Sbrocco: Fresh Filipino fare in Oakland, a celebrity chef with a passion for prime cuts in San Francisco... Chow: Do you want the crab?

Sbrocco: ...and Cantonese classics in Walnut Creek.

Phillips: Wiener, wiener, hot dog eater.

Sbrocco: Just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Winer: It was like a potato cloud from heaven.

Sbrocco: I could sleep in it.

Sbrocco: Hi!

I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Bay Area," the show where regular 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 to check 'em out to see what they think.

Joining me at the "Check Please" table today are homemaker Amy Finn, Bay Area native Stefan Winer, and administrative assistant Tanyashia Wallace.

Welcome, everyone.

You ready?

Winer: Yes.

We're excited.

First up, Tanyashia.

Her latest find offers lush cocktails, classic Filipino food and a serious island vibe.

In the heart of Oakland's Temescal neighborhood, it's FOB Kitchen.

♪♪ Dulce: Can you garnish me?

When I wanted to open up a Filipino restaurant, I wanted to make sure that it was something that Filipinos felt proud to come into and bring their friends.

There's great music, a great ambiance.

There's cocktails and there's a cool vibe.

♪♪ Why did I call it FOB Kitchen?

FOB means fresh off the boat.

So it's almost like you're a person who'd just come straight from the Philippines.

You're foreign, which we all are.

I started thinking of my family, who taught me how to cook.

And I want to be proud of them.

And I wanted to empower the word.

So I took it back, and now I feel really glad about my decision, because people will message me on Instagram, and they'll say, "I'm FOB," and they'll be very proud of it.

♪♪ All the recipes or all the things on the menu are favorites of mine growing up.

When we would go to family parties, I would eat so many Shanghai Lumpias, and my friends would eat it.

And I'm like, I wanted to learn.

And so I cooked with my grandma, and she showed me the recipe.

We do house ground pork, water chestnuts, celery, carrots, onions, egg yolks to bind it all, and some -- a little bit of patís, which is fish sauce.

And we roll lumpias, deep fry it, and we serve it with a sweet chili sauce.

Mmm.

♪♪ I have a lot of vegetarian and vegan dishes, and Filipinos are predominately meat eaters.

So changing that out, making, like, veggie stocks or substituting certain things or taking meat out and making it have that umami flavor, that savory flavor.

All: Cheers.

Dulce: And it's good with the hot sauce, too.

Woman: Yes.

That's your homemade hot sauce?

Dulce: Yeah, we make that in-house.

I love to get out there and connect with people and want to let them know I'm so grateful that they came in to eat here.

And it's funny 'cause my grandma comes -- She's come into the restaurant maybe like twice, when she comes and visit from the Philippines.

She's like 92.

I'm like, "What do you think about the lumpia, Nana?

She's like, "It's good."

And I'm like, "It's your recipe."

Sbrocco: Now, Tanyashia, how did you find and discover this place?

Wallace: I eat in Oakland quite a bit and in Temescal quite a bit.

And as I was walking down the street, I could hear the music coming from inside.

The first time I went, they were playing Aretha Franklin.

And one thing anybody knows about me is that I can't sing, but I do the sing.

And the cook behind me just started belting the song out, and I was like, "Oh, okay, now this is a vibe, and we're going to have a duet here."

It was awesome.

Sbrocco: And is there one dish that keeps drawing you back again and again?

Wallace: Each time I go, I have to have the pancit.

It is a vegan dish, and I am very much a carnivore.

But it's awesome, with the glass noodles, the way that it's seasoned.

It has string beans, onions.

It is a really flavorful dish.

Winer: We also had the Pancit Sotanghon, 'cause I'm actually half Filipino, so I eat a lot of Filipino food at home, and there's a lot of pork and meat in the dishes.

So it was really refreshing to try the flavors without meat, and it was really interesting to see how they can do that.

Finn: I started with the Singkamas Ensalada, and it was like a coleslaw with carrots, cabbage, and like maybe a zested lime as well in there and some sort of vinegar.

