Cheat Day USA

Robert Irvine is hankering for cheat-worthy barbecue! He starts in Philadelphia, with a phenomenal cheesesteak busting with BBQ beef brisket and mouth-melting lobster. In Southern California, he fills up on fully loaded mac 'n' cheese, piled with juicy brisket, and a jaw-stretching sammy packed with saucy brisket under a massive beef rib. Finally, Denver cooks up a towering Texas-BBQ sandwich dripping with four cuts of tender meat and mind-altering BBQ pork tacos from a whole smoked hog, topped with housemade sauce.

Robert Irvine finds some amazing belly-filling noodle dishes. In Woodbridge, N.J., a pasta king serves a decadent osso buco cradled by perfectly cooked, handmade fettuccine, along with a 15-layer lasagna Bolognese. Then, in San Antonio, noodles are smothered in yummy sweets and ice cream. Finally, Boston serves up some cheat-worthy mashups that fuse classic American pasta with Asian cuisine.

Robert Irvine is ready for these decadent deep-fried delights, starting in Philadelphia, where they're serving up outrageous cinnamon cereal French toast loaded with cream cheese, chocolate chips and crispy fried chicken. In Boston, wicked fried balls are filled with crunchy mac 'n' cheese and fresh lobster. Finally, in Las Vegas, a burger is topped with a fried onion blossom and smothered in creamy nacho cheese, and a loaded onion is battered, fried and heaped with melted cheese and tender carne asada.

Robert Irvine's looking for cheats that comfort the soul, starting at the oldest Irish pub in Philadelphia with meatloaf and mashed potatoes stacked a mile high and flakey, tender fish 'n' chips with a centuries-old secret. Then, in Stamford, Conn., he dives headfirst into a sugar coma with chocolate-hazelnut, peanut butter cup French toast and gets full and happy with a chicken cutlet vodka mozzarella melt. Finally, in San Antonio, authentic Filipino flavors warm the belly with crispy pata and sisig made from succulent pork wrapped with a blanket of yummy spices.