Sbrocco: Mexican bites and brews in Half Moon Bay.

David: It's a great happy-hour place.

You get to see neighbors and friends.

Sbrocco: Indian street-food delights in Milpitas.

Alcaraz: One of my favorite things I've eaten so far this year.

Sbrocco: And a cozy spot for craft cocktails in San Francisco.

Bajaj: I would walk to San Francisco for that dish.

Sbrocco: Just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Bajaj: There was nothing more we could do.

Life-changing!

It was life changing!

♪♪ Sbrocco: Hi.

I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Bay Area," the show where Bay Area residents review and talk about their favorite restaurants.

Now, we have three guests.

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 professor of international education Monisha Bajaj, art and music teacher Isabella Alcaraz, and talent-development executive Robert David.

Welcome, everyone.

Are you psyched?

David: I'm psyched.

Sbrocco: All right.

Robert kicks things off with his hometown favorite,.

Nestled inside a historic inn, it's a lively pub offering authentic Mexican fare, specialty margaritas, and more than a dozen craft beers on tap.

Located in the heart of downtown Half Moon Bay, it's the Cantina at San Benito House.

♪♪ Cheeseman: The Cantina at San Benito House, it's really a one-of-a-kind place.

A lot of the people who come here feel very attached to the place.

There is a special energy that I can't really explain.

You have to just be here to feel that.

Tatad: San Benito House was built in 1905, so it's one of the oldest buildings in downtown Half Moon Bay.

It was a saloon, and people would park their horses right outside.

Cheeseman: When you walk in, the first thing you see is this very long, giant bar.

It's been there about 120 years.

Patron: Can I get three carnitas tacos?

Server: Three carnitas tacos.

Okay.

Cheeseman: What we serve here is Mexican food.

It essentially models after a taqueria-style menu.

Boy: Taco Tuesday.

[ Laughter ] Tatad: We put a lot of love into our tacos.

It's Snake River Farms Wagyu beef that is marinated for several days.

So you get this nice, tender beef.

Cheeseman: If my health wasn't a concern, I would certainly eat the carne asada quesadilla probably every day.

It'll crisp up and be flaky, almost like a croissant, and that is what makes a great quesadilla.

Patron: I definitely want the roasted tomatoes also.

I think it goes better with the steak.

Cheeseman: We emphasize our fish tacos, and we're using high-quality fish.

So fresh salmon, wild-caught Gulf shrimp.

We use corvina in our Baja fish-style tacos.

The roasted tomato salsa.

It's kind of a signature salsa of ours.

Really packs a punch.

Tatad: We also have chowder, 'cause we're on the coast.

It has this nice smoky flavor, and we also serve it with a side of bacon.

Cheeseman: You just kind of nibble on it as you eat the chowder.

I think it adds another level of flavor to it.

The chicken chili verde is a take on a traditional Texas chili, but it's ground chicken, tomatillo-based, white beans.

Much lighter.

Tatad: I remember eating the chicken chili verde for two months straight.

That's all I ate for two months every day.

Cheeseman: We actually put that on top of our nachos.

That now has become a staple on our menu.

Tatad: The carnitas, we use Kurobuta pork.

We brine it overnight, then we slow-roast it in the oven for four hours.

♪♪ Cheeseman: We have 18 beers on draft.

There's a lot of local breweries that we like to feature, a few, obviously, Mexican beers that are staples, as well as a few international beers.

That is really complemented by our margarita program, which has a bit of a seasonal rotation.

Bartender: So, this is the mango, and this is the mezcal piña.

Patron: Awesome.

Thanks a lot.

Bartender: You're set.

Enjoy.

[ Mid-tempo music playing ] Cheeseman: What has kind of drawn people in is they come sit in the backyard or they sit around the fire pit.

Most days of the week, you can catch live music.

It really is just an inviting place to be social.

Tatad: What I love about the spot is being woven into the fabric of this community.

And also it's introducing tourists and people who've never been to Half Moon Bay before to what hospitality is in a small town.

Cheeseman: This is just us continuing what this place is about, growing on that legacy, and keeping this alive for the community.

Patron: It is yummy.

Sbrocco: So, Robert, as a Half Moon Bay -- which is one of my favorite places in the world -- local, is this sort of your version of Cheers, where you walk in, belly up to the bar, and they know you?

David: Exactly.

