Sbrocco: Cantonese barbecue in San Francisco.

Leong: What have I done to have something so good?

Sbrocco: Salvadoran pupusas in Hayward.

Rome: It was a softball-sized fried orb.

Sbrocco: And date-night vibes in Mill Valley.

Nicholson: I said, "Yo, man.

We're gonna need another plate."

Sbrocco: Just ahead on... Nicholson: I'm like, "Am I tripping?

Cause I was grooving.

[ Indistinct conversations ] 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, 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 UX designer Faithy Leong, customer experience leader Haley Rome, and BART system service worker Ameer Nicholson.

Welcome, everyone.

Are you ready for a good show?

All: Yeah.

Sbrocco: Faithy's neighborhood go-to serves up smoky Cantonese barbecue inspired by centuries of tradition, but with a vibe that's anything but old-fashioned.

From the Goth decor to the cheeky attitude behind the counter, this Bernal Heights spot knows how to keep things fun.

Tucked away in San Francisco, it's Go Duck Yourself.

[ Funk music plays ] ♪♪ Patricia: Welcome, everybody.

♪♪ Eric: Go Duck Yourself -- we specialize in Cantonese barbecue -- ducks, chickens, crispy pork.

Patricia: Alright.

So, we have the Cantonese roast duck.

First thing you see on our menu is a tiny, little map of China, telling you where Peking duck and Cantonese duck is from and how we are not Peking duck.

We don't serve Peking duck.

This is our tradition.

This is our version of comfort food.

This is something that we all grew up with, very nostalgic.

Man: Delicious.

Patricia: Go Duck Yourself came about as a joke between Eric and I. Eric: I forgot what the detail was, but she texted me, "Go [quack] yourself."

And the autocorrect was "Go duck yourself."

And I was like, "Hey, you know, we sell duck, and it would be a nice name for a restaurant."

Patricia: You know, sometimes, you're just gonna have one of those days, and you want to shout out to the universe, "You know what?

Go duck yourself."

Okay.

Sounds good.

Eric: I grew up in Hong Kong.

I was just hanging around the Chinese wet market and running around all day, causing trouble.

When we moved to America, I learned how to cook in my father's kitchen in Chinatown.

Patricia: This guy loves to play with fire, so he was always in the kitchen, learning from the sifu -- the old masters, we call them.

Eric: They were the ones who brought the craft over from China.

So if you see me do it, it's old school style.

The store -- I get burned by it almost every day.

Live fire, fire touching the meat.

I love putting char on stuff.

So that's like my favorite thing.

Skin facing the fire.

Get a good char on the skin.

Everybody is like, "That's too burnt.

It's not gonna taste good."

I'm like, "That taste is the best like that."

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.

It's really crispy, right?

Cantonese-style, we do it with little bao buns.

Kind of shaped like a duck.

Duck mouth, so you open the mouth.

You put the piece of duck meat in there with some hoisin sauce.

Enjoy it with a piece of green onion and sesame paste.

Patricia: We have a section called "Mmm, carbs."

Our guests choose from the good ducking noodle, the old-school charsiu noodle, which are all really wonderful.

-Woman: Delicious.

Eric: I love cooking, it makes me really happy when I see people in the dining room, when they take that bite and they go, "Ahh!"

-Woman: Mmm!

-Woman: Mmm!

-Man: Mmm!

-Man: Wow!

[ Both laugh ] Patricia: That nod of approval is very important.

Yes.

-Eric: Yeah.

Woman: Cheers!

Yeah!

Sbrocco: Now, Faithy, they don't duck around here, do they?

Leong: No, they sure don't.

Sbrocco: You know we're gonna have fun with this one, right?

Nicholson: For sure.

Yeah, yeah.

Sbrocco: What's your favorite part of this restaurant?

It's obviously a whimsical take on things, right?

Leong: Yeah.

I mean, the name itself, right?

I mean, go duck yourself.

And of course on top of that, just exquisite dishes.

My go-to is the GDY duck.

And it's just so tender.

They offered it deboned or bone-in.

And having each bite boneless, And you look at it.

Like, the skin is just glistening, it's crispy, and there's, like, a fat layer and just, like, very evenly cooked, tender meat.

Like, you pick it up -- And the last time I had it, I was like, "Wow."

Like, I honestly feel so lucky.

Like, what have I done to have something so good?

It's amazing.

-Nicholson: We started with the watermelon salad.

I think it was called Nice Melons.

But yeah.

Sbrocco: Can we have a melon moment here?

