Some dishes are so fantastic they become a real obsession.
Some dishes are so fantastic they become a real obsession.
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Find episode transcript here: https://the-best-thing-i-ever-ate.simplecast.com/episodes/obsessions-ft-bobby-flay-giada-de-laurentiis-and-tyler-florence
[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER 1: People ask me all the time.
SPEAKER 2: Where do you like to eat?
SPEAKER 3: What's your favorite food?
SPEAKER 4: What's the best thing you've ever eaten?
SPEAKER 1: That's why we're here now.
SPEAKER 2: Not only to tell you what we love to eat.
SPEAKER 3: But where you can go get it.
SPEAKER 5: Everyone has an obsession with some kind of food.
SPEAKER 6: You're not going to eat just one. I can tell you that right now. There's nothing like them.
SPEAKER 7: I am obsessed.
SPEAKER 8: Wow. I just get crazy.
SPEAKER 9: It was just a sexy dish.
SPEAKER 10: That rocks.
SPEAKER 11 : So I can eat it morning, noon, and night. I don't think obsession even covers it.
SPEAKER 6: There's some things that I like and there's some things that I love, but then there's obsessions. One of the things I'm totally obsessed with is the stone crabs at Joe's in Miami, Florida. It was not like any other crab I'd ever seen before. Take a little bit of the shell off, and it's saying, eat me now. Stone crab is top of the list. There's nothing like them.
First of all, they're very cool looking. They have this black tip, and there's orange, and there's white. I mean, they're really beautiful. I remember thinking, what is this going to taste like? Then you take a bite of it, and it's just this dense, clean, briny tasting crab that is just unbelievable. If you're in Miami, you have to go to Joe's.
SPEAKER 12: We contract with our own fishermen. What was caught yesterday in the traps, I'm cracking it today.
SPEAKER 6: Joe's controls the market for stone crabs in South Florida, period.
SPEAKER 12: We're pretty much saying, within 24 hours, you're eating something that was caught. And not many restaurants can say that.
SPEAKER 6: They've been serving stone crabs for 100 years. In fact, one of the really cool things about stone crabs is that they regenerate their claws.
SPEAKER 12: This is something the family discovered back in the early 1900s. We harvested one claw at a time. And we do throw the crab back in the water. And it will regenerate itself within a year and a half to two years. That's why we say it's mother nature's greatest gift.
SPEAKER 6: It's actually a good recycling system. The stone crabs are really one of a kind. The claws are just giant. I mean, the colossals are almost the size of your hand. One goes a long way, but you're not going to eat just one, I can tell you that right now. One of the great things that Joe's does is they crack them perfectly. They really take all the work out of it.
SPEAKER 12: One success of Joe's is when we crack our crabs.
SPEAKER 6: I don't know what they have. They must have some kind of contraption that cracks them.
SPEAKER 12: Our crab crackers have been here a long time.
SPEAKER 6: It's not just some guy back there with a hammer. I don't think.
SPEAKER 12: And they always say a good crab cracker will do it in three cracks. That's one, two, three.
SPEAKER 6: It's one of those things where I don't want to know. You just get that unbelievable crab. And it's so incredibly rich and dense. These stone crabs deliver the goods. To me, it's like crab heaven. You can only eat them at Joe's.
SPEAKER 5: Everyone has an obsession with some kind of food. And for me, that obsession is rice. Not chocolate cake, not pizza, not hamburger, simply rice. When you talk about something that you must have, I think about the creamy rice at my mom's restaurant, Zarela's in Midtown Manhattan, New York. It's unbelievable. I can understand people out there thinking, of course, you're going to say your mom's cooking is the best. You're sort of obligated to say that. But I could tell you that I'm not the only one that shares this opinion.
My mom's restaurant has featured this dish since day one on her menu. And it's something that has gotten so much attention for something so simple as rice. It's a side dish at the end of the day, something that you soak up sauce with, right? No, this dish doesn't fall into that category. And it's become a house favorite. Everyone loves it.
SPEAKER 13: Creamy rice casserole is the classical northern Mexican dish and the most requested recipe.
SPEAKER 5: It's rice, corn, sour cream, cheese, poblano, which is a beautiful green chili from Mexico.
SPEAKER 13: I'm going to make a little hole in the chili so it won't explode. You roast it over an open flame, and then put it in a plastic bag. And you're going to rub it like that to clean it, see how beautiful it is.
SPEAKER 5: All those traditional Mexican ingredients that you would expect to see, but then mixed together with this rice. So all the flavors have a chance to mingle. The cheese melts. The creaminess from the sour cream sort of coats each little grain of rice.
SPEAKER 13: It's like a nice rice pudding but spicy, delicious, and sinful. You can resist it.
SPEAKER 5: Just like feeling so many unbelievable feelings right now. It's just really my childhood in a bowl. My goal is to be able to cook 50% as good as my mom. She's sort of my inspiration. She's my toughest critic and my biggest fan.
SPEAKER 13: You ate it all?
SPEAKER 5: I ate it all, mommy.
SPEAKER 13: All 5,000 calories?
SPEAKER 5: It's your fault for being so good at what you do.
