-It was so crazy good.

-...contemporary Mexican cuisine in Salinas... -I call it a party in a volcano.

-...and a cozy seafood spot in Pacific Grove... -Probably the most famous fish and chips on the peninsula.

-...just ahead on a special Monterey Bay area edition of "Check, please!"

-My favorite apple is the one picked right off the tree.

♪♪ -Hi, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to a very special edition of "Check, Please!

Bay Area".

Today, we're venturing down the coast to explore a whole new culinary region for our show, the scenic Monterey Bay area.

We've invited three guests to review and talk about their favorite restaurants.

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 retired state worker Ruthie Velasquez, retired registered nurse Espie Castro, and biotech executive Mike Mollica.

Welcome to "Check, Please!"

everyone.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-We begin our journey with Ruthie.

As a San Jose resident, she loves zipping down to the Monterey Peninsula for weekend getaways.

One of her favorite places is a romantic restaurant that's been a fine dining destination for more than 75 years.

Nestled along Soquel Creek in Capitola, it's the historic Shadowbrook.

♪♪ -Shadowbrook is unique, unlike, really, any other place.

Just walking through the doors, you have a sense this is different.

This is special.

♪♪ I'm Ted Burke, I'm the owner of Shadowbrook restaurant.

I've been here since 1972 as an hourly employee, and then owner since 1978.

Being a special occasion restaurant, there are things on the menu that people like to have when they splurge.

So there's lobster and there's prime steaks and there's prime rib.

Our entryway, which is known as the rock room, it's more casual.

There's a wood burning oven up there that does pizzas, small entrees, and salads and things.

All our desserts are made in-house.

We have just a wonderful pastry chef.

-It's really good.

-This place definitely has an intangible feeling to it.

It started out with a theme called Romance in Dining, this is 1947, and it still is today.

It's a very popular restaurant for birthdays and anniversaries, first dates.

There's probably one or two proposals a week.

I remember one in the Garden Room in particular where the whole place just quieted down because the gentleman got up and got on his knee.

-Our wedding anniversary.

-You can hear a pin drop and then a yes.

[ Laughs ] ♪♪ The owners, before I was hired here, responded to the condition that this place was hard to get to.

I mean, it's down the bottom of a steep hill.

So they put in this rail line called The Hillavator.

That's unique.

And I always recommend when you come, walk down through the meandering gardens, the waterfalls, and enjoy that, and then ride back up after dinner.

It goes along with the romance in dining.

There's oftentimes people will say, "Your elevator is broken", and they go up there, and we find that some people had turned it off and were smooching inside, and then embarrassingly, get out at the top.

A little lipstick over here.

[ Laughs ] It's all fun, and people enjoy it.

Hospitality comes from your heart.

It's the desire to please.

And so our goal here is just don't give people what their expectation is... exceed it.

♪♪ -Now, Ruthie, this spot is an institution and a destination.

How long have you been going there?

-About 12 years.

-Okay.

-There's history, and it's a beautiful place.

There's an outside patio next to the Soquel Creek.

If you go during the day, it's beautiful.

And if you go in the evening, it's even more beautiful because everything's illuminated inside and outside.

It's perfect for any occasion.

It's just so special every time we go.

-In the 12 years that you've gone, do you have a favorite dish that you start with?

-They have really good appetizers.

We always get the bacon-wrapped prawns because they're big and the sauces they come with -- sesame mustard and ginger coconut cream.

So you can dip them and share them.

And those are very good.

-Mike, tell me about your experience.

Have you been there before?

-No, it was my first time.

I'd heard a lot about it, and I just thought -- I always thought it was a touristy kind of place.

But now that I had to go, I was really pleased that I did.

I had some really good experiences there that night.

-We, too, have been in the Monterey area for a long time, and we've never gone to this restaurant, so thank you for your recommendation.

It was like storybook.

It's definitely old world charm.

And they have, like, eight different dining rooms and at various levels.

