Bouchaine 2024 \u201cAlsatian Blend\u201d White<\/a>
Los Carneros, California $50
If you\u2019re looking for a wonderful outing to wine country, put Bouchaine Vineyards at the top of your list. The property is owned by the dynamic duo Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, whose passion for wine led them to Bouchaine. Their roster of wines expresses a true sense of terroir. This is what I call the \u201ctaste of the place in the glass.\u201d<\/p>\nThe small-production Alsatian blend is a California nod to the Alsace region of France. The snappy yet supple white is a blend of mineral-laden Pinot Gris, aromatic Riesling and Gewurztraminer, and fleshy Pinot Blanc, each made using a variety of vessels, including concrete eggs, clay amphora and neutral oak barrels. All blend seamlessly together in a sultry, full-bodied white that still embraces its zesty fruit flavors.<\/p>\n
Visiting is a multisensory experience with award-winning vineyard views, myriad tasting and food pairing options, and even a falconry offering! I\u2019ve had the pleasure of filming this rush-of-adrenaline experience.<\/p>\n
Episode Transcript<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Fresh Thai flavors in Berkeley.<\/p>\n
Lee: When I go out, I don\u2019t think wholesome \u2014 I think decadence.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Soul food with a twist in Oakland.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Two big fillets.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: The size of a plate.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: And old-school diner favorites in San Francisco.<\/p>\n
Kammet: The hash browns over there are perfect hash browns.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Just ahead on \u201cCheck, Please! Bay Area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tam: Are you ready?<\/p>\n
Phillips: No.<\/p>\n
Tam: Don\u2019t be shy. Come and try.<\/p>\n
Phillips: [ Laughs ]<\/p>\n
[ Indistinct conversations ]<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Hi, I\u2019m Leslie Sbrocco. Welcome to \u201cCheck, Please! Bay Area,\u201d the show where Bay Area residents review and talk about their favorite restaurants. Now, we have three guests, and each one recommends one of their favorite spots, and the other two go check them out to see what they think. Joining me at the \u201cCheck, Please!\u201d table today are community arts space director Peggy Lee, educational consultant Rachelle Rogers-Ard, and high school theater teacher Tavis Kammet. Welcome, everyone. Are you ready for a good show?<\/p>\n
Lee: Yay!<\/p>\n
Kammet: We\u2019re excited!<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Alright! I love it! Tavis\u2019 favorite Thai restaurant doesn\u2019t need a long menu to make a big impression. The flavors pack a serious punch. And yes, the spice level really does go up to 11. Nestled in West Berkeley, it\u2019s Funky Elephant.<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
Laptanachai: Regular spicy? Funky Elephant is a Thai restaurant that represents and honors street vendors in Thailand. They wake up early in the morning, like 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning, just chopping for real, fresh ingredients. We want to give that quality and freshness to the people in the Bay. Funky Elephant is like a taste of our palate. Yellow curry chicken. Pad Thai, add fried egg on top. Fried chicken and roti.<\/p>\n
Puttikaew: Some dishes, we got inspired by north of Thailand, some dishes inspired by southern Thailand, and then mix up together to be the Funky Elephant menu.<\/p>\n
Laptanachai: Everything made from scratch in the house.<\/p>\n
Puttikaew: We make curry paste in house. We have all the sources in house, no store bought. I would say the foundation of Thai cuisine would be Thai aromatics \u2014 lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, ground pepper.<\/p>\n
Laptanachai: And a lot of garlic, too. My favorite thing on the menu is our pad Thai. We do it with the real tamarind sauce and we do it with the real fried shrimps. And it does come with the heads on, so that\u2019s a great part. The drinks here that I make, I try to do layers just to play with colors.<\/p>\n
Woman: Oh, my God.<\/p>\n