Nicholson: Let's do it, let's do it.

-Sbrocco: Nice melons.

-Nicholson: It was amazing, because I've never had watermelon in a savory aspect.

So, they serve it with pickled scallions and a whole lot of herbs, and it had a nice, garlic fish sauce.

But when you take a bite of the watermelon, it's not sweet at all.

It pairs perfectly with the herbs and things that makes it savory.

So as soon as I tasted it, I was like, "Yeah.

I think I got to make this at home because it is -- you know?

-Leong: I love that.

Yeah.

So it was amazing.

Sbrocco: Fantastic.

And what did you start with, Haley?

Rome: So, I had a similar salad.

Instead of watermelon, though, it was with Asian pear.

It was the Asian pear cucumber salad, and it was very similarly not sweet.

It had kind of like a soy sauce reduction on it, and so it reminded me almost of like salted caramel, where you have the big chunk of Asian pear that was really sweet, and, then, that salty umami flavor, with thinly sliced cucumber and, then, peanuts in there, as well.

It was really refreshing.

Very interesting dish.

Yeah.

Nicholson: I had the chiu chow fish sauce chicken wings.

Those were really good.

They came out crispy.

And a lot of times when you have fish sauce, it's a real potent taste, but it really blended in with the chicken wings.

And they served it with a chili-oil sauce, so I kind of made it a little spicy.

I like a little spice every once in a while.

So it was over the top.

And those, besides the duck, were the star of the show.

I would go back just for the wings.

Sbrocco: Good.

Did you duck yourself?

-Nicholson: [ Laughs ] -Rome: I certainly did.

My party did.

And we also got the GDY roast duck, half a duck.

And it was very unctuous.

There was that fat layer that Faithy was describing that was so delicious and chewy and meaty.

And it came with a side of duck jus that you dip the pieces of duck in.

We also did get the barbecue pork meal, as well, which I have to say I did prefer.

Sbrocco: You preferred the pork over the duck?

Rome: I did prefer the pork over the duck.

-Sbrocco: Alright.

-Rome: I know.

Controversial statement at a place called Go Duck Yourself.

-Sbrocco: That's okay.

-Rome: But I guess it could be go pork yourself maybe.

-Leong: [ Laughs ] -Rome: But it was this roast pork with, like, the red outside, and it came with this ginger chutney.

It was really oily, but, also, extremely bright and spicy.

And just that combination of the fatty meat with that spicy sauce was out of this world.

I did also get the glutinous rice pork dumplings.

-Leong: Oh, yeah.

-Rome: Which I was completely unfamiliar with.

And they came out, and they were like these little, fried doughnuts.

The fry on them was almost like a funnel cake.

It was like a dim sum doughnut is what I would say.

And you bite into it, and it's very crispy on the outside, very chewy and mochi-like on the inside, which is like a little dollop of pork.

More pork.

More pork for me.

Sbrocco: Can never be enough pork.

Rome: I mean, honestly.

And you're dipping it in like the sweet-and-sour sauces and things like that.

It was absolutely like a textural sensation, I would say.

Sbrocco: Are we missing any dishes before dessert?

Nicholson: I had the Disco Duck.

So, yeah, the disco -- Yeah.

Sbrocco: It makes you kind of want to dance.

Do you remember that song?

-Nicholson: It did.

Sbrocco: I don't know.

I'm older than you.

Disco, disco duck.

Nicholson: It made you want to dance, because it came with a jam and some candy.

So it was Pop Rocks.

So you put the duck with the jam and the Pop Rocks, and you eat it.

And I just had a whole little movement going on behind my ear.

And it made -- Yeah.

And I was like, "It lives up to the name," 'cause I was grooving.

[ Laughter ] I was grooving once I was eating it.

I was like, "Now I see why they call it Disco Duck."

You know what I mean?

Sbrocco: It made you move.

Nicholson: Yeah, it really did.

I've never had Pop Rocks.

I'm more of a chocolate guy.

-Leong: Oh!

Nicholson: I've never even had Pop Rocks.

So when I had it, I'm like, "Am I tripping?"

I'm hearing something behind my ear.

And, like, it was a crazy experience, for real.

-Leong: Awesome.

-Sbrocco: The first time you tried Pop Rocks.

Nicholson: Yes, was with some duck.

Yeah.

[ Laughter ] Who thought Pop Rocks and duck go together?

But they do.

-Sbrocco: But again, I think that captures the sense of fun that this place has.

And the owners really focus on that, right?

Leong: Yeah.

[ Laughter ] Man: Like being a kid again.

