Sbrocco: A classic Chicken Milanese in San Francisco... Hall: When you cut into that breading, oh, my God, it's heaven.

Sbrocco: ...an Umami-rich Japanese curry in Oakland... Negrito: This curry is smoother than Luther Vandross.

Sbrocco: ...and fantastic froyo creations in Berkeley.

Ornstil: So boom, halfway through, you got double toppings.

Sbrocco: "You Gotta Try This!"

Sbrocco: Hi, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Bay Area's" new spin off, "You Gotta Try This!"

We have three guests and each one recommends the one dish they crave the most and the other two go check them out to see what they think.

Along the way, we take a deep dive into the stories behind the dishes, learning the special ingredients and techniques that make them so delicious.

Because we can't be back in the studio just yet, I'm coming to you from a pretty stunning setting -- Mersea Restaurant on Treasure Island.

Joining me virtually at the "Check, Please!"

table today are some Bay Area VIPs.

Actor and director, Margo Hall.

Singer, songwriter, producer, Fantastic Negrito.

And Oakland soccer player Max Ornstil.

Welcome, everyone.

Negrito: Hey, good to be here.

Whoo!

Hall: Yes.

Ornstil: Yo.

Sbrocco: Before we get to your dishes, I just have to point out, though, that we have a pretty fun six degrees of separation going on here.

Margo is in "Blindspotting" the new TV series.

Hall: That's right.

Sbrocco: The "Blindspotting" soundtrack features a song by Fantastic Negrito who also happens to be a superfan of the Oakland Roots soccer team.

So much of a fan that he composed their official anthem, "Root City."

♪ Always remember that we are from the town ♪ ♪♪ Sbrocco: And the final connection, Max, plays defense for the Oakland Roots.

Ornstil: It's meant to be.

Sbrocco: Yep, all tied up.

All right.

Now we're ready to talk about food.

Negrito: I'm ready.

Sbrocco: Okay.

When it comes to songwriting, Fantastic Negrito draws plenty of inspiration from Oakland, his long time home.

It's fitting that the dish he picked was dreamed up by an equally cool Oakland chef, Chikara Ono's omu curry is one of the signature dishes at Dela Curo.

Ono: This is kind of my dream.

You know, I opened sushi places, bento places, izakaya, but I'm always thinking, you know, open the curry restaurant.

Most Japanese people's favorite food is curry.

Even like 5-year-old kid, like my age, you know, a little bit older than me, younger student, everybody likes it.

So that's why I want to introduce to... [ speaks indistinctly ] ...East Bay people to our curries.

Our restaurant name is Dela Curo, meaning dela is like a soup and the curo is black.

So that's why we choose, you know, dela curo curry because we specialize in very blood curry.

We using the caramelized onions, spice, sauté before.

We using the curry base from Japan.

Cooking like five hours.

Difference of our blood curry and the other curries, our curry is very black.

You know, other curries more like a yellow and also blood curry's is very mild because we're using a lot of onions, tomatoes, and some fruits like apple, mango, you know, then we make it very mild.

I start making blood curry then I feel this curry's maybe very good with eggs.

So that's why I try making the scrambled egg curry, slow-cooked curry.

Then I feel all curry is best match to our sauce.

Omu is meaning Japanese very salty omelets.

Our rice from Japan, too.

It's called koshihikari.

We choose a rice because more moisture compared to the United States rice.

I want our customers to enjoy like a visiting somebody's house.

Relax, enjoy to come in the Swan's Market.

You know, we have a nice community.

My customer eating our curry with like a smile.

It makes me and my team very happy.

Sbrocco: All right, fantastic.

Tell me how you found this dish and why it is so special?

Why it's so fantastic.

Negrito: Well, how do I find most things?

I like to just get out there and explore.

Whenever I'm writing an album, I just start walking as far as I can go.

I think that's how I find it by just exploring this amazing landscape that we have.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Negrito: Now you see Japanese restaurants everywhere.

But this one felt the most like actually being in Japan, like you were at someone's Japanese grandmother's house in Hokkaido.

That's how it felt so.

Sbrocco: So very authentic.

You really getting an authentic Japanese curry and it's obviously different than Indian curry and other curries.

Negrito: This curry, it's like it's a warm, mild, aromatic, well-balanced, and it's just a little kick in it, but not too much.

Sbrocco: Tell me about the texture because I think that's one of the things that sets Japanese curry apart.

Negrito: The texture is smoother than Luther Vandross.

I mean, it's just, yeah, it's unexpected.

