-Just I can taste it now.

-A storied spot for dining alfresco in San Francisco.

-Pork chop on a whole new level.

-And traditional Ethiopian cuisine in Oakland.

-This is comfort food to me.

-Yeah.

-Just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

-How does it get that color?

-We put turmeric.

-I could tell.

I could smell it.

[ Indistinct conversations ] [ Laughter ] -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 nonprofit consultant Aparna Kothary, resident services coordinator Alex Dazhan, and bakery owner Lee Nora Glover Holloway.

Welcome, everyone.

How are ya?

-Great.

-Fantastic.

-Aparna's up first.

She's found a tiny place that tempts her taste buds with dishes inspired by the night markets and street festivals of Taiwan.

Whenever she's craving a comforting bowl of spicy noodles or delicate tofu sheets, she heads to Emeryville, home to Good to Eat.

[ Mid-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ -Welcome, welcome.

Excited to see you today.

-Good to Eat is a place where everything is, like, clean layer with the simple, but great flavor.

And that's what we imagine a good meal should be like.

-In Taiwan, anytime you see anyone, you always say, "Ja ban bae?"

So, the English is, "Are you eating yet?"

So this is how Taiwanese say hello.

If your answer is, "No, not yet," don't worry, because the kitchen always some food for you.

-Yeah.

-Wow.

-What we want to offer is really more Taiwanese cuisine, more Taiwanese flavors, introduce the fermentation.

We have a grill station, but, also, how we incorporate the local ingredients.

Everything is small batch made.

Our menu is meant for ordering bunched together and share.

And you can have a fancy, big meal, or you can have some small snack.

-And today's specials are always last minute, "Huh.

I want to cook that," because I do the menu every morning by myself.

-In Taiwan, there is a very specific kind of banquet called roadside banquet.

So, last year, we just went back to Taiwan.

She brought me to witness one of the roadside banquets.

It blows my mind that in one day, all the very delicate dish all roll out to the tables.

-So this is why I really want to bring this kind of delicate, old-school Taiwanese food here.

-And everyone's so happily dining together, sharing with each other.

When customer just step in, we want them to see our beautiful, open kitchen and all of our team members.

-We want to represent Taiwanese hospitality.

I love to see the happiness every day.

Even I'm cooking at the kitchen, I cannot see every customer's face, but I still can hear the sound.

-Mmm!

-This is very important to us, because we as immigrants, we as queer -- -How are you?

-We are building our new chosen family over here.

-When the food is carefully being made, when it's sincerely being served, a new synergy, new connection will be formed.

And then that's what we feel an ideal restaurant should be like.

This is the energy we need the most.

-Alright, Aparna.

Now, this is a tiny place tucked away.

And you're vegetarian.

-Is that kind of what drew you to this spot?

-That was a secondary reason.

I really like trying different cuisines, and I hadn't had Taiwanese cuisine before.

And I saw it and then noticed they had a lot of vegetarian items, so it was perfect.

-And what do you typically get when you go?

-Oh!

I always look at the grilled items first.

They kind of rotate them around a little bit.

But this time, I had the grilled tofu sheets.

It's almost like a tofu puff pastry that is grilled and then covered with a salt-and-pepper coating that has some other spice in it.

I couldn't tell you what it is, but it was addictive, and it was delicious and really different.

-I heard both of these two go, "Mmm."

Alright, Lee Nora.

What about you?

-We started -- My husband and I started with the oyster mushrooms on skewers with this delicious soy sauce.

And they're so cute.

It's like you get two of them.

They look like they have been folded.

And oh, my God.

Just -- I can taste it now.

-[ Laughs ] -They were so good.

I had that with a black rice tea they roasted.

-Oh, my God!

The aroma, the taste.

It is so good!

And unique.

-I have to try it.

-Yeah, it's very unique.

-We had the braised pork belly that was the special of the day.

The broth was phenomenal.

