When Food Network star Guy Fieri, 44, first visited NYC back in 2005, he got out of a taxi wearing flip-flops, Dickies board shorts and a yellow leather jacket — in November. He’s been turning heads ever since: His brash greaser-meets-beach-bum style has become such a phenomenon that Bobby Moynihan (inset) does a regular impression of him on “Saturday Night Live.” And Fieri loves it: “You have to laugh at yourself. Dude is spot on with it,” he says. In September, Fieri will debut his first NYC restaurant, Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar, in Times Square, so he’s been spending a lot of time at the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking District, which he calls home base when he’s in town. You can also catch him at the fifth annual 2012 New York City Wine & Food Festival; tickets go on sale tomorrow at nycwff.org. This is his hot-rod New York.
1. Potamkin Chevrolet, 706 11th Ave., between 50th and 51st Streets
“When I was a kid, you made your decision what you were — a Chevy guy or a Ford guy. I was always a Chevy guy. I got a bunch — an older Camaro, a new Camaro, a Corvette, a Chevelle, a big monster truck. I once brought my ’68 Camaro to New York. Cruising down Fifth Avenue, sitting in Times Square, just driving around, was awesome — like a movie. Though in New York, you don’t even need a car. One of my guys on the show told me he was going for a driving lesson. I said, ‘You’re 30-something years old and you don’t know how to drive?’
To me that’s the most bizarre thing in the entire world! ”
2. Red Market Salon, 13 E. 13th St., between Fifth Avenue and University Place
“I had long hair, and the girl that cut my hair in California said, ‘It’s about time you make some style change.’ I said, ‘Fine. Do whatever you want.’ So we get done and she takes the bag off my head, and I’m like, ‘Did you wash the shampoo out?’ And she’s like, ‘That’s your hair color.’ I go, ‘What have you done? I’m a dead man!’ But it just stuck. I was spending so much time in New York, I had to find somebody else to do it. I was like, ‘Aw man, this is not gonna be cool.’ But it’s this totally funky place — the girls are super-friendly — and they nailed it. My producer wanted my nails trimmed — and in they come with the manicure while they’re cutting my hair. And I’m like, ‘This is strange.’ But no pedicure!”
3. Sunglass Hut, 1585 Broadway, between 47th and 48th streets
“I’ve been wearing Gatorz for so long, they started putting my logo on the side of them. I also love Von Zipper, Oakley, Ray-Ban. I own 120 pairs of sunglasses. I wear them all the time, but I’m not a sunglass cord kind of person. I could fold them in my shirt, but if I go to stir something in the kitchen, then whoop, where did they go? And I don’t want to wear them on top of my hair — then they get [hair] wax on them — so one day I just put them on the back of my head. There was no real design about how it all came about.”
4. Robert Graham Showroom, 264 W. 40th St., near Eighth Avenue
“Omg. A buddy of mine bought me a Robert Graham shirt for my birthday seven or eight years ago. Anytime I wore it people would go, ‘Where did you get your shirt?’ I can’t just wear a plain white shirt. It’s gotta have something going on — just the little subtleties make such a difference. The showroom will just blow your mind. You think you’ve seen it all, and then suddenly they’re bringing out some gnarly suede leather jacket with skulls and lightning bolts. But they make it look cool.”
5. New Era, 9 E. Fourth St., near Broadway
“I’m a baseball-cap, fitted-hat fanatic. Well, maybe not fanatic, but I’m pretty serious about it. I’m not a snap-back hat kind of guy. Their flagship store is in New York — amazing. They have all the sizes, and not just that, but the design, the quality, the craftsmanship. I have a traveling case for my caps. If you dent a cap then we’ve got issues. You can’t crush ’em. If somebody sits on a hat, that’s not all right! And it’s got to match your color ensemble!”
Guy Fieri’s top 5 NYC diners, drive-ins and dives
1. John’s of 12th Street, 302 E. 12th St., between First and Second avenues
Guy’s Pick: Hand-rolled pappardelle pasta with meat sauce, $19.95; polpetto di vitello (veal meatballs), $12.95
2. Defonte’s Sandwich Shop, 261 Third Ave., at 21st Street
Guy’s Pick: The Sinatra Special (steak pizzaiola), $11.50; hot roast beef, $11.50
3. Mama’s Food Shop, 200 E. Third St., at Avenue A
Guy’s Pick: Fried chicken, $12.50 with one side, $13.50 with two; peach cobbler, available in-season only, $8 for 1 pint, $5 for ¹/₂ pint
4. Rincon Criollo, 40-09 Junction Blvd., Corona, Queens
Guy’s Pick: Arroz con pollo, $24.95; ropa vieja (shredded beef served with black beans and rice), $14.95
5. Sidecar Bar & Grill, 560 Fifth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn
Guy’s Pick: Brandade with escabeche, $11; Cubano sandwich, $16