Like I respect the craftsmanship that went into making that curry as presentable and smooth and silky and black like a panther.

Sbrocco: All right, Margo, tell me about your experience with this curry.

Hall: Yeah, I was so surprised by this dish.

The spice was well-balanced.

And I love that the egg was very creamy and it's set right on top of the rice.

And I also want to shout out the little slaw that they had on the side.

Sbrocco: Yeah?

Hall: It was the perfect crunch because it added a little coolness and it was a beautiful day.

I sat outside and I was like, wow, I don't know if I would have ever tried this if it had not been recommended.

So I thank you, Fantastic.

Sbrocco: Look at that.

Negrito: You're welcome.

Sbrocco: So, Max, now, are you an experienced curry eater?

Is that something that you love or was this a new experience for you?

Ornstil: I'm definitely a fan of curry, but I'm not the most experienced curry eater.

So this definitely opened my eyes to the whole world that is Japanese curry.

I'm a fan, that's for sure.

I would say the level of tanginess was fantastic.

Shout out Fantastic.

And just all around, Margo said it was super well-balanced.

I love the option to have the curry with the rice, to just have the omelet with the rice on its own.

Negrito: And for dessert, you know, if you really want to go there and you really want to feel like you're floating, try to sando sandwich.

I mean, it's overindulgence a little bit.

It's like, you know, white bread, but it's kind of like some guilty pleasure.

Like, okay, I'm gonna eat this white bread.

Nobody, you know, and then there's this layer of just too much cream, but so good.

But in the middle of it, as if it's seeking for some type of redemption, there's fresh fruit.

You know it's wrong, but it's so good, you know.

Sbrocco: And Max, did you have any dessert?

Ornstil: I wish I did the way it's being described.

I wish, but unfortunately, no.

I'll have to save it for next time.

It's a reason to go back.

Sbrocco: All right.

If you would like to try the omu curry at Dela Curo, it's located in Swan's market in downtown Oakland.

Fantastic Negrito's protip?

Try the sando sandwich for a sweet finish.

From acting to directing to teaching, Margo Hall is a Bay Area theater icon, so it's appropriate that her go-to entrée has become somewhat legendary in its own right.

For more than 30 years, that Chicken Milanese has been a popular mainstay at San Francisco's Garibaldi's restaurant.

-Well, fantastic.

Come on it.

Please follow me.

Mason: Garibaldi's has been around for over 30 years.

I think one of the things that makes Garibaldi's so special as a neighborhood restaurant and that quintessential one is that it changes with the times and with the people who come in.

We have people who come in in the golf shorts and people come in in tuxedos and ball gowns going to the premiere of the ballet.

We'll take you as long as you're decent.

Borkowski: Cooking has always been fun for me.

And I started off basically an American style restaurant and worked at Delfina for years.

So it shaped me with Italian style cooking.

All about fresh and seasonal and just using what's available and local.

The menu at Garibaldi has some classics.

We have Chicken Milanese, which is one of our most famous dishes here at Garibaldi's.

Lamb tenderloins is another classic on the menu, And then it gives us room to play with the menu.

Mason: What he really means is that it gives room him to play.

So which I love, because he gets to do some amazing, wonderful things that you wouldn't even think of.

Borkowski: But Milanese is what brings people in to the restaurant.

Mason: Absolutely.

That's our staple, of course.

Borkowski: As you can see, it's got a nice crispy golden brown.

Mason: The original chef, Daniel Martes, shout out to you, Daniel, bless you.

Amazing, wonderful chef.

He created the original Chicken Milanese so that we know it as Garibaldi's.

It's gone through some of updates and incarnations as time has passed.

But he was definitely the one to bring together all of that Italian influence, as well as a little bit of French.

The secret to the Milanese, honestly, I think is the pounding thin.

Borkowski: That goes into our buttermilk marinade.

Mason: And then that buttermilk marinade.

Oh, my gosh.

It just makes it so tender and juicy.

Once it is breaded and then a little bit of frying.

Borkowski: We'll brown it on both sides.

And we'll dump the oil.

And then we throw it into the oven to finish cooking.

Mason: You cannot go wrong.

It is delicious.

Borkowski: The beurre blanc adds a lot, too.

It's a nice and bright.

The capers add a little bit of salinity, a little brininess.

The wine from the reduction and butter sauce is just -- it just makes it pop.

Mason: What would you do for your perfect bite?