And it just all came together so wonderfully.

And my friend is vegan, so she just dined on that.

But we were, like, stealing that off her plate to go with our chicken, our crispy chicken that we also started with.

I'm just, like, a chicken skin girl.

I just really like the chicken skin.

And it just had the flavor of the chicken and it was just really authentic.

And they had this hot sauce that came with it, and it was just divine with this chicken.

Wallace: Their hot sauce deserves to be bottled.

It is so delicious.

Sbrocco: Is it eye-popping kind of hot?

Wallace: It's not eye-popping hot, but it's hot enough to get you going.

It is awesome.

Sbrocco: Stefan?

Winer: We also had the pork adobo.

I think it's the national dish of the Philippines.

And the special touch they did was they added coconut milk to it.

So it was very velvety and creamy, and it was amazing.

I couldn't wait to spoon more of that sauce on top of the garlic rice and even the pancit.

So it was really special, really good.

Finn: And we ordered the veggie lumpia, and it's sort of like a crispy, almost like a spring roll, but it's got a special sort of vegetables that would be native to the Philippines.

And then we had that with that hot sauce, and it was -- it was really nice.

I had the tocino with the garlic rice and a fried egg on top, and that was just so flavorsome.

I really enjoyed the pork.

I'm not a big pork lover in general, but the way this was cooked, it just was out of this world.

And I would definitely try the pork in this restaurant 100%.

Again, I completely recommend it.

My friend had the deep fried pork belly, which I think is called Lechon.

Sbrocco: Let's get the expert over here.

Finn: Yeah.

Winer: Yeah, Lechon Kawali.

Finn: Lechon Kawali?

Yes.

And it was just, again, like, there's nothing they can't do with this pork.

They do so many magical things with it, and I highly recommend getting some pork if you're going to visit this restaurant.

Wallace: One of the cocktails that I had was the Juhu Beach cocktail, and I believe they named it that in homage of the restaurant that was in the same space before.

It was an Indian restaurant.

So this had an Indian rum, chai, cardamom.

It was a great drink.

Finn: I think I had that one.

Yeah, I think I had that cocktail, too.

It was sensational.

It was really delicious.

Yeah.

Winer: We had the Halo Halo, which means "mix, mix" in Tagalog.

And it's like shaved ice -- Sbrocco: Halo Halo is everywhere now.

Winer: Yeah, it's popular, right?

But yes, it's shaved ice with condensed milk and a bunch of things inside.

You know, sometimes there's Rice Krispies.

There's, like, jelly beans and a big scoop of ube ice cream on top.

It just -- Sbrocco: Pretty and purple.

Winer: It's pretty and purple.

And you eat as much as you can.

And once it melts, you can drink it all down.

It's great to see Filipino food modernized and becoming popular.

You know, growing up, not a lot of people tried Filipino food that aren't Filipino.

So it's great now that Amy and everyone else can -- We can all go enjoy Filipino brunch together.

Sbrocco: So you're thanking Tanyashia right now?

Winer: Yeah, great, thank you.

Sbrocco: For finding this place, right?

Winer: Yeah.

It was amazing.

Thank you.

Sbrocco: Alright.

If you would like to try FOB Kitchen, it's located on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, and the average tab per person is around $25.

♪♪ Home of the Golden State Warriors, the Chase Center is a state-of-the-art venue for show-stopping events year round.

But if you're looking for something far beyond arena dogs and brews, you might want to check out Stefan's alternative.

It's a swanky steakhouse where impeccable service is all part of the show.

In San Francisco, it's Miller & Lux.

♪♪ Florence: I am in love with steakhouses.

I have been ever since I was a little kid.

So, where we are right now in Mission Bay, between 1860 and the 1906 earthquake, used to be the largest meat-packing district on the West Coast.

and it was founded by Henry Miller and Charles Lux, and they were known as the cattle kings of California.

I am so proud to carry the torch for this great immigrant story, great cattle ranching story, great California story.

♪♪ I'm an American chef.