It's almost like what you would taste with, like, a cola braise on the pork, but it's not that heavy or that thick.

Not only was it, like, a flavorful, sweet, savory dish, it's extremely textural.

-Pork belly should melt in your mouth.

-It should.

And you should be able to chew on that fat a little bit, just, you know, savor that [clicks tongue] you know?

[ Laughter ] -Yeah.

My favorite dish that evening we went was the Taiwanese soy-glazed eggplant.

It's kind of an open-faced eggplant that becomes this kind of melty texture, and it has a glaze and chilies.

And what I like about their food is it's spiced, but it's not super spicy.

It was very flavorful and perfect with the rice.

-We also had the grilled squid that night.

That was on the specials list.

I'm a big fan of savory and sweet and salty.

And those three things together -- it's that texture, that sweet.

If you guys like pickled vegetables, the pickled vegetables they gave with the squid are to die for.

-Any other dishes?

-Yeah.

We got the GTE spicy noodles, which, again, are not very, very spicy, but they're excellently spiced, and very textural.

There's fried shallots, the noodles, and just really savory -- a perfect main dish.

-I agree.

Actually, when it comes to noodles, I'm I guess a textural tyrant.

For noodles, they got to be that chewy texture.

And they have the perfect chew to their noodles.

-Yes.

I had the shrimp and tofu.

And it's like, "Wow!"

It comes out looking like a type of Alfredo.

But it doesn't taste like it, of course.

It was so good and creamy, a little kick in spices.

I like spice.

I love spice.

-Yeah.

-You're fiery.

[ Laughs ] -Yeah.

I'm fiery, girl.

And yeah.

The shrimps were tender.

Delicious, delicious.

-Did your husband get any bites or did you keep that one -- -No.

He didn't get any bites.

I didn't want to share.

But he had the eggplant noodles, and he just loved that.

He said, "I haven't had eggplant in years.

This is so fantastic.

So this is a place that we will -- We told Angie we're coming back.

-Yeah.

We got dessert.

-Yeah.

-It was a roasted oolong tea cheesecake.

-Yes.

-It was delicious.

-Yes.

It was light.

-Yeah, it was light.

Has a roasted taste.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I was the only one that liked it at my table, so I got the whole thing.

It was a roasted taste.

Like, my kids weren't that into that.

-Yeah.

-And affordability?

-The pricing was steep.

But, again, the nice thing is, is you're not only paying for just a meal, is you're paying for the experience.

-And they're so passionate about it.

-Right.

Very passionate.

You can not just see the love, but you can taste it in eating their food.

It is so fantastic.

Yeah, I can't wait.

We may go... [ Laughter ] -You're making everybody hungry.

-Yeah, yeah.

Exactly.

-Definitely go back.

It's nice place for a little date night.

-Yes.

-The area is perfect.

So you go there, start your night there, and plenty to do after.

-Yeah.

-Alright.

If you would like to try Good to Eat, it's located on 65th Street in Emeryville.

And the average tab per person without drinks is around $40.

Alex's restaurant takes the typical date-night concept of dinner and a movie to a whole new level.

For more than two decades, it's been a mecca for classic-movie buffs who love dining under the stars.

Serving seasonal California Mediterranean bites in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District, it's Foreign Cinema.

[ Down-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ -Foreign cinema is planted in the heart of what was once the Miracle Mile, which was a hugely popular shopping area and movie destination in the Mission.

When you see it from the outside, it's a little unassuming.

-Entering the portal doors, going down the long hallway that leads you to an oasis outside is very unexpected.

-I think both of us have been part of an art scene in San Francisco since the early '80s.

-And we always have believed in celebrating the history of cinema.

-Movies start at dusk.

It's a three-platter projector.

It is 35-millimeter.

-And when you hear the flicker of that projector and you see the images on the wall, it really is something quite special.

-You ready?

Alright.

-Let's go.

Yeah.

