6 Twin Cities restaurants to appear on the new season of ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’

When Kamal Mohamed got a call from the team behind “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” he turned them down.

The restaurateur and chef behind northeast Minneapolis’ StepChld was opening a neighboring cocktail bar, and his recently opened cafe Parcelle was still finding its footing. Plus, he had dislocated a shoulder and was scheduled for surgery during the dates the Food Network show was scheduled to film in the Twin Cities.

But when Guy Fieri wants to put your restaurant on national television, it’s an offer you can’t refuse.

“Another chef in town called me and he was like, ‘You’re gonna regret this down the road,’ ” Mohamed said. “So I called the hospital.”

He got his surgery pushed back, and when Fieri and his crew came to Minneapolis at the end of August, StepChld was among their stops.

The season premiere of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” airing Friday will feature StepChld in an episode focusing on “Burgers, Bone Marrow and Bangladesh.” The bone marrow comes from Mohamed’s upscale neighborhood spot, where he brings Ethiopian flavors to crowd-pleasing international comfort food. The episode also features StepChld’s lavender nori shrimp, among other dishes.

Mohamed realizes the irony of the show’s title, when StepChld is none of those things.

“When you look at the spots that [Fieri] has been to in the Twin Cities, they’re not really diners, drive-ins or dives. They’re shifting away from that and more focused on just unique, interesting restaurants that their staff likes to eat at,” he said.

Other local eateries that will appear in the upcoming season are Hai Hai, Union Hmong Kitchen, Guacaya Bistreaux, Oro by Nixta and OG Zaza. Chef Christina Nguyen’s Hai Hai will appear on the Nov. 1 episode of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Mohamed said the “DDD” team was “really supportive and super-nice,” even when he had to cook with his bad shoulder. It was nothing a little Advil and coffee couldn’t relieve.

“I’m like, ‘Can one of the other chefs just step in and do it?’ They were like, ‘No, the show’s about you, you know, you’re part of the story.”

If you want to tune in to see episodes of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” featuring Stepchld and the other Twin Cities restaurants, mark your calendar:

The episode: “Burgers, Bone Marrow and Bangladesh.”

Air date: Oct. 18, 8 p.m., and there’s a watch party at sister restaurant (and next-door neighbor) WildChld.

The eats: In addition to visiting Kamal Mohamed’s “Minneapolis spot servin’ up Ethiopian-inspired creative plates like flavor-bursting bone marrow and lip-smacking lavender nori shrimp,” star Guy Fieri heads to an East Boston whiskey joint for a smokin’ smash burger and prime-time pesto mozzarella sammie and to Columbus, Ohio, where a “Top Chef” alum is dishing out Bengali-American fare with spice-forward fried rice and chicken, plus “legit lamb on craveable crunch bread.”

Visit: 24 University Av. NE., Mpls., stepchld.com

The episode: “From Vietnamese to Vegan.”

Air date: Nov. 1 at 8 p.m.

The eats: Chef Christina Nguyen cooks up Balinese chicken thighs and Vietnamese pork belly crêpes for Fieri, who also visits the Jersey Shore for “real deal BBQ stacked into Reuben and chicken sandwiches” and Missoula, Mont., where a husband and wife team is baking plant-based, gluten-free treats, like artisan avocado on scratch-made multigrain and lemon-glazed doughnuts.

Visit: 2121 University Av. NE., Mpls., haihaimpls.com

The episode: “Meat, Hmong and Mexican.”

Air date: Nov. 8 at 8 p.m.

The eats: Fieri highlights chef Yia Vang’s original restaurant with “craveable faves like lights-out Thai tea pancakes and finger-lickin’ crispy chicken.” Other meaty stops in the episode: Columbus, Ohio, for cheesesteak sandwiches and a from-scratch family-run Mexican joint in Missoula, Mont., for carne asada burritos and pork ribs with chile verde.

Visit: 901 W. Lake St., Mpls.; 520 N. 4th St., Mpls.; unionkitchenmn.com

The episode: “All Over Flavor.”

Air date: Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.

The eats: Panamanian chef Pedro Wolcott cooks up a taste of the Caribbean for Fieri with beef skewers and a “jammin’” jerk chicken. Also on this trip: a Vietnamese spot in Boston for rice noodle rolls and a barbecue beef bành mí on fresh-baked baguettes and a stop for rustic country-style Italian in Missoula for a lamb meatball sub and octopus.

Visit: 337 Washington Av. N., Mpls., guacayabistreaux.com

Air dates are still being scheduled for episodes featuring Gustavo Romero’s Oro by Nixta in Minneapolis and Josh Hedquist’s OG Zaza Pizza, which has locations in Potluck food hall and Shakopee, as well as a food truck.