And I think the food here kind of feels very distinctive and clean and beautiful and well prepared, and well thought through and craveable.

When it comes to steak procurement, we have put together some amazing relationships with ranchers all around the world.

So, we have, our tomahawk in the front is our Australian Wagyu.

So, when it comes to preparing a great steak, especially with the pedigree of the cuts that we're using here, it's got to be simple.

And so we just simply wash the steaks with an herb-infused olive oil and then hit them with sea salt and then pop under the broiler to get that really dynamic crust.

Woman: Oh, my God.

♪♪ Florence: It'll be cooked up to a perfect 147 degrees.

And then our table-side Dover sole.

We're the only restaurant in San Francisco to serve true Dover sole.

Woman #2: Wow.

Florence: And if you come to the restaurant, and I happen to be here that night, I'll probably debone it for you table-side, which is kind of fun.

Woman #3: Wow!

♪♪ Florence: I love oysters.

Like, it's kind of one of those things that if you ask me if there's a couple things you eat for the rest of your life, oysters are one of them.

And, so, we actually have an estuary tank inside of our kitchen.

It's salinated and pH balanced to the ocean.

The oysters still think they're in an estuary, so they're still alive and fresh and incredibly plump.

And so when we crack them open, it's the same as if you pulled them straight from the water.

I'm very hands-on.

I enjoy hospitality.

I really like it, and so does everybody here in the restaurant.

And so we absolutely love opening up the doors of Miller & Lux, throwing a party every single night.

And then we don't care if you're wearing like a Warriors jersey or a rock 'n' roll T-shirt to go see a concert.

We just love to have you in the house, and the energy in the room is just spectacular.

We're just having a great time.

♪♪ Sbrocco: Now, Stefan, Miller & Lux is a special place in and of itself.

But it's special to you.

Winer: It is.

It's symbolic of my coming of age, living in the Bay, you know?

Growing up, I would take the BART to Oracle Arena to watch the Warriors, and we never made it out of the second round of the playoffs.

And maybe I got some gum stuck to my shoe or popcorn in my hair, you know, sitting up in the nosebleeds.

And now we have this brand-new Chase Center in San Francisco with a championship basketball team.

Getting served table-side by Tyler Florence, it's the definition of winning to me.

[ Both laugh ] Sbrocco: And when you think of a steakhouse, you think of only steaks.

But this has so many different options.

Winer: We started with the oysters.

And the oysters, I think, really represent what they're doing at Miller & Lux, because it was like the freshest oyster I've ever had, and it was served with a mignonette with wild pink peppercorns.

And it was so good that I just drank it afterwards, after the oysters were gone.

It's so good.

Finn: So, we went for the Caesar salad for two.

And I'm not a Caesar salad person, but I said, you know, in the spirit of the experience, I would try it.

And they actually prepared it at the table.

Wallace: The lettuce came still growing in the pot, and I was like, "I'm really not sure what you're about to do here."

Florence: These are Meyer lemon chips.

Finn: And then, there was the anchovies.

And everything together -- Like, I am a Caesar salad convert now because of this experience.

Winer: Nice.

A lot of folks I've taken said it's the best Caesar salad they've had.

Wallace: Yes.

Sbrocco: Now let's talk about steak.

Wallace: I had the New York strip.

I enjoyed the fact that even though it was a New York strip, it still had the bone.

And I love a bone on a steak.

When I asked for it medium rare, I usually say that knowing that they were going to overcook it in some way, but the steak came out perfectly.

Winer: We got the porterhouse, which I think is a good option to get more variety, 'cause you get, like, the filet as well as the strip steak all in one.

It's, like, crispy and crunchy and salty, and it's just perfectly cooked, so tender and juicy.

Finn: I'm simple.

I like filet mignon.

That's my favorite.

I'm not a big fatty or bone person.

And this filet mignon was just perfection.

It was just wonderful.

Man: These potatoes are fire.

Finn: So, we had a kind of a creamed potato that was with it, and it was like little fluffy clouds with the wonderful texture.

It just came together so well.

Winer: Yeah.

