BeamBlog

-Traditional British pub fare in Kensington... -That is dangerous.

-...plus lively spots in San Francisco for Nicaraguan brunch... -I thought it was divine.

-...and Arabic comfort food... -This comforting hug of bread.

-Whoo!

Hot off the press.

-...just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Did you get a facial when you opened up that bread?

-Hi, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Bay Area," the show where regular 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 "Check, Please!"

table today are mobile games partnership manager Jon Chong, retired clinical social worker Paul Meyerhof, and animal biologist Gabriela Childree.

Welcome, everyone.

-[ Laughs ] Hi.

-Thank you.

-We begin with brunch.

Gabriella's favorite spot fills her with nostalgia for her family's Nicaraguan roots.

Hearty Central American breakfasts, served with a heaping side of salsa music, always make her feel right at home.

Located in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District, it's Café La Taza.

♪♪ -There you go.

-Café La Taza is a place where you come and you don't want to leave.

We opened 25 years ago as a small coffee house, and people would come in and say, "Wow, your coffee's great, but I could sure use a sandwich."

The people wanted food, and we gave it to them.

♪♪ -The type of cuisine I would say is a Latino fusion cuisine.

It looks good, man.

It looks good.

We come from Nicaragua.

Our parents were born there.

So, we do incorporate our cuisine, which we grew up with, and a lot of Mexican cuisine, as well.

-[ Laughs ] -Since we open at 6:00 a.m., we do a lot of breakfast, a lot of brunch.

Homemade guava crumb cake.

Salvadorian-style quesadilla.

Sweet, savory, warm, fluffy.

The gallo pinto, I would say that's my mom's recipe.

That's what we grew up with.

-Our chilaquiles sauce recipe, it is our chef's, Juanito's grandmother's.

It's a family secret.

Yeah.

[ Laughter ] So, we can't lose that guy.

We are now open for the nighttime scene.

So, we have amazing cocktails and food, as well.

Working with family is a big part of our success.

We throw ideas off of each other.

We play off each other very well.

And Mom has the final vote.

-Exactly.

Yeah, it's true.

-That's how we handle things.

I love being in the Mission District because I was born here.

The people that come here is the people that live here, people from the Mission.

And this is kind of like a home away from home for everybody.

I get asked by customers all the time, you know, "You're here almost every day."

I'm like, "Well, yeah.

Where else am I going to get coffee, you know?"

-Now, Gabriela, you grew up in the Mission.

-I did.

Yeah.

-The Mission District has a small community of Nicaraguans, and so everybody kind of knows every restaurant.

But one day, we stumbled upon this one, and we were thrilled at how lively it was and how it's more youthful because other ones are more traditional.

So, the menu is very eclectic and large, but I go for what I'm used to.

So, something that is more familiar to me is the Desayuno Típico, this ginormous plate of everything a Nicaraguan would want for breakfast.

So, it includes the pureed black beans with sprinkled cheese on top, chancho frito, which is the fried pork, tortillas if you want them.

I got English muffins because I just didn't feel like having tortillas.

-So you can mix it up a little more.

-Yeah, you can totally mix it up.

You get eggs the way you want it.

So, I did over easy.

It comes with the plantains, or the maduros is what we call it, with the sour cream or the crema, and then a green salsa on the side.

-Yeah, normally you have, like, a breakfast diner plate, and there are some elements that miss, right?

For each one of these, they just nailed and hit the spot.

The pork was so well fried.

There was the crispiness on the outside, yet it was still tender and moist inside, which is so good.

-What did you have?

-So, I had the chilaquiles -- -Oh, got to love a good Chilaquile.

-...which were delicious.

They were so good.

The tortilla strips were crisp and cooked.

They came with a scrambled egg that was perfectly fluffy, not underdone, done perfectly, moist.

And then, it had the pureed black beans, which I love.

You know, the only problem was temperature control.

It wasn't cold.

It just wasn't completely uniformly hot.

But it was so good, though.

-We actually started with the Salvadorian quesadilla, and that was wonderful.

It had this cornbread texture, but it was much lighter.

It had this sweet, salty combination because of the cheese that's integrated into it.

We just kept on going at it and at it.

-Right.

-Did you have anything else?

-The tres leches pancakes really did stand out to us, so we ended up going with both.

-Oh, yay!

-Well, you've got to have carbs chased by carbs.

