The city of Gainesville’s time in the spotlight on Food Network star Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-In, Dives” has come and gone faster than his signature 1968 Chevrolet Camaro.
Episodes featured on Seasons 51 and 52 of the popular show have included various shots around Gainesville, including the University of Florida campus, Depot Park, the Hippodrome Theatre and, of course, plenty of alligators.
“If you would have told me back in the day that a college town was going to have good food, I’d say you’re crazy. But now, they’re always thinking about the food,” Fieri said on the first episode of “Triple D” to feature a Gainesville restaurant.
The celebrity chef, commonly referred to as the “Mayor of Flavortown,” made stops at Fehrenbacher’s, Humble Wood Fire, The Paper Bag, Uppercrust, Germain’s and the Bingo Deli.
Here’s everything Fieri said about what he ate during his culinary tour of Gainesville:
Season 51, Episode 9
Fehrenbacher’s Meats & Eats
411 SW Fourth Ave., Gainesville; fehrenbachersmeatsandeats.com
Fieri’s first stop in Gainesville was at Fehrenbacher’s in the 4th Ave Food Park, where he tried a special lamb-based sausage platter and a spicy sausage sandwich called “The Intimidator.”
The “Lamb Mediterranean,” as owner Adam Fehrenbacher called it, includes barley tabouleh, chickpeas, red cabbage, merguez (lamb based sausage) and a buttermilk dressing.
“Delicious,” Fieri said after his first bite. “The sausage is great. Really moist. That cabbage and I are going to become best friends. That smoked traditional tabouleh, the roasted chickpeas. Remarkable.”
Fehrenbacher joked that he had never tried the spicy “Intimidator.”
“I’ve never actually had the courage to try one of these,” he said.
Fieri called it “outstanding.”
“This is steak in a casing. You’ll get that smoked sausage coming out of there, you’ll get that pork. Your pickled pepper melange is so bleep, bleep, bleep good. It’s a really nice mellow roast. The hot sauce is giving that nice acid factor to it. The buttermilk ranch is a lifesaver. That is a fantastic dish,” Fieri said.
Season 51, Episode 11
Humble Wood Fire Bagel Shop
307 SE Fourth Ave., Gainesville; humblewoodfire.square.site
Fieri didn’t have to go far for his second stop in Gainesville. Also located in the 4th Ave Food Park, Humble Wood Fire owner Brett Ader and chef Tempra Arroyo gave the Food Network Star a taste of the eatery’s signature Nova Lox and vegan Carrot “Lox” bagel sandwiches, as well as the Mushroom Muffuletta Melt.
The Nova Lox and Carrot “Lox” were prepared on salted rosemary bagels.
“Bagel’s dynamite. Great chew, really light,” Fieri said of the Nova Lox. “The rosemary, a legit bagel. The salmon, the color is beautiful, a little bit of smoke to it. If you’re a lox and bagels kind of person, this is your game, and the sprouts on top are perfect.”
He said it was his first time trying vegan lox.
“The carrot, that is a flavor bomb. That cashew spread sings right though. They are both dynamite,” he said.
The Mushroom Muffuletta Melt was prepared on an everything bagel.
“If anybody gets bored by a bagel, come down here to Humble,” Fieri said. “You get this big umami bomb. You get some of the acid, some of the brininess. The three olive smear, really salty and briny, creamy. I love the arugula on it. And on top of it all is the everything bagel underneath. Wow, that’s good.”
Season 51, Episode 12
The Paper Bag Deli
11 SE First Ave. and 209 NW 75th St., Gainesville; thepaperbagdeli.com
Fieri’s opening shot for his stop at The Paper Bag included a look at downtown’s picturesque Southeast First Avenue. Inside, he tasted owner Richard Sterck’s Tony Montana Cubano and The Man in the Black Hat, a sandwich that includes two different halves — one with oven-roasted turkey breast, crispy onions and Swiss cheese, and the other with short ribs, banana peppers, Havarti cheese and au jus.
