♪♪ -As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a baker.

♪♪ -Paul seems to know what he's doing.

-What you might not know about me is that I'm also a huge film buff... Go ahead, punk.

Make my day.

...and I love my bikes.

I'll be combining all these passions on an epic road trip from New York to L.A.

I'll be sampling foods that play a starring role, lapping up the scenery... as well as the cooking... Wow.

...and reliving some of my favorite movie moments.

I'll be rustling up some epic recipes inspired by my travels.

Oh-ho-ho!

And I'll be meeting a few famous friends along the way.

-This was a real discovery, I have to say.

-So, join me on a journey from grits to gumbo... That's spicy!

...and from "Godfathers" to "Forrest Gump."

I'm a happy boy at the moment.

Come on, buckos!

Let's go for a ride!

Oh-ho-ho-ho!

That looks awesome!

♪♪ ♪♪ [ "Rhapsody in Blue"-type music playing ] -He adored New York.

To him, no matter what was on the menu, this was a city that existed purely on celluloid and pulsated to the great tunes of George Gershwin.

No, no, no.

Let me start that over.

To him, America meant pizzas the size of Central Park.

It was a country made entirely of movie sets.

Behind his blue eyes was the appetite of a starved grizzly bear emerging from a long hibernation of winter.

It was his Big Apple, and he was about to take a bite.

Yeah.

Yeah, that'll work.

♪♪ ♪♪ I'm in New York at the beginning of my epic road trip.

What better place to start than Manhattan?

It just screams movie scenes.

[ Gorilla roars ] You half expect Spider-Man to come flying around a building somewhere.

♪♪ It's big.

It's bold.

[ Horn honking ] Actually, I think it's beautiful.

It's one of those places you have to come.

If you want to feel part of the movie scene, come to New York.

Look at it.

It is stunning.

♪♪ [ Laughs ] What you don't get in the movies is the size of New York.

It is vast, and it's one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

And all those people need to eat, which explains why there are 24,000 restaurants in Manhattan alone.

And that's why I'm here.

I love the food in the States.

We're going to pick up some amazing, little tips and hints on how you can improve your food at home.

To understand New York food, it's useful to know a little about its history.

New York is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, due to the huge waves of immigrants flooding to the city in the 19th and early 20th century, often forming neighborhoods dominated by one ethnic group, each bringing the traditions and flavors of home with them.

For example, there are more Jewish people in New York than anywhere else in the world outside of Israel, many of whom settled in the Lower East Side.

And that's where I'm heading for a bagel breakfast.

When you think of bagels, you think of those soft, chewy, beautiful sandwiches or breakfast good.

Now, I'm heading to a place which is known for being one of the best in New York.

I'll be the judge of that.

Tompkins Square Bagels have taken a very traditional Jewish breakfast and brought it into the 21st century with a range of flavors and fillings to suit every culture that calls this city home.

You're gonna have to look down at some of these fillings.

I mean, vegetable tofu.

I mean, all right, I mean, it's not really for me, but then you have cucumber dill, wasabi.

I mean, wow.

Birthday cake -- I mean, look at the color of that one.

I mean, that's -- that's colorful.

Almond cream cheese -- now, that sounds actually quite nice.

It's got everything you ever want and all in a bagel.

I can't wait to try mine.

I've heard good things about your bagels, so I need to try one.

Could I have a double egg, cheese, and bacon, please?

-Yeah.

Of course.

-And maybe a little spread of avocado, if possible.

-Okay.

A little avocado mash.

-Yeah, lovely.

-And what kind of bagel would you like that on, sir?

-Uh...white sesame.

-Okay.

And your name today?

-"Hollywood," as in America.

-[ Laughing ] All right.

[ Both laugh ] All right.

Here you go.

-Thanks, man.

-Have a good day.

-Thank you.

What makes a good bagel is its freshness.

Here, everything's made on site.

They don't use refined sugars.

They only use natural sugars, like honey, malt.

To make a bagel, it's all about boiling it for the last ten minutes of proofing.

And that balloons it up and gives it a coating of water.

It's then that it goes in the oven and bakes for about 20 minutes.

And that is the secret to making a great fresh bagel.

Leave it to cool slightly and then fill it with whatever you want.

I think this one is mine.

Yes, I think it is.

Thank you very much, indeed.

-You're welcome, Paul.

-Look at that.

♪♪ You can taste how fresh that bagel is.

It's delicious, down to the cheese, the avocado.

But it's the bagel that's the king in this.

Crispy on the outside.

He's toasted it.