Oh, and right in the middle of the room is this beautiful redwood tree.

-The tree.

-Oh.

-It's like, okay, here's a tree.

-We'll build around it.

-It goes right through the roof.

-We were in the fireplace room, which they said was the only intact room original to the house, and it was fantastic.

-What did you start with?

-We had the prawns and the Caesar salad.

The prawns were a miss for us, I think because, well, they were small, number one.

-Oh.

-Yeah.

-She gets the big ones.

-Well, I expected them to be big.

-You gotta go with Ruthie's here.

-I think it was just an off night for that dish.

But we had the Caesar salad as well.

I'm a big fan of Caesar, and it was so well done.

The dressing was that nice balance of umami from the anchovy, not too eggy, but it had a good acid component.

Really delicious dressing, crispy croutons.

-And we really liked that salad.

-Alright.

-You know, we had to try the clam chowder.

It's -- We live in Monterey, and we've had all the clam chowders down there, and they're all wonderful.

So we went with the clam chowder as an appetizer, and it was, I've got to say, divine.

You could taste the bacon, and it was creamy and just the right temperature.

-It was wonderful.

-Ruthie, any other staples that you picked?

-I always get the "Pacific Rim" salmon.

-That's their signature.

-It comes on a beautiful plate, and the green is a ginger wasabi sauce in the shape of a flower.

And then inside is a ponzu sauce.

There's a bit of sea greens, and then some julienne beautiful vegetables on the top.

And it's always cooked perfectly.

-Okay.

And what did you move to after the appetizer?

-We got the Angus prime rib, traditional prime rib.

But having worked for a famous steakhouse, I know prime rib, and this one was done really well.

The rub was perfect.

They cut it to my perfect temperature, a medium rare plus.

And the cool thing about that -- -That's a trick, too.

-It is.

-I want medium rare plus.

-I don't want medium, and I don't want medium rare.

I really liked their horseradish cream.

It was whipped like butter.

Yeah.

And it was really a different texture.

And it came with creamed spinach which was richer than the sauteed, obviously.

And then whipped mash.

It was done well.

-What did you eat after your appetizer?

-There were just two of us, husband and I, and he ordered the pork osso buco.

It was a generous portion.

The meat was falling.

It was so tender.

And it came with this beautiful sauce.

-That's the whole point, that slow cooked -- -Oh, yeah.

Exactly.

And it had spinach alongside it.

-And then we shared another main as a side dish.

And it was the black truffle gnocchi.

And I was so shocked at how well they did these gnocchi, 'cause they're tough to do, right?

-Right.

-But I was blown away.

They were really good.

And they had a really rich cream sauce and trumpet mushrooms, some breadcrumbs on top.

-It was an awesome dish.

-Any other dishes that you want to describe, Ruthie?

-Dessert.

-Oh, dessert.

-I was just about to get to dessert.

-Alright, take it away.

-Crème brûlée.

My favorite.

Anywhere I go, I always order crème brûlée, but their crème brûlée is just so superb.

And you can taste the fresh vanilla, and they give you a little amaretto Italian cookie with it.

-Okay, so quite opulent food and this European feel.

Talk a little bit about service.

-The service was outstanding.

I don't know how they do it with that many people in that restaurant, running around with so many floors, and the bread baskets, always coming around to see if you want more.

-Yes.

And the servers are always checking on you, which is great.

-Alright.

And what about your experience?

-Well... [ Laughs ] You know, um, we had very late reservations, okay?

8:45 at night on a Monday night.

They had been booked.

We tried for, like, a week and a half, and they were booked.

I just felt like the speed in which the meal and the plates were delivered was really off that night.

-We had the opposite.

We had an early reservation.

Midweek.

Was packed.

I mean, right at opening.

But I felt they timed our dinner perfectly, so definitely must have been an off -- -Yeah, but it was so beautiful.

We expected so much when we drove up, walked in, and we got all of that.

