Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown

Having visited more than 600 restaurants over 17 seasons on the Food Network (while opening four of his own eateries as well), Fieri has yet to run out of gas as he swerves his way through this third book in the DDD series. Fans of his no-holds-barred zeal for just about any edible ("I am freakin' for some Costa Rican") will not be disappointed in this road trip that covers some 50 restaurants and provides nearly 70 recipes. The entries are presented geographically, an essentially meaningless format since nearly half the book is focused on his home turf of the West and Southwest. Plus, while there are some dishes that are in keeping with their locale, such as the fried green tomatoes from a joint called Louie and the Redhead Lady, in Maudeville, La., there are numerous examples of chefs who have succeeded by ranging far outside their town's native cuisine. In Mooresville, Ind., there is Zydeco's BBQ shrimp. In Boise, a Basque restaurant serves up roast pork sandwiches with pimentos, and in Cleveland, the Momocho Mexican restaurant offers braised brisket made with a rub of coffee and ancho chile powder. A recipe index broken out by food type makes navigation easier, but for those who want to relive their favorite Triple D episodes, browsing is best, since each stop is punctuated with behind the scenes memories from various TV crew members, all of whom have bro-mantic nicknames such as Big Bunny or Butterbean. (June)