You get to see neighbors and friends that you might not have seen.

It's a place where people do meet up on the weekends and during the week, you know, for happy hour.

It's a great happy-hour place.

Sbrocco: What is a thing you always go for?

David: Chicken chili verde.

Yes.

Love that.

It comes with crispy tortilla chips.

They crumble on top.

Some crema.

The taste of it is outstanding.

And I always get extra cilantro to put on top 'cause I'm a big cilantro fan.

Bajaj: I also ordered the chicken chili verde.

It was just perfect.

It was tangy, and it had the crunch from the chips on top.

It had a little heat.

Super hearty.

We went on an overcast Half Moon Bay day, and it definitely warmed us up.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Most of them.

What's next after that?

David: So, I had the chicken quesadilla Suiza, which basically I was able to dip inside the chili verde to give it a little bit extra kick.

Sbrocco: Don't give up that bowl.

David: No, no.

And then our go-to is the salmon tacos, which are just phenomenal.

Great portion size.

They're grilled, and they have the slaw on them.

Sbrocco: Yum.

David: Delicious.

Sbrocco: Okay.

You made me hungry.

Anybody else get the salmon tacos?

Alcaraz: No.

I got the fish tacos.

But you said something that I was thinking the whole time.

The portions were huge.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Alcaraz: And my favorite thing is to go to a restaurant and then have a second meal like three hours later.

A midnight snack, you know?

But it was really light-tasting.

It's like I could eat one of those in like three bites.

The fish tacos were excellent.

Bajaj: We had the chips that came with guacamole and salsa, and they were just delicious.

Perfectly fried.

They had a little spice on them and salt.

Had a great crunch and a good portion of the guacamole and salsa.

Really just a great appetizer.

Sbrocco: And what was any other dish that you tried?

Bajaj: We loved the desserts.

Sbrocco: Oh, you're already on dessert.

Okay.

Wait.

You have to eat more than chile verde.

[ Laughter ] Come on!

Bajaj: We had the chicken tacos.

The chicken tacos were amazing.

Sbrocco: Okay.

There we go.

Bajaj: They had the fresh onions and the cilantro on top.

Just perfectly tender.

Big portion.

It was so good.

Sbrocco: Now, I know there's more you tried, right?

Alcaraz: Yeah.

I got the ceviche, too.

David: One of my go-tos.

Alcaraz: Yeah.

It was good.

I am a really big fan of, like, strong flavors.

I would've loved if there was a little more sour in there.

But the size of the shrimp was also big -- going back to portion sizes.

David: It's enough to share.

Alcaraz: Yeah.

There was some chili peppers, so there was a little bit of bite.

With the chips on the side, you got crunchy.

And I also had the carne asada burrito.

I got it wet, so there was a sauce on top -- the enchilada sauce.

It had pinto beans.

It had some rice and fresh vegetables in there.

It was very good.

I cannot overstate the size of it.

It was, like, the largest burrito I've ever had.

And I did eat like seven-eighths of it before I was like, "I really probably don't need the last few bites."

David: No box.

Sbrocco: And what did you have to wash this all down?

David: I had one of the craft beers that they have on tap.

Sbrocco: The big menu of over a dozen rotating at all times.

David: Exactly.

So I had an IPA.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Anybody else have something?

Bajaj: I had the agua fresca, which was the watermelon, which was divine, just perfect.

Not too sweet and a perfect complement to the tacos.

Sbrocco: And what did you pair alongside?

Alcaraz: I got a margarita.

Sbrocco: Salt or no salt?

Alcaraz: Always salt.

I always like a little salt.

And my mom, who I went with, asked the bartender if they had a michelada and she said, "You're in luck, because I make a mean michelada."

And I have to admit, it was really good.

Sbrocco: It's like a bloody Mary with beer.

Alcaraz: Yeah.

Exactly.

Yeah.

Exactly.

I did drink probably half of it.

It was by accident.

Sbrocco: "Sorry, Mom."

Alcaraz: Yeah.

Sbrocco: So, are they missing anything, as a seasoned veteran of this restaurant?

David: The beans and the rice and just all the accoutrements that at a Mexican restaurant you'd expect, but they just seem to have raised the bar.

So it's great for sharing.

You can get multiple dishes and try a lot of different things.

Sbrocco: Now we can get to dessert, because you either share dessert or you don't share dessert.

