You Gotta Eat Here!

- Season 2

(2023)

"I do like them, John I am, I do like green eggs and ham..." especially on a pizza! While visiting Pie in Barrie, ON, host John Catucci learns to create a storybook pizza that could only be conceived by the mind of Dr. Seuss OR chef Randy Feltis. And he even attempts to eat the most epic pie of them all - the Furious Canucker - named after Canadian champion eater, Furious Pete. Next stop is Burger Barn in Oshweken, ON where Catucci enjoys a First Nations twist on burgers, tacos, E-I-E-I-Ooooo. Just don't expect to see any veggies, because there's no room! John's last ...

Host John Catucci visits Black Forest Inn in Hamilton, ON, bringing his own meat mallet to pound out some massive Bavarian schnitzels. Chef Wolfgang Schoen has been cooking 13 crispy, juicy varieties of schnitzels for over 35 years, like his Jager Schnitzel or "Hunter's Cutlet", smothered in mushroom gravy. Next up, John travels to the city of Kamloops, BC for traditional Mexican cooking at Fiesta Mexicana. There he tackles a very complex mole sauce recipe for a "chocolate chicken" enchilada so hard to find words for, we had to cue the chef's vocal sound effects. Last...

Host John Catucci doesn't just go out for brunch, he goes out of his way to Gatineau, QC for one of the best brunches in Canada. Chef Marysol Foucault creates brunch heaven with maple syrup soaked bacon, pork belly in a pop over and a huevos rancheros that can only be described as Franco-Mexican delicious. John then samples Israeli food at Dr. Laffa's in Toronto, ON. The famous Laffa bread is the heart and soul to almost every dish and Chef Yoram Gabay coaches John as he slaps the dough into the restaurant's truly unique oven. Finally, John changes gears and finds ...

Host John Catucci visits Caplansky's Deli in Toronto, ON and gets a lesson in smoked meat - Toronto style. Owner Zane Caplansky might be zaney, but he's not crazy! He makes the sanest decision of his life by adding his signature salty smoked meat to his meatloaf. And some might say his "Leaning Tower of Caplansky" is a little off the rocker. The French toast is piled so high it literally leans right off your plate. Next up, John takes a walk to the Wildside - Grill that is - in Tofino, BC. With a boat to basket mentality it has surfers flocking to the restaurant's ...

Host John Catucci visits Miss Kitty and cook Paulette who team up at The Reef in Vancouver, BC to bring true homestyle island meals to this northern, west coast metropolis. There, John discovers a unique Canadian/Caribbean hybrid dish - The Jerk Chicken Poutine - and improves his cooking lexicon as he cooks up a flavourful, spicy jerk chicken and gravy to smother a plateful of crispy, homemade fries. It's the perfect island treat made for a Canadian. Then, in Nanaimo, BC at Smokin' George's BBQ, John samples a fully loaded, deep fried, brisket baked potato. Sound ...

Host John Catucci enrolls in French cooking classes at Tess in Halifax, NS where Chef Michael Cullen schools John in the making a Croque Madam. This is one waffle that gets a little sweeter by cooking the ham in the waffle! Take that, Paris chefs! John then travels to Victoria, BC and continues his food schooling at the Tibetan Kitchen Café, where Chef Pemba gives him a pop quiz in samosa making. Trouble is John, it's a trick question as her recipe calls for the non-traditional ingredient - craisins! Finally, John's in Edmonton, AB at the Highlevel Diner taking his ...

Host John Catucci rushes to the far, far north where at the Klondike Rib and Salmon Grill in Whitehorse, YK, the only thing shining brighter than the midnight sun is Dona Novecosky's smile! This feisty woman's got plenty of game and gives it to John with a rich and creamy elk stroganoff. Next up, John heads east to Collette's in Glace Bay, NS and finds a filling Christmas dinner all wrapped up in the gift of a festive poutine. Hark, John hears the herald angels sing! And lastly, John travels back west and visits Edmonton, AB to enjoy what else? Turkish food! At Sofra,...

Host John Catucci attends a day of worship at The Burger's Priest in Toronto, ON, where he communes with grilled cheese hamburgers of biblical proportions and tries to solve "secret menus." John's mission; to infiltrate the high priest Shant Mardirosian and crack the code of why his burgers are the Holy Grail. Next in Hamilton, ON, there's a bakery/pizzeria that combines their disciplines to make the best pizza crust in town. Only John could use a little discipline himself when attempting to toss the dough - or have it tossed out. Finally, John travels to Central ...

FORE! John Catucci is hightailing it off the tee box and right into Flavor19, a restaurant in the middle of a Sydney, NS golf course. Golfers and non-golfers alike hang out and enjoy burgers covered in mac and cheese or topped with gigantic onion rings. Burgers so filling everyone will need a ride home in a golf cart afterwards! John's next visit is to the heartland of Canadian beef, Edmonton, AB. There he manages to wrangle... a gator!? Louisiana Purchase serves up some serious heat in authentic Creole spice dishes like alligator kabobs. Last stop is to the rock in ...