More carbs and sugar.

-That is a diet that I subscribe to.

-[ Laughs ] That's the breakfast diet.

-So, they nailed the basics.

The pancake itself is fluffy, has a good buttermilk texture, like, oh, it was just magical tres leches bites.

-I had the avocado toast, tomatillo.

The avocado was the perfect state of ripeness and plentiful.

With the tomatillo sauce that gives it this great kick, it made for a full breakfast.

-And what about service?

Because again, as a regular... -So, the service was very familiar and very funny.

The last time I went, my waiter was hilarious.

Everybody there is very friendly, but has that kind of Nicaraguan attitude -- -Swagger?

-Yeah, yeah, a little swagger.

It's kind of like, "Hey, what do you want?"

And I'm so used to that.

And so for me, I just laugh it off and I'm like, "Yeah, I'll take this."

-Service for you guys?

-Definitely felt that swag, but also that warmth.

They knew it was our first time, recommended some dishes.

They even comped us the guava coffee cake on the house, just because they're like, "This is our specialty.

Try it."

That was wonderful, too.

And it just spoke to, like, the spirit of the restaurant itself.

-Oh, that's really nice.

Yeah.

To comp somebody.

Did you get comped a piece of -- -I did not.

-Okay.

-I got service that was professional and friendly.

They were very sweet, both at the table and then at the counter because I went and got a tres leches dessert to take home.

And let me tell you, that is dangerous.

It is downright addicting.

It's got this wonderful flan flavor swimming in that sweet, milky sauce.

-Just a few bites, and then you're done.

-Yes, yes.

-Just a few bites, and then you're done.

So, price-wise... -It's really reasonable.

-Okay, agreed?

-Very much agreed.

Especially for the portions they give you, too, right?

Like, you will not leave not full, right?

-Yeah.

I mean, it helps that it serves the community, Which is why I wanted to highlight this restaurant.

-Alright.

If you would like to go to Café La Taza, it's located on Mission Street in San Francisco's Mission District, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $25.

-Whoa!

-Paul says every time he strolls into his neighborhood pub, the vibe is just like the bar from the '80s show "Cheers."

The convivial spirit, live music, and authentic British fare have kept him coming back for nearly 20 years.

Located in the East Bay community of Kensington, it's the Kensington Circus Pub.

♪♪ -Kensington Circus Pub is a pub in the truest sense of the word.

It's a community gathering spot, and most of our customers come, I would say, from within a mile.

Our goal was to keep it that way, make it family friendly, make it feel like you're coming to your family's place for dinner, but with better food.

[ Laughs ] And give it up for Dapper Shindig.

[ Cheers and applause ] The vibe of this restaurant is, you know, we have fun.

-♪ Ah, ah-ah-ah, ah ♪ -You know, the restaurant was started by a fellow named Graham Simpson who came from England.

And then one day, I was sitting here at this bar, and Graham wanted to go to a party and he said, "Have you ever thought about bartending?"

And I said, "Well, not really."

He goes, "Would you be interested?"

And I said, "Sure."

He literally pulled me across the bar and left.

And so, that's how I got introduced to the pub.

♪♪ And then him deciding that he was going to sell me the pub, and, you know, so one thing led to another.

-We're okay?

-And when we first took over, the restaurant was primarily English dishes.

Well, the fish and chips, you know, iconic English dish, starts with the fish.

We have Icelandic cod, which is the best fish that we can find.

But the key is you have to have a good flavorful, crunchy batter.

I think we finally got it to where we want it.

Well, the fish and chips are great, but the pork chops or the steaks probably are my go-to here.

Literally, we cut our pork chops this thick, and we season them, pan sear.

And in the broiler, it might take 15 minutes because they're so thick.

And I think that we've got the best pork chop in the Bay Area.

I think our food here is better than what I had in England.

-Yay!

-But I'll say this much.

When I was in England, pretty much just drank beer.

[ Laughs ] -Alright, Paul, so your pub is your happy place?

-Absolutely.

For one thing, I can walk there from my home.

So, it's typically you walk there, and then you roll home.

-That's good.

-Which is a typical British pub.

-Yes.

It's also downhill, so it's easier to roll.

But no, I love this place.

It's like a second family, and it's just a great vibe.

-And is there a dish that you start with when you go, or what do you eat?

-My go-to dish is the pub fish and chips.