Few seeds on it, but, honestly, it's got that chewy center, which is what you're looking for in a good bagel.

Beautiful color.

And when you bite into it... ♪♪ Oh!

It goes everywhere, but who cares, you know?

That's a proper New York bagel.

Now you could leave me alone now, please.

I'm gonna eat this on my own.

I've got it all over my mouth.

♪♪ ♪♪ As much as I'd like to, I can't strut across the States, especially if I'm going to be eating that much.

So, I'm in Brooklyn to pick up a partner with a lot of power... ...and style.

Now, this series is all about me traveling across the United States of America, checking out the very famous movies and, of course, the food.

Now, I'm traveling from New York to L.A., and I had to think long and hard about what mode of transport am I going to use.

Now, I chose it based on a movie I particularly like, "Easy Rider."

Now, there's your clue.

Matt Moore at Iacona Custom Cycles has been working on a special, little number for me.

I feel like a kid at Christmas.

Matt.

-Oh, hey.

-Nice to meet you, mate.

Paul.

-Pleasure to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you.

I know you've designed a bike for us.

-We have.

We have.

-And I'm guessing this is it.

-This is it.

You ready to check it out?

-Yeah.

Go on then.

Let's have a look.

Oh, wow!

Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!

[ Chuckles ] That looks awesome.

You've got my name on it, as well.

-Yes, we do.

Yes, we do.

-Fantastic.

-We made some custom modifications to it.

It's 107-cubic-inch motor, so lots of power.

It's going to be almost nine feet long.

And this, being a rigid-frame bike, you're going to feel all the bumps all the way on your trip to Hollywood.

So... -That is a beautiful bike.

I need to sit on this fella.

See what it feels like.

That is just...awesome.

-Pretty aggressive riding position.

-It is.

-So... We wanted a throwback to the U.S., the Americana, the chopper style of things.

So... -This is awesome.

Do you mind if I fire it up in here?

-Please do.

Please do.

-I want to hear it.

Wait till you hear this thing.

[ Engine starts ] [ Revving ] [ Laughs ] -So, we made a couple modifications to the engine for you.

It's got a little bit more power, but I think you're really going to notice it when you start rolling on the throttle.

-Do you know what?

I'm probably going to be -- My back will be broken.

I'll be deaf.

But I'll have a big smile on my face.

-But you'll go fast, yeah.

[ Both laugh ] -That's fantastic.

Thank you very much, Matt.

-Yeah, you're welcome.

-This is going to be fun.

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Engine starts ] Let's get this beast on the road.

♪♪ That's me set up for one epic road trip.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -I'm in Brooklyn, New York, at the beginning of my coast-to-coast movie road trip, and when it comes to the food on offer, I'll always take the healthy option.

♪♪ -Hey, Paul, two or three?

-Two, just two.

♪♪ Over 40 years have passed since that classic film "Saturday Night Fever" aired in 1977, and a lot of people who are big fans of that movie come here, and they want to eat one of Tony's pizzas.

But there's another pizzeria in Brooklyn which holds a very special place in New Yorkers' hearts, and it's just down the road.

Di Fara Pizza was opened in 1965 as a no-frills, 15-seater corner shop, and by the looks of things, it hasn't changed since.

Dino?

-Hey!

-Hello.

Dino's opening up specially to show me the secret behind the pizza, so often reviewed as New York's finest.

-Welcome to Di Fara.

How's everything today?

How's your day going?

-Good.

I've heard a lot about your pizza.

-Oh, it is awesome.

-I want to find out a little bit more of how you do it.

-Yeah.

Come back.

This is the dough, basically.

-Right.

-And this gets baked twice.

So... -You bake your pizza twice?

-Well, yeah.

First we bake it once with the sauce.

Then we bake it again for the final product.

-Ahh!

-So, we just sprinkle a little olive oil on.

-You're putting that in here?

-Yeah.

So, we... -Can I do some of the spreading?

-Go ahead, yeah.

-Do we spread it out?

-Yeah, spread it out.

Make sure.

Yeah.

So, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

-Wow.

Dino really loves his pizza.

-Oh, oh, great.

You need big fingers in this industry.

[ Both laugh ] Wonderful, wonderful.

-Okay.

-And if you want, you could just add a tiny bit, like, a ladle of sauce.

-What is this then?

-This is San Marzano tomatoes.

It's imported from Italy.

-You bake this for how long?

-It's like maybe ten minutes.

-I've never made pizza like this before.

-Yeah.

-This is very different.

-This is unique.

-I've got a few questions.