SPEAKER 10: I love just a great piece of steak. I usually tend to go for the New York. And one of the best steaks that I've ever had is at Lucky's Steakhouse in Montecito, California. There's nothing like it. It's a great aged New York steak. I always get the 14 ounce. It's really nice and thick. It's a perfect cut. There's a little marbling in it. You have a little bit of fat to give it flavor. And I love that.
I'm going to have a New York strip. And I'm going to have it rare, actually. I think when a steakhouse does a great steak, it really comes down to where they're getting their meat and how it's aged. Lucky's is doing it right because they have a fantastic steak.
SPEAKER 14: So the most important thing in the first place is to source the best quality meat. And this is the finest prime you can buy. It's always aged 30 days at the meat company. And then we get the meat. And we'll age aged anywhere from two to three weeks before we serve it. That intensifies the flavor and it makes a tender.
SPEAKER 10: Aging gives it more of a richness, of a complex flavor to it.
SPEAKER 14: The less you do to it, the better. Sea salt, grounds, tellicherry peppers, known for their complexity and robust flavors.
SPEAKER 10: And then throw it on the grill. And that, the smokiness of an open flame grill, it's going to make it fantastic. It's charred perfectly. Wow. Beautiful. You can definitely tell that that's rare. It's kind of a habit of mind. When someone puts a stake in front of me, the first thing to do is touch it a little bit to see if it's exactly how I like it. You can tell it gives a lot. It's time to eat. That's what it tells me. It's time to eat.
And then I slice into it, and just see this red, juicy center. They made it so tender. A great piece of steak. The meat should be able to stand on its own. Oh, that rocks. That's all she wrote. It's great.
SPEAKER 8: Me, buffalo wings, it's a love affair. I've eaten wings seven days a week, seven times in one day at one time, 31 days straight. I do wings for dinner. I do it for breakfast. I love wings. I live, eat, sleep, and dream wings. And the best place I've ever had buffalo wings from is definitely The Jug Handle in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. They do it right. They just do it right. I like a crispy wing. And
The Jug Handle, they had a crunch on this wing that's amazing. It has to be crunchy enough so that when you toss it in the sauce, you still get a little crunch. That, to me, is what signifies having a great wing.
SPEAKER 15: A lot of people bake their wings. We don't. We fry them. The combination of the oil, the flour that makes them very crunchy.
SPEAKER 8: Let them fry until they float, which you're supposed to do with a good wing. Let's talk about the chicken.
SPEAKER 15: We do flour them with some seasoning, which is one of our secrets that we can't divulge.
SPEAKER 8: This works for my wife. You have pretty eyes.
SPEAKER 15: Not working. Not working.
SPEAKER 8: Not even for me? Sometimes it is better not to know what the secret is. I smell a plate of wings coming somewhere. When they come out, it's like wow. And then I just get crazy. I go wingish. Oh, my goodness. They got these wings called the bald eagle. It's got some heat. It's not made for wimps. So be prepared to sweat or to cry. This is why you get it on the side. It's got some kick. Well, it's got good flavor. And the chicken has a nice meaty amount of chicken on the bone. Oh, man. I tell you, I just love wings. It's just perfect, perfect wing. And that's the best buffalo wing I've ever eaten.
SPEAKER 9: I wasn't expecting the best thing ever, right? And then, that first bite. This is absolutely amazing. It was at Seafood Linguine with a saffron sauce at Tree in New York City. It was the most delicious meal I would eat twice. I wasn't expecting something to look so simple but to taste so great. It had mussels, clams, linguini, but it was the sauce. Basically, you can make pasta and you can put seafood with anything. But it's the sauce that makes it. And this saffron sauce was so rich, so creamy, but so delicate. I've never tasted anything quite like it. The guy who made it, got it down. Pat.
SPEAKER 16: It's made with white wine, a little bit of butter, some fresh parsley. And we believe in just preparing simple dishes with the freshest ingredients. Preferably a dry one, and unoaked wine, and the saffron.
SPEAKER 9: This was just steamed right. He done it right in the sauce.
SPEAKER 16: Finish off with a little bit of fresh chopped parsley.
SPEAKER 9: Such a really simple dish crafted. You got to remember that. It's been crafted. What I like and my obsession is with European food is simple. So good. It was so much like home. Great big, big garlic in it. Fantastic. I'd be kissing anyone tonight. I think it was four bites. I haven't really even got to the bottom. And I had this really strange epiphany. I thought, I've got to do this again. Can I get this again, please?
SPEAKER 16: Is everything OK?
SPEAKER 9: And I've never, ever, ever ordered a meal twice in a restaurant. Everything's great. I just like it again. I think it's probably a very decadent treat for myself. I take that. It is a must, an absolute must if you go to York City.
SPEAKER 11: I'm telling you if I can have one thing for the rest of my life, it would be raw oysters. So I can eat it morning, noon, and night. I'll put oysters on my cornflakes. I'm crazy about raw oysters. My favorite all time oyster, hands down, has to be either Kumamoto oysters. And here in San Francisco, the place that you have to go check out is the Hog Island Oyster Company at the ferry terminal building. I don't think obsession even covers it. Their oysters are delicious.