Leong: So, my partner got a Diet Coke float.

You can make a float with all their soft drinks.

They have really amazing soft serve, actually, to boot.

Sbrocco: Did you get dessert?

Did anybody in your group?

Nobody.

-Rome: We did not, with a belly full of pork and duck.

We were rolled out the door.

-Nicholson: Yeah, yeah.

Rome: We couldn't take anything.

Sbrocco: Fantastic.

So it sounds like you would go back.

Nicholson: Yeah, yeah.

For sure.

They asked me to go duck myself, and I did.

[ Laughter ] You know, I did.

That was -- -Sbrocco: Alright.

If you would like to go duck yourself, it's located on Cortland Avenue in San Francisco.

And the average multicourse tab per person without drinks is around $35.

What happens when you supersize a Salvadoran classic?

Ameer's got the inside scoop on an East Bay hot spot known for giant pupusas, tropical cocktails, and more than 20 years of feeding the community.

Located in Hayward, it's Pupusería Las Cabañas.

[ Latin music plays ] [ Indistinct conversations ] ♪♪ Martinez: Pupusería Las Cabañas is Salvadoran comfort food.

El Salvador's the pupusa capital.

Pupusa is handmade always.

So, you have the masa.

You make a flatbread.

And you put all the ingredients inside, ball it up, flatten it by hand, throw it on the grill.

We flip it three times -- three minutes on one side, three minutes on the other, give it one more minute on the other side.

We have a big variety of flavors -- bean, cheese, pork, loroco.

Pupusas are always served with curtido, which is the cabbage, carrots with vinegar.

No forks, no knives.

All fingers.

You suck on the fingers.

Finger-licking good.

[ Laughs ] [ Laughter ] Tastes good over here?

-Woman: Yeah.

-Man: So good I can't even talk.

Martinez: That's fine, that's fine.

Just chew.

Just chew and swallow, man.

We mixed Mexican and Salvadoran foods together, but we also serve things that are a little bit less traditional that target more the younger crowd.

Whoo!

One of my favorite items is this big, massive pupusas.

It's called a birria pupusa pizza.

It's hard to replicate, because not everybody can make it.

It's pretty cool.

♪♪ We can't mention Pupusería Las Cabañas without Angela Leiva, my mom.

She started the business in 2004 by herself.

She was the cook, the server.

I learned as much as I could from her and kept it going, and now I love it.

One of my main things about just spreading the word on who my mom is, is to inspire more Salvadorian entrepreneurs and women.

Don't give up.

♪♪ I think she'd just be amazed because not only have we kept her traditions, her recipes alive, we also put our own little twist on it.

You never had one?

Perfect.

-Woman: We'll try it.

Martinez: You want to have one today?

'Cause we're one of the few pupuserías in the Bay Area that you can find a full bar.

Alright.

I'll bring it over.

It's so beautiful to walk around the floor and hear people say, "Can I get an Angelita margarita?"

They're mentioning my mom's name.

And they don't know who she is, but they know it resembles something special.

I just hope she's proud wherever she's at and she's smiling down, drinking a margarita.

All: Salud.

Sbrocco: Alright, Ameer.

What's the big draw for you with Salvadoran cuisine?

Nicholson: I have a 4-year-old daughter and a girlfriend who's Salvadoran and Cuban, so I'm just real into the Salvadoran culture.

And this place in particular, they have a lot of different entrees and appetizers.

So, they have a pupusa bomb, which is a deep-fried pupusa, versus a regular pupusa that's on the skillet.

They put it in a ball, and they deep-fry it, so it has a great, nice cheese pull that is really fun.

Rome: For my appetizer, I did have the birria bombs, so similar to the pupusa bomb.

It was like a softball-size, fried orb.

And when you split it open, it had the stewed, beef birria inside with just cheese -- just oodles of cheese.

And, then, it came with a cup of consommé that you dip it in, and it was so flavorful and meaty and smoky.

That was absolutely fantastic.

I could only eat one at a time.

-Nicholson: Yeah.

Rome: And, then, for the pupusas, I did get the pupusa with queso and loroco, which I'd never had loroco before.

And I really enjoyed the herbaceous notes that it brought.

I got the queso and frijoles and chicharron pupusa and the just queso and jalapeño.

-Nicholson: Ah.

Yeah, yeah.

-Sbrocco: Good choices.

[ Laughter ] Because obviously, as you can tell, it's got Mexican fare as well as Salvadoran.

We got a cóctel de camarones.

It came in a huge glass.