Laptanachai: Butterfly pea limeade. It\u2019s a blue flower. They usually grow in Southeast Asian countries. Once you mix with limeade, it\u2019s gonna turn purple. And it has a lot of health benefits, like it\u2019s packed of antioxidants. The elephant has two sides for me. They\u2019re really strong. They\u2019re really powerful. But in the meantime, they\u2019re a really kind and heartwarming animal.<\/p>\n
Puttikaew: The king of animals in Thailand. So, we mix elephant with the funky that we get from us. We\u2019re super fun. Cheers.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: So, Tavis, this place has sort of a street-food kind of vibe to it, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
Kammet: Mm-hmm. I love this place. The first time I went to it was with my family, and the waiter said, \u201cAre you okay with spicy?\u201d My mom was, \u201cYes, I\u2019m definitely okay with spicy.\u201d She made a mistake that first time. She definitely made a mistake and was sweating beads. But after that first time, I go back probably twice a month.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: And what is the thing that you start with that you love most?<\/p>\n
Kammet: The roti bread. Big, fluffy, fried pieces of bread with a little dipping sauce of curry. And they give you a knife to stab this fluffy roti.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: So it does this.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Yeah, it just deflates. And then you\u2019re just picking apart these beautiful, flaky pieces of roti and you\u2019re dipping them in this delicious curry. It is so good.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Did you try that, Peggy? I saw you shaking your head when he mentioned it.<\/p>\n
Lee: Oh, I just love roti. I should have gotten that. I got the shrimp chips, which were also very tasty and kind of reminded me of a childhood favorite. That, like, texture, like the little Styrofoam, crispy texture\u2026<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: [ Laughing ] Yeah.<\/p>\n
Lee: \u2026that when we were kids that would come out, like, if you had, like, a big pork butt or something like that. I\u2019m Chinese American, and we would have the little shrimp chips on top of that. So it reminded me of that.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Oh, yeah, yeah.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: What did you start with, Rachelle?<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: I didn\u2019t have a starter, but that\u2019s why I always drag someone with me, and she loved the roti as well.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Mm.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: My friend had the chicken curry, and I could tell that it was really great when she started to wipe the bowl. You know what I mean? Like, this was the hint.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Just pick it up and lick it.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: I was like, \u201cYou don\u2019t like it at all, obviously.\u201d It looked really decadent. It was the yellow curry with chicken. She felt like the heat was just right where it was supposed to have been. I also had this beautiful fried rice that felt extremely fresh, with fresh veggies in it and this beautiful fried egg. I added chicken breast to the rice dish, and they asked me how I wanted it. It was beautifully saut\u00e9ed, just absolutely gorgeous, and very, very fresh. I was really impressed.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: And, Peggy, what did you have?<\/p>\n
Lee: I had the Wholesome Noodles, which was \u2014<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Which is kind of their signature dish.<\/p>\n
Lee: An incredible surprise.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Lee: Because when I go out, I don\u2019t think wholesome \u2014 I think decadence. I think \u2014<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Bring on the fat! Bring on the sugar!<\/p>\n
Lee: Yes! Let\u2019s go to town! I can be wholesome at home, you know? But it was a beautiful soup noodle, and it was tangy and it was bright. It was herbaceous. It had rice noodles and soft, sort of crumbly pork meatballs. It was a really startlingly good dish. I had never had that before. And it didn\u2019t feel wholesome, which was the best part.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Nice.<\/p>\n
Lee: Yeah!<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Tavis, what other dishes did you have?<\/p>\n