It was like a potato cloud from heaven, right?

Sbrocco: I could sleep in it.

Winer: Like, I don't know the recipe, but it seemed like a 10:1 ratio of butter to potato.

And we got the French fries, 'cause what's wrong with more potatoes?

And, you know, they had black truffles on top and Parmesan cheese.

Wallace: I also had the creamed kale, and I guess it was his take on creamed spinach, but it was so much better because it wasn't soggy.

It was seasoned really nicely.

Sbrocco: Anything to drink with those steaks?

Oysters?

Wallace: Absolutely.

I had the Rye Manhattan.

It was by far the best Manhattan I've ever had, just the showmanship of the bartender making it.

And once he poured it in my glass, he ended up putting the rest of it in a carafe and putting it on ice in another bowl.

So it was essentially two drinks.

It was perfect.

Winer: You know, starting out the night, they roll up with a champagne cart.

And it's on ice, and there's all these options, and they're showing you.

So we definitely started with champagne.

And all I remember is, by the end the night, I was pushing the cart.

Like, literally, I pushing the cart and getting bottles for our table.

It was really fun.

Sbrocco: It is the only way to deliver the champagne is by the cart.

[ Laughter ] Florence: This is our flaming ice cream sundae.

Sbrocco: And what about desserts, Stefan?

Winer: Oh, I mean, they wheel out this cart full of all these amazing pastries, and it's like a mind trick, right?

'Cause I had this strawberry that wasn't a strawberry.

It's like something out of Willy Wonka's garden where you pick it, and inside is the strawberry cream with the strawberry jelly, and it's white chocolate and dark chocolate surrounding it.

So good.

It was too beautiful to cut into, but once I did, I ate it like in one bite, so... Waiter: Allow me, sir.

Wallace: The service in that restaurant was A-plus.

Finn: Yeah, I feel like, for what it is, you definitely get the value, you know, because it's a treat.

It's something that you go to when there's a special occasion.

You're not going to spend that money every day, but the bang for your buck.

is fantastic.

You know, you really get to experience what fine dining is all about.

Winer: Yeah, it's nice, it's new, it's -- It's dope.

Sbrocco: If you would like to try Miller & Lux, it's located on Terry A Francois Boulevard in the Chase Center in San Francisco, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $125.

San Francisco has a renowned reputation for outstanding dim sum.

But Amy says she's found a place in the East Bay 'burbs that can rival Chinatown when it comes to savory shu mai and other Cantonese delights.

In Walnut Creek, it's Creek House Dim Sum Restaurant.

♪♪ [ Man speaking indistinctly ] ♪♪ Chow: Creek House Dim Sum is the old, traditional, Hong Kong style dim sum.

[ Laughter ] Dim sum means "touching your heart."

It's Cantonese tradition.

Family and friends gather on the weekend, sit and talk and drink.

♪♪ We have more than 70 different kind of dim sum.

The entree menu look more like traditional Canton style menu.

These are from the master chef.

He do the cooking like do the artwork.

♪♪ My wife, Connie, my right arm helping me.

Daughter: Just hang out till like 3:00.

That's when -- Chow: My daughter help me to communicate to the customer.

My son help me do the packing the to-go order.

Yan: People.

Chow: My sister Fanny help me do the accounting.

Hi, guys.

Woman: We can have lobster noodles.

Chow: Lobster noodle.

Okay.

I can do lobster noodle for you.

Okay.

Yan: My brother Sheke, he is in a restaurant business all his life.

Chow: Hi, you people like some nice seafood?

Yan: My first memory of my brother was this dim sum boy holding the tray, selling dim sum.

Chow: [ Speaks indistinctly ] My friend, here she go.

Here you are.

Man: Wow.

This is big one.

Chow: 13 year in a row, never take a day off.

Yan: Oh, he's crazy.

He work too much.

He's not supposed to be doing this at age of 74.

Chow: When I get day off, I feel no comfort.

I wonder, what should I do?

What should I do?

[ Laughs ] Even on the day off, you'll come to the restaurant and do something.

