Jedi Chef Travels: Welcome to Flavor Town

  • Jedi Chef Travels: Welcome to Flavor Town
    Jedi Chef Travels: Welcome to Flavor Town
  • BBQ-seared salmon with cheesy shrimp and grits and charred brussels sprouts. Jedi Chef Stryker
    BBQ-seared salmon with cheesy shrimp and grits and charred brussels sprouts. Jedi Chef Stryker
  • Guy’s desert surprise consisted of chocolate, caramel, coconut, almond, with a cookie and rice krisy in a chocolarte dome. Jedi Chef Stryker
    Guy’s desert surprise consisted of chocolate, caramel, coconut, almond, with a cookie and rice krisy in a chocolarte dome. Jedi Chef Stryker
  • Not your ordinary queso cheese and chips. Jedi Chef Stryker
    Not your ordinary queso cheese and chips. Jedi Chef Stryker
  • A half rack of St. Louis-style ribes, and many other goodies filled the platter of the second entree. Jedi Chef Stryker
    A half rack of St. Louis-style ribes, and many other goodies filled the platter of the second entree. Jedi Chef Stryker

If you are fluent with the Food Network and Emmy Award winning star Guy Fieri, then Guys Grocery Games and, Diners, Driveins, and Dives are television shows you have come to love. Fieri is a restaurateur with locations across the United States. He even has some locations on the high seas with his signature burger joints on the cruise line Carnival.

So now, the Jedi Chef gets to flip the script and do his own version of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives as we travel to Durant Okla. and the Choctaw Casino to visit Guy Fieri American Kitchen + Bar for their big one-year anniversary.

Walking into Guys, the staff immediately greeted us. They were very friendly and hospitable. Looking around the restaurant, I noticed the place is set up like a Gastro Sports Pub.

Once seated, Tyler Holder took our drink order, and left us to peruse the menu. Holder, a ten-year Choctaw casino employee who has been with the Guys brand since it first opened a year ago, said he loves working at the grill.

With so many tasty choices, our journey begins with the appetizer. It was no ordinary queso and chips. It also included charred corn, SMC (super melty cheese), roasted poblano chilis, bacon and Monterey jack cheese. After the appetizers were done, this meant it was entrée time.

The first plate was the BBQ-seared salmon, Cajun shrimp, stone-ground cheddar grits, sriracha spiced crispy brussels sprouts and bourbon brown sugar BBQ glaze. The fish was cook to perfection and the grits were creamy and spot on, and to be honest, not sure I will be able to eat brussels sprouts any other way, now.

Our second entrée was off the one-year anniversary special item menu and consisted of a half rack of St. Louis-Style ribs, smoked pork butt, 18-hour “Low ‘N Slow” brisket, Andouille sausage and Dragon’s Breath Chili served with Cole slaw and house pickles.

The platter was overwhelmingly good, from off the bone ribs to succulent pork, and the brisket and sausage were fantastic. However, my shout out on the plate was the chili – just the right heat. Each bite delivered an explosion of flavor, that kept you coming back for more.

No meal, regardless of how stuffed you feel, can be finished without dessert. So, we enjoyed another anniversary menu item titled Guys Surprise. The name did not disappoint with a decadent chocolate, caramel, coconut, almond, cookie and rice krispy dessert.

On you next adventure to Durant, Okla., be sure to stop in and try out Guys Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar -- Choctaw Casino.