Kammet: We also started with the crispy Brussels sprouts. They\u2019re fried in their chili jam, and they\u2019re so juicy with these bursts of chili sauce. Not too spicy for me, but my partner, definitely, she was like, \u201cMy mouth is on fire,\u201d but she kept eating them. It\u2019s delicious. It\u2019s to die for.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Let\u2019s talk about anything else you had for mains.<\/p>\n
Lee: I also got the K.M.G. #2.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Mm!<\/p>\n
Lee: It was perfect. Like, there was perfectly poached chicken, really lovely rice. The broth was lovely, as well. Very well prepared.<\/p>\n
Kammet: It\u2019s a very popular Thai dish, but it could sound very simple.<\/p>\n
Lee: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Kammet: It\u2019s boiled chicken on rice with some cucumbers and that chili jam again. But the way they do that K.M.G. is so tasty. It\u2019s another one of these dishes for me that just feels so comforting.<\/p>\n
Lee: I got the Jungle Curry. I was excited when I read about it. I thought, \u201cJungle Curry,\u201d and I saw several asterisks and it said spicy. And I was like, \u201cYes, let\u2019s go! I\u2019m ready. Let\u2019s do this.\u201d Homemade red curry sauce, dill and basil and snake beans and tofu and kabocha squash, which I love. So I was ready. And then, um, it might have been an off day or an off moment because it wasn\u2019t spicy at all.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Mm!<\/p>\n
Lee: I did think that outside of Jungle Curry, the other dishes had a nice, like, Thai heat, you know, where it\u2019s, like, a little numbing, a little exciting, but not blow your head off, which I thought was really good.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Absolutely. Okay. Desserts.<\/p>\n
Kammet: They have a sweet roti, and as the appetizer roti, it\u2019s just as beautiful. It comes out, this big puffy roti with cinnamon and sugar, vanilla ice cream \u2014 delicious. And it\u2019s so flaky to dip in the ice cream. Something they do there that I think is a bit uncommon is they have a different soft-serve flavor almost every night. And after you\u2019ve eaten a big meal and you\u2019re like, \u201cAh, I don\u2019t know if I have room for dessert,\u201d soft serve is so easy to just make a little bit of\u2026<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: A little pocket, little room.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Easily make a little bit of room for some soft serve.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Did you have any dessert?<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: No. I was so full.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Okay. Yeah. You were looking like\u2026<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: I was like, you guys had room for dessert?<\/p>\n
Kammet: I know.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: I was so full.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: It sounded like you enjoyed your experience.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: I did enjoy my experience. It was amazing.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: So, you would go back?<\/p>\n
Lee: I would go back.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Yeah. Alright. If you would like to try Funky Elephant. it\u2019s located on Ninth Street in Berkeley, and the average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $40. Rachelle is up next with a soul food spot serving comfort by the forkful. Whenever she\u2019s craving the crispiest of catfish this side of the Mississippi, she heads to uptown Oakland, home to Y\u2019s Choice.<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
Ahmed: When someone walks into Y\u2019s Choice, the vibe for me is like, we\u2019re just about to have a party.<\/p>\n
Both: Cheers!<\/p>\n
Ahmed: It\u2019s a vibe. It\u2019s music, the good food, and it smells amazing. Y\u2019s Choice, the name came about \u2014 My name is Weyanti. So people couldn\u2019t pronounce it, and they used to call me \u201cY\u201d growing up. My first memory of cooking was back in Sudan, \u2019cause that\u2019s where I\u2019m from, and my love for food started watching my mom cook. My mom was absolutely African, so she cooked nothing but African dishes. We didn\u2019t have American dishes. So as I started going to hang out with my friends and started going out, I started tasting different foods because, you know, everybody was frying chicken, everybody was frying fish. And I\u2019m like, \u201cMom, can you try to make this?\u201d Or, \u201cI want this.\u201d And she\u2019s like, \u201cFigure it out.\u201d And so I said, \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