“That is the level of press that a Cuban has to be. I thought the pickles were going to be too big; they’re not. But that mayonnaise and mustard makes the sandwich. It’s super flavorful, there’s a nice tang. Spot on, dude,” Fieri said.
The Man in the Black Hat is a sandwich named after Sterck’s former work partner, Dwayne, who died of cancer.
“God, that’s good,” Fieri said after taking a bite of just a piece of turkey.
He then tried the sandwich.
“Wow. That’s a pot roast belly bomb,” he said. “The beef is so rich and unctuous. And the turkey is so lean and clean. .. This is a Hall of Fame sandwich. That’s how good that is. And with the (au) ju, ju gotta be kidding me.”
Season 51, Episode 13
Uppercrust Bakery
4118 NW 16th Blvd., 8766 SW 27th Lane, Gainesville.; uppercrustgnv.com
Fieri acknowledged at the beginning of his stop at Uppercrust that bakeries are not usually featured on “Triple D.” Based on his comments to owner Ben Guzick, however, that may soon change. The episode also featured appearances from Uppercrust founder Jackie Dufty and Fieri’s wife, Lori.
“Dude, you just made history,” Fieri said to Guzick. “One, you got her (Lori Fieri) to come out and try it, and two, we’ve never made a chocolate cake on ‘Triple D,’ so I guess you take the title.”
The cake Fieri was referring to was Uppercrust’s Reine de Saba cake, an almond, chocolate cake with orange liqueur which is then smothered with a layer of apricot preserves.
“It’s not as sweet as chocolate cake is. It’s really dense. It’s almost like a brownie. But there’s a good amount of salt in it, and then the apricot,” Fieri said.
Fieri also tasted the artichoke barigoule rose, which Guzick previously told The Sun is like an open-faced sandwich topped off with braised artichokes, Gruyère cheese and tomato salad.
“It’s beautiful,” Fieri said before taking his first bite. “So delicious. Salty, Sweet, flaky — those are all the elves of Flavortown Forest. … This might be one of the best bakery items I’ve ever had. Wow. My dad would have loved that. Fantastic.”
Season 52, Episode 2
Germain’s Chicken Sandwiches
220 NW Eighth Ave., Gainesville; germainsgnv.com
Fieri’s stop at Germain’s also featured a special guest, this time Ocala’s Rashad Jones, owner of Big Lee’s Serious About Barbecue and winner of the Food Network’s “BBQ Brawl” competition show.
Fieri and Jones both tried Germain’s The Good Feather, which includes fried chicken topped with a secret sauce, garlic parmesan, arugula and tomato on a brioche bun, and the Chicken Birria Eggroll.
“You needed the brininess of that pickle because there are so many big flavors in there,” Fieri said to co-owners Rodney Germain and his nephew Shelton Seraphin, about The Good Feather. “This is outstanding.”
As for the Chicken Birria Eggroll, Fieri said, “Typically, you wouldn’t dip an egg roll into a consommé, but you really took your time and built great flavor. It’s great.”
Jones said the “heat just dances around on your tongue.”
Season 52, Episode 3
Bingo Deli & Pub
619 S. Main St., Gainesville; bingodeli.square.site
Fieri called his final stop in Gainesville a “deli in disguise.” He said Bingo Deli in South Main Station had some “culinary superpowers hiding inside.”
Owner and chef William Thomas prepared two of his signature dishes for Fieri — the Spicy Shrimp Roll and his House-Made Tagliatelle.
“You would have a really good argument with somebody whether or not it was lobster,” Fieri said after taking a bite of the shrimp roll. “This is like you opened up with a soft jazz set and then you played me a little Motley Crue, because I got a jalapeño pop. And then you give me a little Skynyrd, because I get a bunch of great shrimp.
Fieri then called Thomas a “gangster” as he made the pasta for his second dish from scratch.
“I’m doing everything I possibly can to not house this entire thing right now,” he said of the House-Made Tagliatelle. “… What really makes me lose it is this tarragon brown butter. That’s the bite. Good night.”
