American Food Trip - mit Guy Fieri

that are thinking of attending a live event: Went to the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival sponsored by the Food Network. This was the worst event I ever attended.

With a name like "Guy Fieri's Cheesesteak Battle", I assumed 2 things: (1) It would be a "battle" like iron chef or chopped and (2) Guy Fieri would actually be there...like a host or MC. Neither of which were true.

Event was outside in 90 degree heat, it was muggy and started raining. You had to wait in overcrowded lines for cheese steaks and walk through grass which turned to mud. My wife and her heals didn't appreciate this at all.

We paid $80 a ticket because we thought we were going to a 3 hr event/show, INDOORS, with FOOD NETWORK QUALITY CHEFS...NOPE. Cheesesteaks were from sub-par establishments and chain restaurants. Lee's Hoagies had the best steak and it was a 6 on a scale of 1-10 for anyone who has ever been to Philly.

We left after an hour and a half so maybe Guy eventually showed his face. I don't really care, it was an awful event that took advantage of Guy's fans by attaching his name to it. I had come to expect more from the Food Network brand.

This is a pretty fun and interesting show. Guy Fieri gives the viewer a well rounded assessment of what he saw and ate while he was out and about. I like how Mr. Fieri does his thing – he is always positive and never says anything bad about any establishment. I can only assume the intent is to leave hard-core opinions up to the diner to decide. Additionally, I have gone to a few of the eateries mentioned and some have been excellent before and after his visits and others have not fared so well. In particular - there is this favorite lunch spot we all go to while working in Florida. Before Guy showed up, the food was pretty good, nothing to write home about - but the ambiance was really very cool. After Mr. Fieri showed up, ate and left – the food quality went down as the prices went up. This is actually a very rare case. Are all Guy's 'hot spots' like this? No way. This is the only flippity-flop experience I ever had. All the other places I have frequented (that Guy also visited) – continued to practice what brought him there in the first place. Quality local food at quality local prices. Good Show and I will continue to watch as an avid fan.

If you are looking for Julia Child, this is not the show for you. Guy Fieri, the host of the show, visits diners, drive-ins and dives, just like the title says. These places feature down-home cooking, bar food, truck-stop standards, Cajun recipes, Southern dinner table traditions, NJ diner menu items, etc. In short, they feature comfort food. What is comfort food? According to Wikipedia, comfort food is "food which provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to the consumer and is often characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, and simple preparation." In short, the show features food that is comforting as well as delicious. Guy travels from the Atlantic to the Pacific and highlights restaurants that have a reputation for comfort food. He visits the kitchens and a few menu items are prepared in toto with us, the food-loving public, watching.

Guy has a style all his own, but the show's emphasis is on the food, which is usually mouthwatering. As HGTV is to home remodeling and buying, DD&D is to food preparation and consumption.

Watching the restaurant customers chow down on the food is both satisfying and tortuous, because you want to partake yourself. Watching the food preparation gives the viewer a vivid concept of the subtleties of the recipes, and some of them are not simple despite the definition of comfort food.

This is enjoyable viewing for anyone who appreciates finding those hidden treasures of delightful dining that are somewhere in every small town and big city.

I love the concept of the show, but, good grief Food Network. A little variety doesn't hurt. The Guy Fieri overload has gotten out of control. Triple D, Triple G, specials, etc are getting OLD.

If you've ever written an angry letter to a corporation demanding that they remove all trans-fat from their products, this show might not be your cup of tea.

Normal humans, on the other hand, will think that it is mac-daddy money and totally off the hook (which is to say, rather enjoyable).

Host Guy Fieri drives his red 1967 Camero convertible across the country on a never-ending road trip to Flavortown. He stops at locally owned restaurants which generally feature big portions, big flavor, big attitude, and big crowds. Many of the restaurants on this show have been local favorites for decades, some going back 90 years or more.

The restaurants featured on "Triple D" usually have some unusual feature. This includes a restaurant inside of a gas station, a classically trained chef serving meals at a bowling alley, a roving wagon which brings bar-be-que to your neighborhood, a restaurant that is made out of old school buses, a joint that serves a combination of Mexican-Jamaican-Chinese food, and hundreds more.

As a cooking show, I find DDD to be better than most of the shows on Food Network. With most pot and pan shows, the host is trying to impress you with their cleverness. On DDD, you get to watch actual people cook actual food for actual crowds of people spending actual money. You see plenty of innovative techniques and flavor combinations for making and serving great food when time is of the essence.

Many of these techniques and flavor combinations can be applied to lean protein, fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains. In other words, you can watch this show and then make a healthy meal for your family that they'll actually eat. Watch this show with a pen and a notepad. You'll be glad you did.

Diners Drive-Ins And Dives showcases America's diversity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. 500 years from now, historians will study this show to understand American culture in the early 21st century, and to laugh at Guy Fieri's hairstyle.