The menu is pretty vast.<\/p>\n
A lot of these dishes<\/p>\n
are soul food,<\/p>\n
like oxtails and grits.<\/p>\n
And some of my favorites<\/p>\n
are the gumbos.<\/p>\n
And the next one would be<\/p>\n
the Art\u2019s Crab,<\/p>\n
and that\u2019s because<\/p>\n
it\u2019s a staple.<\/p>\n
When I was young,<\/p>\n
I used to go to Art\u2019s Crab,<\/p>\n
and so it was a special meal.<\/p>\n
We used to only get it<\/p>\n
during special times,<\/p>\n
and it was an honor<\/p>\n
for me to bring it into my menu<\/p>\n
and name it the Art\u2019s Crab.<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s tradition<\/p>\n
and culture<\/p>\n
absolutely is a part<\/p>\n
of the menu.<\/p>\n
I have some things that<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve incorporated, like sambusa.<\/p>\n
I grew up on that.<\/p>\n
That was a favorite thing.<\/p>\n
We only had it during holidays,<\/p>\n
and I was just like,<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, my God,<\/p>\n
I have to put that in there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of my spices are used<\/p>\n
and some of my ingredients<\/p>\n
that come from back home.<\/p>\n
The legacy from my mom<\/p>\n
means a lot to me.<\/p>\n
One of the reasons<\/p>\n
why it\u2019s a big portrait \u2014<\/p>\n
it\u2019s really a little joke<\/p>\n
between her and I.<\/p>\n
She used to come to my house and<\/p>\n
she used to always ask, like,<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s my picture?\u201d<\/p>\n
[ Laughs ]<\/p>\n
After her passing,<\/p>\n
unfortunately,<\/p>\n
I went and got<\/p>\n
a big portrait of her on my arm.<\/p>\n
So there\u2019s a big portrait of her<\/p>\n
that I carry with me<\/p>\n
everywhere I go<\/p>\n
to show her how proud I am.<\/p>\n
So, yeah, it means<\/p>\n
everything to me.<\/p>\n
All: Y\u2019s Choice!<\/p>\n
[ Laughter ]<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Now, Rachelle, how did Y\u2019s Choice become your choice?<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Ah, I see what you did there.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: [ Laughs ]<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: What I really, really like is walking into this restaurant owned by a woman of color who is bringing her heritage into the space. The space is a vibe. It\u2019s giving club. It\u2019s giving, um\u2026<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: You guys agree with that?<\/p>\n
Lee: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Kammet: The space is definitely fun.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: I feel some vibes shaking, yeah.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Full bar, full party atmosphere. Really, really tall drinks. So, all of those things are really exciting. And so then, the first thing I usually do, a couple of friends started with the crab cake egg rolls. So, I think it\u2019s a really great mixture of her heritage, right, and the fusion therein. And then this dipping sauce.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: It\u2019s the way to start.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: It was one way.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Okay.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Also could start with the bar.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Ah! That\u2019s right! Alright, let\u2019s get over here and dig into your experience.<\/p>\n
Kammet: So, yeah, I mean, the place is \u2014 is beautiful when you go inside. It\u2019s very comforting. I also got the meat sambusa, which for me was delicious. It was super tasty, super flavorful, packed full of spices. And you can tell this is real home-cooked food. Like, I take a bite and, you know, grease is coming out. That\u2019s what I want. That\u2019s \u2014 that\u2019s like real food.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: And what about you, Peggy? Now, he said it\u2019s comforting. You said it\u2019s a total party vibe. I\u2019m feeling, like, a thumping music kind of, you know\u2026<\/p>\n
