The ninth season of Food Paradise, an American food reality television series narrated by Jess Blaze Snider (formally Mason Pettit) on the Travel Channel, premiered on October 16, 2016. First-run episodes of the series aired in the United States on the Travel Channel on Mondays at 10:00 p.m. EDT. The season contained 13 episodes and concluded airing on January 15, 2017.

Food Paradise features the best places to find various cuisines at food locations across America. Each episode focuses on a certain type of restaurant, such as "Diners", "Bars", "Drive-Thrus" or "Breakfast" places that people go to find a certain food specialty.

Episodes

Taco-Lanche! Restaurant Location Specialty(s) Torchy's Tacos Austin, Texas "Trailer Park-Hillbilly Style Tacos" – three flour tortillas filled with deep-fried chicken tenders, chorizo sausage and Applewood-smoked bacon, topped with creamy queso made with house-made salsa, New Mexican green chilies, heavy cream and cheese; pico de gallo, and ranch dressing made with mayo, ranch seasoning, buttermilk, poblano peppers, and green serrano peppers. "Ace of Spades" – flour tortilla filled with butter-seared jalapeño sausage, smoked beef brisket, a fried egg, topped with creamy queso, sour cream and "Diablo Sauce" made with vegetable oil, diced onions, garlic, habanero peppers, tomato sauce, vinegar, and salt, and garnished with cilantro. Tacolicious The Mission, San Francisco, California "Shot and a Beer Braised Taco" – four corn tortillas filled with over-roasted shredded chicken thighs in a sauce of chipotle and ancho chilies, smoke jalapeños, habaneros, oregano, cumin, salt, tomatoes, beer, and a shot of tequila, topped with diced raw onions and cilantro, served with three sauces on the side. "Guajillo Braised Beef Short Rib Taco" – corn tortillas filled with seared short ribs with salt and pepper, braised, shredded and topped with a sauce made with guajillo and chipotle chilies, sautéed onions, garlic and spices, topped with onions, tomatoes and spicy salsa. Henry's Puffy Tacos Cantina San Antonio, Texas "Spicy Beef Fajita Puffy Taco" – three deep-fried homemade masa flour corn tortillas that puff-up in the oil, filled with skirt steak rubbed in black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and paprika, marinated in secret hot sauce, flattop-grilled with onions and green bell peppers, and topped with shredded cheese, fresh guacamole and diced tomatoes, served with yellow rice and refried beans. Arizona Taco Festival Scottsdale, Arizona The Mission: "Jidori Chicken Mole Taco" – three homemade charred corn tortillas filled with sliced jidori Japanese chicken, marinated in beer, garlic, lime juice and cilantro, grilled with pecan wood and sauced with a mole made from Oaxacan pasillas, mulatos, burnt mulato seeds, kombu, Indonesian long peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, Marcona almonds, peanuts, pepitas or toasted pumpkin seeds, bonito flakes, honey, thyme, red garlic, golden raisins, oregano, white soy sauce, Worcestershire powder, squid ink, salt, oil, and chicken stock, and topped with cilantro, pickled watermelon radish slices, Cotija cheese, pepitas, and a garnish of chicken skin. "Carne Asada Taco" – corn tortillas filled with carne asada skirt steak marinated in lime juice, arbol chilies, garlic and sugar, pecan wood-grilled, sliced, topped with a coconut chili arbol, roast garlic and cilantro sauce, garnished with sliced avocados, and chili-spiced corn nuts. Queso Good (quesadilla food truck): "El Gaucho" – corn tortilla filled with butter-seared sliced top sirloin steak in homemade Argentinian chimichurri sauce made with flat leaf parsley, garlic, secret imported chili peppers, white vinegar, and corn oil, topped with mozzarella, fried tattertots, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. "Green Chili Beef Taco" – grilled sirloin tip beef in a cumin-based rub, topped with grilled onions and green chilies in a cumin roux and red sauce, pico de gallo, and shredded cheddar and pepperjack cheeses. Guisados Los Angeles, California "Cochinita Pibil Taco" – handmade grilled corn tortilla filled with guisado or braised/stewed pork butt marinated in achiote paste, orange juice, lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic, chopped onions, onion powder, roasted in a pan with banana leaves, topped with black beans, habanero mango salsa, and sweet pickled onions. "Steak Picado Taco" – corn tortillas filled with stewed beef braised with bacon, onions, and bell peppers, topped with black beans, and spicy avocado sauce. Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint Nashville, Tennessee "Redneck Taco" – slow-smoked pulled pork belly, topped with sweet "Dixie Sauce", made with ketchup, vinegar, sugar, cayenne, red pepper flakes, dry mustard and chili powder; homemade coleslaw made with mayo, minced garlic, half-n-half, apple cider vinegar, sugar, chopped green & purple cabbage and carrots served on a hoecake or griddle-drop cornbread made with eggs, black pepper, buttermilk, white cornmeal, and hot pork fat. Catfish Taco – two flour tortillas filled with cornmeal crusted catfish, topped with coleslaw, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeños, and melted shredded cheddar cheese. Oscar's Mexican Seafood San Diego, California Smoked Fish Taco – handmade corn tortilla filled with hickory-smoked and pulled albacore tuna, spiced with granulated garlic, black pepper, mixed with onions, tomatoes and cilantro, seared with butter on the flat-top grill, and topped with shredded cabbage, melt cheese, and three slices of fresh avocado. Spicy Grilled Shrimp Taco – shrimp grilled in house salt, garlic, crushed red peppers, light soy sauce, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce and white wine, topped with cabbage, diced onions, tomatoes, cilantro, avocado, and chipotle mayo, made with granulated garlic, pepper and seasoned salt.