What's in the dough?

-We have olive oil.

-Salt?

-We have salt.

-Yeast.

-We have yeast.

We have of course water.

-Use an Italian flour, as well.

-Yes, Caputo.

-And your dough is then mixed.

It's rested.

-It's mixed.

It's rested.

-Yeah.

-And then when it comes out of the oven, basically it's like a pan -- something pan-fried, but it's like -- it's amazing.

-Is your handle broken?

-Well, the oven is 50-something years old.

[ Both laugh ] Everything is broken.

Everything is...

But it's iconic.

That's the law.

That's the law of Di Fara.

We got one already that's... -You got one?

Okay.

-Yes, we got one already.

-Okay, bring that in.

Bring that in.

Let's have a look.

-Yeah, no problem.

-It's been baked for ten minutes.

-Yeah.

-It's fairly crispy already.

-Yeah.

It's delicious.

And this is our house signature.

-More olive oil.

-People don't usually like to, you know, put a lot.

But this is the way they taught me.

And this is the way it should be, you know?

-Okay.

-You want to put some sauce on it?

-What, more sauce?

-Yeah.

Put more sauce.

Now you could... -How much?

-Ladle, ladle and a half.

That's good enough now, yeah.

-I've never seen... -You're good.

You're good.

You got a good hand.

I like your hand.

I like your hand.

Then we put the mozzarella cheese.

-Now, what -- is this -- what mozzarella cheese is this?

-This is Polly-O, but these are smaller ones.

There's less, you know, less moisture and stuff in them.

-Yeah.

-So, they're much more expensive, obviously.

-So, you rip this and just put... -Well, yeah, like, you could rip squares of it -- perfect.

Like, yeah, and you could put, like, two.

Yeah.

Perfect.

Yeah.

-Nothing like more cheese.

-Look like more cheese.

So, and then we got the Parmesan, obviously.

You could grab a handful of that.

-So, you have Parmesan, as well.

-Yes.

And you sprinkle that along.

Beautiful.

And then at the end we just like to add a drizzle of olive oil.

You want to...?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Go ahead.

Just drizzle a little on top.

Oh, beautiful.

Beautiful.

And so, now we could put it in the oven and rock and roll.

You guys could get a taste of what it's like to eat at Di Fara.

-Please.

Go ahead.

Absolutely.

I've never seen a pizza quite like this before.

I've made pizzas in Naples.

I've made pizzas in Palermo, in Rome.

And I make pizzas regularly at home in my own-wood fired oven.

But I've never seen one that's twice-baked.

This is highly unusual.

So, for me to see it coming out of the oven and taste it, this is going to be fascinating.

-This is the famous Di Fara square.

♪♪ [ Sizzling ] -You can hear the sizzle.

Look at the bubbling around here, how hot that is.

I mean, that's got a rich color on it, as well.

It's very deep.

Can't wait to try it.

How do we finish this off, then?

-Well, we finish it off with some Parmesan.

-Little bit of Parmesan on the top?

-Yes, sir.

And basil -- I let it fall where it may.

I don't want it to be like science.

You know what I mean?

-I need to try some of this.

-Of course.

-I've come a long way for this pizza.

-Let me get a... You're gonna love it.

You're gonna love it.

♪♪ -Thank you very much.

♪♪ It's got a great flavor.

Those tomatoes are delicious.

Being double-baked -- biscotti is, like, twice baked.

-Yeah.

Perfect example.

-You've got a very, very cracker-like base, which you break through, and it's chewy.

But then you have the flavor of the tomatoes, which is fantastic.

And then the cheese comes in on top of that.

And then the Parmesan, with a little bit of tang of Parmesan.

And then of course the basil sitting on the top.

So, what you've got is something that has got all the ingredients for a pizza, but the base is very unusual.

And I like it, actually.

I like the crispy base.

I think it is different, but I think it works.

I mean, you can't argue with all the accolades that this place has got.

It is fantastic.

♪♪ Oh-oh-oh-oh!

[ Siren wails in distance ] That's the fire brigade for my mouth.

It's on fire!

Hey, we're here!

[ Siren wails ] "Senior care."

Actually, that's for me, as well.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ Here, back in Midtown Manhattan, among these millions of New Yorkers, there are nearly 700,000 with Italian ancestry.

So, it's no surprise that between them, they've opened up more than 1,600 restaurants, all offering a taste of home.

And this one was Frank Sinatra's favorite hangout.

I'm actually here at Patsy's Italian Restaurant.

