the United States. It’s been praised by Guy Fieri, and I can tell you that it’s one of those places where no matter what you order off the menu, it’s going to be outstanding. Along with amazing food, the owner and all staff are fantastic. I ordered the signature lobster ravioli, plus a plate of amazing spaghetti (I can say it’s one of the best plates of spaghetti I’ve had in my life) and finally a plate of veal marsala with pasta. Again, all three dishes were top of the notch, absolutely amazing. Total price - $99.51 Santarpio’s Pizza (https://goo.gl/maps/sPiBU5WRbNcnLPUTA) -
Finally to end this Italian food tour in Boston, I met up with my friend Jeffrey Merrihue (https://www.instagram.com/jeffrey_mer…) to eat a few pizzas at the legendary Santarpio’s Pizza, which is one of the best pizzas in Boston. Along with pizza, they are known for their kebabs, which they grill over fire at the front of the restaurant - is there anything better than kebabs before pizza? We ordered the sausage and garlic pizza, and it was delicious.*
Mark Wiens has been a lifesaver during the pandemic.
I have been vicariously going along with him through Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and beyond. His enthusiasm for eating everything from fine dining to street food is contagious, and a pleasure to watch.
TUCSON, ARIZONA - Welcome to Tucson, Arizona, one of the best Mexican food cities in the United States, and one of the great places to eat Sonoran Mexican food. When it comes to Sonoran food, the King of all dishes is carne asada, or grilled steak - grilled meat. In Northern Mexico is where they have cattle ranches that produce the best beef in the country. Tucson has many authentic local restaurants and street food stalls that specialize in carne asada, and today we’re going on an ultimate carne asada tour of Tucson!
TUCSON, ARIZONA - Tucson, Arizona is one of the great Mexican food cities of the United States, especially for Sonoran Mexican food. Today, we’re going to a place that specializes in a huge burrito, filled with grilled steak, and fully wrapped in bacon! Delicious, or too much? Let’s go try it!
Percheron Mexican Grill (https://g.page/percheronmexicangrill?..) Price - About $12 per burrito - Percheron Mexican Grill is known for their percheron, a type of giant burrito that’s known from Hermosillo which includes a huge flour tortilla filled with carne asada, cheese, and avocado. But at Tucson’s Percheron Mexican Grill, they take the percheron to the next level by wrapping it in bacon fully, and searing off the bacon on a hot griddle before you’re served. At first, I was thinking it might be over the top, and just too much of a good thing. But taking my first bite, I knew it wasn’t hype, it’s the real deal. Somehow the bacon isn’t overpowering or even too rich, it just provides the ultimate burrito wrapping. Incredibly tasty, a must when you’re in Tucson, Arizona.
The chilis stuffed with cheese and shrimp and wrapped in bacon are at the 12:15 - 14:00 mark. No wonder James Beard Award-winning food writer John Birdsall moved from the SF Bay area to Tucson.
from YouTube:
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TUCSON, ARIZONA - Welcome again to Tucson, Arizona, home of some of the best Sonoran food. Today, we’re taking you on an ultimate Mexican street food to eat a variety of different foods including amazing breakfast tacos, fresh Sonoran seafood, Puebla style mole, and finally we finish with more amazing Sonoran carne asada, some of the best in all of Tucson. Let’s go eat!
Taqueria Porfis (https://goo.gl/maps/wD4izYQZaH8jLKKr5) Price - $2.50 per taco - For breakfast we started off trying Taqueria Porfis, a type of delicious breakfast taco originally from Nogales, Mexico across the border of Arizona. The tacos are very similar to tacos de canasta, or basket tacos. The tortillas are dipped in red oily salsa, then filled with a mixture of meat and potato and seasoned. There’s nothing you’d want to be eating more in the morning in Tucson than tacos porfis!
Mariscos Baja Mar (https://goo.gl/maps/YPVfib7scBWmFvVTA) Total price - $111.21 - Next we headed to Mariscos Baja Mar for a huge Sonoran Mexican seafood feast. All was good, but the highlight for me was the seafood tower with multiple layers of seafood piled high. El Antojo Poblano en Tucson (https://goo.gl/maps/P2mqfYy87iuP29iZ6) Total price - $33 -
Next, Carlos and I headed over to El Antojo Poblano en Tucson to try Puebla Mexican food, and especially enmoladas - mole sauce over corn tortillas wrapped with chicken on the inside. The owner gets here mole paste from her Mother in Puebla, so you can expect the real deal, authentic taste. It was so food, highly recommended when you’re in Tucson. Although most of the food we ate in Tucson was Sonoran, it was nice to eat some more variety. Los Mezquites (https://goo.gl/maps/EpbH365SfZH3pyaj7) - Total price - $40 (we ordered more than shown in video)
Finally to complete this street food tour, we headed to Los Mezquites for a final carne asada feast. This is one of my favorite places in Tucson where they grill over mesquite all outdoor cooking. Everything is prepared on the fire, including the tortillas and the beans and the onions. So incredibly good. And we finished up this tour with a bowl of Sonoran white menudo - delicious! And that completes another incredible Mexican street food tour in Tucson!
