Sbrocco: A modern Mexican bistro in Carmel-By-The-Sea... Murphy: Give me all the protein, give me all the carbs.

Sbrocco: ...creative plant-based cuisine in Pacific Grove... Smith: The truffle salt that they put on that, oh, my gosh.

Sbrocco: ...and bold Brazilian flavors in Santa Cruz... Mohan: You can just, like, taste the cheesiness.

Sbrocco: ...on a special Monterey Bay Area edition of "Check, Please!"

And now, the secret menu is out.

[ Indistinct conversations ] Sbrocco: Hi, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to a special edition of "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Today, we're venturing down the coast to explore the scenic Monterey Bay area.

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 firefighter Matt Murphy, researcher Bhavya Mohan, and creative director Kerrie Smith.

Welcome, everyone.

Are you ready?

Murphy: Absolutely.

Smith: Let's do this.

Sbrocco: As a firefighter, Matt looks forward to the end of his long shift when he can finally kick back and enjoy a leisurely meal at his favorite brunch spot.

It's a contemporary Mexican eatery offering rich, indulgent breakfasts that get his weekends off to a great start.

Nestled in quaint Carmel-By-The-Sea, it's El Bistro by the Sea.

♪♪ Avila: El Bistro by the Sea is a Mexican restaurant with international flair.

By the Sea listo.

I love to cook.

It's my love language.

Birria.

Customer: The chilaquiles are bomb, dude.

Vamos.

Vamos, vamos.

For the cinnamon roll French toast, this is cinnamon and sugar.

I love to see the people, the first impression when they see the plates, and taking pictures, and happy with the meal.

It's emotional for us.

We enjoy that.

Hey.

[ Laughs ] Sbrocco: Alright, Matt, you're a brunch guy, right?

So, you get off on the weekends and that is your dream meal.

Okay, why is this place so special to you?

Murphy: Well, number one, it is less than a block away from one of our fire stations.

So, I can just walk right down into El Bistro by the Sea.

They have indoor-outdoor seating.

You can bring your pets with you.

I love the vibe.

Great place.

Sbrocco: So, what do you get?

I mean, you must be starving when you get off your shift, right?

You want something big and hearty.

Murphy: Give me all the protein, give me all the carbs.

[ All laugh ] First thing we always start with, we always get an order of the cinnamon roll French toast.

It's two super thick slices of brioche bread just grilled to perfection.

There's a healthy portion of cream cheese frosting.

Everything's topped with, like, fresh berry medley, mint garnish on top of it all.

They do have syrup on the side.

We don't even use it.

Mohan: Oh, my God, that French toast.

[ All laugh ] It was ridiculously good!

Sbrocco: Everybody take a moment and honor the French toast.

Mohan: Oh, my God, it was...

I mean, first, we had to share because I don't have a firefighter's appetite.

[ All laugh ] So, this was a family affair.

We got the crème brûlée French toast.

Murphy: Oh, awesome.

Mohan: Which sounds like it had similarities.

The berries and the whipped cream, and it's, like, soaked in cream.

So, same family, but this one had the caramelized sugar right on top.

So you feel like you're cracking into that piece of crème brûlée, but it's on your French toast!

Ah, so, so delicious.

Sbrocco: Did you have anything in the French toast family?

Smith: All aboard the French toast train.

Okay?

Like Oprah says, I want to eat bread every day!

Like, I had the same one, the crème brûlée French toast, and it was divine.

Every bite was just so creamy, delicious, carb-a-licious, I loved it.

Matt, thank you!

[ All laugh ] Murphy: One interesting thing about the restaurant is they have this thing called the secret menu.

Sbrocco: Have you heard about this?

Smith: Yes.

I'm obsessed.

Murphy: Yeah, and it's on their Instagram page, if you go to their highlights.

Sbrocco: It's a secret menu, by the way!

Murphy: Uh... [ Both laugh ] My wife and I ordered the honeymoon latte.

It's just a latte sweetened with honey.

If you haven't tried it before, it's definitely worth a try.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Mohan: We got the chilaquiles.

And we were like, "These are the best chilaquiles we've ever had."

Sbrocco: Because chilaquiles are tough!