-Did we talk about the cab that will pick you up at your hotel for free?

If you're staying in Capitola, like, close by, then an old vintage cab -- -Yeah.

-...will come and pick you up.

-I saw it.

-They don't charge you.

Like, you can tip them.

-And then they can take you back.

-Yeah.

-Alright, well, it sounds like you'll all go back, right?

-Yes.

Definitely.

-Give it another try.

Okay.

If you would like to try Shadowbrook, it's located on Wharf Road in Capitola, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $45.

Buttery roasted bone marrow may not be the first dish that comes to mind when you think of food from south of the border, but at Espie's favorite spot, it's just one of the many unique twists on classic Mexican cooking dreamed up by the family matriarch and chef.

Located in Old Town Salinas, it's Villa Azteca.

♪♪ [ Patrons cheering ] -[ Speaking Spanish ] -I think it's super important to highlight that in reality, my parents didn't start with the dream of having a restaurant here.

They started working in the fields, and like any other immigrant with hard work, they continued to grow.

And, you know, now we're here.

-[ Speaking Spanish ] -Handmade tortilla.

I never thought I was going to be a chef.

I was going to school for business, and we opened up the restaurant.

My part was to be in the kitchen.

And any other chef didn't go to culinary school, so they're learning everything through measurement.

But the way she taught me was, like, the old school, you know, put a little pinch of this and a pinch of that and then taste it.

And I think that's the beauty that I've learned through my mom, so... Mole amarillo is a yellow mole.

My favorite dish on the menu is the mole amarillo... [ Speaking Spanish ] ...because that was one of the first dishes that I created, which was a hit.

Make sure it looks presentable, and voila!

-[ Speaking Spanish ] -Pan seared with all the great flavors.

This restaurant really embeds the family values of unity.

And what's better than being united with your family and cooking with your mom?

-[ Indistinct chatter ] You know, my mom is everything to me.

[ Chuckles ] -Now, Espie, let's talk a little bit about Salinas, because, you know, that's maybe not a destination that people think of in the Monterey Bay.

Tell us about the Old Town area.

-You know, Old Town, for the last, maybe, 10, 15 years was going through a revitalization.

-[ Speaking Spanish ] -And there was a lot of talk about a new restaurant, not your typical Mexican restaurant.

It was going to have more flair, certainly representing different regions of Mexico.

And so, they're very authentic.

And yet, they present them to you in a very modern way.

One of my favorites is the Molcajete.

I call it a party in a volcano because molcajete, typically, it's out of a volcanic stone.

It comes to your table, and it's steaming hot, and it has carne asada, chunks of chorizo with four big shrimp, strips of chicken, and -- -You get everything in there.

-Oh my God, protein.

I'm telling you, if you're a bodybuilder, you go and you have that.

-Right.

What did you have?

-We started only with the guacamole, which was outstanding.

But the next thing we tried that I thought was impressive was the salmon al pastor taco.

So it was served on a blue corn tortilla, and it was not quite deep fried, but it had crispy edges and it had a soft interior.

It had creamy avocado salsa, pineapple salsa, pea tendrils, radishes -- it was insane.

And the thick al pastor sauce kind of covering it.

-You don't think of al pastor with -- -With salmon.

-...with salmon.

-I've never had anything like it.

And that was probably our favorite dish.

And then we had chile verde, which you can't get in the evening.

And it was as good as I've ever had.

I make it, I've had it a hundred times, and it was really delicious.

Not over salted, it was the tender pork.

It was just fantastic.

And those tortillas just keep coming, and they're so good.

-We had chips and salsa.

And then I ordered the tacos de nopal, which is cactus, which I love.

They somehow put it in a patty shaped like a taco.

And it came with shredded cabbage and -- -They use a lot of real colorful vegetables -- cabbage.

-Very colorful.

The blue corn tortillas, you could tell it was homemade.

It was so delicious.

It was so good.

-I'm glad you enjoyed it.

-I also had the Azteca salad.