At Shine Café in Victoria, BC, host John Catucci discovers a Scotsman cooking the most deliciously outrageous Bennies and Hash. The 'Ooo Benny' is piled high with sweet potato mash, grilled turkey, and crispy onion rings. Drizzle it with sweet maple infused hollandaise sauce and you'll say "Ooo" too. Then, in Toronto, ON, John finds three brothers who take their mom's traditional Banh Mi sandwiches - subs with Asian flair - and twist them up with unique stuffings like a rich duck confit. Over at Smoke and Spice in Windsor, ON, Chef Ryan Odette learnt all his tricks ...

Host John Catucci has seen quite a few poutines in his travels, but Murray Street Kitchen in Ottawa, ON has managed to blow his mind once more with a potato-less poutine topped with a duck confit and swimming in "beast" gravy. Then John visits every mother's kitchen at Fanny Chadwick's in Toronto, ON. Chef Vega Janic is amping up old homestyle favourites, turning her restaurant into your new home away from home with comforting shepherd's pies and savoury tourtières ! Lastly, John searches for the best Caribbean food, but instead of going down south he follows his food...

Host John Catucci pays homage to the city of brotherly love... in Vancouver?!, where The American Cheesesteak Co. successfully masters the "art" of a Philly cheesesteak. Celebrity chef Anthony Sedlak takes this American classic sandwich, infuses it with the highest quality beef and then gives it a lot of flair with a variety of condiments only the passionate, energetic, Anthony Sedlak could imagine. John then travels south - to Orangeville, ON that is - in search of the biggest and spiciest dishes the islands have to offer. The kitchen truly heats up when John tries ...

Host John Catucci visits Calgary, AB and finds The Holy Grill of breakfast perfection. Three brothers cook everything from "smashbrowns" and bennies to massive paninis with crispy beet chips, converting John into a devout follower. Next up, John visits The Flying Spatula Diner in Flesherton - one of the few true truck stop restaurants left in Ontario where GOOD food comes first. John samples the traditional prime rib dinner and a massive hot turkey sandwich - both smothered in hot and savoury gravy. Lastly, John travels west to Vancouver, BC for an authentic southern ...

Gotta have some noodles in your burrito? Host John Catucci drops in at Chino Locos in Toronto, ON where that's exactly what you get! With hip-hop inspired names like 'Da Finest Fish Burrito' or 'Off-Da-Hook', somebody there is definitely going loco. Further west down the tracks in Winona, stop in at one of the most talked about BBQ joints in Ontario. Memphis Fire Barbeque Company serves smoked meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and John has half a mind to take on their breakfast special; 'The Lobotomizer'. And at Déjà vu Café in Moose Jaw, SK, John discovers a ...

Host John Catucci lands in Vancouver, BC at Via Tevere Pizzeria, but is convinced he's actually in Naples! Brothers Frank and Domenic teach John the very precise ritual for making their deliciously rustic and simple, thin crust, wood-fired Neopolitan pizza. John's next stop is at another spot serving circular creations, The Crepe House in Port Dover, ON. Chef Penny Nunn serves traditional crepes alongside creative creations like her Crepe Cannelloni and Shrimp & Scallop Coconut Curry Crepe! Last stop for John is a trip back in time to Hilltop Diner in Langley, BC ...

Host John Catucci gets his pasta fix at Black Skirt in Toronto, ON, enjoying his Domenica spaghetti - translating to 'Sunday spaghetti' - mid-week! Chef Aggie cooks her Nona's sauce for this giant plate of pasta and John once again finds comfort in his heritage. Then John visits the hottest brunch spot in Montreal, L'Avenue. He better brush up on his French to order the signature sucré-sale-croustillant (sweet savoury crispy) - a plate filled with crunchy panko coated French toast covered in ham, cheese and sweet maple syrup. Finally, John heads to Vancouver, BC's ...

Host John Catucci visits The Bungalow in London, ON. Nope, not a single-story house, but the home of a gazillion delicious burger options. Watch as John takes up residence and shows how game he is by sampling every burger from boar to buffalo. Over at The Rumpus Room in Vancouver, BC John cosies up with vintage board games and waffle burgers, returning to childhood with kiddie classic snacks like "ants on a log" - celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins. Lastly, John satisfies his hankering for fresh seafood at a restaurant in... ALBERTA?! Big Fish in Calgary has...