Raw oysters, to me, are the perfect food. It's like this little gift inside of a rock. You crack it open and these little succulent little gems. And to me, the West Coast oyster scene is all about the Hog Island Oyster Company because what you're about to taste is one of the most beautiful flavors that I can think about. Their delicate. Their delicious. And it is fresh and clean. The oysters are just phenomenal.
The great thing about the Hog Island Oyster Company is the fact that they grow the oysters themselves in Tomales Bay, which is located about an hour North of San Francisco. Oysters don't come from an oyster tree. They're actually harvested in what's called an estuary. It's sort of like an intercoastal waterway.
SPEAKER 17: Hog Island grows all these oysters right here in Tomales Bay.
SPEAKER 11: Oh my God.
SPEAKER 17: I can totally get why Tyler likes these because Kumamoto's really pick up the terroir of the bay.
SPEAKER 11: Water comes and goes with the tide. And that's what the oysters feed off of.
SPEAKER 17: You can buy these oysters right here, go over to the picnic tables, eat them right now. I mean, you can't get any fresher than this.
SPEAKER 11: That's why I like to go there because it's not just a dozen oysters, it's an oyster experience. And I love that. And I love the fact it's local. I love the fact that they care. And you can tell that bite after bite.
SPEAKER 17: The best Kumamoto oysters here are going to make it to the ferry plaza building. These oysters will be on somebody's dinner plate within 24 hours.
SPEAKER 11: When you walk into the Hog Island Oyster Company in the ferry terminal building, you're surrounded by this beautiful vista of San Francisco Bay. They prepare the oysters in such a professional manner. It's so great to watch. And they're real artisans. And they make it look like it's a piece of cake. The guy will fly through hundreds oysters before you even know it. And the oysters are screaming for someone to just woof them down. And that's my job. This is how you do it. OK, so you take the oyster. While you put a little bit of minuet sauce right on top of that, and you take the whole thing, and you say hello, to my little friend. Briny, fresh. Oysters, man. They're addictive. I'm telling you.
SPEAKER 18: I'm right there with the oyster thing too, but there is something else that I have a huge obsession with. And that's coconut. Which brings me to the triple cream coconut cream. I think it's triple coconut custard cream pie. I'm not even sure. The matter with the Davis is going by on the menu with coconut, and cream, and white chocolate from Rich Seafood in Voorhees, New Jersey.
This pie is like the nirvana of dessert. This is better than any pie I have ever had in my entire life. This pie is heavenly. It is decadent. It is sexy. It is just to die for. Rich Seafood is in the suburbs of New Jersey. Danny is the chef.
SPEAKER 19: Now, we will start on our famous crust. We use the coconut water instead of ice water. And then my secret ingredient, a little coconut rum. The alcohol in the rum evaporates quickly, making it a more flakier crust.
SPEAKER 18: I have had other coconut pies. And no one has ever done that before. Then it has coconut in the custard. So now we got crust, we got custard. So now what do we top in our pie with?
SPEAKER 19: Just top it off with this beautiful fresh whipped cream.
SPEAKER 18: And then on top there, the shavings of white chocolate and shavings of coconut. Are we having fresh coconut, or are we having fresh coconut? Fresh coconut that's been shaved and then toasted. How much do you love coconut? All on top of the pie and falling all down on your plate. I don't even want to chew it. I just want it to melt in my mouth. It's so light and delicate. The pie is incredible. Do I just die right here? Finished off with a shot of espresso. I have this obsession with coconut.
SPEAKER 7: I am obsessed with these lemon scallion crab cakes. I need a moment to just think about it. It's so good. At Tom Douglas's restaurant called Dalia in Seattle, Washington. They've perfected that recipe. It is awesome. When I want a crab cake, I want a meaty lump crab cake with just a light crust. I have found that the biggest problem with crab cakes is that the filling isn't usually all crab. They stuff it with lots of other fillers, which just drives me crazy. But at Dalia it is phenomenal.
SPEAKER 20: I think our crab cakes are the best because of the fact that they're all crab and a thick cake.
SPEAKER 7: Lots of chunky thick, yummy, fresh crab meat. It's in Seattle too so, of course, Seattle is known for seafood. They season it with a little bit of lemon juice, and lemon zest, and just a little bit of scallion, and a tiny bit of onion flavor, which I really like that combination together.
SPEAKER 20: We pan fry them in rice bran oil.
SPEAKER 7: The crust is golden. Really yummy crust that's thin.
SPEAKER 20: We're going to flip them and finish them in the oven. For the plate, we have a romesco, which is a red pepper almond sauce, with roasted Yukon potatoes. We roast the potatoes also with rice oil and little bit of butter. Then we make the salad.
SPEAKER 7: They're not cooked very long either, which, again, I think is why they taste so good. These are not heavy. When you cut into them, and you can just hear that crispy crust from the outside of the crab cake, and then you bite into it. The insides are just flaky and light. The meat just opens up like flakiness. That lemon penetrates everything. It brings it all together. And it is one of those meals that you never forget. They are unbelievable.
SPEAKER 8: Can we talk about this? It's not meant to be this way. I'm making a small order of wings, OK?
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