Borkowski: The perfect bite for me would be a little spoonful of mashed potatoes, the beurre blanc, the chicken with some maldon sea salt, and a little bit of wild arugula all on one fork, full bite.

Mason: Oh, yeah, but you definitely have to get the capers as well.

Got to get a couple of capers in there as well.

Agreed.

Borkowski: We have a Chicken Milanese.

The menu changes frequently, but we have the classics here which our regulars and neighborhood loves that.

If we took it off the menu... Mason: We would have a revolt.

We really would, yeah.

Borkowski: We haven't took Milanese off the menu.

That would... Mason: No way.

Sbrocco: Now, Margo, you live in Oakland, but this dish is in San Francisco that you obviously have fallen in love with.

Why is it so special?

Hall: Well, it is interesting because I came across this restaurant because I was doing some private coaching for one of my mentees and we did a bargain and she said, how about if I give you a gift certificate to the restaurant where I work?

Sbrocco: Right.

Hall: I got the gift certificate and me and my fiancée went there and we were like, this is a nice place.

And I looked at the menu and I said, hmm, I want to try this chicken milanese.

And I fell in love with it.

So you have this beautifully breaded breast of chicken atop these fluffy mashed potatoes and you have the perfect sauce and the capers.

And when you cut into that breading and you see that that meat is super tender and you put a little bit of those mashed potatoes on there.

Oh, my God, it's heaven, it's heaven.

Now it also happened to be my birthday.

And so, that became our birthday restaurant.

Sbrocco: Fantastic, tell me about your experience at Garibaldi's.

Negrito: It was a pretty upscale establishment.

Sometimes you go, well, the place is upscale a little bit, and maybe the food won't be as good, so I was a little bit had that chip on my shoulder.

And I went in and I tried it and I was like, oh, okay.

So this is for hard hitters and heavy duty folks.

I mean, this is -- You better skip breakfast.

Sbrocco: It is a hearty dish, isn't it?

Negrito: Just drink water all day before you have this, because I couldn't finish it, but the taste was -- I get it.

It was outstanding and intoxicating and all the adjectives, but it was heavy.

Sbrocco: Max, you're a soccer player.

Come on.

You burn a lot of calories.

You could finish this dish, couldn't you?

Ornstil: I'm not going to lie.

I had half for lunch, half for dinner.

Like the rest of them.

But it was amazing.

It was just as good for dinner as it was for lunch.

You know, when you get that crispy exterior, sometimes the inside isn't as tender, but the inside was very tender.

Also, the salt crumbs on the top was just a touch of class.

You know, it's not like it was just some salt out of a salt shaker, but it was like some classy salt if that exists.

And, you know, it tasted that way, too.

The mashed potatoes were a nice balance.

It could last you a whole day if you wanted it to.

Sbrocco: That's right.

So when you're saying it's upscale, it is a very nice restaurant.

And, you know, in terms of the of the price quality, you have to say, okay, that's a lot of food for the price, right?

Ornstil: Yeah.

You get two meals out of it.

Negrito: I never thought about that, but yeah.

Hall: Yeah, because a lot of times you go to places and there's very small portions.

And my fiancée calls it cute food.

So this was not cute food.

It was good, hearty food.

Negrito: Yeah, definitely.

Sbrocco: And do you have anything to sip alongside that, Margo?

Because they do have a nice small wine list, but it's got some international selections.

Very well-priced, actually.

Hall: Yes, I love prosecco.

So I had a nice glass of prosecco along with the dish.

Sbrocco: I am a prosecco girl myself.

And I have to say that anything fried with anything bubbly is the perfect pairing so.

Hall: I also want to talk about that big mound of arugula salad, which adds that cool crispness.

Sbrocco: So would this be a dish that you'd go back for, for a birthday or something, Max?

Ornstil: Oh, for sure.

I had it to go, so I didn't get the whole restaurant ambiance.

So I think I need to go back to get the full experience.

So I'll definitely bring some friends and family back and we'll probably all share one dish.

Sbrocco: Fantastic, would you make the trek, you know, from Oakland over to San Francisco for this?

Negrito: It was a little bit out of my normal range, so I thought it was a good find and it's a good place.

And you can impress somebody, you know, from New York or something or L.A., well, I've got a place.

Sbrocco: And Margo, we know you're going back for every birthday, so.

Hall: Yeah.

Sbrocco: All right.

If you would like to try the Chicken Milanese at Garibaldi's, it's located on Presidio Avenue in San Francisco.

Margo's pro-tip, prosecco is a perfect pairing for the dish.

