In an interview last week with the Orange County Register, human pineapple Guy Fieri revealed he had finally filmed two episodes of his problematic Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in Orange County. Cool, we lovers of OC cuisine might think! Finally, national recognition for Little Saigon, Little Arabia? Maybe a Mexican place? At the very least classics of American diner cooking like La Habra's Chicken Box or the La Palma Chicken Pie Shop?
Of course not. Expecting Fieri to find a bona fide find is like hoping the Catholic Church will finally rid itself of pedophiles and their apologists. One of the restaurants he picked is just a joke; the other deserves all the praise on Earth, but he failed to credit me for giving it its first mainstream publicity.
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One of the places Fieri highlighted is Mama Cozza's in Anaheim. It's an institution for Anaheim politicos, which is all that needs to be said about the restaurant's worth. The food is run-of-the-mill Italian–pasta, subs, pizzas that won't give you a grease belly but will not inspire further visits. I'm sure some yahoo wrote to Fieri raving about the place, and Fieri believed him, showing how lazy the pendejo is given that just a couple of blocks away are the infinitely better Rufino's and Cortina's, both which have been around longer than Cozza's.
The other restaurant Fieri filmed for an episode he got right: Paul's Coffee Shop in Fountain Valley, home of the glorious chicken-fried chicken. I hope the place gets packed with Fieri's fans, who'll be shocked their hero finally picked a place worth visiting. What I don't appreciate, however, is the failure to give credit when credit is due. I was the first person to ever review Paul's Coffee Shop, beating even those crazy Yelp kids and Chowhounds. How DARE Fieri not give a shout-out to the Weekly! How dare Fieri rip me off!
And, before anyone leaves comments accusing me of jealousy because of that last rant, watch the Simpsons episode where Krusty yells at Gabbo for stealing his Steve Allen bit first…