Host John Catucci visits Kawaii Crepe in Winnipeg, MB for some of the cutest crepes he's ever seen. The thin pancakes appear in inventive savoury incarnations, with fillings like sweet yam or saucy pulled pork! Next up is one of Ontario's friendliest roadside stops. At the Argyle Street Grill in Caledonia, ON, John samples old time classics like chicken and ribs: crispy rotisserie chicken with a massive rack of fall-off-the-bone ribs - simply scrumptious! John's last stop is for a traditional Polish feast in Victoria, BC at Skinnytato - but there's nothing skinny ...

Host John Catucci spins right round at Boxwood Café in Calgary, ON where meals rotate to perfection on the rotisserie. We're talkin' chicken, lamb and pork all going round and round, proving the best food is cooked "low and slow."! Next up, John is in Vancouver, BC where he discovers that poutine is alive and well outside of Quebec. At Belgian Fries you can enjoy European style fries dressed in Franco-Canadian style with the finest of ingredients from Europe to the Middle East. Finally, John travels up to the Sunshine Coast in BC, where the sun never shines and the ...

Host John Catucci travels to Westbank, BC and visits Kekuli Café; a restaurant with a simple mantra - Don't panic we've got bannock! Chef Sharon Bond incorporates an ancient Indian ingredient in making a First Nation fry bread used for everything from Bannock Buffalo Burgers to Berry Bannock Bread Pudding. Then John finds a one-of-a-kind pit master in Nikki Bond at Big T's BBQ and Smokehouse in Calgary, AB. Nikki loves her meat, and has created The Elvis Platter featuring 6 different smoky types - can John keep up with this petite blonde BBQ chef? Lastly, John presses...

John Catucci asked for your recommendations and now he's at your favourite restaurants for another Fan Fave Edition of You Gotta Eat Here! Pat Defilippis confesses that he visits That Italian Place in Brampton, ON at least 2 or 3 times a week and insists that John's gotta try "The Big Mouth Challenge" - a 7.5 pound Stromboli! In Toronto, fans swear that every bite is good at Barque Smokehouse, where brisket on your benny and smoked duck on your pancakes make their BBQ brunch one of the best in the city! John's last stop is for authentic Mexican tacos in Vancouver. La ...

John Catucci asked for your recommendations and now he's arrived at your favourite restaurants for another Fan Fave Edition of You Gotta Eat Here! In Dartmouth, NS at Cheesecurds, super fan Bailey Jawornicki wrote in to tell John about yet another amazing use of, you guessed it, cheese curds. Bailey's tried every single burger, but the one she loves and needs John to try is the legendary CC Porker with crispy onion rings, salty bacon, and of course, pillows of cheese curds! Next John finds Wallflower Modern Diner in Vancouver, BC which fans claim is their home away ...

John Catucci asked for your recommendations and now he's arrived at your favourite restaurants for another Fan Fave Edition of You Gotta Eat Here! Super fan Dee Dee Ruda has been going to Smoque Shack in Ottawa, ON since day 1 and wrote in, "the jerk BBQ puts a tingle on my lips and a smile on my face." And John is feelin' the heat mon when he tries the BBQ jerk pork, Jamaican style! Next stop is to Slickity Jim's Chat n' Chew in Vancouver, BC where fan Michelle Baye wrote in about an elusive dish called The Abstract Notion - meaning, the chef just makes it up on the ...

John Catucci asked for your recommendations and now he's arrived at your favourite restaurants for the Fan Fave Edition of You Gotta Eat Here! Super Fan Barbi Lazarus wrote in and proclaimed that The Hogtown Vegan is the place for vegans and their carnivore friends to get great, greasy, diner food. John tries her favourite - the "unpulled" pork sandwich, yes, you read correctly "unpulled" pork, topped with a creamy, crunchy slaw. The next Fan Fave stop is Edmonton, AB, where John checks out Super Fan Julie Crick's recommendation, The Dish Bistro. Chef Michael ...

John Catucci asked for your recommendations and now he's arrived at your favourite restaurants for another Fan Fave Edition of You Gotta Eat Here! Super fan Tracy Reis wrote in about burger customization at Burger 55 in Penticton, BC. She said, "You can build your own burger by choosing from a gazillion ingredients!" With wacky toppings like grilled peaches and drunken onions, it's enough to make a host sing its praises. Next stop is The Smokin' Buddah where it's a culinary world tour without leaving the comfort of Port Colborne, ON. Fan Rick Sheppard tells us, "Chef ...

John Catucci asked for your recommendations and now he's arrived at your favourite restaurants for another Fan Fave Edition of You Gotta Eat Here! Super fan Annie Waugh, who wrote in about The Early Bird in London, ON, couldn't say enough about the turducken club. John just had to find out how turkey, duck, and chicken come together in this supersized sandwich! John's next Fan Fave stop is in Mexico, rather Newmarket, ON, at Made in Mexico. Fan Mandy Wilton Hagen wrote that the Nachos Rancheros in this Canadian city are the real deal, not to mention closer to get to. ...