I wholeheartedly agree.

Max is a pro soccer player who stays in top form by eating a pretty regimented diet.

On the rare occasion he does indulge in dessert, he opts for his longtime childhood favorite, a cool, creamy chocolate vanilla swirl from a sweet little spot that's long been a hit with the Cal crowd.

In Berkeley, it's Yogurt Park.

Marty: Yogurt Park's been open here since 1977.

And during that period of time, we have served several million customers.

We were one of the first in California to open a yogurt store and in the United States.

And by far were the longest frozen yogurt store in the Bay Area.

I've had over 1,300 Cal students work here through all the years, and they have been the biggest asset that the store has ever had.

Ryan: You know, I have a lot of memories in the store from being a little kid coming to work with my dad before Cal football games come and breaking down boxes, snacking on toppings, of course.

Marty: Ryan came on about 15 years ago.

So now we have a truly family business.

And he's been a great asset to the -- to the business and a great son.

And so, it's been -- it's been terrific, you know, from that end of it.

Ryan: [ Laughs ] Woman: Any toppings?

Man: Some gummy bears on top.

Ryan: Pretty much every day when you come in, there's going to be something new on the menu.

We got six flavors every day.

Usually a flavor sticks around for three to four days and then we swap it out with something else.

So over the years, my father and myself have developed, you know, numerous flavors on our own, like caramel banana foster, crème brûlée, hazelnut cappuccino.

We've tried probably 100 different flavors.

Only a handful make it.

Yeah, we've had some duds like maple bacon donut, which actually I didn't think was too bad, but it didn't sell.

Well, we have three different sizes, mini, small, large.

When a customer orders the product, we fill the cup all the way up to the top.

And then we do a little spoon technique where we scoop out half of the yogurt off to the side and then we jam it full of toppings, put the top back on, and then put a little bit of the topping on top.

By far, the most popular topping's Oreos followed by almonds, rainbow sprinkles, cookie dough, that's a popular one, especially with the college students.

We go through probably about 20 pounds of cookie dough a day.

Also, mochi, cheesecake.

Marty: Don't forget M&Ms and Reese's peanut butter cups.

Ryan: We've got it all.

Marty: That's my favorite.

Ryan: It's a happy product.

Like it's hard to come to work every day and be in a bad mood when you're seeing the looks on kids' faces, when you're putting rainbow sprinkles and gummy bears and they're choosing their toppings and... Marty: Yogurt Park's become a hangout for especially the college students here at Cal.

Ryan: We even have a nickname.

Marty: Yeah.

Ryan: It's called YoPo.

Marty: YoPo.

Ryan: That's what the college kids call it.

Go get some froyo at YoPo.

Marty: 40 more years.

[ Laughs ] Sbrocco: So Max.

Ornstil: Yes?

Sbrocco: You have been going to Yogurt Park since you were a kid.

Ornstil: Oh, yeah.

Sbrocco: And you always order the same thing?

Ornstil: I want to say that I go and try new flavors and I'm, you know, open to new things.

I am open to new things, but when it comes to froyo and Yogurt Park, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

You know, I go with the chocolate and vanilla swirl every time and I go with pretty much the standard rainbow sprinkles and mini M&Ms toppings almost every time.

Occasionally, I'll throw in some Reese's pieces.

What sets it apart compared to some of the bigger yogurt chains across the world is that, you know, usually you get your toppings on top.

You go through those in the first few bites and you're like, okay, now I got 80% of just pure yogurt, which is, you know, cool to a yogurt lover.

But, you know, I'm a big toppings guy myself.

So one of the great things about YP is that they'll load up halfway up with toppings and you get through that first layer, you know, and you're thinking, all right, here comes the yogurt, boom, halfway through, you got double toppings.

Sbrocco: Do you remember the first time you tried this?

How old were you?

Ornstil: I've probably been going there since I was a toddler.

My mom went to Cal.

She played tennis there.

And so and she wanted to indulge, she went to Yogurt Park.

And when my dad and mom are dating in the Bay Area, they would go there as a dessert spot.

And then as a kid, they took me there.

And so, I honestly don't remember the first time, but I do remember the last time and it was a few days ago.

It's hard to forget that.

Sbrocco: And I have to point out, because, you know, there are frozen yogurt places everywhere now, but this one dates back to 1977.

So this one is really history in a cup.

And Margo, you've been going there for a while, haven't you?

Hall: Yes.

This is my favorite yogurt place.