They have several size portions that you can choose from, and it's this wonderful white Icelandic cod.

It's cooked perfectly.

It flakes on your fork.

You have a tartar.

They also bring you the malt vinegar.

-Good.

-Very British.

The chips are home cut.

They're large, like steak fries.

And then, they have a slaw that comes with it that's a vinegary base.

-To sort of complement the -- not greasiness, but the heaviness of the fish batter.

-It's very filling.

Yeah.

Even on the small, I'll end up sometimes taking some home.

-To Paul's point, the fish is just so well cooked.

What I really enjoyed about it was the fish-to-batter ratio.

You get so much fish with every single bite, and the fry on it was amazing.

The batter, I think, could have used a little bit more flavor from the batter perspective.

But steak cut fries are my favorite, and they nailed these.

It just had the perfect amount of a little bit of mushiness, but it still has the crisp of the fries itself.

-A British pub better nail a chip, or you're in trouble.

You're in trouble.

-That's true.

-Alright, Gabriela, what about you?

-Yeah, so, I did not get the fish and chips, but I brought who our family calls the fish and chip connoisseur.

-Ooh.

That's quite a title.

-My mom.

Every restaurant we go to, she gets fish and chips.

We did not like the fish and chips, unfortunately.

I agree with you.

It didn't have a whole lot of flavor.

But the fries weren't bad.

They were very good.

Yeah.

-Okay.

-Well, they do have other great dishes.

They have the shepherd's pie.

I'm not a meat eater, so that wouldn't be for me.

-That's okay.

-But what did you have?

-I got the tuna melt, which had a lot of apples in it that wasn't described on the menu.

And so, I did not like the tuna melt.

My meal was actually compensated because I didn't finish it.

-Okay.

-And then my dad got the pulled pork sandwich, which he said was okay.

-Okay.

-Yeah.

-I also had the corn fritters.

What we really appreciated about it was each one of the bites I had, you could definitely get a lot of corn and corn taste in it, and it came with chili sauce side that really helped balance and bring a little bit of brightness and some spice to it.

And the second main course dish that we had was the pork chop.

It was the MVP of our meal.

-Oh, nice.

-The way they brined it was really well, but they also used this, like, brown sugar marinade on top that really brought some sweetness to balance out with that salty and pepper-ness.

It was delicious.

-And did anybody have something to drink?

I mean, it is a pub.

[ Laughs ] -Yes.

-Well, this is a big plus.

They've got the Guinness, you know.

But I'm an IPA fan.

-Okay.

-So, they have a great rotating selection of IPAs.

My favorite is Fieldwork.

It's crisp, it's tasty.

It's got that right amount of hoppy flavor.

Yeah, that's my go-to.

-Well, they do have one of my favorite desserts on the list -- sticky toffee pudding.

-I've never had that.

But what I do love is their sundae.

It's two scoops vanilla ice cream with hot caramel sauce.

And I just love it.

We fight over it.

It's that good.

-That's your fave?

-We did have the sticky toffee pudding.

-Yes.

Thank you.

-And that could be another fighting dish that you might have because it just had a great toffee taste.

Soft, moist, warm.

I can't say no to à la mode.

It was a perfect bite coming together.

Do share, because it can get really sweet, but you can also fight over it, as well.

-[ Laughs ] -That's right.

But if you're going to a British pub, man, you got to eat a little sticky toffee.

-Yeah, you got to.

-So, another thing I love is, one, they're open seven nights a week, and on Friday and Saturday, free, no cover, live music.

And they've got all these different local small bands.

It's a lot of fun.

-Yeah, Kensington was cute.

I had never seen it before.

I never even heard of it.

And I was born and raised in the Bay Area, and it was so quaint.

And what I did like was the outdoor seating.

-Great.

-I've never heard of Kensington, either, so we were really excited to just check out a new town in the Bay Area.

There were a couple other shops and restaurants in that Circus, and then it dawned on us.

That's why it's called Kensington Circus Club, because it's on a circus.

-Oh, I didn't even think about that.

-You're only missing a palace.

[ Laughter ] -Pretty much.

-Alright.

Well, if you would like to try Kensington Circus Pub, it's located on Colusa Avenue in Kensington.

And the average tab per person without drinks is around $30.

-Thank you all for coming.

-Cheers!

-At many restaurants, the bread on the table is just an afterthought.

