Over the last 50 seasons, the show has featured Dallas favorites like Cane Rosso, Nora and Avila's Mexican Restaurant, with those episodes available to stream on-demand with providers like YouTube TV, or with a 50-season catalog on HBO Max and Hulu.
Slow Bone is one of the latest North Texas institutions to be featured on the show. It's a great pick, Slow Bone is an iconic Texas barbecue joint from chef Jeffrey Hobbs, who opened the restaurant in 2013. Fieri and his crew visited to try Hobbs’ signature Texas Nail Sandwich, which features brisket paired with mushrooms, lime crema and a jalapeño barbecue sauce.
“Now you know why we claim we ‘NAILED IT’” said the team at the restaurant in an Instagram post. “That ‘unbelievably tender’ brisket he called a ‘hillbilly beef wellington’ with ‘brisket magic’ is waiting for you.”
Hobbs gave his official recipe to the Food Network website, where you can try to cook it at home, but we recommend going to the restaurant. The episode with Slow Bone, "Sandwich Shenanigans," aired on April 11 on Hulu and is available anytime.
Barbecue is a standard on Triple D (or DDD), especially Texas barbecue. Previous episodes have featured local favorites like One90 Smoked Meats and Pecan Lodge, which is no stranger to star power.
Arlington’s Texas-Ethiopian fusion restaurant, Smoke ‘N Ash, is the another local barbecue joint to make the show. Fieri stopped in for the injera and pork ribs. Owner Fasicka Hicks says that she’s noticed a spike in sales since their episode, "Barbecue, Beignets and Barbacoa" premiered on May 23.
“The show is a force of good for local restaurants,” she told us in an email. “It gives encouragement and acknowledgment on a national stage.”
Hicks isn’t the only restaurant owner to praise Fieri’s mission. Tanner Agar of the fine-dining establishment Rye, an unconventional stop for the show (as it's neither a diner, drive-in or dive but an upscale restaurant), says the ease and fun of the shoot were a welcome surprise.
“It could be a situation where it’s ‘We’re the Food Network and we’re famous and you’re lucky to be with us,’” he told us. “But after it wrapped, we watched a game and had beers with everybody. It felt like we were both trying to make something great.”
Agar said he grew up watching the Food Network as a kid, and that being featured was one of his proudest moments. In the episode, Fieri samples Rye’s signature sauerkraut chocolate cake, marking the first chocolate cake to be featured on the show.
“They were here for probably 16 hours,” Agar says. “But I think part of the reason it’s long is they want to make sure they make everyone look good.”
Rye’s episode, "Sauerkraut, Shoyu and Shank," aired on March 7, and the restaurant hosted a watch party.
It's not all about the heavy barbeuce and greasy dives, Fieri also made time to stop at El Palote Panaderia, a vegan Mexican restaurant in "Specialty Spots," an episode that aired on May 2. East Dallas favorite Hello Dumpling was also featured this season, in an episode called "Dallas Dumplings, Florida Fried and Chi-Tacos" that aired February 21.
This Friday, June 6, Starship Bagel will be featured on the show. In a long Instagram slideshow, owner Oren Solomon expressed his gratitude for the show.
“I am now free to talk about an incredible experience I had that totally changed my life,” he said.
The DDD crew visited Starship’s original Lewisville location.
“To bring a national TV crew to Lewisville, Texas, will forever rank as one of my proudest achievements,” Solomon continued.
As with the other business owners, Solomon went out of his way to praise Fieri.
“Guy was very much himself in person,” he said. “The character you see on TV is exactly the human I got to enjoy hosting and serving. You can tell what Guy cares about most is making a difference in the lives of chefs and restaurant workers across the board.”
It’s clear, a difference has been and continues to be made for restaurants graced by the show. Starship’s episode airs on the Food Network this Friday at 8 p.m. Central, and if it inspires you, the shop opens at 7 a.m. the next morning.
To stream any of this season's episodes featuring Dallas restaurants, look to YouTube TV, Hulu or HBO Max.
Below is a full list of the shows that aired this season:
Slow Bone: Season 51, Episode 1, "Sandwich Shenanigans"
Hello Dumpling: Season 51, Episode 6, "Dallas Dumplings, Florida Fried and Chi-Tacos,"
Rye: Season 51, Episode 8, "Sauerkraut, Shoyu and Shank"
El Palote Panaderia: Season 51, Episode 15, "Specialty Spots"
Smoke 'N Ash: Season 51, Episode 17, "Barbecue, Beignets and Barbacoa"
Starship Bagels: Season 51, Episode 19, "All Kinds Of Cookin'" (airs June 6)