Brunch-Nado! Restaurant Location Specialty(s) The Country Cat Dinner House & Bar Portland, Oregon "Monte Cristo Sandwich'" – homemade smoked ham, smoked turkey brined in a mixture of citrus, salt and cinnamon, butter lettuce, "Durkee" (mustard-mayo sauce), and "Judy" (grated cheddar, beer, pickle juice, Tabasco, and mayo) on freshly baked oat bread dipped in bourbon custard, topped with house-made strawberry preserves and drizzled with maple syrup and powdered sugar. Slow Burn– pork chili made with smoked pork shoulder pasilla peppers, cascabels chilies, sofrito (puree of tomato, onion, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, lime juice, sugar and secret ingredient: chocolate), served with sunny side-up eggs and corn grits. Clinton St. Baking Company New York City, New York "Mexican Benedict" – steamed tamales made from masa dough, corn flour, chicken stock and melted pork fat, placed into corn husks and stuffed with Oaxaca cheese, roasted poblano peppers, topped with braised guajillo pulled pork made from picante guajillo chili peppers, caramelized onions and tomatoes, roasted garlic, oregano, cumin, apple cider vinegar, salt and black pepper, two poached eggs drizzled with roasted pureed green poblano hollandaise and garnished with cilantro and guajillo sauce. "Hot Buttered Rum" – hot drink made with maple butter, maple syrup, apple cider and cinnamon. Chicken & Waffles – chicken breasts marinated in spices and buttermilk, dredged in cornmeal and flour, deep-fried, served on top of a vanilla sugar lemon zest waffle with a side of maple butter, and drizzled with hot red cayenne sauce mixed with honey, garnished with chives. The Fifty/50 Chicago, Illinois "Breakfast Lasagna" – layers of extra wide-cut thinly sliced golden deep-fried potatoes, caramelized onions, thick-cut bacon crumbles, extra sharp shredded cheddar cheese, baked in a cast-iron skillet, topped with an easy-over egg. "Wobble Stopper" – a Bloody Mary consisting of top-shelf vodka, tomato juice, pickle juice, olive juice, Worcestershire sauce, and homemade fine-age hot sauce, with dehydrated corn mixed with barbecue sauce on the rim of the glass. "South in Your Mouth" – southern-style pulled pork in a rice wine vinegar, cumin, sriracha, honey barbecue sauce on top of a cilantro-cornbread waffle made with bacon drippings, roasted corn, and jalapeños, topped with corn relish, two sunny side-up eggs. Katie's Restaurant & Bar Mid-City, New Orleans, Louisiana "Chef Scott's Famous BBQ Shrimp and Grits" – deep-fried local Gulf shrimp stuffed in jumbo U10 scallops, slathered in a barbecue sauce made from Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, roasted garlic, butter, lemon juice, white pepper, Creole seasoning, Spanish paprika and rosemary deep-fried in olive oil, served on top of stone ground corn grits made with heavy cream, milk, butter, salt and Provel cheese. "Brandy Milk Punch" – brandy, crème de cacao, milk and fresh nutmeg, served over ice. "Crawfish Beignet" – pizza dough beignet stuffed with local crawfish, Provel cheese, whole milk mozzarella, Wisconsin cheddar, agave caramelized onions and pickled jalapeños, drizzled with spicy aioli, and garnished with a whole crawfish. Fat Hen Charleston, South Carolina "Duck & Apple Sausage Gratin" – grilled sausage made with duck breast, duck liver and Applewood-smoked bacon, salt, pepper, dried apples in brandy, garlic, shallots, served on top of a crepe, and topped with caramelized onions and liaison (rich thickening sauce made with four egg yolks and a quarter of cream), another crepe on top with pecan-smoked shredded gruyere in a gratin with a sunny side-up egg on top. "French Toast Sandwich" – maple syrup Applewood-smoked bacon sausage patty, a farm-fresh egg, grape jam, smoked Gruyere cheese, between two thick slices of Crème brulee-battered French toast, served with a side of bacon-cheese grits. Bone Lick BBQ Atlanta, Georgia "Hangover Muff" (a.k.a. "The Porkgasm") – slow-smoked pulled pork butt, house-smoked and cured bacon, ham, a sausage patty, two slices of white American cheese and an egg on buttered English muffins. "Wake-Up Juice" – an oversized Bloody Mary topped off with a skewer of a chunk of beef brisket burnt end, a chicken wing and a spare rib and a skewer of pickled peppers. "Sexy-Ass French Toast" – bread pudding, sliced and dipped in batter, and fried, topped with hazelnut spread, whipped cream, homemade maple bacon butter and powdered sugar. Little Dom's Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California "Breakfast Pizza" – a personal pizza with super-thin pizza crust topped with light tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, a sunny side-up egg, speck or smoked prosciutto, and basil. Butternut Squash Old Fashion – made with butternut bourbon, served over ice. Fried Eggs and Polenta – buckwheat polenta made with cream and butter, topped with sautéed kale, two sunny side-up eggs, and Calabrese butter made with Italian Calabrese peppers garlic and butter, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese. The Sinclair Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts "Waffle Burger" – char-grilled chuck patty with topped two slices of white cheddar cheese, two fried egg, bacon, onion jam, son thick waffle buns, drizzled with maple syrup, served with a side of fries. "Lobster Sliders" – chunks of lobster, mixed with diced celery, lemon zest, tarragon, parsley, mayo, pickle juice, salt, cracked black pepper, layered with baby kale, on top of two buttery mini buns, with a skewer of sweet & spicy pickles.

Super Sandwiches