It was fresh.

It had fresh mixed greens, beets, pepitas, which is pumpkin seeds, nuts, and blueberries.

Yeah.

Finished the salad.

-Well, you know, bone marrow, a lot of different cultures eat bone marrow, and it's very nutritious.

Growing up, that wasn't something that -- Oh, no, I wouldn't taste it.

But at Villa Azteca, I was tempted, I tried it, and I'm a goner.

You know, I'll have it every time.

It's presented on this wooden platter.

It's roasted, so it's crusty on the top.

And then it comes with two little sopecitos, so it creates a little nest for your food.

There's a black bean puree.

Then there's the salsa macha.

And you scrape the marrow out and you put it on top of your sope.

-And what else do you need to eat after that, right?

-Yeah.

-Right.

And Ruthie, you've been shaking your head.

You're like, yeah, I had that or I want that.

-Well, I want the things I haven't had, what they're talking about, especially the bone marrow.

-That's a good thing.

-But I have to say that I want to go back mostly for the horchata.

-Mmm.

-That was the best horchata I've ever had, and I don't order it very often because I know a lot of restaurants don't make it themselves.

But I could tell this was homemade like my grandma used to make.

-Exactly.

-With the cinnamon sticks.

It was perfect.

It was the best I've ever had.

-I love their palomas, and I always go for the flight.

Then they're all garnished differently.

Fresh flowers, fresh berries.

They're constantly very innovative.

-And did you have anything for dessert?

-Were you too full?

-No, we did order the dessert, and it was the corn cake, and it was phenomenal.

They have a small creamer of crème anglaise.

Imagine the texture of an olive oil cake, but with creamy corn pieces and corn inside, and tons of fresh berries.

-[ Speaking Spanish ] -And what about service?

I mean, this is, as you said, family owned.

-Yeah, service, I thought, was great.

You can tell that there are multiple people that tend to the table, even though it's not your main server.

-Alright.

And you'd go back?

-Oh, absolutely.

Absolutely.

-It sounds like you'd go back.

-Yes, I'd go back.

-You got some dishes now to go back.

-Oh, yeah.

-I think you're getting a lot of thank you's over here.

-Yes.

-You're welcome.

You're welcome.

-Thank you.

-[ Laughter ] -Alright, if you would like to try Villa Azteca, it's located on Main Street in Salinas.

And the average tab per person without drinks is around $50.

Mike's a Monterrey local, so he doesn't have to travel far to find fresh seafood sourced straight from the bay.

Whenever he's in the mood for bistro fare that's locally fished, farmed, and foraged, he heads to Pacific Grove, home to the appropriately named Wild Fish.

♪♪ -The name Wild Fish comes from -- you can call someone a funny fish or a cold fish.

And we just like the idea of a wild fish, a party person, because I sort of feel like my husband is always the life of the party.

-All our fish is fresh in daily.

Living in England, the coast is full of fish restaurants.

Along the California coast, there's a lot of restaurants that serve fish, but very few restaurants that serve just fish and specialize.

-We have one tuna.

-90% of the fish is from two blocks away -- there's Monterey Bay.

We can tell you who fished it, and we can tell you who grew the vegetables on your plate.

We buy whole fish only.

We have funny offcuts of the fish that you can use for amazing appetizers.

-This is divine.

-You probably won't see the same dish again and again, although there are some dishes that we would get run out of town if we took off the menu, like our bouillabaisse, the whole fish roasted on the bone.

Everything else we change.

♪♪ It's fine dining, but it's not formal.

We just want it to be a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

-We're just fans.

-And we have a quartet every Friday and Saturday night.

And we really want you to have fun.

-We're, you know -- -Putting the F-word back in dining.

-The F-word?

-Back in dining.

-What is the F-word?

-Fun.

-Fun.

Okay.

-[ Singing ] ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ ♪ Happy birthday dear Liz ♪ ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ -Alright, Mike.

