On Jan. 17 there will be one more pin on the Triple D Nation map — one familiar to the soup and sandwich lover: Subito.
The restaurant, owned by executive chef Chuck Brezina and his wife Meganne, opened in 2015 at 34 N. Delaware St. Since then, they opened a second shop inside The AMP at 16 Tech, 1220 Waterway Blvd.
Indianapolis is now a city where you can find at least eight restaurants operating in the Flavortown map. In recent months, Fieri has visited Che Chori (aired on Aug. 2, 2024); Tlaolli (aired on Aug. 30, 2024); Pa and Ma’s Backyard Barbecue (aired on Oct. 4, 2024); and His Place Eatery (aired on Oct. 11, 2024).
An episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives: Triple D Nation,” in which Fieri, who is from Columbus, Ohio, visits restaurants that have appeared on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” aired on Jan. 3 and featured the historic restaurant Steer-In. Since then, the restaurant paused its operations due to four health code violations, as reported by The Indianapolis Star.
We spoke with Brezina to find out what it was like when the cameras and the famous chef rolled into his restaurant.
What was your first reaction when you were contacted by the show?
I was skeptical. We were contacted by the production company via email, so I forwarded it to my wife, Meganne. We decided to go for it after figuring out it wasn’t spam! It was quite a rigorous process with several rounds — my wife built the initial PowerPoint presentation on Christmas Eve 2023 and we filmed in February 2024.
What was your first impression of Guy Fieri?
He was the consummate professional. He really understood what we are trying to do at Subito and gave us great feedback and encouragement when he was here.
What dishes did you make for the show?
We made our Revelo, which has been our No. 1 best-seller for years. It is pork shoulder marinated in mojo sauce for 24 hours, that is then roasted and sliced, served with caramelized onion, pickled jalapeño, fresh cilantro, roasted garlic mayo and Swiss cheese on grilled sourdough.
We also made our “dip” sandwich, which has beef brisket that has been brined for 72 hours, then roasted for 15 hours. We slice it thinly and serve it with a smear of mayo and a side of house au jus on grilled ciabatta bread, which we make in-house every morning.
What was your favorite behind-the-scenes moment?
The most validating moment was when Guy told us that there should be a Subito in every city. He also told me I, “wasn’t a ‘dud!’”
If you had one do-over, what would you do differently while the cameras were on?
I was so nervous that I forgot to scrape my bowl of our sourdough starter for the bread demonstration. Guy covered for me by scraping it out himself, while giving me a sideways glance.
What’s one cool thing about your restaurant that people should know, that they might not catch while watching the show?
We have the best staff in the industry — each one has helped to create so much of what our customers experience. They are talented career restaurateurs who take pride in their work and the service that they provide. Many have been with us for more than five years. We are so fortunate to work alongside them and appreciate their efforts to get us to this moment.
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