Mohan: I know!

Sbrocco: Right?

You do not want a floppy chip.

Mohan: You don't want it floppy, you don't want it too crisp because you want that perfect level of sauciness, and they nailed it.

Like, the red sauce was perfect, the texture was perfect.

It had crema drizzled over the top and it was just presented so beautifully.

There was watermelon radish, like, artfully draped over it, and the chilaquiles themselves just tasted divine.

Smith: Were we there at the same time?

Because I ordered the exact same thing, the chilaquiles, as well.

And I love that we could pick our own sauce, we could pick our own meat.

I got the birria, which was amazing.

It was two things that just go really well together.

Verde was not too spicy, but it gave it a little kick.

Sbrocco: Did you have anything to drink?

Smith: Oh, yes, you cannot go to brunch and not have some sort of brunch sidekick.

So, I had the watermelon michelada.

And you get to choose your beer, which I like.

And then, you're getting the tomato flavor, a lot of garnish, and then the slight sweetness of the watermelon.

Sbrocco: That sounds delicious.

Smith: Really lovely.

Sbrocco: Did you have anything to sip alongside?

Mohan: I don't drink coffee, but my husband got the horchata latte, and I had a little taste of it, and I was like, even for a non-coffee drinker, this is delicious.

It's that beautiful horchata flavor.

It was very sweet, which maybe is why I loved it so much.

It was very nice.

I also got the Chile relleno omelette, which was very decadent.

You have the chile relleno, so the chile stuffed with tons and tons of cheese, battered, then in the omelette.

It was just, like, exploding with cheese.

It was delicious, I think, because there was so much cheese in it.

Like the cheese overpowered -- Sbrocco: You're a cheese lover.

Mohan: I do love the cheese, but I needed a little spice.

But I feel like before I could even think to ask, someone came by and he was like, "Oh, can I bring you some extra salsa?"

I feel like he read my mind and then I just, like, doused it with that.

And then it was perfect.

Sbrocco: It was perfect.

Mohan: Yeah.

Sbrocco: Okay, talk about some options for lunch.

Murphy: They have classic American fare like hamburgers, and sandwiches, and stuff like that.

I've gotten their pastor burrito, very traditional style pastor.

Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside.

It's a huge burrito, they cut it in half.

I usually only get half of it down, even with my appetite.

So, uh... Sbrocco: So, it's big.

Murphy: Yeah, it's very good.

Yeah.

Smith: Because they have so many menus -- there's a regular menu, there's a seasonal menu, there's an Instagram menu -- it's, like, a little bit overwhelming.

So, we were definitely relying on the waiter to help us.

And the service was fantastic.

They have these, like, fancy headphones, they were talking to each other.

"Do we have this?

Do we have that?

Do we have that?"

And that was great!

Sbrocco: Like a Secret Service agent.

Smith: [ Laughs ] Totally!

Totally.

So, yes, we felt very taken care of and I can't wait to go back again, truly.

Sbrocco: And did the rest of your family enjoy it?

Mohan: Oh, my God, they loved it.

They're already like, "Okay, next time we're in Carmel, we're going back."

[ All laugh ] Sbrocco: Alright.

Are they missing anything?

Did they make the right choices?

Murphy: All excellent choices.

And I've got some new ideas to order now, next time I'm there, too.

Sbrocco: See?

And now, the secret menu is out.

Murphy: Now, it's out.

Sbrocco: It's out, it's over.

Alright, if you would like to try El Bistro by the Sea, it's located on Mission and 5th in Carmel-By-The-Sea.

The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $60.

Kerrie always loved the idea of plant-based eating, but until recently, had never found any vegetarian menus that truly wowed her senses.

That all changed when she discovered an innovative eatery with a special focus on all things fresh and foraged.

Located in Pacific Grove, it's Julia's Vegetarian Restaurant.

♪♪ Gundersen: Julia's Vegetarian Restaurant is a place where you go for great flavors and tons of options, whether you're vegetarian or not.

We're connected with nature because we're talking about plants.

We're talking about art.

We're talking about an experience for everybody.

♪♪ Recipes here at Julia's start with Italian, South American influence, Argentina in particular.