They had giant pieces of shrimp with chunks of avocado, onions, and things like that.

It was good, you know?

Like, I think it's a good starter.

I think it could maybe use a little bit more salt.

But overall, I have to try it.

I love my mariscos.

-Sbrocco: Yeah.

Leong: So I had to order that.

We did get a pupusa combo.

So along with the frijoles loroco, and cheese pupusa, we got the pollo tamale and the asada taco.

The char was just so good.

It smells so good.

The texture was crispy, and there was definitely cheese pull, even though it wasn't the bomb.

My favorite from the combo was definitely the tamale wrapped in a banana leaf.

Once you open it, it's, like, glistening.

-Nicholson: It's really moist.

-Leong: Yeah.

It's really moist.

And you just, like, fork it off, and you get some slivers of the chicken.

-Sbrocco: Right.

-Leong: It's just amazing.

Nicholson: But I do have to ask, since y'all both got pupusas, did y'all eat it with a fork and knife, or did you eat it with your hands?

Rome: I did eat it with a fork and knife.

-Nicholson: Okay.

It's -- -Leong: Just a fork.

Nicholson: Okay, okay.

That's okay.

That's okay, but yeah, you got to eat it with your hands.

So you got to get messy, you know, and you got to eat it with the curtido, which is the coleslaw, and the salsa.

So if y'all go back, you got to eat it with your hands.

Sbrocco: See?

Pro tip right there.

Nicholson: Pro tip, Pro tip.

Rome: I did love with the salsa that they bring, they bring it in like a maple syrup jug.

-Nicholson: Yep.

-Rome: Because they know you're gonna want a lot of it.

-Nicholson: Uh-huh.

-Sbrocco: And what's kind of the feel of this place?

Does it have a good vibe in terms of -- Nicholson: Yeah.

It has a great vibe.

They have music playing.

All: ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Nicholson: And the drinks, as well.

They have a nice cocktail selection.

I always get the maracuyá, which is the passion fruit drink, which is really good.

Yeah.

If not, then I'll go on the alcoholic side and get a mojito.

Can't go wrong with a mojito.

-Sbrocco: No, you can't.

Leong: I ordered the vuelo de margarita, which was their margarita flight.

It had a guava flavor and strawberry... -Rome: Awesome.

Leong: ...and mango.

And watermelon had a swirl of chamoy, and each of them had a skewer of fruit.

It was so good.

I mean, I love my flights.

Nicholson: And at the end, I always get the quesadilla.

You know, usually when we think about quesadillas, it's the cheese flour.

But in Salvadorian culture, it's a sweet dish, so it's like a dense kind of cake.

It has cheese in it, and it's great to just snack on.

Rome: I actually went by myself, which all the people in my life were working, things to do.

So I was like, "Let's do it."

And I regret it, because I could have tried more.

And even so, with what I did have, I had a week of leftovers, which was amazing.

Sbrocco: You get a lot of bang for the buck.

-Nicholson: Mm-hmm.

Exactly.

-Sbrocco: Yeah.

If you would like to try Pupusería Las Cabañas, it's located on Mission Boulevard in Hayward, and the average multicourse tab per person without drinks is around $30.

For Haley, a great night out is even better when it's just steps from home.

No bridge traffic required.

At her neighborhood restaurant, seasonal new American dishes, cozy, plush booths, and a buzzing bar scene bring big-city energy to Marin.

A beloved Mill Valley hangout for more than 20 years, it's Bungalow 44.

[ Funk music plays ] -Woman: Whoo!

-Man: Whoa!

[ Indistinct conversations ] Man: Wow!

Botas: When you step into Bungalow 44... Right this way.

...it's warm, it's cozy.

The bar is loud.

It's a great vibe.

There's not a bad seat in the house.

-Woman: Cheers.

-Woman: Cheers.

Botas: Bungalow 44's food -- it's local, it's fresh.

It is a mix of California seasonal while being elevated comfort food... Woman: It's so good.

Botas: ...because we've been here for 21 years.

Every so often dishes are so big you can never get rid of them.

Our most popular dish is hamachi poppers, which is like sushi.

It's crispy forbidden rice with avocado and raw yellowtail.

We serve one of the best burgers in Marin.

It's a big Kobe beef burger.

We serve it with our house awesome sauce, lettuce.

and then we do a big smoked onion ring on top.

The fried chicken -- it's perfect.

It's crispy, it's juicy every time.

It's so delicious.

Woman: Mmm.

Very good.

Botas: We love to use fresh fish to showcase seasonal ingredients.