Lee: You know, the music was great.<\/p>\n
\u266a Try to roll with it, baby \u266a<\/p>\n
Lee: So, I\u2019m a geriatric millennial, and it was\u2026<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Nice.<\/p>\n
Lee: \u2026delightful. Like, all the hits. I heard some Mos Def, I heard some Blaqstarr. I heard all this delightful music that like\u2026<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Mm, yes!<\/p>\n
Lee: Yes, you know, right? Okay, so maybe similar generation.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: No, no. No, I just hear you.<\/p>\n
[ Laughter ]<\/p>\n
Lee: So, um, I had the turkey wings, which were incredible. And I had imagined something \u2014 maybe a braise, dry, maybe with some rice. No, but it was like this soft, beautiful, like, stew. It was incredibly deep and warm. And so, my family is Chinese American from Taiwan. So we love congee, and it was like that. And then it was paired with \u2014 we got, for the sides, we got the cabbage, which I highly recommend \u2014 delicious. And then the mac and cheese was perfect \u2014 so tender, had a little bit of mustard. I was so happy.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: My favorite is always gonna be the fried fish. And what I love is they bring two huge \u2014<\/p>\n
Kammet: Huge!<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: I mean, just\u2026 Where are they finding it?<\/p>\n
Kammet: They are huge.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: So, two big fillets.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Yeah. And they\u2019re the size of the plate, right? But it is so good, so tender, but also flaky on the inside, but also crunchy-crunchy, which is what I love. And I just find that I never finish the fish, but I always finish the sides.<\/p>\n
Kammet: We also got the catfish.<\/p>\n
Lee: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Kammet: My partner is from Mississippi, and so anytime we go anywhere that has fried catfish, that\u2019s where she beelines. These pieces!<\/p>\n
[ Laughter ]<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: They\u2019re so big.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Now, this is no joke, audience at home. These pieces are humongous. Two pieces, two sides. Right, the audacity to give you two sides.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: I know!<\/p>\n
Kammet: And the cornbread. She devoured that cornbread. I didn\u2019t even get to try that.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Kammet: And I also \u2014 We went for brunch, so it was a little too early for me to start drinking for that. But I wound up getting a dish called the Boozie Brunch, which was fried turkey smothered in gravy over this pile of potatoes. And you can tell it\u2019s home-cooked food. Like, the bell peppers and onions are all different shapes and sizes, and the turkey was so delicious. It was just so much food!<\/p>\n
[ Laughs ]<\/p>\n
It was a mountain of food.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: I guess I don\u2019t have to ask about quantity and quality here.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: No, it\u2019s so much food.<\/p>\n
Lee: I ended up getting the oxtail and the grits.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Oh, nice.<\/p>\n
Lee: It was delicious, fall-off-the-bone, on a silky bed of the grits, which I thought was really well done. Maybe like a tiny bit salty for my taste, but I think that\u2019s also part of the dish. Like, it\u2019s supposed to be like a savory, warm, comforting thing.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Alright, last thing \u2014 dessert.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Well, I got the peach cobbler and I had to take it to go because it was\u2026 [ Laughing ] I was so full.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Right.<\/p>\n
Kammet: It was a little bit sweet for my taste, but it was still such a well-seasoned peach cobbler. Beautiful. Delicious.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Good for breakfast with coffee, as a leftover, right?<\/p>\n
Kammet: Oh, yeah.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Did you have room? Did you have room?<\/p>\n
Lee: I got the banana pudding.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Oh, okay.<\/p>\n
Lee: I did not have room, but I did it.<\/p>\n