There are so many seafood restaurants in the Monterey area.

What makes this one stand out?

-You have some institutions in the city that certainly are more well known, but they have a selection of seafood from our bay that's unparalleled.

And fish and chips, being that they're from the UK, is one of their signature dishes.

You get two usually giant filets that are battered in a big beer batter.

They're served with house made ketchup, house made pickles, tartar sauce, and vinegar.

And they're probably the most famous fish and chips on the peninsula.

The Monterey calamari is always on the menu, and you have to have the calamari when you go to Monterey.

It's kind of par for the course when you eat in Monterey.

-We did start with the calamari.

Delicious.

It was lightly coated, fried, of course, but not greasy.

It came with, like, a chili aioli.

-The peppers.

Did you get the blister --?

-Oh, the shishito peppers?

Yes.

-That was a nice mix, right?

-Oh, it was.

It was sweet and crunchy -- -She's a pepper lady.

-...and hot.

-Yes.

I'm hot, but, uh... -[ Laughter ] Yeah.

And we also had the ahi tuna.

It's got a sesame seed crust on it.

It comes with different sauces.

So you can have your sweet, your hot.

And it was enough for the whole table.

-So the portions are very generous.

-The portions are good.

-So we started off with some Old Vine red wine.

And we shared a bowl of chowder.

The chowder would have been better if it had more spices, but that was just us.

It could have been fine for anyone else.

And then I had the whole fish with chimichurri sauce.

So good.

And it was on a tray.

-And it was this fish... -[ Laughs ] A big fish.

-...covered in sauce, bright green, with this eyeball looking right at you, and some fingerling potatoes and a little salad.

The fish was cooked perfectly, first of all.

It was moist.

It was so good.

We shared it, and we ate the fish.

But wait, we weren't done.

You flip it over and you have, like, a whole other side of the other fish.

-Do you get the whole fish?

-No.

-No, my wife can't handle the eyeball thing, so... -I ate my eyeball.

-[ Laughs ] Did you really?

-That's the first thing, I popped it right in my mouth.

-Good for you, Ruthie.

-It's the most nutritious part of the fish.

-I believe you.

-It is, it is.

-I believe you.

That's fantastic.

-To the eyeball!

-Cheers to the eyeball!

-To the eyeball!

There you go.

-So the two mains that we had were the sablefish, which is just from up in Santa Cruz.

And it was crispy skin, and it's just cooked perfectly.

They really know how to cook their fish.

-I was just going to say, they know how to cook a good fish.

-Yeah.

So it had a carrot top pesto.

It had fingerlings, carrots, beans.

-Celery ash.

-And celery ash.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

You remembered that.

-Yes.

-Did you have the same thing?

-I did.

-It's good, right?

-It was phenomenal.

-And crispy skin, right?

-Crispy, easy to cut into.

It was flaky, flavorful.

-Yeah.

Well, the other thing we ordered, they had a lingcod from Moss Landing, which is a meaty fish.

And they did it katsu style, which in Japan is basically deep fried.

They do that with pork.

So it was a tempura coating.

And it was just served with sunomono salad, sushi rice, and katsu sauce, and that was it.

It was the simplest but most tasty thing I've ever had there.

-And did anybody have dessert?

-I had to try the sticky toffee pudding.

-Mmm.

-Well, because they come from England.

-Mmm.

-Oh my gosh, it was so crazy good.

-It's so good.

-And then I had to give my fella a bite.

-Why?

Why do you have to?

-I didn't have to, but I did.

He really liked it, too.

-The service was really, I think, number one.

Everyone was smiling, very welcoming.

-Arturo, he was our server.

He was just so attentive.

He was just so great.

-So you'd all go back?

-Oh, yeah.

Oh, definitely.

-I'm hearing lots of love for this place.

-Yeah.

-Alright, if you would like to try Wild Fish, it's located on Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove.

And the average tab per person without drinks is around $50.