-The menu is fun.

Very fresh, California, Mediterranean-inspired.

And the space is commanding -- the tall ceilings, the outdoors, the amber lights, the skylight at dusk, the open kitchen, the bar.

The food really has to replicate that kind of feeling and that vibe.

So we try and imbue every layer on the plate with robust flavor so it's very satisfying and it sort of meets the space.

And we want to give you that sense of escape from the daily world.

-Oh, wow!

-We've learned that some movies are so popular, people sit and watch the movie, and then they want to watch it again.

We never ask anybody to leave.

-It's easy to just fall into, like, a dream here.

That's what we launched, definitely.

-Okay.

First thing I got to ask is, are you a classic-film buff?

-Oh, I love me some old movies, black-and-white movies, which I wish they would have more of there.

So if they're watching... [ Laughter ] We've seen so far "Gone With The Wind" there, "Goonies," and this last time we got to see "The Sound of Music."

-Oh, well, who doesn't love "The Sound of Music"?

-1965.

Julie Andrews.

-[ Laughs ] Christopher Plummer.

I know.

I love it.

-Yeah.

The ambience is magical.

I love "The Sound of Music."

It is probably my favorite movie of all time.

So when I saw that was playing, it was just perfect.

And it had these heat lamps on.

It's, like, nice and warm.

There's a movie.

It's like the old drive-in.

Little speaker next to you.

It was perfect.

-Talk about some of the dishes that you get.

What do you start with?

-Starting I always get my bread.

The bread is nice, soft.

It always comes out fresh and warm.

-Yes.

-Definitely not a sweet bread.

But that's what the butter's for -- the butter, the honey inside the butter.

I'm jealous.

I don't know why I didn't get this.

-We got some bread lovers.

-And we started with the prawns cocktail.

There were eight prawns that we dipped into this delicious cocktail sauce, and it was enough to share.

-Right.

-Loved it.

Juicy, tender.

-Mm-hmm.

-For starters, we also had the Ibérico chicharrónes.

I'm a snacker.

I love small, little snacks, crunchy.

And those things -- I mean, my liquor-store cracklings, but just on a whole nother level.

-When you got Ibérico jamón -- -Yeah.

And that's it.

The seasoning that they put on top, which give it a nice kick, it was a perfect, perfect start to the whole meal.

-So, we started with the baked cheese with a lot of different accoutrements so there was toasted crostini.

There were some different vegetables.

It was a really good start.

-Mm-hmm.

-You can't go wrong with cheese.

Warm cheese.

[ Laughs ] -Warm cheese.

And then we also had a salad.

It was kind of a green goddess dressing.

It had fennel and some grapefruit.

And it was nice.

I will say I wish they had a few more vegetarian options.

I think I was just looking for a little bit more variety.

-So, I had the Pacific cod with the Manilla clams.

And this broth -- it was so delicious.

It was not enough to share with my daughter, nor my husband.

And it was just creamy, and then it had saffron.

And the cod was just perfectly cooked.

It was just wonderful.

-For me, I always get the five-spice duck breast.

Really, really powerful on the spices.

You can definitely taste the cinnamon.

You could taste the clove.

-Yes.

-But the two nice little toppers on that dish are definitely the pomegranate and the quacklins.

-Quacklins -- that's cute.

-Okay.

Quacklins.

-They're salty, crispy.

And then the pomegranate seeds throw that nice, sweet tart to it.

-That's what my husband was saying.

Nick, who was our server -- Oh, my God, he is a blessing.

So, my husband has a nut allergy.

-Which can be very serious.

-But he loves duck.

So, before it was brought out, Nick came back just to confirm with my husband, "Can you have hazelnut?"

And my husband said, "Yes.

That I can have."

And I was just really thankful that he was concerned like that.

-And did your husband like the spiciness?

Yeah.

-He really loved that duck.

He really loved it.

-We had the lavender-brined pork chop.