When I saw this, I was like, oh, my God, because I teach at Cal, I teach in the theater department.

And so, on my way to the parking lot, there's Yogurt Park.

And so every now and then, normally I get the one with no sugar.

So I was super excited that I had an excuse to get M&Ms and sprinkles.

Sbrocco: See, you had to do the assignment that you were assigned from us.

Hall: Right.

What could I do?

Right.

So I had to eat it.

And it was good.

It was so good.

It's just the creamiest yogurt I've ever had.

It's just such a sweet place.

They're so nice.

The prices are great.

Sbrocco: And Fantastic, have you been to this spot?

Negrito: So, yes, Yogurt Park, I mean, that's just part of the Bay Area, the fabric and the texture of the Bay Area.

I mean, I've been going to this place since I was a kid.

I went to Berkeley High.

I was in a program called Upward Bound where we lived on campus.

So this place is very, very familiar to me.

But the interesting thing is, I don't think I've been there in like 20 years.

Sbrocco: And was it as good as you remember when you went back?

Negrito: Like Margo said that's the best yogurt place in the Bay Area right there.

And I just -- I forgot.

So I'm very grateful to be reunited with the Yogurt Park, it was perfect.

Sbrocco: Okay, Max, do you have any tips for us about the yogurt?

Ornstil: I do.

One of the great things about Yogurt Park is that they really fill your cup up to the brim.

You get a full serving.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Ornstil: And so my pro-tip is I get a size mini and I get a mini in a small cup.

And so they fill the mini up to the brim.

But then I don't have any spillage over the sides on my hands.

So, you know, I keep it clean and they keep it creamy and it's great.

Sbrocco: If you'd like to try Yogurt Park, it's located on Durant Avenue in Berkeley.

And Max's pro-tip get a mini in a small cup to avoid the melting down on the sides.

And now a visit to Fantastic Negrito's neighborhood.

Producer Cecilia Philips is on the hunt for off-the-grid dining experiences and having a little fun along the way.

Negrito: And today is special because it's about the future.

Phillips: When Fantastic Negrito set out to do Storefront Records as a marketplace for the community, what was the mission behind having this monthly event?

Abraham: Eat, meet, and greet.

Every month, that's what we do.

We are here to support local artists and independent music and creativity.

Our record label used to be a liquor store.

So we're coming here to bring positivity.

And to repurpose that space by opening up our space to other people free of charge and helping put money in their pockets.

Stewart: So I'm MexiQ which is a cultural blend of Mexican and African American culture with the barbecue.

Get in there.

Not even a big hard bite, just a little bit.

And everything else just falls off the bone.

I love it.

Phillips: Chai Snickerdoodle, ooh!

Sellassie: There are secretly vegan cookies.

Phillips: You held out on me.

You didn't tell me they're vegan.

Sellassie: Yes, because I can't tell you until you try it.

And you're like, wow, that was awesome.

Girl: We made these last night.

All you need is some marshmallows and the Rice Krispie cereal.

Phillips: What is the one dish that just gets you excited in your happy place and makes you want to like move and groove?

Man: Got to be tacos.

Girl: Ecuadorian food.

Man: I love Japanese food and I love ramen.

Phillips: Can you show me what your happy dance would be?

Stewart: You know, it's a little, little shimmy dance, you know.

Phillips: Okay, yeah.

There you go.

Okay, I'm ready.

This is like a whole... Man: This the taco dance.

Phillips: [ Laughs ] Girl: ♪ Let's go ♪ [ Applause ] Girl: Thank you so much.

Sellassie: You got to try this.

Sbrocco: That's our show.

I have to say thanks to my incredibly entertaining guests.

I'm Leslie Sbrocco and I'll see you next time on "Check, Please!

You Gotta Try This!"

Cheers, everyone.

Cheers to you.

Thank you so much.

Ornstil: Salud.

Hall: Thank you.

Sbrocco: Cin-cin.

[ Speaks indistinctly ] Which of these dishes would you try?

Follow us on Instagram or like us on Facebook and let us know what you think.

Ornstil: Being from Oakland shaped who I am and my identity.

And then time together, what makes Oakland, Oakland is the intersection of all these different cultures and people and food.

You got Japanese curry, you got a nice restaurant in San Francisco with some Chicken Milanese, and some yogurt in Berkeley.

You know, that's exactly the Bay.

You can get all that in the same day.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Ornstil: You'll probably be pretty full, but that's a pretty damn good day if you ask me.

And there's a lot of days like that in Oakland.

Hall: Yeah.