Now, this is south of Central Park, which is literally just over there, a stone's throw away, where you can see even by the photographs on the window, all the Hollywood celebrities have been in here.

Speaking of Hollywood royalty, I've been brought here by a star of the stage and screen, the original Hannibal Lecter and the bad guy of the "Bourne" films, Brian Cox.

He's been coming here for over 30 years for the famous baked cheesecake.

-I came in here in the '80s.

I did a play on Broadway in the '80s, and there was a guy who was our stage manager of a few theaters, and he was some dubious character, to say the least.

So, we tend to visit a few of the Italian spots, as it were.

-Yeah, yeah.

Colorful.

-This was one that we visited.

-I mean, obviously we're in this beautiful Italian restaurant, but what's the food like in New York?

-The food culture has sort of moved around a bit in a way, and it's got much more international here.

I remember when I first came here in the '70s, I mean, there were two Indian restaurants, and they weren't all that great.

Now, of course, up on Murray Hill, there's a whole slew of Indian restaurants.

That's all -- that's all changed.

-I think you're an amazing actor.

I've been a big fan of yours, but I always thought of you as a stage actor rather than screen.

-Ostensibly.

I mean, I had a huge theater career in the U.K., but I wanted to shift the axis a bit.

Ever since I was that high, I loved American movies.

I mean, from the age of six, I used to go to the movies.

In my hometown alone, we had 21 cinemas in Dundee.

-Oh, really?

-And that was what made me become an actor.

It started.

"Manhunter" was one.

And then I decided I was going to come here.

I was going to come here and focus on making movies.

-The movies that you've been involved with are almost cult now.

You really hit my radar with "Bourne."

It went crazy.

I mean, everybody loved it.

-You forget how much you've done, you know, because I'm always about the moment.

I'm about this.

-Yeah.

-I'm not about tomorrow or what's past.

I'm about what we're doing now.

And that's a big thing, you know.

You go, "Wow."

You know, when somebody says you did this and you go, "Yeah, I did."

-You've always been portrayed as being quite an evil person.

-Yeah.

-I've noticed that with a lot of English actors, they become the baddie.

-Well, it's because we have $9 words, as they say here.

And that's always suspicious to the Yanks.

They all go, "That guy, he talks too smart, so he must be corrupt."

-When you look around and see these pictures of celebrities, is there anyone here that you've worked with?

-Well, I know Al slightly.

-Oh, yeah, Al.

Oh, yeah.

Great guy, Al.

-Al Pacino.

-Brilliant.

-Yeah.

I mean, this is a formidable bunch of people, you know?

It's quite a company to be a part of.

-Do you cook yourself, though, here?

I mean, do you cook?

-No.

I'm hopeless.

I had a great success with profiteroles in either 1970 or 1971.

And that was the last time.

That was it.

-That was the last time that I attempted.

But the problem is, I'm too messy.

-We're about to put that to the test, because third-generation owner Sal has invited us into his kitchen to share the recipe that's made Brian's favorite dish, the baked cheesecake, a hit at Patsy's since 1944.

What a trio we've got here.

We've got Brian, we've got Sal, and we got me.

And what we're going to make is a proper cheesecake.

Now, this is a baked cheesecake.

It's unique to you, isn't it?

It's something that you do that's slightly unusual.

-Just, you know, a lot of times, especially in America, they have the cheesecake we make with cream cheese and sour cream.

But this is the Italian cheesecake with the ricotta.

-Okay.

-It's my grandfather's recipe.

-This is going to be different.

I've never baked a cheesecake with pure ricotta.

This is going to be interesting.

-Oh, yeah.

So, we're going to start by making the dough.

I have about four cups of all-purpose flour.

-Mm-hmm.

-Cup and a half of sugar, some eggs.

And I've got some butter.

It's about a half a pound of butter.

-I'm always tempted to get.

my hands in.

-Get right in there.

-This is pure baker, isn't it?

It's to do with the touch, isn't it?

-It is.

-It has a lot to do with that.

Yes.

-Yeah.

It is.

I remember my father was a baker, and so I used to watch him.

And when I was seven, I used to make the ginger biscuits.

-Oh, that's delicious.

-They're good dunkers, you know?

-Absolutely.

Yeah.

-How's that, Chef?

-You're looking good.

Oh, my God.

See this?

Where were you yesterday when I was making this?

Come on.

Did you know he was this good?

-It's impressive to watch.

I'll say that much.

-Brian, do you mind rolling it out a little bit for us, please?

-Sure.

-So, rather than using your fingers, if you use that... -Yeah.

-He's good.