That will always be the core of what we are.

We live close to Salinas and tons of farms, so we're getting locally-sourced vegetables that haven't been out of the ground too long.

They each have their own flavor, there's no reason to hide their flavor.

You should go ahead and showcase them.

I enjoy cooking with mushrooms the most.

There are a lot of different meat substitutes and ways that you can add proteins to dishes, but to capture the umami, mushrooms really fit the bill well.

I have an assortment of mushrooms here.

These are exotic mushrooms.

These are the Cordyceps mushrooms, lion's mane, and these are baby blue oysters.

And then, we actually bred the baby blue oysters and turn them into something similar to calamari, which is what we serve for our mushroom sampler.

The yellow coconut curry is a well-guarded recipe.

This is something I can't really tell you exactly how to do, but I can tell you, I use a mild curry because not everyone wants a spicy curry.

And then, we're using root vegetables.

It's savory, it's sweet, it warms up your soul.

Server: California, also vegan cheese.

Customer: Thank you!

Gundersen: So, there's this thing that happens here.

A carnivore will come with their vegan friend and they tell us, "I'm not vegan, but I love your food."

It's the highest form of compliment.

Sbrocco: Okay, how did a non-vegetarian become such a fan of Julia's?

Smith: Julia's came about because... don't you feel like mushrooms have just been, like, the biggest obsession over the last few years?

Sbrocco: I love mushrooms, in any way, shape, or form.

Smith: Exactly, and I had no idea how flexible and creative you could be with mushrooms.

That's initially what piqued my interest, is that I wanted to learn more about what this innovative restaurant could offer.

There's different styles of food that you can get, from Mexican-inspired food to Indian-inspired cuisine, and so they really play with their menu.

Sbrocco: You're a pescatarian, right?

Mohan: Yes.

Sbrocco: So, did you know about this restaurant?

Mohan: I didn't, and it's like, so my jam!

I had never heard of it!

Sbrocco: That's awesome!

Mohan: I was like, "Oh, my God, how was this under my radar?"

This is, like, exactly the type of place I love.

It did not disappoint.

Sbrocco: So, what did you have?

Mohan: So, I started off with the buffalo cauliflower wings, which were so good.

You have these pieces of cauliflower that have been, like, super-fried, tossed in this delicious buffalo sauce.

They have two spice levels, I went for the lower one and I actually thought it was just perfect.

And they serve it with a vegan -- shocking -- a vegan ranch dressing that tasted so good.

It was like, we polished it off.

It was just absolutely wonderful.

Murphy: So, we started with the mushroom sampler.

It came with baby blue mushrooms that were deep fried.

There's lion's mane mushrooms that were sauteed, as well.

And then, they do Cordyceps mushrooms that are fried crispy.

We got the vegan ranch, as well, I've never had vegan ranch, so I couldn't tell the difference.

It was delicious.

It was great.

Smith: That is my go-to!

I'm so glad you tried it.

It is hearty and satisfying, and just trying new types of mushrooms, and you can share it with a big group or you can gobble it all to yourself.

It's so delicious.

Sbrocco: Any other appetizers that you started with, or did you move right on?

Murphy: We moved right on after that.

I got the yellow coconut curry.

It's loaded with squash, and yams, and vegetables, and it's got a great amount of spice and flavor to it.

It was a very large portion.

It comes with a bunch of brown rice on the side.

And I got to say, most of my eating revolves around the protein first.

So, I was a little nervous going to a vegetarian restaurant.

Sbrocco: You were afraid you'd wither away!

Murphy: Yeah, and I was -- I was nervous about being hungry two hours later, you know?

[ Laughter ] But uh, I was very surprised that I was not left hungry at all afterwards.

Sbrocco: You didn't want to go get a burger?

Murphy: No, no, no, no.

[ All laugh ] Mohan: My favorite entree was the smokehouse pizza, which I feel like, as a vegetarian, it's hard to get barbecue style pizzas.

So, I was very excited to see this on the menu.

And so, you have the barbecue sauce, the mozzarella cheese, button mushrooms, and then my favorite part of it is that they had seitan bacon.

Seitan is a gluten-based plant meat.