[ Laughter ]<\/p>\n
It was delicious.<\/p>\n
It had the Chessmen on top,<\/p>\n
which I always love.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: Oh, uh-huh.<\/p>\n
Lee: And the multi layers. It was a very classic, traditional banana pudding, which just means it\u2019s a good one. It was lovely. Yeah.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Sounds like a great experience for all. So, if you would like to try Y\u2019s Choice, it\u2019s located on San Pablo Avenue in uptown Oakland. The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $65. Peggy\u2019s pick is a neighborhood diner that offers the quintessential greasy-spoon experience in the best way possible. Dishing up American breakfast classics in the heart of San Francisco\u2019s Mission District for decades, it\u2019s Jim\u2019s By MLVS.<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
Padilla: Jim\u2019s has been in the Mission District for over 32 years. It has built a very strong clientele that are super loyal to the breakfasts here. It\u2019s just really amazing comfort food. This building has such rich history. It was started by a man named Jim and has been here for several generations, and now we\u2019re very proud to be the owners of Jim\u2019s By MLVS. MLVS is Mission Language and Vocational School. We have a culinary program. And so, through that culinary program, we were able to purchase this restaurant so that we can give the graduates an opportunity to find work. We have the biscuits and gravy.<\/p>\n
Guest: Thank you.<\/p>\n
Padilla: Jim\u2019s By MLVS has been serving very American-style breakfasts that you can find at a diner \u2014 pancakes, waffles, eggs, even burgers for lunch. Eggs over easy. We have been incorporating Latino dishes because we want to honor that we\u2019re in the Mission District. So, we have the pl\u00e1tanos fritos. We call this a casamiento. And then we add a delicious fresh cheese and Salvadorean sour cream, so it\u2019s notsosour.<\/p>\n
Woman: Cheers!<\/p>\n
Padilla: Not only do we serve Latinos, but we also work with Latinos. Our staff, they\u2019re all Latinos, and so we allow them to share part of their cultures.<\/p>\n
[ Bell dings ]<\/p>\n
Our chef, Beto, started here<\/p>\n
when he was 17 years old,<\/p>\n
as a dishwasher,<\/p>\n
and he\u2019s been here since.<\/p>\n
Chef Beto likes to do<\/p>\n
his \u2014 his own designs<\/p>\n
for the food that he serves.<\/p>\n
And so when he wants to make<\/p>\n
the babies happy, or just anyone<\/p>\n
he feels like an extra touch<\/p>\n
of flair would be great\u2026<\/p>\n
Woman: Look at how cute!<\/p>\n
Padilla: \u2026he\u2019ll change up the look of it. Every time those long-term clients come in, they\u2019re just like, \u201cOh, my God, he\u2019s still here. I\u2019m gonna order my regular stuff.\u201d Still the same?<\/p>\n
Guest: Same! I told my husband, I said, \u201cIt\u2019s the same!\u201d<\/p>\n
Padilla: It\u2019s the same, right?<\/p>\n
Woman: Hey!<\/p>\n
Padilla: The joy that I get working here at Jim\u2019s By MLVS is being able to see the staff grow in their professional life. Being able to see them come from a place where they never worked in a restaurant here in the United States, to seeing them ready for the next step, it makes me feel super grateful.<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: So, Peggy, when you go to this place, I mean, it\u2019s been there so long.<\/p>\n
Lee: Oh, yeah.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: It really is a locals\u2019 hangout, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
Lee: It totally is. People have gone there for decades, generations. I get a variety of things, but generally I go for the corned beef hash. It\u2019s a savory, greasy, delicious corned beef, and then they have the crispy hash browns. And it\u2019s all short-order grill, which I think is also really fun \u2019cause you can actually hear them, like, ching-ching-ching-ching-ching, like, while there preparing it for you. And then I always have it with my over-easy eggs. I like to make a little mix, like hash brown, corned beef hash, soft eggs, and then I put it on my rye toast and I just shovel it in. And I have to have a side of caf\u00e9 de olla \u2019cause it\u2019s a little sweet, but it\u2019s delicious, and the spices. Cinnamon, to me, is the most forward. And then it\u2019s all mixed in this beautiful ceramic mug. So, it\u2019s just my perfect meal.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Fantastic. What did you have when you went?<\/p>\n