-When you fold it, if you're light...

So, what you do is you're flipping... -Yeah.

-...and then pushing.

So, it's really light.

-Ah, so, you don't really use your fingers then.

-No, you use more your palms.

-You're pushing it in, yes.

-I think I got this from my mother, actually.

She used to do this, and I used to eat the little bits that were broken off.

-Oh, you'd take them off and eat them?

-I did.

So, how do you know when it's done, ready to... -A bit of tension in there, as well.

-Yeah, it's like you're working the gluten in the flour.

-Well, working a little bit of gluten.

-And you feel the eggs, like, pull back a little bit.

Yeah.

-One-handed.

-See?

Look at this.

-I know.

-Give me your hand.

Look at that.

-All right.

-That's the motion that you feel.

-It's like a motion, like a motion.

Almost like playing the piano, right?

-Okay.

There you go.

-That's perfect.

Thank you so much, Brian.

This is really nice.

-I'll take it this was on the menu when Frank Sinatra used to come here.

-Oh, yeah.

-Did he ever sing here?

-He threw a 75th birthday party for James Cagney.

Remember the actor?

-Yeah.

-James Cagney.

He threw the party upstairs.

And the whole Rat Pack was there.

So, Sammy Davis Jr. got up, started doing a little soft-shoe dance.

Dean Martin joins in and starts singing "Happy Birthday."

Frank Sinatra gets up to go towards them to start singing.

And my father said, "Frank, you can't do this here."

And Sinatra got very angry.

He says, "What can't I do here?"

He says, "I can't afford this kind of entertainment."

[ All laugh ] One of those things, yeah.

So, I'm just going to drape this over.

We're just going to make sure it goes into all the corners here, like this, just by tucking it in and pushing it gently.

You're just going to trim off the edges here.

So put this on the side and then we're going to make our filling.

So, here I have four cans of ricotta, which would be approximately 12 pounds, 6 cups of sugar, 13 eggs -- lucky dozen plus one -- a little vanilla powder.

A touch of cinnamon.

And then grate some orange in there.

Okay, so now that we put all the ingredients in here, I'm going to take this and put it in the mixing machine.

This mixing bowl has been here since 1966.

-Same age as me.

Good vintage.

-You look better.

-[ Laughs ] -That's amazing.

I thought it was going to be too much.

-I've done it once or twice before.

-Obviously.

It's impressive.

-Now I'm going to just fold these in.

-Yeah.

-See?

Just enough that they come like this.

We always had that little open top.

It's good for when it bakes, as well.

-Yeah.

-So, it cooks evenly.

-Some weight in that -- I mean, proper weight in that.

I can't wait to see what they look like when they come out.

Those hefty fellas go in the oven for just over an hour.

♪♪ -Perfect cheesecake.

♪♪ -Grazie.

-What a pleasure.

-Grazie tanto.

Thank you so much.

What a pleasure, sir.

Thank you.

-That's fantastic.

♪♪ Okay, Brian, we've got to give this a go.

-Okay.

-It does look impressive, doesn't it?

-Oh, it's delicious.

-That's lovely, isn't it?

Do you know what?

The cream, as well.

-Mm!

It's amazing texture, too, isn't it?

-It's much coarser than the traditional baked cheesecake, New York cheesecake.

-I love it.

-I know.

That is very, very good, I must admit.

Well, good luck with everything, Brian.

I mean, obviously, you're very, very talented.

-Oh, thank you.

And thank you for this.

This was -- this was a real eye-opener.

-I hope you enjoyed it.

-I loved it.

[ Both laugh ] -Cheers, Brian.

-Cheers.

All the best.

Thank you.

-Thanks, buddy.

♪♪ -I've been summoned by the head of the New York family, a man they once called Hannibal "the Cannibal"... Don "Briani."

He ran one hell of a crew, and he knew it.

-This is a formidable bunch of people, you know?

-It was quite a company to be part of.

-He had no problem admitting that he ruined Sal's pastry.

-Yeah, I did.

That guy, he talks too smart.

-This time was up, and I knew what I had to do.

♪♪ [ Gun fires ] And now I'm the godfather.

New York is synonymous with gangster movies, and you can feel it everywhere, from Mulberry Street in Little Italy, all the way through Manhattan up to St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, which featured in "The Godfather Part III."

As night falls, and with my love of gangster movies firmly in mind, I'm heading to a notorious hangout celebrated since the 1920s by the players who lived, wrote, directed, and starred in the gangster stories that have since been immortalized forever on the silver screen.