[ Laughs ] Yan: I want to tell him to stop, but I'm kind of afraid.

I think this is what keeps him going.

Chow: For sure.

Creek House make my American dream come really true.

[ Laughs ] Like a dream, dream come true.

Sbrocco: Alright, Walnut Creek, dim sum, you know, doesn't always equal a hotspot, you wouldn't, in your mind.

But you're saying this place rivals Chinatown?

Finn: Yeah.

I feel like it's very authentic representation of what dim sum is.

And it's in a strip mall.

It looks very unassuming, but don't let that put you off.

Sbrocco: And the owners have been in the restaurant business their whole life, in terms of having Chinese and Cantonese restaurants, but came out of retirement.

to actually create this spot.

Finn: This to me represents the commitment they have to dim sum.

And it shows.

You know, they don't want to let the tradition die and they want to make sure that we all get a taste of it.

Sbrocco: Do you -- Do you have any favorites?

Finn: I am a bit of a strange one, because I like the chicken feet, and I especially love the chicken feet here.

And it has this, like, tangy black bean sauce that's just melt in your mouth.

And it combines really well with the bony, tenuous, chewy flavor of the chicken feet.

And it has to be experienced.

Don't let the legs put you -- the little feet put you off, because it is done really well.

Sbrocco: Alright.

Well, Stefan, you know, they make 70 different dim sums or more.

What did you have when you went?

Winer: We started with the Jumbo Siu Mai, and it's definitely bigger than the average dumpling that you get in San Francisco or anywhere else I've been.

It was like a pork and shrimp meatball, and it was very juicy.

And I knew the meal was going to be good after that.

Wallace: Right.

I also had the Jumbo Siu Mai.

And while the flavor was great, I just felt like the ratio of meat to the actual wrapper just wasn't -- Sbrocco: Too much meat?

Wallace: Yeah.

It was too much meat for me.

Sbrocco: Ah, okay.

Wallace: Yeah, but it did taste delicious.

Finn: Can you ever have too much meat?

[ Laughter ] See, I like the Jumbo Siu Mai, and it's really hard not to order more, because, you know, we're like, who's going to get the last one, you know?

Winer: We did have the Chinese Fried Donut, so it's carbs on carbs on carbs.

And, yeah, it's a deep fried Chinese doughnut that's crispy and salty and fresh out the fryer, and then they wrap the rice noodle around it.

So the rice noodle's very fresh and soft, and that one's really good.

Wallace: We also had the fried sticky rice.

It was kind of crunchy.

It had ginger, and it was kind of peppery.

That, I would definitely order again.

We also had sauteed string beans with garlic and chili oil.

They were just spicy enough and still crunchy.

We also had the salt and pepper chicken wings.

They were fried perfectly.

The outside was crispy.

They were seasoned wonderfully.

They were awesome.

Winer: Yeah.

We also had the pan fried daikon cakes.

I love daikon.

It's an Asian radish.

It's a bit pungent, but very comforting to me, something I've eaten a lot growing up.

So, it has a nice crispy exterior, but really soft and steamy and, you know, daikon radish inside.

Yeah, we had the Baked Ube Buns.

And being Filipino, I love ube, so if it's on the menu, I'm going to get it.

Sbrocco: I was going to say, there's a little theme.

Winer: Yeah, there's a theme here.

It's like a purple yam, and it has hints of vanilla in there.

There's like a baked, warm, glazed bun around it, so it was really good.

It came with three, so we ate one and took the rest home to eat with our coffee.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Did you have anything to drink with it?

Finn: I had a very special Chinese sangria with -- Sbrocco: I never heard of Chinese sangria.

Finn: It was really nice.

It was obviously a red wine and fruit and lychees in it, and it was very tasty and very drinkable and definitely had a taste of more of it.

Wallace: That might bring me back to try.

Yeah, I might have to try that.

Sbrocco: Alright.

If you would like to try Creek House Dim Sum, it's located on Parkside Drive in Walnut Creek, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $25.