Right?

Bajaj: [ Laughs ] This was contentious for us.

We went as a group, ages ranging from 11 to 79, and we ordered all the desserts.

And everybody wanted my gluten-free key lime pie because it was so good!

And I was only gluten-free person, so... Sbrocco: How many desserts did you order?

Bajaj: We got the gluten-free key lime pie.

We got the tres leches cake, and we got the churros, which are kind of like a beignet-meets-churro-type dish.

And they all got eaten, and I had to take a gluten-free key lime pie home because it was so good.

Alcaraz: We were too full.

I went with my mom.

And we got, like, enough food for maybe six or seven people.

Sbrocco: What about service?

Bajaj: It was great.

We sat outside.

There was, like, a handcrafted wooden table that we sat at in the patio.

It was just delightful.

Sbrocco: And you make it a destination, because Half Moon Bay is such a destination to walk around, go to the beach.

You know what I mean?

It's really a place to go visit if you want to go "somewhere."

David: It's a great destination.

Come visit Half Moon Bay.

Bajaj: They have a lovely garden, too, with the games, like the cornhole.

Alcaraz: The garden was actually closed when I went because there was Half Moon Bay's, I think,.

45th high-school reunion.

And there were so many people hanging out in the garden, dancing, drinking, and I stopped someone, 'cause we were seated next to the entryway, and I was like, "Hey, what are you guys here for?"

And he was like, "It's our 45th high school reunion!

There's this many of us here.

We're all still in Half Moon Bay.

This is our favorite place to go."

And a few wheelchairs coming down.

Just wait for those.

David: No, no.

Not that old.

Sbrocco: Got a walker or two.

[ Laughter ] Alcaraz: They were a party.

Sbrocco: Oh, that's great.

That sums it up for us, right?

If you would like to try Cantina at San Benito House, it's located on Main Street in Half Moon Bay, and the average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $35.

Monisha's journeys have taken her to nearly 50 countries, but some of the most unforgettable bites she's ever had were from the street markets of India.

Now she's found a hidden gem in the Bay Area that brings those delicious memories to life.

Located in Milpitas, it's Wah Jee Wah.

♪♪ ♪♪ Dumra: "Wah jee wah" is an expression when you eat something amazing, and you're like, "Wow!

This is amazing."

We try to focus on the street food, the street vibe.

You know, you go to a roadside eatery and you see the food cooking in front of you, and, you know, that's the best experience you can have.

♪♪ My family belongs to the northern side of India.

My cuisine definitely represents a lot of it.

My dad taught me how to do barbecue, although, you won't believe, he was a pure vegetarian.

Never ate meat in his life.

We do dabble into some other dishes and other sides of India as well -- the peanut masala, the aloo tikki chat.

My mom grew up in Goa, which is a very coastal place, so some of her dishes and seafood reflects on my menu as well.

Everyone always asks me what my favorite kebab is.

And I'll tell you it's not the kebab.

It's the style of cooking.

Anything on the grill is something I enjoy.

It gives a nice smoky touch to it.

You really get a nice kick of the ginger, garlic, the aromatics, the herbs.

Everything comes together very magically.

Nice sear on top, a little buttery finish.

♪♪ The key to amazing naan, obviously, is the fermentation, the rise of the dough itself, also cooked in the right temperature -- nice and hot.

The soft, doughy inside but a nice crispy finish is the perfect naan to me.

So the beverage program -- We definitely have our famous chai.

This is bay leaf, this is cinnamon stick, and big cardamom.

The cardamom I use, it's a little bit bigger.

It's from the southern part of India.

It's a very pungent, very strong, and a very important ingredient in my chai.

There it is.

What's up, guys?

I love feeding people.

It actually gives me peace when I cook.

Patron: Oh, my gosh.

Dumra: Especially when someone appreciates your food, it makes your day.

We want to make everyone feel special and feel at home, and we love the people that support us.

You know, if we can make their experience even better, we strive for it.

Patron: Wow!

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: So, nearly 50 countries, but Indian street food is your favorite.

Bajaj: Yes.

You know, it has Indian-grilled, open air, grilled meats and paneer and different dishes that are just super authentic that I haven't tasted that good outside of the subcontinent of South Asia.

Sbrocco: Wow.

That's high praise.

That's high praise.

And what do you usually get?