Bogart, Bacall, Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Hitchcock -- they've all been hosted by the 21 Club.

I'm going to be sampling some of the desserts that have made this place so famous.

But first, general manager Teddy Suric has kindly agreed to show me around.

Wow.

What on earth is going on?

-A lot of history is going on.

That's what's going on.

-This place started with... well, the Mob.

The Mob started this... -Well, during Prohibition.

You know, 21 opened up, actually, December 31st, 1929.

-Yeah.

-So, it's really the ghosts of the past that, you know, when it comes to those topics.

-Yeah.

-I'll show you also a table, table 30, which is very iconically known here.

It's called "Bogie's Corner."

That's where Humphrey Bogart actually proposed to Lauren Bacall.

-Really?

No way!

-So, we have a little plaque up there.

If these walls can speak... -I bet.

-So, still to this day, people always request that "We'd like to sit in 'Bogie's Corner.'

We'd like to sit in Jackie Gleason's table, Frank Sinatra's table."

-So, Frank... -He did.

He had numerous "house accounts" around the city, but I can tell you this one was legit.

-[ Laughing ] Was it?

-Yeah, yeah.

So, you'll see the tables and the toys, everything kind of intermixed together and mingles in.

-What is all this about then?

I mean, why did they have trucks and helmets?

This is like a floating toy shop.

-Well, it started with a Brit from the U.K. -Really?

-Yeah.

He was the owner of British Operational Airways back in 1931.

Asked to hang one of his toys above one of his favorite tables.

-Yeah.

-Up went the plane and, lo and behold, all the competitors then started putting up their own memorabilia and planes and absolutely... -That is crazy!

-We have Air Force One, which was donated by Bill Clinton while he was president.

There are active house accounts.

So, to this day the family still comes.

The daughter still comes.

Like Chelsea... -When you say account, they don't look for credit, do they?

-I'm sorry?

-They don't look for credit?

-I don't speak English.

[ Both laugh ] -So, I mean, you have presidents come in here.

You've had, I mean, the glitterati going back to the '20s and '30s coming in here, as well.

I mean, the wiseguys, the Mob, they must have been in here, as well.

If that's how it started... -It was all one big, happy family.

But when the time -- it's all business.

[ Both laugh ] -Discretion still seems to be important here.

But there was a time when business depended on it.

I heard that during Prohibition, obviously, they'd have to get rid of the liquor pretty quick.

-That's correct.

-Would this have been the area that this would have happened -In the heyday, when they got raided, the doorman would come in, initialize all the alarms, and then the bottles would go through the chutes and into the prohibitioning downstairs.

We use it as one of our private dining rooms, most iconic dining room in the city.

-You hold some wine here, some special wine.

-We do.

We actually -- from the steady patrons, pretty known figures, they would buy their own wine and we would store it for them.

-And they're still downstairs?

-They're still downstairs.

And although you're not a VIP yet, I'll be happy to show you downstairs where we store these bottles.

-Lead the way, please.

Thank you very much.

Come on down.

You just have to push.

It's our original 2-1/2-ton door, which was built back in '31.

-That's incredible.

That's incredible.

-There you go.

-When the police raided in 1933 looking for alcohol, they failed to uncover 2,000 cases of contraband, all thanks to this hidden chamber.

I feel like a kid in a sweetshop.

We've hit something a bit special here.

Teddy, look at this.

Elizabeth Taylor!

-These really are our private stock from the steady guests and house accounts who used to come in here, you know.

Isaac Mizrahi.

-Nixon.

-President Nixon.

Sidney Frank on this side, Eva Gabor.

-This is unbelievable.

I've never heard of a place like this.

-Sammy Davis Jr. -Sammy Davis Jr. Got the Rat Pack.

You've got presidents.

You've got -- anybody who is anybody in the United States of America is affiliated or been through or knows somebody that's been through this place.

-It only took 80 years.

-I've never heard about anything like this before.

The wines down here are staggering, I can recognize names everywhere.

It's just an astonishing building.

Now, if you want to leave me alone, I'll be absolutely fine down here for a while.

Just leave me with a corkscrew.

[ Laughs ] Thank you very much, Teddy.

-Appreciate it.

-Much appreciated.

-Great having you.

-Fantastic time.

Really enjoyed it.

-Pleasure.

-While I've been taking an unexpected tour of that incredible wine cellar, Chef Ikuma is preparing me some of the dishes which have maintained the reputation of the 21 Club for nearly a century.

I'm particularly keen to try the seasonal pumpkin soufflé.

