This is an ok book to browse. Especially neat to find those places in your state. If you are a fan of the show, you will probably like this book very much. I am not a fan of the show. I like the idea of the show-- finding those unique eateries that are a piece of Americana and give you great memories of a road trip or a good meal or both. However, I can't really stand Guy Fieri. I did watch the show in the early seasons, but as his schtick seemed to just get worse, I got tired of it and stopped watching. The problem with the book is that, while the stories are interesting, he gets in the way too much. The result is that you can just hear the guido all over the book, and after a while, you get tired of it. If he would get out of the way, let the owners and restaurateurs tell their stories, it would probably be a better book. If you want to trace the places or find them, you could get the book, though I believe much of the information is available online as well. So, this is pretty much one for fans of the show. ( )

added several spots to visit and recipes to try, fun to read about all those good-sounding-bad-for-you foods! ( )

This volume, and the follow-up (More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives) feature abbreviated looks at the joints that Guy visits in his Food Network series of the same name. Each brief (3-4 page) chapter features an introduction to a quirky little restaurant, its history, and the people who run it. Each entry them includes the recipes and instructions for fixing one of that restaurant's/chef's signature dishes. Most entries also have black & white photos accompanying the text, and many feature Guy's own personal recollections about the food and the people he met at each restaurant. Although the first volume doesn't include anything from Nebraska, volume 2 does have three Omaha diners in it -- Amato's Cafe, California Tacos & More, and Dixie Quick's Magnolia Room. When will he get to Lincoln?? [Obviously, if you like these books, you'll really like the episodes they were based on, which get regular rotation on The Food Network. I'm hoping my library will buy the DVD sets as well!]

Originally reviewed for the staff recommendations page of my libraries' website: http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/srec/staffrec11-02.htm ( )

Not a great cookbook, since the recipes are designed for large quantities (mostly) from restaurants, and are sometimes incomplete, but its a great companion to the show, and a tribute to small, independent American restaurants. ( )

This book worth the price of purchase simply for the description of the diners, drive-ins, and dives. Yes, I really would have liked more recipes, and I really would have liked a couple of pages on every one of the places that were on the show even if they didn’t get a recipes from them, but it did come with the Cap’n Crunch French Toast recipe and it does have Al’s Diner (which is just down the street from where I work) and Psycho Susie’s, which is close to home. My siblings have been telling me about this place called Chino Bandido for years and here it is!
We just LOVE Guy Fieri, he has great energy and isn’t afraid of taking a big bite and getting food al over. And it looks like he is having fun! ( )