Right now we're getting wild king salmon.

And we really use the fish sets to showcase all the stuff we're getting from the farmer's market.

-Woman: Mmm!

Botas: We love oysters.

Four dozen oysters for you.

They come in every day... There you go.

Enjoy.

...from Tomales Bay, right up north.

And they're fresh.

They're local.

They're shucked to order.

I just like my lemon and hot sauce, but we do a great mignonette with green apple.

We have a house cocktail sauce.

Sunday through Thursday, 5:00 to 6:00, if you're not coming here for dollar oysters, you're missing out.

-Woman: Wow.

Delicious.

Botas: Our cocktail program is run by Jason Sims, and we're doing riffs on a lot of classics, but in the best way possible, finding ways to elevate them, use seasonal ingredients, and really ensure that it's approachable.

I grew up here.

I love being a part of the Marin dining scene.

Enjoy.

-Woman: Thank you.

Botas: And we really take pride in just having a fun restaurant.

We have a nice outdoor patio with outdoor fire pits.

-Woman: Yummy!

-Botas: It's a fun place to be.

It's a fun place to work.

Server: ♪ Happy birthday ♪ Botas: It's a fun place to just spend time.

We really tried to build a restaurant that is such a part of the community.

All: Cheers!

Sbrocco: Haley, this place has been around for a couple of decades.

I mean, what is the draw for you?

Rome: So, I do, luckily, live very close to Bungalow 44.

It's right in the heart of downtown Mill Valley.

And the energy of the restaurant is extremely vibey.

It's not something we have a lot of in Marin.

-Nicholson: [ Laughs ] -Rome: So it's very nice.

There's a beautiful bar that is right up against a window space.

And I do find that their bar options are great, both for people who drink alcohol and people who don't, which is where I fall.

-Sbrocco: Right.

Rome: My favorite of their mocktails is called the Baby Blues.

And so it's blueberry, and it's an effervescent drink, and it has jalapeño in it.

-Sbrocco: Ah!

-Rome: Yeah.

Sbrocco: What's your go-to starter?

Rome: The best thing on the menu, I think, the best appetizer, are the hamachi poppers.

-Nicholson: Mm-hmm.

-Rome: It's this little, very unctuous, very savory black rice cake.

And on top, there's a slice of avocado, a slice of beautiful hamachi fish that is very smooth and savory and lovely, a little Fresno chili on top for that zing.

And, then, it's bathed in this chili vinegar.

You pop that in one bite the best that you can.

I cannot recommend it more highly.

Sbrocco: Alright.

Poppers -- did you get a popper?

Nicholson: We got the poppers for sure.

And as soon as I took the first bite, I was already calling the waiter.

I said, "Yo, man.

We're gonna need another plate.

I'm gonna need another one just for me."

I've never had a rice cake like that.

It really melts in your mouth, you know, as soon as you eat it.

I also had the truffle fries.

-Leong: Oh, yeah.

Truffle fries.

Nicholson: Yeah.

I'm addicted to anything truffle, especially truffle fries.

But they're perfectly crisp, and they came with Parmesan grated on the top.

Leong: Yeah.

The cut of those fries are perfect.

And it was like perfectly fried, not too skinny, enough bite.

You know, it was good.

Usually I eat all my fries, but we ordered a lot, so we didn't get to finish the fries.

But it was so good.

-Nicholson: Yeah.

Sbrocco: What else did you have to start the evening?

Leong: So, I started with a cocktail -- Snap Yo' Fingers.

And it came with mezcal and, also, Canton ginger liqueur, and it had cucumber and green apple.

It was good.

It was tart and also served with a piece of candied ginger, which was my favorite part.

We also got the pork chop.

It was huge.

It was a big piece of pork chop.

It was perfectly cooked -- medium to medium-well, I would say.

But when you cut into it, it's super soft.

And it was served over a bed of mustard greens and, also, spaetzle.

I really like the spaetzle.

Super flavorful.

It's a really good dish to have for a well-rounded entrée.

Rome: So, I highly recommend their kickin' fried chicken.

It's one of the things that stays on their menu at all times, because we would riot if it went away.

[ Laughter ] It's extremely crispy, juicy, salty fried chicken, as well as a little cornbread cake and, then, hot honey.

And so getting that hot honey and drizzling it over the chicken is such a wonderful bite.

Nicholson: You had me at hot honey.

[ Laughter ] Leong: I know.

Rome: We also typically will get the mac and cheese on the side with that.