For that, Chef Ikuma has made his own freshly ground allspice... -Smells good.

-...to combine with pumpkin puree, milk, sugar, sour cream, flour, and egg yolks, all whisked together until thick and smooth.

-Next, egg whites are whipped until stiff and shiny, just as if you were making meringue.

These are folded into the pumpkin base, spooned into ramekins, and baked until they're dark and golden.

♪♪ Thank you very much indeed.

I'm looking forward to trying these.

Can't go wrong with a good soufflé in here at all.

That's fantastic.

-Thank you.

-The spices in there and the pumpkin together -- the blend is beautifully balanced.

I'm not surprised this is popular in this restaurant.

But you brought along other desserts here.

What's this one?

-So, we have an upside-down apple tart.

-A bit like a tarte tatin?

-Yes.

-I love tarte tatin.

It's all about the caramel for me.

-Yeah.

-[ Laughs ] Yeah.

I might be here a while, if I'm honest.

And this particular pudding?

-This is our 21 classic dishes -- cheesecake.

-It's very light.

-It is.

It's got that real New York kick, you know, the traditional baked cheesecake.

You have that vanilla in there.

And that orange -- is that Mandarin or is that... -Correct, yeah.

-That's fan-- That tang that comes with it together.

You see, for me, I think these desserts are some of the best I've seen.

And it's suitable that it's in 21 and in this location.

Thank you very much, Chef.

-No, thank you.

♪♪ -I've had a few desserts in my time, and this is up there.

Absolutely delicious.

♪♪ ♪♪ -I'm exploring the food scene in New York, but so far it's been all carbs.

And you know what they say.

A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.

I need some protein.

♪♪ Now, this is Smith & Wollensky, probably the premier steakhouse in the whole of New York.

And what these guys don't know about steak is not worth knowing.

Owners Charlie Smith and Ralph Wollensky are phantoms.

Their surnames were chosen at random from a phone book by founder Alan Stillman.

Smith & Wollensky's secret is to air-dry and dehydrate their beef, which concentrates the flavor so their signature steak dishes are said to be simply "melt in the mouth."

Look at the size of that!

[ Laughs ] Wow.

I mean, I think the steak's amazing.

I mean, the knife just glides through.

You go through three tons of meat a month.

Well, you look at the size of that.

It doesn't surprise me.

It's one of the best steaks I think I've ever had.

What most people don't know is that Smith & Wollensky have a secret weapon in their arsenal.

They serve some of the best desserts in the city.

The architect of those sweet sensations is executive pastry chef Cory Colton.

So much for staying off the carbs.

Cory, nice to meet you.

-Chef.

-How are you doing, Chef?

-Nice to meet you.

-Tell me all about this cake.

What is it?

-So, today we're making a Good Humor strawberry shortcake, inspired by an ice-cream bar that I used to eat as a kid.

The flavors are a vanilla crumb, strawberry crumb.

-Yeah.

-We have a strawberry cake with a mascarpone-cream frosting in the middle.

-Right.

Okay.

-It's very nostalgic for me.

I grew up eating them.

And as an adult I wanted to be able to -- -So, it's a lolly ice.

-Yes, exactly.

-I'm thinking it's a bit like our Strawberry Mivvi, which is strawberry on the outside and then vanilla ice cream in the middle.

-Exactly.

That's exactly.

-That's what it is.

Okay, well, that makes -- now I know what it is.

-Good.

-Okay.

So, how are we going to make this?

What are you going to do?

-So, first we have our salt, sugar, butter.

And we're going to cream this... -Okay.

-...until it's nice and soft.

-So, while that's mixing, is there anything you want me to do over here?

-Of course.

What I'd like you to do is first we're going to sift our dry ingredients.

So, our secret ingredient is strawberry-flavored Jell-O gelatin dessert.

-Is this it?

-Yeah, it has citric acid in it, in addition to the strawberry flavor that really gives this cake the unique flavor, just like the the old ice-cream bar.

-Yeah.

-So, we're going to sift these two things together.

-It's just plain flour?

-Yes, I do 50/50 cake flour and all-purpose flour.

-Oh.

-So, it has a more tender crumb.

-Wow.

Okay.

So, you put a little bit of gluten in there then.

-A little gluten, yeah.

-Do you know what?

I only sift if I'm folding it in with meringue, or I'm folding it in with a dish.

-Right, something delicate.

-Because otherwise it's just going to get battered.

-Yeah.

-Anyway.

-Perfect.

-Okay?

-And next we're going to combine all of our wet ingredients together.

Egg whites, milk.