It was, to me, a backyard barbecued pork chop on a whole new level.

Not a really huge presence of the lavender, but not a bad thing.

The flavors were all very well-balanced -- The cranberry beans, a bean I've never had, and it had more of, like, a baked-potato texture of those big, old, chunky beans that was to die for.

The smoked flavor was so good.

And the broccoli rabe -- the way that they cook it was perfect for the pork, with the juices, the small char on the floret, but still keeping the stem crisp and firm.

All paired so nice.

-And did you wash it down with anything?

They have quite an extensive and well-known wine list, as well as cocktail list.

-I got a non-alcoholic.

I got a rose lemonade.

-Mm-hmm.

-I really like rose-flavored things, and I feel like it's a risk sometimes, 'cause it can often veer into too rose, too rosy.

But this was perfect.

It was a little fizzy.

And so it was really delicious.

-So, desserts.

-We had the buttermilk panna cotta with a passion fruit jelly on top, and it was my favorite dish of the night.

It was perfectly set.

The jelly was just a nice tartness to the sweetness of the panna cotta.

And anything with passion fruit I will get, so I was immediately drawn to that on a menu.

But I would go back for that and sit and watch a movie, and I would be thrilled.

-Talk about the price.

-It was a little pricy.

Everything overall was great.

It was great.

The service was fantastic.

The food was okay.

But overall, everything was great.

-And it sounds like it's your date night go-to spot.

-In my opinion, it's not a restaurant.

It's an experience.

Every time I go there, I tell my wife, I feel like I'm in a French or Italian grotto, watching a movie and having some food.

It's really an experience.

-Alright.

If you would like to try Foreign Cinema, it's located on Mission Street in San Francisco.

And the average tab per person without drinks is around $80.

Lee Nora's favorite place offers a truly hands-on dining experience.

Whenever she's craving savory samosas, fresh-baked injera, and other traditional East African delights, she heads to Oakland, home to Barcote Ethiopian Restaurant.

[ Up-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ -The name of the restaurant is Barcote Ethiopian Restaurant.

That means our language is a blessing.

We have vegan food, we have meat, and we have seafood, also.

I bring all the spices from back home.

Gonna be cardamom.

Cardamom -- that's the main spice for all the food.

This is kitfo.

Kitfo is the base food in Ethiopia.

So, that's a raw meat.

And there is cottage cheese and dry collard green also together.

-Oh, my.

-So that's our specialty.

Injera is made of teff and barley and wheat.

It stays for two days fermented.

So, we make it like a bread.

You know, back home, actually, all the family, we always share the food.

If people, they never eat Ethiopian food, we show them.

It's with hand, so they have to scoop the injera and eat it.

So they will love it.

[ Laughs ] The special from Ethiopia is tej -- honey wine.

Honey wine is the best drink.

We have homemade, and it's really good, you know?

People come in here, enjoy the food quietly.

So, a little bit music, though.

It's not, like, loud.

I want the people sit and enjoy it.

My passion is cooking.

When the people love the food, they say, "The best food."

And I said I am always blessed and always happy.

♪♪ -Now, Lee Nora, do you eat a lot of Ethiopian food?

Because there's quite a few restaurants in Oakland.

-Yes, especially on Telegraph Avenue.

And Barcote is one of our favorite.

It's so wonderful, not just the food, but the whole entire atmosphere.

-They were so kind.

They were the nicest people.

It felt like home.

-Yes, yes.

-Just I had my toddler with me.

He had fallen.

They gave him some ice.

It was just I felt like I was walking into, like, a grandparents.

It was just very -- -Yes.

Exactly.

-So that always starts the meal off really nicely.

-Well, we always start out with the appetizers -- the veggie and the meat samosas.

The veggie is green lentil, and it's in this little pocket of dough.

And then the meat is I believe beef.

And then they have this nice, spicy sauce that we dip it in, and...thinking about it now, I'm hungry.

