“If it’s funky, we’ll find it.” Such is the motto of Guy Fieri, the wild and crazy host of the Food Network’s most popular show — Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.
Fieri brought his own brand of charisma to Schellville Grill on Thursday to tape a segment of the show in chef Matt Nagan’s popular Sonoma eatery. Fieri was his typical off-the cuff self, complete with good-natured ribbing and playful banter between the two chefs.
Nagan cooked up his signature barbequed tri-tip sandwich with Fieri giving commentary the entire time. In the restaurant’s kitchen, the pair first whipped up a homemade barbeque sauce. A dry rub was next which Nagan also uses on French fries. Upon tasting the rub, Fieri said he’d not only love it on French fries but perhaps even on a flip-flop, something he called “high on the dietary hierarchy.” The two then moved outside to the smoker to cook the meat.
Back inside, Nagan quick-sauteed the meat with onions, mushrooms and garlic, glazing it with a bit of BBQ sauce before slicing and layering it on a lightly toasted hunk of baguette.
The resulting sandwich had Fieri proclaiming the restaurant a “stop on the way to flavor-town. You have an ability to blend ingredients well without one thing overpowering the others. There’s the right amount of smoke and a bit of garlic. Delicious.”
For Nagan, the whole thing began with a surprise phone call from the Food Network in November, one he imagined was at first a joke. “We have a lot of pranksters who come in here.” For him, taping the segment in his eight-year-old restaurant was a unique and fun experience.
According to Fieri, food is the number one criteria when choosing a restaurant for the show. “We probably choose one out of 50 restaurants suggested. It’s food first followed by location and character.
“Look at what’s happening here today at Schellville Grill. You have a restaurant at a major crossroads with a fire station in the background. It’s little place that you drive by all the time and may not think much about. Come to find out that there’s this character in here making dynamite food,” said Fieri.
“I love to know what’s in my backyard,” said Fieri, whose original Tex Wasabi’s restaurant is in Santa Rosa. “I’m proud of where I come from and I love to show it off.”