People always tell me if I ever eat bacon I would love it, but I don't eat pork.

So, I was very happy with my fake bacon on the pizza and it was really delicious.

Sbrocco: And are you a pizza fan there?

Smith: I was going to ask you guys if you tried the pizza because it is something that you absolutely have to try!

And I do bring my kids, and they're not so adventurous, so they have a normal cheese pizza that you can get.

And I tell you, the truffle salt that they put on that, oh, my gosh, we were, like, stealing slices from the kids because it was so good!

And the freshness of their dough, and what I love is that you can do vegan cheese or you can just do regular cheese.

So, there's kind of an option for everybody.

Sbrocco: It's not a vegan restaurant.

Smith: Exactly.

Murphy: My wife ordered a pizza and it looked very delicious.

I had a slice of it, it had artichoke hearts.

it was a white sauce pizza, but very good.

Sbrocco: Did you get the real cheese or the vegan cheese?

Murphy: We got the real cheese, yeah.

[ All laugh ] Sbrocco: Anything else that they missed so far?

Smith: What did you get to drink?

Because I love a kombucha.

It's so healthy, it makes me feel good, and they make it all there, and they have some really interesting flavors.

And this isn't your store-bought kombucha, so it's not very sweet.

So, prepare yourself for that.

It is tangy, delicious.

Sbrocco: Goes well with the food.

Smith: Totally.

Sbrocco: What about dessert?

Smith: They do have a whole bakery case.

We got to try a vanilla and strawberry cake last time we went, it was pretty good.

I like my desserts on the sweeter side, though.

Like, I want to be, like, swimming in icing.

So, it's not... Sbrocco: Really?

With crème brûlée French toast?

[ All laugh ] Smith: Sorry!

So, it's not that, but it is that lighter, kind of more healthy style dessert, which I really appreciate.

Child: I like it!

Mohan: We tried an empanada.

It had a candy cap mushroom filling.

Sbrocco: A little bit sweeter.

Mohan: It's a little bit sweeter, yeah.

It has kind of a slight maple flavor, so it's one of those things where -- I totally agree with you.

Like, it wasn't sweet enough for me.

I need more sugar in my dessert, but it felt like an experience.

Like, "Oh, now I've tried this candy cap mushroom that I didn't know was a thing."

Sbrocco: You can take that one off the list.

Mohan: Exactly.

Sbrocco: And what about service?

Mohan: They were so lovely.

The moment you walk in, all the staff, they were so attentive, just super, super sweet.

A lovely experience.

Sbrocco: You agree with the service?

Murphy: Absolutely, yeah.

We got seated right away, we got served right away.

Throughout the ordering process, they were very informative on like, "You can order this with vegan options or vegetarian options."

It was a great experience overall.

Sbrocco: See?

Look at you!

[ All laugh ] She's over there going, "Discovery made.

Check."

Good.

Okay.

If you would like to try Julia's Vegetarian, it's located on Forest Avenue in Pacific Grove.

The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $55.

From pao de queijo to feijoada, Bhavya's a big fan of traditional Brazilian fare.

Luckily, she's found a warm, welcoming cafe that feels like a slice of Sao Paulo right in her own backyard.

Located in Santa Cruz, it's Sampa Brazilian Kitchen.

♪♪ ♪♪ Reber: Sampa Brazilian Kitchen is owned and operated by me and my two brothers.

Como ta tudo?

How is everything?

Good?

Sampa is short for Sao Paulo, which is kind of a nickname.

You can get everything in Sao Paulo because it is a big city and the food there is amazing, amazing, and it's where we're all from.

Our food is traditional Brazilian food.

The recipes come from our family, our mom and our uncles and aunties.

Our portions are huge, our plates are really big, and I'm a big eater, as well, like, I love to eat.

[ Laughs ] Customer: Who knows the recipe to this?

I want this.

Reber: Brazilian flavor is close to the Mediterranean, so there's a lot of garlic and onion, like, more that kind of vibe, which, we are colonized by Portuguese, and the rest of South America was colonized by Spanish.

So, I think that makes Brazilian cuisine different than the rest of the South America.

Man: That's good!

Reber: Sao Paulo is very famous for pastéis.