And so it is so good.

-We had the beef samosas, as well.

The red chili sauce that they pair with that -- it's not like any chili sauce that I've had.

It's got a kick, which is really, really nice.

But it was that pungent-ness to it that went perfectly with the meat inside.

-Yeah.

-We had the vegetarian combo.

Which I love Ethiopian food.

I grew up on the East Coast, and there's a large Ethiopian community there, and so there are a ton of restaurants.

So this is like comfort food to me.

-Yeah, yeah.

Comfort food.

-And for vegetarian, I always know there will be a vegetarian combo, without fail.

-Right.

Mm-hmm.

-And I loved the misir wot, I think.

I think it's like a lentil -- like a red lentil with that berbere spice.

And, again, it's like spiced, but not spicy.

I don't love spicy as much, but I love when things are flavorful.

And we liked there was a cold chickpea in a puree.

-Yes, yes.

-With green chilies and spices and garlic.

I don't know, something about that really just -- -And I heard Alex saying yeah, you like -- -Yes.

-We normally get the veggie platter, and we try different meats.

And this time, we had the salmon dulet.

And it was flaky.

They cook it in a skillet with the onions and garlic and other Ethiopian spices, and it goes perfect with the veggie combo.

I love taking my injera and picking a little bit of the salmon with the gomen.

And just -- Ah!

Fantastic.

And I had that with hot, spiced Ethiopian tea.

-Okay.

-And my husband had the Ethiopian beer.

So we were -- It was like being at home.

It was just so, so good.

-Right.

-We got the meat and veggie combo, which, I mean, the beef and green sauce I think was one of the best things that I had had there.

The flavor, the way the chilies come through, the tenderness of that meat, the way the -- Butter.

Falls right apart.

-Mm-hmm.

-And then the injere ?

-Yeah, injera.

Mm-hmm.

-Injera.

Oh!

Just scooping that up and eating it right there.

It's a perfect bite.

-And it gets soaked with all the sauces of everything.

-And it seems like the food tastes better when you use your hands versus silverware.

It's just really comforting, you know?

Yeah.

-Absolutely.

Anything to sip alongside?

-We had a flaxseed drink from there.

-We got that.

-That was the other thing I had, yeah.

-It's so good, the creaminess, the nuttiness of it.

-We got that, too.

But it was thick.

It was like a thick smoothie.

Like, but it has, like, "This feels healthy."

-Right.

-Yes.

-Delicious.

[ Laughs ] Healthy and delicious.

I had to take it home.

We couldn't finish it.

It was like I was so full.

-Did you guys have any dessert or any other things?

-No room for dessert.

-Yeah.

No room.

-No room.

-We had leftovers, and I -- Pro Tip for injera bread when I take it home -- I like to make grilled cheese out of it, which I highly recommend.

-Oh!

-Or I'll just get it on it's own because it gets really crispy.

Like, it's naturally very fluffy and fermented, but you make a grilled cheese.

It is so good.

-That's a great tip.

-Okay, okay.

-I highly recommend.

-So would you go back to this restaurant?

-Yes.

I love Ethiopian food.

-Yeah.

-Can't go wrong with it for me.

-Yeah, you can't go wrong.

-And you agree?

-In a heartbeat.

In a heartbeat.

And to take more people to experience it, too, 'cause it's a need-to-know cuisine.

-Alright.

If you would like to try Barcote Ethiopian restaurant, it's located on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland.

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

And now reporter Cecilia Phillips celebrates Black women makers, movers, and shakers at a unique pop-up in San Francisco.

[ Funk music plays ] ♪♪ -What is Pop-Ups on the Plaza?

-Yeah.

It's this amazing series that we kicked off a couple of years ago, and they're highlighting Black-owned businesses throughout the Bay Area.

Today, we are celebrating Black women makers.

We help them with support.

Like, if they don't have equipment to set up, basically, help them get on the ground running and be that stepping stone for them to jump-start their businesses.