Kammet: So, I got the chicken fried steak breakfast because I rarely see that on menus. And in fact, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d ever eaten chicken fried steak before.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Is it steak? Is it chicken?<\/p>\n
Kammet: Right. It\u2019s definitely not chicken. It\u2019s \u2014 It\u2019s more hamburger that\u2019s fried like a chicken. It was a nice, salty piece of fried meat. I will say, the hash browns over there are perfection. They\u2019re the perfect hash browns. They\u2019re thin and crispy. If you\u2019re a hash brown fan, these are perfect hash browns. The French toast we got was kind of like how my mom would make it. Okay, we\u2019ve got sliced bread. Let\u2019s chop them in half, dip them in egg batter, and put them on the skillet. We did also get the sausage patties, which I really enjoyed. They were \u2014 I mean, everything at this place is \u2014<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Were they greasy?<\/p>\n
Kammet: They were. They were greasy. Ooh, nice, greasy, thin, little traditional sausage patties. And they had me. They had me on those sausage patties.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: And the hash browns.<\/p>\n
Kammet: And those hash browns. Those hash browns were perfect.<\/p>\n
Lee: Yes.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Okay. Alright. Rachelle, I have to ask, did you have hash browns?<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: I did have hash browns. Um, I felt like this was a diner\u2026<\/p>\n
Lee: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: \u2026and it was serving up diner food. I took my sons with me. One had the French toast. I agree with you on the French toast. I wanted maybe some different type of bread, something that would elevate the dish. The other one had the pancake combo, which is why I was able to taste a little bit of everything. I prefer more of a fluffier pancake. It was okay. I really felt like I wanted seasoning.<\/p>\n
Lee: Mm.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: And, um, on the eggs\u2026<\/p>\n
Lee: A little tip is that they have this green salsa. You have to ask for it. And it\u2019s just so bright. \u2018Cause everything there is kind of savory, a little sweet. The salsa brightens it all up.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: We also ordered a waffle, and the waffle was really, really thin. I prefer, like, a Belgian.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.<\/p>\n
Rogers-Ard: And so, you know, it was good.<\/p>\n
Kammet: We also got the strawberry milkshake. We split the milkshake. Solid. Good. Nothing I\u2019d write home about, but we finished it. I mean, you know, it\u2019s nice. It\u2019s nice when you get a milkshake and you get the glass with it that\u2019s half-filled with more milkshake. So my partner and I were like, okay, we basically got two milkshakes. Yeah.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Have you gotten the milkshakes before?<\/p>\n
Lee: I have not had the milkshake. I should do that next time.<\/p>\n
Kammet: Oh, you should do that.<\/p>\n
Lee: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Kammet: It\u2019s just, it\u2019s such a cool little neighborhood spot and it\u2019s in a cool part of town.<\/p>\n
Lee: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: I love it.<\/p>\n
Lee: It\u2019s a lovely space for me.<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: Alright, well, if you would like to try Jim\u2019s By MLVS, it\u2019s located on Mission Street in San Francisco\u2019s Mission District. The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $45. And now, reporter Cecilia Phillips has more Bay Area bites you\u2019ve just got to try. This time, it\u2019s all about the sweets at San Francisco\u2019s Chinatown Night Market.<\/p>\n
Phillips: So, we\u2019re in one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States. This event brings together so many people.<\/p>\n
Lo: Yes, every month we have approximately about 17,000.<\/p>\n
Phillips: 17,000 people?<\/p>\n
Lo: Yes. And this is really supporting the small businesses in Chinatown. You\u2019ve got all kinds of food. Enjoy boba, tanghulu, fried rice, chicken, you name it.<\/p>\n