Looks like an empanada, you can put anything in it.

So, here, we put some cheese, we put chicken, we put meat.

It's a thin dough that we deep fry, which, anything deep fried is delicious, of course.

People sometimes expect Brazilian food to be spicy just because, you know, other cultures, Latin culture is.

It's not, but we have the best spice thing on the side, which is called malagueta.

It's a Brazilian pepper that is a very small, tiny little pepper.

And then, we blend it, we make our own.

And then, you can throw that on any dishes or anything and it's delicious.

Like, it's really good.

I mean, it's amazing.

Woman: Can you blow a kiss?

[ Laughs ] Reber: We like the vibe to be more like you walk into our home.

It's very laid back, casual, like you're eating in a friend's house.

You guys are good?

Alright, alright.

The thing that makes me the happiest is to be with my brothers and to make my parents proud that we're doing this.

And then, all the Brazilians, the Brazilian community in the Bay area, they'll come, and then they find us, and they're like, "Oh, my God, a Brazilian place!"

Do you need anything else?

Girl: No.

Whatever he says.

[ All laugh ] Reber: I think you're good!

Alright, sounds perfect.

So, it's...it's good.

Men: saúde!

Reber: Tchin!

Sbrocco: Now, Bhavya, why do you love Brazilian food?

Is it the vibe of this place?

Is it the food?

What is it?

Mohan: It's all of the above.

I mean, I think you walk in, it feels like family.

It's the most just welcoming environment.

And what I so appreciate is, as a pescatarian, sometimes Brazilian food can be a little tricky, a little bit more -- Sbrocco: It's often meat-driven.

Mohan: Meat driven, but I feel so taken care of here.

We have a family full of folks with dietary restrictions, and I think they have something for everyone.

Sbrocco: And I love Brazil.

I've got family in Brazil and friends, and we travel there a lot, I love Brazilian food.

Tell us what you start with usually.

Mohan: So, I love to start with the pao de queijo.

Sbrocco: Right.

Cheese bread, basically.

Mohan: I mean, I've talked about my love of cheese.

[ All laugh ] They start with a tapioca flour and it's filled with that mozzarella and Parmesan.

And it's just like, in every single bite, you can taste that cheesiness.

So, I love that texture, that they can -- Sbrocco: That kind of bouncy texture.

Mohan: Yes!

It reminds me of mochi, you know, that, like, squishy -- with the squishiness.

But then, it has the crustiness on the outside, and oh, it's so good.

Smith: Give me more of that sauce!

They have the homemade hot sauce.

That was my favorite.

I just dumped it on there.

It was just like the delivery device.

It was so good.

Sbrocco: What else did you have?

Smith: The Sampa Explosion.

Okay, they call it that for a reason.

There are three different types of flavors.

One is that cheesy bread.

Sbrocco: Pao de queijo Smith: Yes!

So good.

And then, you also had a chicken flavored one and then a beefy one.

And then, I love that it came with all these different sauces.

Oh, my gosh, I loved it!

Murphy: So, we ordered the Picanha, and it's a Brazilian cut of steak.

It comes from the top of the rump of the cow.

So, the love handle of the cow, if you will.

Sbrocco: The love handles!

Murphy: Super tender, super flavorful cut of meat.

They cook it to order, so we got ours medium rare.

Delicious steak, and it comes with a side of this fried flour, which is super delicious.

You can top it on the steak if you want.

Sbrocco: Farofa.

Murphy: Yeah, and it comes with rice, as well.

I got fries on the side, you could also get a salad, and a big bowl of black beans on the side, as well.

Very delicious.

Sbrocco: Very Brazilian.

And people are used to Brazilian steakhouses.

Smith: Yes!

Sbrocco: Right?

Where you go and you turn your card, "Yes, I'll have more meat," "No, I'll --" right?

Mohan: Not me.

[ All laugh ] Sbrocco: Did you try the muqueca, though?

Mohan: Yes!

Oh, my God.

So, that's my other favorite dish.

So delicious.

You have these really generous chunks of fish and these big shrimp in this coconut-based stew.

There are flavors of lime and garlic in there.

Again, served with that really delicious rice that they have.

Such a hearty meal.