-The name of my business is called Moraysha's.

I specialize in soul food.

-And what is one of the things that you're most well-known for?

-My garlic noodles.

And I feel like garlic noodles is a big thing in the Bay Area.

So I try to put my little stamp here while I'm here, but -- [ Laughs ] I get them freshly made from a local noodle company.

I put a little Parmesan, and I also put a little parsley on top.

-So can we have a taste together?

-Of course.

-I can smell the garlic.

Uh-oh.

Do you also offer breast mints after?

-Oh, my gosh.

That's a good idea.

-The noodles are so good.

That's a lot of garlic.

Vampires beware.

[ Both laugh ] That's My Jam.

I feel like it's in the name, but what do you all specialize in?

-We are a low-sugar, pectin-free jam.

All of our flavor notes are designed to enhance cooking, baking, and cocktail-making.

And That's My Jam wanted to remove the pectin so that we can lower the sugar.

This one is the That's My Jam pineapple guava mint.

-Okay.

I want to try this one.

And then you're gonna try the other one.

-This is a spicy strawberry fig.

-Okay.

-Cheers.

Mmm!

-Whoa.

Takes me right to the islands.

-That's good.

-It's vacation in a jar.

-Yeah.

This is our sample.

My business is Smoke Soul Kitchen.

We specialize in soul fusion food, barbecue, Southern recipes, a lot of New Orleans-inspired dishes.

Two of my favorite dishes are my buttermilk-biscuit sandwich, as well as my stuffed-waffle sandwich.

We make the batter.

We stuff it with chicken.

We do a little bit of maple drizzle.

We flip it.

And, then, when it comes out, we dress it with brown sugar and maple glaze, and it's just a really delicious mash-up.

-Alright.

So, what goes on to your biscuit sandwich?

-So, there's a little maple drizzle on there.

It is a scrambled egg, cheddar cheese, a New Orleans-style hot link, and then our handmade buttermilk biscuits.

[ Laughs ] -That's so pretty.

Alright.

Here we go.

♪♪ Oh, that's delicious.

Peaches Patties.

What does the name come from, and what do you specialize in?

-The name comes from my mother.

Her nickname is Peaches.

And she's from Jamaica.

She'd make patties all the time.

So, the patties are Jamaica's baked, savory pastry.

-So it's almost like a savory pocket, right?

-Yeah.

The flavor is usually kind of bold and vibrant.

The filling is just packed.

So whether it's meat or vegetables, you're gonna get a mouthful.

-Right.

1, 2, 3.

Oh!

It is a mouthful.

This is how you make a great patty.

For people who maybe are thinking about starting a business or trying to get into it, especially, like, Black women makers and entrepreneurs, what do you have to say about being able to be somewhere like here?

-Everybody has imposter syndrome, but you have to look beyond that and say, "Yeah.

I deserve to be here.

And yeah.

If I work hard, I can get here."

♪♪ -I have to thank my fabulous guests, Aparna Kothary, who tucks into traditional Taiwanese fare at Good to Eat in Emeryville, and Alex Dazhan, who treated us to dinner and a movie at Foreign Cinema in San Francisco, and Lee Nora Glover Holloway, who swears by the spicy meat samosas at Barcote Ethiopian Restaurant in Oakland.

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.

-Cheers!

-Whoo!

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at kqed.org/checkplease.

-And it's exactly how my mom would serve.

And that's how you do it.

-Yeah.

-There you go.

-Oh.

-[ Laughs ] -Low-pectin and no sugar.

-Mnh-mnh.

-Girl.

-Oh, my God.

We're good.

It's not live!

It's not live we'll do it again.

Okay, so the chicken's inside?

-Chicken's inside.

-Oh!

I can taste those proprietary spices.

-Yeah.

[ Laughing ] -You're doing it.

You're really doing it.

Okay.

Great.

That was amazing.