Bajaj: We usually start with the aloo tikki chat, which is like a fried potato patty.

that usually they keep the patty together, but at Wah Jee Wah they cut up into pieces and put in a yogurt-and-tamarind sauce with some spiced chickpeas, like a chana masala in a bowl.

And it's got the perfect crunch.

And then the sweet from the tamarind and then the savory from the spiced chickpeas, it's just a celebration in your mouth.

Sbrocco: I love that.

I love that.

Bajaj: I love the peanut masala with the papad.

The papad is like a lentil wafer.

They, at Wah Jee Wah, make it in a bowl to hold the spiced peanuts with the masala flavoring on it.

And it's just so fun, because you have a bowl to eat it in, but then you eat the bowl as well.

And it's just a perfect crunchy appetizer to get your appetite ready for the meats or the paneer or whatever else you have coming with the skewers.

And they have chai there, so we sipped on a lot of chai that was really well spiced and not too sweet.

Alcaraz: I've never really had chai other than, you know... David: Coffee-shop chai.

Alcaraz: Yeah.

Chai with a lot of sugar and vanilla and cinnamon and milk.

And so having chai there was -- My mom and I were -- It changed us, I think.

So then I started looking up how to make chai at home.

Bajaj: It's really good chai.

Really good.

Alcaraz: It was a life-changing moment.

I had the masala mac.

Bajaj: Oh.

Alcaraz: I know I already had one life-changing experience with the chai, but the masala mac was maybe one of my favorite things I've eaten so far this year.

Group: Wow.

Alcaraz: It was exactly what I love in food.

It was cheesy, and the masala spices, which I never would've thought to have in a mac and cheese, made it super special.

Sbrocco: Awesome.

And what about you?

David: I took my son-in-law there, and we went right for the meats.

So we had chicken skewer and the lamb skewer.

They were just perfectly seasoned, perfectly grilled, delicious, juicy.

My son-in-law had the mushroom and the cheese skewer, which I've never seen before.

Bajaj: We often order the chicken skewers and also the paneer, the cheese ones.

And they were delicious.

We all polished them off.

They have a Wah Jee Wah sauce, which seems to be made of different spices and tomato base and maybe some cream or something in there.

But it's absolutely delicious.

David: And they had a green chutney.

I poured it all over everything.

Bajaj: So good.

Alcaraz: I got a combo plate since there were a lot of us.

I got to try all different types of meat.

So we got the lamb seekh, the lamb on the bone, the chicken, the paneer, and the shrimp.

Everything was really good.

David: You got the shrimp, huh?

Yeah.

The shrimp was super yummy.

Not overcooked, even though it was nice and charred.

The lamb chop was super tender, very soft and buttery.

The lamb seekh was a little spicy for my grandma, but I loved it.

Sbrocco: All right.

You have to judge an Indian restaurant by its naan.

Alcaraz: Yeah.

Sbrocco: What did you think?

Alcaraz: The naan was very good.

It was buttery.

It was well seasoned without being too strong.

'Cause you definitely want it to complement all the meat and everything that you're getting.

David: They had two naans.

They had a buttery naan and a garlic naan.

So if you're a fan of garlic, you can get the garlic naan.

Alcaraz: I'm a fan of garlic.

I love me some garlic.

Yeah.

Sbrocco: Good.

As long as everybody eats it.

And anybody have any dessert or was the chai good enough?

Bajaj: We asked them if they had dessert, and they didn't have any on their menu.

We did get the mango lassi, which is sweet and was a nice compliment.

But the person that took our order said that they're trying to implement desserts in the coming months.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Alcaraz: I got the mango lassi too, and it was delicious, what you'd expect.

David: They were out of it when we tried to order it.

We had no chai, no mango lassi.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: You didn't get the full Wah Jee Wah experience.

David: I know.

I need to go back.

Sbrocco: It's just fun to say "Wah Jee Wah."

David: Yes.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: Fun to say.

Bajaj: Yeah.

And "Wah jee wah" means, like, "It's amazing," like, "Marvelous!"

Alcaraz: And it really is.

Bajaj: Yeah.

[ Laughter ] David: Wah jee wah!

Sbrocco: Wah jee wah!

[ Laughter ] If you would like to try Wah Jee Wah, it's located on Main Street in Milpitas.

The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $30.

Isabella's spot is a quirky, creative space where both the food and cocktails are inspired by the ever-changing seasons.