And now reporter Cecilia Phillips heads to San Francisco's Fort Mason for some Off the Grid bites you've just got to try.

♪♪ Cohen: So, Off the Grid's all about creating great mobile experiences that are all temporary.

There is no other place, I think, in California where you can consistently find as many food trucks in one place.

Greenfield: You got me at Chicken Satay!

[ Laughs ] Phillips: So, I wanted to come and visit you because our audience with "Check, Please!"

said that Satay by the Bay was the truck that we had to check out.

What makes your truck so special?

Greenfield: It is special because this is the only Singaporean halal Malay food truck.

And not just that, it's actually made with love, because I'm continuing my mom's legacy and also with my grandmother's secret peanut sauce.

Phillips: So what goes into the peanut sauce?

Can you tell us?

Greenfield: Not really.

It's a secret recipe.

Phillips: Never!

Greenfield: It's mainly peanuts.

[ Both laugh ] Cheers.

Phillips: It's like swords here fighting over the satay.

It's so tender.

Greenfield: That's what it is.

Thighs are always juicier.

Phillips: Don't I know it?

[ Both laugh ] ♪♪ Teplitsky: Hi.

I come from Kiev, Ukraine.

So, borsch is a staple food in our country and a staple food in my home.

It's a beet based soup, beets and cabbage, and it's very healthy.

There's many variations.

And we provide a garlic bun.

Phillips: I'm gonna try this.

Okay.

Oh, it's hot.

Teplitsky: It's supposed to be hot.

Phillips: Mmm!

Great!

Borsch Mobile.

Who would have thought?

Teplitsky: Who would have thought?

Albornoz: Cochinita's actually a traditional food in Yucatán, which is cochinita pibil.

So, the whole point about the pulled pork and the chicken that we carry, we cook it about 8 hours.

Phillips: Tell me about some of the spices that go into making this.

Albornoz: Oh, it's achiote for sure.

I'm not going to give you the secrets on TV, but -- Phillips: We never get the secrets.

Albornoz: Exactly.

Alright.

Cheers.

Salud.

I'm not going to tell you to try mine, but I know mine's good.

Phillips: Well, I know mine's good, too.

So I heard that your truck is the first frozen custard truck in California.

Pérez: It is, yes.

It's actually a dual concept truck.

We offer churros and frozen custard.

Cheers.

♪♪ A little messy.

Phillips: I definitely want "s'more" of this, huh?

♪♪ Cohen: So, every third Friday of the month, we like to welcome our dog friends as well as our people friends.

And we have Fido Fridays where we have specials at the bar for people who bring their dogs.

[ Cheers and applause ] But tonight, we're doing Dachshund races.

Go!

[ Cheers and applause ] That's right, cheer them on, baby.

Give them some love.

Whoo-hoo!

Phillips: So I heard you all do Yappy Hour for people who have dogs.

I happen to have one right here that I found along the way.

This is Peanut.

Woman: Hi, Peanut.

Phillips: Peanut's 3 months old, way too young.

But I'll definitely try some wine.

So you've got a red here, and you got a rosé?

Cheers.

Yappy Hour.

Not for you.

Aww.

♪♪ Sbrocco: I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show... Amy Finn, who craves the chicken feet at Creek House Dim Sum in Walnut Creek, Stefan Winer, who says all hail to the Caesar at Miller & Lux in San Francisco, and Tanyashia Wallace, who shared her passion for pancit at FOB Kitchen 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 all then.

Cheers.

Wallace: Cheers.

Phillips: What makes your brisket so delicious?

Man: I think how we cook the brisket.

So, we cook the brisket for 15 hours.

'Cause if it's slow, that's why the brisket become like so tender, nicely, and juicy.

Phillips: So, this looks like the fatty end, huh?

Man: The fatty end.

Phillips: This is my favorite part.

Oh, yeah.

Man #2: Here we go!

[ Crowd cheering ] Oh, man!

Oh, oh, oh!

Got across the line!

Going across the line!

[ Cheering continues ] Almost!