But at Jon's favorite Palestinian eatery, the complete opposite is true.

Pillowy, fresh from the oven pita sprinkled with za'atar is the main draw.

Located in San Francisco's Duboce Triangle, it's Beit Rima.

♪♪ -The inspiration for the name Beit Rima comes from my mom.

My mom's name is Rima, and Beit means "home, house, or town" in Arabic.

And growing up, my mom always just hosted amazing dinner parties, and people would just always talk about Beit Rima.

Alright, guys.

Got some hummus here.

Here at Beit Rima, we call it Arabic comfort food.

My parents are Palestinian and Jordanian.

I wanted to make a point to identify as Arabic because I feel like our community feels like they have to hide their identity sometimes.

How are you?

It's good to see you.

So, it was a good opportunity to let people know about the hospitality that we offer... -Oh, that looks good.

-...the beautiful food that we have, and just to take pride in who we are.

Beautiful browns, you know?

What makes Beit Rima special is we don't have wraps because I wanted the food to be family style.

From dips to salads to cheese to shakshuka, the rice and the relish we put on top of the hummus is a direct recipe from my mom.

So, Samir's hand-kneaded bread is an elongated pita inflated with hot steam, sprinkled with za'atar and olive oil, all over the top.

Yeah, it's a little narcissistic, but I had to get my name on that menu somewhere.

I pulled an all-nighter here, developing the recipe for that bread.

Put a lot of heart and soul and sweat and tears into that bread.

I want everything to be craveable and memorable.

Alright, guys, we got a hanger steak.

Serving the guests...

There you go.

...seeing them at the table with their friends and family and sharing and enjoying food, I want them to feel satisfied, satiated, and happy.

-Now, Jon, this place just is comfortable and easy and comfort food, right?

-Comfort food and a comfort vibe.

It just has this, like, neighborhood, warm feel.

Almost like you just walked into a local café -- -That's kind of the theme of all three restaurants.

-Yes, very much so.

And not only do you see that, but you smell the bread, just the fresh hand-kneaded bread that they have.

Even if you didn't want bread that day, you were going to have to have it.

-Because you just smell it.

-You just smell it with the za'atar and the olive oil.

The steam when you first rip it open.

-Oh, I know what John means about that bread.

It comes out, and it's got this wonderful carpet of spices on top.

It's perfect for dipping in the mezzes, which is what I ordered.

I had the hummus, and I had the baba ghanoush.

Each one is plentiful, and they have a little pool of this very light, fine olive oil on top.

And they are both so flavorful.

The eggplant comes through, and in the hummus, the chickpea comes through, and it's just delicious.

-I actually also got the hand-kneaded Samir's bread and the mezze platter.

I love Arab food.

And actually, this restaurant was, like, top of my list that I've been dying to visit.

So, when I saw the assignment, I was like, "Oh my God, thank goodness."

[ Laughter ] And I agree, the baba ghanoush was phenomenal.

The Labneh, the hummus, as well.

Loved it all.

-And the falafel, that was cooked perfectly -- baked firm on the outside, and yet you open it, and it's moist and fluffy on the inside.

-I also had the batata harra, which was very familiar to me because my grandfather was from Spain, and we have patatas bravas, and it's this almost identical dish.

So, I was like, "I want to try that."

So, it was really, really cooked well, doused in, like, a red spicy sauce.

I'm not the biggest fan of spicy food, so I ate a couple pieces and was like, "The potato is really good, but the sauce is a little too spicy for me."

But, like, my sister devoured it, so... -Alright, so, she gives it the thumbs up?

-Yeah.

-One of the appetizers we get every single time is the delicata squash with the brown butter Labneh and the pine nut dukkah.

The squash is perfectly cooked, not too mushy, but also not too hard.

Paired with the yogurt, it brings this, like, earthy, sweet combination.

It's delicious.

-What else did you have?

-Well, I did get the chicken "shish ta-nook."

-Shish tawook?

-Yes!

-Shish tawook, yeah.

-It is to die for.

The chicken pieces, they're like three full kebabs, and they've been marinated in yogurt.

So tender and so moist.

And then it comes with -- they call it mom's rice.

Excellent.

They're large kernels.

Fluffy.

Just really, really good.

-A must for us is the branzino, which comes with rice.

-I almost got that.

-Oh, the fried branzino.