I think it's one of those places where you try something, you're like, "Oh, my God, this is so good.

I want to come back and just keep eating more and more of this."

They have a vegan feijoada, which is kind of incredible to get.

You have this hearty, big bowl of stew.

So, with the beans, and the peppers, and they use a plant-based meat, but the sausage pieces are, like, perfectly crisped.

Along with that, they serve collard greens, perfectly done rice, the farofa, so the cassava root, which is just so fun to kind of sprinkle over everything.

So, I feel like you can just kind of construct this perfect bite, you know, a little bit of stew, a little bit of the rice.

Sbrocco: So, you can get the traditional feijoada, with the meat, and beans, beans, too.

But you can also get the vegetarian version.

Mohan: Yes, yeah!

So, they have -- I haven't tried the traditional one but my husband has tried it, he loves it.

And then, I have my vegan version, so it's perfect.

Smith: I went with the eggplant Parmesan.

I'm used to an Italian-style eggplant Parmesan where you're getting all those layers.

This was like one chunky little eggplant dish with loads of cheese and sauce on it.

And I love that it came with a really delicious salad.

It had homemade dressing on it, and some cheese on it, and I loved that.

Sbrocco: Talk about the drinks because they do have quite an extensive -- and I'm talking juices, and all sorts of... Did you get any of the juices?

Smith: I did.

I was juiced up.

I got the -- [ All laugh ] I got the passion fruit juice.

Sbrocco: Maracujá!

Smith: Yes, that.

So healthy, and refreshing, and tart.

Just a lovely way to pair with a meal.

Sbrocco: Do you get anything to... Murphy: You know, I stuck with the fermented wheat juice.

Uh...so, beer.

[ All laugh ] What I liked about their menu, though, is they had a lot of beers from local breweries.

Humble Sea that's local to Santa Cruz area was on there.

So, I always like to try the local beers in the area.

Sbrocco: And it goes so well with the food.

Murphy: Absolutely, yeah.

Beer, steak, fries... Can't go wrong.

Smith: Yeah.

Sbrocco: You get dessert.

Mohan: Yes.

[ All laugh ] I love the parfait de crema.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Mohan: Oh, my God, it's so good.

They have a couple different flavors.

I got the dulce de leche.

There's whipped cream, there's caramel, there's bits of wafer.

It's all in this, like, very generous cup.

And it's perfect for sharing, so everyone gets their spoons and just, like, digs in.

Sbrocco: And sweet enough for you?

Mohan: Definitely.

It's sweet.

[ All laugh ] It's so...it's so good.

Sbrocco: You said the ambiance of the place is just super friendly.

Did you feel that, too?

Murphy: Absolutely.

So, you walk in, they greet you, they sat us right away.

Our waitress was super attentive.

It was a great time.

Smith: Yeah, I had the same experience.

I went right at brunch time, right when they opened at 11:00.

So, I would like to go back when it is more lively, and maybe at night, and experience the full vibe of the restaurant.

Sbrocco: Alright, well, if you would like to try Sampa Brazilian Kitchen, it's located on North Branciforte Avenue in Santa Cruz, and the average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $35.

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

[ Laughs ] Check out "Cecilia Tries It" online at kqed.org/checkplease.

I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show -- Matt Murphy, who craves the cinnamon roll French toast at Carmel's El Bistro by the Sea, Kerrie Smith, who marvels at the wild mushroom creations at Julia's Vegetarian in Pacific Grove, and Bhavya Mohan, who is a huge fan of the feijoada at Sampa Brazilian Kitchen in Santa Cruz.

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!

Smith: Cheers!

Sbrocco: Was it fun?

Did you enjoy it?

[ Conversation continues indistinctly ] Gundersen: The thing we're most proud of is our home-brewed kombucha.

You're gonna see these large glass jars full of different spices.

They aren't really spices for food.

They're gonna be something that we flavor our kombucha with.

I'm drinking my kombucha right now with a little lemonade.

People love our lavender kombucha, but straight up, it's a little strong for me, so I like to pour it into my lemonade to give it just the right thing.

If you're a kombucha drinker, you probably have good gut health.

If you have good gut health, you probably feel as good as I do.