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Easily the most recognizable and iconic coffee shops in New Orleans, and probably the United States, Cafe Du Monde serves unique chicory coffee and beignet. Although seemingly always packed, it’s a great place to get your day started when you’re in the French Quarter. Central Grocery and Deli (https://goo.gl/maps/rawmkK8vuhkqGKcNA) Price - $22.60
Next up we walked down the road to Central Grocery and Deli, home of the original muffuletta, a gigantic round sandwich with a variety of meats and cheeses, but most importantly an olive salad. The olives are what totally set it apart. Coop’s Place (https://goo.gl/maps/5BBbNZSjKA9syZez7) - Price - $29 - Unfortunately Coop’s Place is only over 21, and they don’t allow filming inside. So we took our rabbit sausage jambalaya and étouffée to go. Both dishes were delicious, especially the jambalaya! Verti Marte (https://goo.gl/maps/aXaWVqeiBxn2Nck3A) - All That Jazz Po’ boy - $14.68
Next up on this ultimate food tour in New Orleans, we stopped at Verti Marte for a giant Po’boy that included just about everything you could possibly imagine. It was a heavy sandwich but totally worth it. Galatoire’s (https://goo.gl/maps/nL31RS5kNsYKxnzX6) - Price - $40 - $60 per person
Next up for dinner, I made a reservation at Galatoire’s, known to be one of the best restaurants in New Orleans. Although they didn’t invent Oysters Rockefeller, they make a great version of them, and for me that was one of the highlights. Also, don’t miss the flaming coffee to finish your meal! Brennan’s (https://g.page/BrennansNewOrleans?share) - Price - $22.04
Finally completely unplanned, because we were right around the corner, we headed to Brennan’s where they invented Bananas Foster! As Derek said, the best bananas foster he’s ever had. And that wraps up this ultimate food tour in the New Orleans French Quarter. It was an amazing day exploring Creole and Cajun cuisine and culture in New Orleans!
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA - Welcome to the coast of North Carolina! Today we are meeting up with Chef Keith Rhodes, from Catch Restaurant, and he’s taking us on an amazing journey to showcase some of the best seafood on the Eastern USA coast. It was a huge honor to have this opportunity and I admire what Chef Keith Rhodes is doing, the people he supports, and the incredible food he cooks. Catch Restaurant - Chef Keith Rhodes (https://g.page/catchrestaurantnc?share) - First up we went to Catch Restaurant in Wilmington, where Chef Keith Rhodes cookes local and fresh seafood, with local home style recipes but with his own twist. The food is absolutely incredible and it was the best shrimp and grits and fish and grits I’ve ever had. Middle Sound Mariculture (https://goo.gl/maps/8e2Fj4GinokkyXN77) - Next up we met up with James from Middle Sound Mariculture who raises and nurtures some of America’s best oysters on the coast of North Carolina. We had some oysters that were absolutely sensational, so perfectly balanced in taste, texture and salinity. Soft Shell Crab - Next up today we headed over to meet another friend of Chef Keith who specializes in in soft shell crabs, and some of the best and freshest soft shell crabs you’ll ever have. It was fascinating to learn about the process, and we harvested some fresh crabs. Chef Keith drove over his food truck and immediately cooked them up until crispy and made some of the greatest soft shell crab burgers you’ll ever have! Shell’em Seafood Co. (https://www.instagram.com/shellemseaf…) - Another highlight of this American seafood tour in North Carolina was meeting up with Ana Shellem who locally harvests seafood and shines light on lesser known species and ingredients. We harvested some local Wilmington mussels. The Bento Box (https://goo.gl/maps/Ac41LRyxy2nq2gNr6) - Finally to wrap up this amazing seafood experience with Chef Keith, we brought the fresh mussels over to Chef Lee at The Bento Box where he and Chef Keith prepared an incredible feast of Japanese, Korean, and Southern food all on the table using local ingredients. It was truly an honor to experience this when I was in North Carolina and I can’t thank Chef Keith Rhodes and his family for their incredible hospitality. When you are in Wilmington do not miss eating at Catch Restaurant, the food is outstanding and you know where it comes from! Say Hi to Chef Keith! Catch Restaurant - https://g.page/catchrestaurantnc?share
LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA - There are two main styles of North Carolina BBQ, the whole hog and vinegar based sauce in Eastern North Carolina (watch the full video here:
https://youtu.be/3u3KJOqrZsQ) and the pork shoulder bbq with ketchup based sauce in Lexington, North Carolina. Today we’re going to eat, learn about, and fully experience Lexington style North Carolina BBQ! Lexington Barbecue
(https://goo.gl/maps/WN8DFKw7UDJ6Qiaf6) - Right in the heart of Lexington, North Carolina, Lexington Barbecue is known to be one of the best places for bbq in North Carolina. They slow smoke pork shoulders using a time proven process. The pork is ready, it’s chopped, mixed with sauce, and you can specify the different chopped coarseness you prefer. Along with outstanding pork barbecue, you have to order the hush puppies, which are little deep fried corn fritters that go perfectly with any bbq meal.
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - Today we’re going to eat at Zweli’s, one of the few Zimbabwean food restaurants in the United States, and it happens to be located in Durham, North Carolina. Zweli’s has an amazing story and they serve an outstanding array of Zimbabwe dishes. We had the huge Zim platter, which came with just about everything including oxtails, piri piri chicken wings, and locally made boerewors - which were all spectacular. When you’re in Durham, I highly recommend Zweli’s for an authentic taste of Zimbabwean food in the United States! Zweli’s Zimbabwe Restaurant: https://goo.gl/maps/hBv3NxcAP4SYSG3d6
Percheron Mexican Grill (