-I should have.

-It's so good.

We get it every single time because they have just a light fry on it, so it doesn't overwhelm the meat of the fish itself.

So, every time it comes out, you're like, "Oh, it's freshly fried.

We got to eat it."

But be patient.

[ Laughter ] Eat it with the rice and eat with the spices and the herbs, the cilantro, green onion, as well as some raw onion, as well, plus, like, a yogurt dipping sauce and a chili dipping sauce.

You combine that all into one bite.

Oh, you feel like you're transported into food heaven with that.

-Anything else?

Drinks, dessert?

-Oh, yeah.

I had the dessert.

I thought it was divine.

It was so delicious.

It was almost like a milk curd with rose extract inside and pistachios that laid on top.

And I could eat that every day.

It was so, so good.

And it was nice because with all those bright, you know, aromatic flavors, something soft with rose and pistachio was like a nice balance to the meal.

-One thing I liked is the place is right next to two San Francisco Muni stops.

So, it's really easy to get to, and they have this lovely little parklet out in front.

If the weather's nice, you can sit out there, enjoy the sunshine.

-So, you'll be back?

-Yes.

-I would absolutely go back, and I would try the hanger steak that I did not get that I should have.

[ Laughs ] -Alright.

If you would like to try Beit Rima, it's located on Church Street in San Francisco, and the average dinner tab per person without drinks is around $30.

-Thanks for coming, guys.

-And now, reporter Cecilia Phillips brings us more Bay Area bites you've just got to try.

-Whoo!

Hot off the press.

She's off to Newark for a little tortilla-making 101.

-[ Singing in native language ] ♪♪ -We're at Mexico Tortilla Factory here in Newark, California.

We've been here for 50 years.

We are a staple in the city of Newark.

It's family run.

When my workers come in in the evening, the factory comes alive.

This is a cooling conveyor.

-Cooling conveyor, okay.

-We manufacture our own corn tortillas, and from that comes tortillas, tortilla chips, taco shells, tostadas.

-Whoo!

-The food of the gods.

-[ Laughs ] Yes.

-And then with our masa, we also make our tamales.

And a lot of people sell you masa, but it's the powdered masa that they mix with water.

We actually grind our corn, cook the stone-ground corn, and it's all natural -- water, corn, lime.

That's all that's in there.

-And so, this process has been in human existence for a very long time.

-Way back, before the Aztecs were.

What came before the Aztecs?

[ Laughter ] We have [Indistinct] school.

I love doing events for the community.

So, today we're having Día de los Muertos.

-What is your favorite dish that has tortillas?

-They're all my favorite dishes.

I have tortillas with all of them.

-Chicken mole.

-Why was I going to say that?

-My abuelita, she makes these huevos rancheros.

They're my dad's favorite, too.

They're so good.

[ Laughs ] -Thinking of tortillas reminds me of my mom.

-And so, what dish comes to mind?

-Enchiladas is a common dish within our household.

That was my dad's favorite.

-I love enchiladas.

-Red or green?

-I think whatever's less spicy.

-Rojo.

Always.

-Both.

[ Laughs ] -You have a very special outfit on.

-I have all the butterflies together because the monarch butterflies fly from the state of Michoacán all the way to California.

-It's beautiful.

-Thank you very much.

The greatest legacy my father left behind is that he taught us how to work and how to share and to love people.

-And you do that with the food that you make?

-Yeah, we do that with the food and welcoming them to the store with open arms.

-I have to thank my great guests on this week's show -- Jon Chong, lover of the aromatic breads at San Francisco's Beit Rima.

Paul Meyerhof, who enjoys the fish and chips at the Kensington Circus Pub, and Gabriela Childree, who tucks into the Desayuno Típico at Café La Taza in San Francisco.

Join us next time when three more guests will recommend their favorite spots right here on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

I'm Leslie Sbrocco, and I'll see you then.

Cheers, everyone.

And cheers to you all.

-Cheers!

-And to the fake bread.

♪♪ -We make 14,000 dozen of the tortillas for the street tacos.

-Wow.

Alright.

So, 14,000 dozen.

I mean, my math calculations -- is that 168,000 tortillas a day, right?

-That's right.

-Pretty good math.

How do you like to eat your tortillas?

-With lots of butter?

-[ Laughs ] Can I take maybe, like, one to go?

-Of course you may.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

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