Whether the ingredients are grown or gathered, every bite and sip is lovingly hand-crafted in house., Tucked away in the heart of San Francisco's Mission, it's Buddy.

♪♪ Mendoza: Buddy is a natural-wine bar where you can hang out, enjoy some good music, share a couple bites with friends.

Patron: How's it going?

Mendoza: Doing well.

How are you?

Furst: When we first started thinking about how Buddy would feel, we were drawing inspiration from European, kind of all-day-café-type places.

All of these chairs are vintage, and we use vintage glassware, you know, something that feels homey but also has a touch of kind of, like, European class to it.

But not too much.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ Mendoza: The way our menu is designed is it's meant to be shared with a bunch of people.

It's really about, like, textures, flavors, and seasonality.

Walking around farmers' markets, what looks good, I pick up a little bit of it and just play around with it.

I like to experiment.

And I come from a Filipino background, so a lot of Asian-inspired dishes as well.

The fritters, they've been a hit.

It's basically like a hush puppy with corn, basil, and smoked trout roe.

So it's salty, a little bit of crispiness from the fritters, and then a little bit of richness to cut all that with the crème fraîche.

Furst: Mmm.

Grenache blanc and macabeo.

One of the other things that Chris is really excellent at is creating flavors that pair well with our wine program, which has really bold flavors, really dynamic producers.

And that is always changing.

On top of that, we have a low-ABV cocktail program.

So that features sherrys, it features vermouths.

And then we also have a really strong non-alcoholic program, So we do lots of really beautiful non-alcoholic cocktails.

Mendoza: I think the thing I like most about Buddy is it's a place where you can just hang out and, like, not even work, honestly.

Like, you're hanging out with friends.

Furst: Yeah.

Something that sparks joy for me every time I step into this space is the people that are inside of this space.

Mendoza: I got one last plate for y'all.

It feels like you're just here to do what you're meant to do.

Patron: Hi!

Patron: Oh, you're gonna be famous!

Sbrocco: All right.

You got to love a place called Buddy.

Right?

Alcaraz: Mm-hmm.

Sbrocco: How did you find out about it?

How did you discover it?

Alcaraz: I went there for my birthday, actually, and it actually ended up being one of my favorite restaurants.

Sbrocco: Oh.

That's great.

Alcaraz: Yeah.

It's a really great blend of all different types of flavors.

The menu is so creative, and I'd say 100% of the items on the menu is something that I've never eaten before... David: Exactly.

Alcaraz: ...or at least a combination of flavors that I've never had.

Sbrocco: Take people on a little trip with the menu.

Alcaraz: First we ordered our drinks.

Sbrocco: Was your mom there?

Alcaraz: My mom was there.

Bajaj: Yay, Mom!

Alcaraz: They have a michelada.

David: I had that.

Alcaraz: It's non-alcoholic.

David: The most unique one I've ever had, ever.

Alcaraz: It's non-alcoholic.

It is so good.

I did drink half of hers again.

I think there's a theme here.

David: Didn't they have, like, strawberry?

Alcaraz: Yeah.

Strawberry.

Yeah.

There was a strawberry chamoy or something in there.

David: Yeah.

That was made by the folks that work there.

Bajaj: Oh.

David: It wasn't brought in.

Alcaraz: Yeah.

David: Custom.

Alcaraz: They also have a huge wine menu, and usually I do get whatever wine they suggest.

But I did get vermouth on the rocks this time, 'cause I also love vermouth.

Bajaj: I had the non-alcoholic sparkling wine, and it was very good.

Really flavorful.

Hibiscus and lemon.

Alcaraz: Yeah.

So yeah, we started with drinks.

And then we got the crudo, and this crudo had coconut in it, and it was just as fresh and tangy as you expect a crudo to be, but it just took it in a different direction.

With the coconut, it added a little bit of a sweetness to it, so it was really good.

Mendoza: We have the last bit of stone fruit of the season that we get from the farmers' market two blocks up.

David: Did you have the summer salad, the stone fruit?

I thought that was amazing.

That was so fresh and just vibrant.

It was something that I've never seen before.

Sbrocco: What was in there?

David: They had cucumbers and red pepper, which they had diced up, and then a great dressing on top of that.

They have this amazing warm ciabatta bread with a pink peppercorn butter, which I've never had before.