And I really like it, because, I mean, I love all mac and cheeses, but this one in particular is more on the Italian side of things, as opposed to the Kraft side of things.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: It's a little bit more adult version is what you're talking about.

-Rome: Yeah.

Exactly.

The richness of it does not take away from the richness of everything else you're eating.

-Sbrocco: Right.

Nicholson: I had the shrimp and grits.

And, you know, I grew up eating grits, but the grits on this menu were creamy.

And I've never had creamy grits.

Like, the grits that I'm usually accustomed to eating, they're more on the grainy side.

But I loved it, because the shrimp came with a ginger garlic marinade, and it was really good to mix it in with the grits.

And I bet a lot of butter in that, too.

-Nicholson: Oh, yeah.

You know?

-Sbrocco: [ Laughs ] -Nicholson: I can't go wrong.

-Sbrocco: That's right.

And did you have anything to drink?

Nicholson: Yeah.

So, I had two cocktails.

I had the Blue Crush -- vodka-based cocktail that had a jalapeño shrub that gave it a real nice kick.

And I've never really had that in a cocktail.

And I also had a Lil' Mizz Fizz, which was a bubbly drink that was really delicious.

And I would get each drink again.

It was really amazing.

Sbrocco: Any other dishes that you can recommend?

Rome: Yes.

So, I love a fish dish that they have called the barramundi, and it packs a punch.

It is a thick piece of fish that is cooked beautifully.

And, then, the broth has bok choy and mushrooms in it that are so juicy and savory.

And the broth itself is extremely flavorful with jalapeño.

So it really has this great kick, and it's very salty, and I love it.

Sbrocco: A lot of jalapeño at this restaurant.

[ Laughter ] Nicholson: A lot of kick.

-Sbrocco: A little spicy.

-Rome: Yeah.

Absolutely.

Sbrocco: Alright.

Anybody for dessert?

Rome: Yes.

So, my favorite dessert that they have is their butterscotch pudding.

-Nicholson: Ooh.

Rome: It is so thick and rich and salty and very reminiscent I think of, like, childhood, like, eating caramel popcorn and things like that.

And on the bottom, there is a layer of dark chocolate ganache.

So you scoop in, and you get that little chocolate in there.

Oh, my gosh.

It's absolutely excellent.

Leong: So we were full, but definitely wanted to try dessert.

And the server also recommended the berries and cream.

The base was coconut sorbet, which I love.

And it was topped with strawberries and blueberries and, also, a huckleberry coulis and a piece of meringue.

Definitely a dessert, but it was a really good, clean taste to wrap up the meal.

Sbrocco: Right.

And what about service?

I mean, you go back time and time again, right?

Rome: Yeah, definitely.

And I find things come very quickly, despite the fact that the dishes are often very complicated.

Leong: Yeah.

Food came really quick.

Nicholson: For sure, yeah.

I went on a rainy day, but when I walked inside, there was a lot of people in there, and we were seated right away.

And I really loved that the ambiance, it was really very welcoming.

And we were there for like two hours.

We didn't feel rushed at all.

It was a great place.

The service was amazing.

Sbrocco: That's fantastic.

If you would like to try Bungalow 44, it's located on Blithedale Avenue in Mill Valley.

And the average multicourse tab per person without drinks is around $70.

Man: Are you ready?

-Phillips: No.

-Man: No?

Sbrocco: Looking for more Bay Area bites you've just got to try?

-Man: [ Laughs ] -Phillips: I want more.

Sbrocco: Check out "Cecilia Tries It" online at... -Man: Oh, hello.

-Phillips: [ Laughs ] Sbrocco: I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show -- Faithy Liang, who appreciates the playful take on Cantonese barbecue at Go Duck Yourself in San Francisco, Haley Rome, who never passes up the hamachi poppers at Bungalow 44 in Mill Valley, and Ameer Nicholson, who shared his passion for the Salvadoran specialties at Pupusería Las Cabañas in Hayward.

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.

And cheers to you.

Whoo-hoo!

You had a good time?

-Nicholson: Yeah.

-Sbrocco: Yeah.

Alright, I love it.

Patricia: My family is northern Chinese, and you will hear this slang all around.

It just simply means "bug off."

[ Speaks Chinese ] ...is something that I grew up hearing my grandmother hollering at my dad.

When we thought about that, we're like, "Oh, my gosh.

That is perfect.

It literally means "Go duck yourself."

Our guests love the name.

They find it very humorous.

And, you know, we have guests that will come and buy a meal for their boss with a special stamp on our bag to purposely tell them to go duck themselves.