Phillips: And it\u2019s cheaper than having to fly to Asia, huh?<\/p>\n
Lo: Yes.<\/p>\n
Tam: This is my family business, and I\u2019m the fifth generation who make this candy in my family. You see this little hair? Actually, it\u2019s all pulling by corn starch and molasses. Stretch it 100 times until this molasses totally shrinks to the little hairs.<\/p>\n
Phillips: Wow.<\/p>\n
Tam: In the past, the dragon was the symbol of the emperor. So these desserts were served to the emperor and the prince only.<\/p>\n
Phillips: So I should feel like royalty right now.<\/p>\n
Tam: Yes, exactly.<\/p>\n
[ Both laugh ]<\/p>\n
And when he ate this candy,<\/p>\n
all the little hairs stick<\/p>\n
on his lips and chin,<\/p>\n
which just looked like a beard.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why we call this<\/p>\n
the dragon beard.<\/p>\n
Are you ready?<\/p>\n
Phillips: No.<\/p>\n
Tam: No? Oh, don\u2019t be shy. Come and try.<\/p>\n
Phillips: [ Laughs ] Here we go.<\/p>\n
Tam: Okay! Cheers. Mmm! Mmmmm!<\/p>\n
Phillips: [ Laughing ]<\/p>\n
Tam: Now you see why it\u2019s called a beard candy, right? How do you like it?<\/p>\n
Phillips: I love it!<\/p>\n
Tam: [ Laughs ]<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
Phillips: So, I heard you are, like, one of the best bakeries in Chinatown.<\/p>\n
Chen: Yes, I\u2019m in Chinatown over 40 years.<\/p>\n
Phillips: This is a classic Chinese dish, right?<\/p>\n
Chen: Yeah, because, you know, over 100 years and nobody stop it.<\/p>\n
[ Both laugh ]<\/p>\n
Phillips: For 100 years, people have been making egg tarts.<\/p>\n
Chen: Yes.<\/p>\n
Phillips: That cuts so easily.<\/p>\n
Chen: Yes.<\/p>\n
Phillips: It\u2019s so delicate. So, you love to decorate, and you make things like this.<\/p>\n
Chen: Yes.<\/p>\n
Phillips: This is a swan.<\/p>\n
Chen: The swan, I did it maybe 20 years ago.<\/p>\n
Phillips: Whoa!<\/p>\n
Chen: So now I\u2019m eating.<\/p>\n
Phillips: I guess I\u2019m eating this swan, then. Can I just have the wing?<\/p>\n
Chen: Yeah.<\/p>\n
Phillips: Mmm! I love a good wing. I have to tell you, I remember my first memory of having sugar cane as a little kid and chewing and nibbling on some of the stalks.<\/p>\n
Efendi: Yes!<\/p>\n
Phillips: But I didn\u2019t know that there was a way to actually enjoy it much easier.<\/p>\n
Efendi: Absolutely. We have Pure Cane Juice Co. So we press it to order right here with the machine. So, we have Pure Cane and Golden Lime. That\u2019s our most popular drink. We put calamansi in there, which is another citrus that\u2019s also mostly known in Southeast Asia. Besides being delicious, it gives you an energy boost and also gives you gut health.<\/p>\n
Phillips: It\u2019s a healthy drink.<\/p>\n
Efendi: Cheers.<\/p>\n
Phillips: Oh! That is not what I was expecting!<\/p>\n
Efendi: Yeah! There you go.<\/p>\n
Phillips: It\u2019s so flavorful.<\/p>\n
Efendi: Absolutely.<\/p>\n
Phillips: Wow. It\u2019s as fresh as it gets.<\/p>\n
Efendi: Exactly.<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: I have to thank my great guests on this week\u2019s show. Peggy Lee, who savors the green salsa at Jim\u2019s By MLVS in San Francisco. Rachelle Rogers-Ard, who craves the crispy catfish at Y\u2019s Choice in Oakland. And Tavis Kammet, who noshes on the noodles at Funky Elephant in Berkeley. Join us next time, when three more guests will recommend their favorite spots right here on \u201cCheck, Please! Bay Area.\u201d I\u2019m Leslie Sbrocco, and I\u2019ll see you then. Cheers, everyone.<\/p>\n
[ All cheering ]<\/p>\n
Sbrocco: We\u2019re done! Cheers!<\/p>\n
\u266a\u266a<\/p>\n
Phillips: It\u2019s called tanghulu?<\/p>\n
Woman: Yes. It\u2019s a traditional street food from China. It\u2019s sugar-coated fruits, made fresh every day. This is our memory from our childhood in China. So, today we have strawberry and grapes.<\/p>\n
Phillips: Look at how beautiful! It\u2019s almost clear as glass. Here we go.<\/p>\n
Woman: Yes!<\/p>\n
[ Crunching ]<\/p>\n
Phillips: It\u2019s so tasty! That is amazing. I love it. I\u2019m gonna lose a tooth, though. But it\u2019ll be worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This trio of refreshing whites is ideal for spring sipping but also works to quench your thirst year-round.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294631,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-294630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/p>\n