You just don't see that in a restaurant.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

David: The chicken wings they had had a coating on them which was so radically different than anything else.

Bajaj: So good.

Yes.

Sbrocco: They were good?

You had those?

Bajaj: Yes.

We had the chicken wings.

It had, like, a passion-fruit flavoring on it.

Mendoza: This is our passion-fruit fish sauce.

We steep a little bit of chili de arbol and star anise in there to get a little of that Asian flavor.

David: It's amazing.

It's delicious and spicy, but not too spicy.

Bajaj: They were crusted with corn, so they were gluten-free.

They had just an explosion of flavors happening.

Sbrocco: That is a wild combination.

Bajaj: Yes.

Sbrocco: What else did you have?

Bajaj: We had the trumpet shrooms that were just the showstopper for us.

It was the trumpet mushrooms in a walnut macha sauce that had feta and actual walnuts also in it.

A really thick sauce.

Super flavorful.

Really rich.

Really delicious.

We ate up every little bite of that bowl that we were presented, and it was a pretty sizable portion.

I would walk to San Francisco for that dish.

It was so good.

Sbrocco: Sound the trumpets!

[ Laughter ] David: Did you have a clean plate?

Bajaj: Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

If it wasn't embarrassing, we would've licked the plate.

[ Laughter ] Alcaraz: I got the clams.

Everything on the menu is really well balanced.

I think that was especially true for the clams.

It had that salty, clammy, seafoody ocean flavor.

There was an acidity.

There was freshness 'cause there were some peas.

It was sweet.

And then there was, like, something slightly bitter, but it was very well-rounded.

Sbrocco: I love that you talk about balance in food, because as a wine expert and then food, it's all about balance.

David: Mm-hmm.

Sbrocco: So, dessert.

David: The brownie with the sauce.

Decadent, delicious, chewy, gooey.

Everything you want in a dessert.

Sbrocco: All right.

Alcaraz: I did get the brownie the last time I was there.

And I'm not really a sweets person generally, but the brownie wasn't too sweet, and the cacao nibs on top weren't too sweet either, and it was just rich enough to be good.

Sbrocco: It was worth one bite.

Alcaraz: I took...a few bites.

A few bites more than that, maybe.

Sbrocco: What about you?

Did your group get any dessert?

Bajaj: We didn't get any desserts.

Yeah.

We were too full.

Everything was delicious.

After those mushrooms, I feel like there was nothing more we could do.

Sbrocco: Life-changing!

Bajaj: It was life changing!

Alcaraz: Life-changing.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: Give me a sense of the atmosphere and the place itself.

Bajaj: I love the vibe.

You walk in.

There was, like, '90s R and B and hip-hop playing.

It felt like the '90s called and Buddy answered.

And it was just such a fun vibe.

Great music.

We went for a happy hour, kind of late afternoon on a Friday.

And have y'all been in the bathroom?

They have an altar to Sade!

In the bathroom!

It was awesome!

[ Laughter ] David: My wife told me about that.

Bajaj: It was incredible!

I took pictures.

Alcaraz: We love Sade.

Sbrocco: That's great.

I love Sade too.

That's great.

If you would like to try Buddy, it's located on 22nd Street in San Francisco's Mission District.

The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $50.

Looking for more Bay Area bites?

you've just got to try?

Check out "Cecilia Tries It," online at kqed.org/checkplease.

I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show -- Robert David, who tucks into the fresh salmon tacos at Cantina at San Benito House in Half Moon Bay, Monisha Bajaj, who raves about Indian street-food fare at Wah Jee Wah in Milpitas, and Isabella Alcaraz, whose happy place is a seat at the bar at Buddy 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!

David: Cheers.

Sbrocco: To you and you and you.

Bajaj: Yay!

Cheers.

Sbrocco: Which of these spots do you want to try?

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♪♪ Cheeseman: Downtown Half Moon Bay is unique because a lot of people, when they picture Half Moon Bay, they're actually going to Princeton Landing.

They don't realize that there is a historic downtown.

And one good thing about being in Half Moon Bay is plants really want to grow here.

Everything is just blooming all different times of the year.

There's hummingbirds flying around.

As a parent of two young children, you realize this backyard creates a box canyon, so they really can't escape.

So it's really a great place to bring kids and kind of put them all in one spot and, you know, enjoy yourself.