If you're ever making a cake at home, and you find it's just a touch on the dry side, I add just a half a cup of sour cream.

-Yeah, I use yogurt.

-Yes.

Yeah.

-Sometimes I use yogurt for the same reason.

-And then we're going to alternate adding the dries and the wet ingredients in about three to four stages.

-This just ensures that it really doesn't split, as well, isn't it?

-Yes, and it's also -- if you add liquid too quickly all at once, then you end up with a lumpy batter.

-Where do you get all these ideas from?

-Magazines and not necessarily even food magazines.

You know, a lot of architecture magazines can show you, for example, which colors play off each other.

So, when you come up with different desserts, you know, you want it to be very visually stimulating to the eye, as well as taste amazing and delicious.

That's it.

-Okay, so that's the mix.

-Pretty simple.

-Look at that.

It's almost mousse-like, isn't it?

-It is.

Yeah.

-The smell in there is incredible.

It's really intense of strawberries.

Is that all right?

Is that about the right amount?

-That looks perfect, yep.

We're going to pop this in the oven at 325 for about 45 minutes.

-Lovely.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much, Chef.

It's as simple as that.

When you want to emulate some of these great chefs and try something yourself, think of flavors that you enjoy.

Use that as your base and then start playing with sponges.

Get your basic sponge, add a flavor, bake it.

Add something else.

That's what it's all about.

The sponge cake is cut into four layers, and the icing is spread between them and around the side.

It's like watching a plasterer at work.

It's great.

-Now we'll give it our crumb coating.

-What is this, biscuit?

-This is actually strawberry-and-vanilla pudding crumb.

-Okay.

-So, we have strawberry crumb that's made with Jell-O gelatin, just like inside the cake.

-Yeah.

-And then we have another type of crumb that's made with vanilla pudding.

So, it has that vanilla/strawberry flavor and a crunch that comes with, like, a strawberry shortcake.

-You can imagine that for a birthday party.

If you broke up a chocolate biscuit or any biscuit you like, can you imagine breaking that up and just spreading it all over the top of a frosted cake?

It's different.

It's unusual.

It's topped off with cream, strawberries, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream and also a waffle cone.

Got to try this.

♪♪ -Wow.

Get the strawberry straight away.

But you know what gets me is the crumb.

That crumb makes it.

Married up with the mascarpone, because it's like a traditional sponge but slightly different.

You've got that tang of the strawberry running all the way through it.

That's delicious.

I like that.

I might sit here and finish that.

[ Laughs ] Don't be surprised if you see a crumb cake in my next cookbook.

♪♪ I couldn't wait to get home to make a tasty treat of my own.

I was thinking, "What dish could I do to celebrate New York, the Big Apple?"

Well, a tarte tatin.

Now, this pan has been warming up.

I'm going to add some sugar straight into the pan and a couple of tablespoons of water.

Just leave it alone.

It'll take a couple of minutes, and it'll start to turn a beautiful caramel color.

That is done.

You can see how beautiful the color is.

Put it on a cold surface.

Don't leave it on there.

Get your butter.

Pop it straight in.

Just stir this round.

Now, it does froth up.

Don't worry.

That butter is infused into the sauce.

The caramel is spooned into pre-greased tins.

What we're going to do now is build the apples all around this.

The tartness of those sliced and peeled Granny Smiths will be a lovely complement to that rich caramel.

Just cut around the outside of it.

I've rolled out my pre-prepared puff pastry until it's about half a centimeter thick, and I'm cutting out tin-sized lids.

You place it in the top, and then you push it down inside and tuck it right down to the bottom, where you feel the apples underneath.

Grab yourself a tray and then bake them at 200 for around 15, 20 minutes.

Now these have been out for about a minute.

Grab your plate, pop it over the top.

There you go.

There's one apple tarte tatin.

They're served with mascarpone mixed with a spoonful of vanilla paste.

That's marvelous.

♪♪ New York has delivered everything it promised, and it's going to be very hard to leave this astonishing city behind.

It's fantastic.

[ Laughing ] That's incredible.

Yeah, I might be here a while, if I'm honest.

-The problem is, I'm too messy.

-You ready to check it out?

-Oh, wow!

But I've mounted my brand-new, customized chopper, and I'm beginning this once-in-a-lifetime journey across America to L.A.

If the start of my journey is anything to go by, my road trip is going to be very, very special.

Next time, I'll be riding 2,000 miles as I explore the foods... That's spicy!

...and the films... -This camera actually works.

-Wow!

-...of the Deep South, y'all.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