And now, reporter Cecilia Phillips has more Monterey Bay area bites you just gotta try.

She's on the road to Watsonville where the fruits of her labor make it a tasty trip indeed.

♪♪ -Just a slice?

-Gizdich Ranch is about family.

We have been here, let's see, three generations now.

The grandparents moved out here in 1937, and then the oldest son and his wife, Nita, farmed it.

And then my husband and my youngest boy are now farming it.

-So when people come and visit the ranch, what are some of the things that they can do and see here?

-We have a lovely little deli that people really enjoy out here.

Certain times of the year we'll have a pumpkin patch, or we have pick yourself apples and berry farm, so you can come pick olallieberries in June, boysenberry, and strawberries in the spring.

-So these are Golden Delicious?

-They are.

I feel like this is one of the forgotten apples.

It still has a tinge of green on it.

It has a little blush on it.

It's perfect.

Golden delicious at this stage is great for baking, and you don't need to put as much sugar in the pie because it's already a sweet apple.

-Alright, and then any techniques for me as I try to pick one of these?

-Well, yeah.

Just don't pull straight off.

But give it a little twist and turn your wrist with it.

-Okay.

-There you go.

Perfect -Oh, wow.

They just popped off!

-Yeah.

Alright.

Are you ready?

-I'm ready.

-Okay.

-[ Crunching ] -Mmm.

-That's lovely.

[ Laughs ] -That crunch.

-Right?

It's not a grocery store apple.

-No.

[ Laughs ] -Absolutely not.

[ Laughs ] What are you going to do with all the apples?

-I'm gonna put mine in sandwiches.

-Applesauce.

-Apple juice.

-Apple juice.

-Probably some apple pies or apple puff pastries.

Something like that, so, yeah.

-I'm just gonna eat them.

I'm just gonna eat them.

-We're gonna eat the apples.

-[ Laughter ] ♪♪ -After all the hard work of picking the apples, this is what we get.

So this is your famous apple pie.

-This is it.

This is 3 lbs.

of apples in one pie.

-3 lbs.

of apples in one pie.

-And they cooked down, right?

But there's still a lot in there, and it's still pretty hefty.

The bakery, we started out with maybe two different pies, apple and olallie.

Now we have maybe 10 different flavors now, depending on the season.

-How many pies would you say that you make a day?

-Hundreds.

Yeah, they're at it from 5:00 a.m. till 5:00.

We also have an apple dumpling, which is just lovely.

-I thought that this was mashed potatoes and gravy when I saw photos of this, but it is a whole apple.

-That's right, whole apple stuffed with cinnamon and spices and butter wrapped up in a flaky pastry.

-Here we go.

[ Laughs ] -How's the sauce?

-Oh, the sauce is killer.

What do you hope people come away with?

-I hope people enjoy the atmosphere, the air, and the dirt.

I mean, dirt is so cool.

You see the kids come out here, and they're running up and down the orchard, just making all kinds of dust and hollerin' and just enjoying it.

-I want to clean it.

-I have to thank my fantastic guests on this very special episode -- Ruthie Velasquez, who enjoys dining in style at the elegant Shadowbrook in Capitola, Espie Castro, who pairs her molcajete with a Paloma flight at Villa Azteca in Salinas, and Mike Mollica, lover of the fish and chips at Wild Fish in Pacific Grove.

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.

-Cheers.

-[ Glasses clinking ] -Cheers.

-Oh, my.

It's so nice.

-We did it!

-Yay!

-Whoo-hoo!

-It's ap-solutely delicious.

Apple-solutely delicious.

[ Laughs ] -These pumpkins are heavy.

-Some of the locals, I think, thought we were crazy for building a bakery way out here.

Like, who would drive all this distance for a pie, right?

But oh, my gosh, it's worked.

[ Laughs ] -What goes in it?

-Well, it's a secret.

[ Both laugh ] -Always.

It's apple-solutely delicious.

[ Laughs ] That was terrible.

[ Laughs ]