Jan. 28, 2021

Sometimes you just have to say no to Guy Fieri, and that’s OK.

When the production team for “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” asked Look’s Marketplace to close the business for three days for filming this past summer, “We’re like: ‘Hold on. That’s tough to do,’ ” co-owner Nick Heineman said.

Look’s, which will be on Friday night’s episode, is much more than a restaurant. While it started as a butcher shop in 1883, it’s also now a gourmet grocer, cheese shop, pastry shop and brewery.

Heineman and co-owner/chef Beau Vondra convinced the production team that they could close off the restaurant and keep the rest of the marketplace at 500 E. 69th St. going.

“We’re just unique to what they’ve ever shot before, so they kind of understood that,” Vondra said. “I don’t think they really understood it until they got here, but they worked with us on it.”

Fieri also was drawn to all the aspects of the business, Vondra said.

“They told me that Guy had more spots that he filmed in in this space than they’ve ever filmed in before. … They filmed in four different spots or five different spots in here.”

Vondra and Heineman are hoping those areas show up in the episode so people see everything Look’s has to offer.

“People come in for the food they see on Food Network, and when Guy tells them this is good, they come in and try it,” Heineman said. “We’re hopeful that they’ll see we are a full market too, with groceries and bakery and brewery and all these different things that we try to offer more than just, over and above, what the restaurant is.”

Off camera, Fieri asked if he could talk with Look’s entire staff. It took a few minutes to pull everyone from the various departments. About half of the 70-member team was there that day, and “that was actually one of the really special aspects of his visit,” Heineman said. “He brought the whole team together to talk about how special of a place Look’s is and how important their job is to the business and entire community. He really wanted to drive home that they were the ones giving life to Look’s Marketplace.”

The celebrity chef also took time to pose for a group photo.

“He’s exactly like he is on TV,” Heineman said. “That guy on TV is that person.”

Vondra got the same impression.

“He doesn’t sugarcoat stuff on TV; he doesn’t sugarcoat stuff in real life. He’s a genuine person. It’s nice to know that people who are on TV can be genuine people.”

The chef side of Fieri comes through, Vondra said. Look’s submitted a half-dozen dishes for him to consider, and “he actually personally chooses the items that he eats based on the recipes,” Vondra said.

Friday night’s episode will feature The Porcules sandwich and Motor City Pizza, both staples on the menu.

The Porcules includes Look’s pit sausage, pulled pork and smoked pork belly or smoked pork brisket, depending on what’s in stock, on ciabatta bread. It’s topped with barbecue sauce, pickled onions, arugula and chili lime mayo.

The Detroit-style pizza — rectangular with a thick crust — features a three-cheese blend, pepperoni, hot soppressata, house-made Italian sausage, roasted mushrooms, pizza sauce, ricotta cream, basil and olive oil.

The food will be part of this week’s Savory Meat and a Little Sweet episode, which airs at 8 p.m. In addition to the “market-butcher eatery servin’ up a full culinary extravaganza,” the show visits an Indian restaurant in Fairbanks, Alaska, and a bakery/cafe in Fargo. Initial replays are scheduled for 11 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Feb. 13.

Also on Saturday, the episode with Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen that aired earlier this month will be replayed at 6 p.m.

‘O’ So Good, Urban Chislic and Lalibela Restaurant were featured in a single episode at the beginning of the month, and the final episode with a Sioux Falls restaurant now has an air date. Daily Clean Food & Drink will be part of the episode titled Rib-Stickers, scheduled for 8 p.m. Feb. 12. The restaurant on Western Avenue south of 69th is described as “a funky joint cleaning up familiar favorites, like burgers and mac and cheese.” Featured recipes are Jeb’s No Bull Burger and Mighty Mac & Bison Meatballs. The episode will be replayed at 11 p.m. Feb. 13 and 5 p.m. Feb. 27.

The restaurants that have been featured already have seen droves of customers. At Look’s, there’s room for 125 diners, and it often fills up on Friday and Saturday nights already, so the owners encourage customers to come a little earlier or later than the typical supper hour and keep in mind that Look’s is open every day except for Monday.

For takeout, customers can order online, and curbside pickup is available.

With early buzz about the visit from “Triple D,” travelers are already checking out the restaurant, Heineman said. Look’s hung a U.S. map on the wall near Fieri’s signature artwork, and diners can stick a pin in their hometown.

“We were hoping when we opened this as a place for Sioux Falls to be proud of and people to want to bring their friends from out of town, so hopefully this just helps with that, and we can still make Sioux Falls proud of what we’re doing here,” Vondra said.

‘It’s a blessing’: South Dakota restaurants see large increase in business after ‘Triple D’ segments