♪♪ Sbrocco: Got carbs?

It's time to tuck into delicious dumplings, hand-cooked pasta, and some seriously big bowls of noodles.

It's a special edition of "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Cam: A bowl comes out and you're just like, "oh, my gosh.

Look at that bowl."

Sbrocco: Hi, I'm Leslie Sirocco.

Welcome back to "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

since we can't sit around the table with new guests just yet, we're on the road in wine country to kick off another specially themed show.

It all begins with a few simple ingredients that, depending upon which country you're in, can be shaped, stuffed, steamed, or boiled into an incredible variety of noodles and dumplings.

When you can find them made fresh daily from recipes passed down through generations, you're in for a special treat.

Let's get stuffed.

♪♪ Li: The Kingdom of Dumplings is a small, tiny restaurant which have 30 different kinds of dumplings.

I'm Qinghe Li, the owner of the Kingdom of Dumplings in San Francisco.

Dumpling is a traditional Chinese food in the north part of the China.

When I was a child, we were very poor.

We don't have too much money to buy meat.

The only time we can eat dumplings is the New Year's time or festival time.

Every morning from 8 o'clock to 4:30, we make 15,000 piece of dumplings each day, every day.

Man: [ Indistinct speaking ] Li: Dumplings are healthy because our dumpling's cooked on the steamed or boiled.

Man: [ Speaks indistinctly ] Li: Also, our recipes, we put more vegetables than meat.

And that way, people eat dumplings also eat vegetables.

My favorite dumpling is the lamb dumpling.

[ Speaks indistinctly ] Woman: Yeah.

Li: Okay.

How are you?

We treat our customers like our relatives.

People come here, feel like they're home.

We'd rather have one customer come here 1,000 times than 1,000 people come here only once.

♪♪ Sbrocco: Alright, Mary, you're literally doing this to get to your dumplings, aren't you?

Gow: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Sbrocco: Is that what happens?

Gow: Yeah, it's totally worth it, too.

And oftentimes, there's a long wait outside, so don't let that intimidate you because they're very quick.

They have a sister shop down the street, which is just a kitchen.

And you can just order dumplings.

You can take it home, frozen or fresh.

So there's a lot of dumpling shops in the city, a lot of dumpling restaurants and -- and that sell not just dumplings, but also xiaolongbao which is the -- Sbrocco: I don't know.

I don't speak -- Peng: It's a Jiangsu soup dumpling.

Gow: A Jiangsu soup dumpling.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Are you Chinese?

Peng: I am.

Gow: Okay, good.

Okay.

Good.

Sbrocco: Good.

I was gonna say my Chinese is really bad.

Gow: I know.

Come on, Leslie.

This xiaolongbao is really delicious.

You just got to get that because it's -- it's xiaolongbao.

I can't make that at home.

Sbrocco: Right.

Gow: So I go there.

It's totally worth it.

And you have to really eat that within 10 minutes of it arriving at your table.

Peng: They do come in six.

Now, most dumpling places in San Francisco come in four.

So you're kind of getting a-a good deal, I think.

And -- And like she mentioned, you know, they are -- Sbrocco: It's like a baker's half dozen.

Peng: It is.

It is, very true.

And, you know, they are truly handmade.

You know, you go in the back, you see, like, family members just cutting up the skin, folding it.

So it's not a standard shape that all of them look the same.

It's imperfect and that makes it authentic.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Peng: You know.

So when you get it, you can't eat it right away, either.

Gow: No, no, no.

Peng: So oftentimes, you have to poke a little hole.

This is what I do -- I poke a little hole, let the steam come out a little bit.

Within five minutes, I'll kind of enjoy it.

Sbrocco: And what else do you get?

Peng: So I got a green onion pancake.

The reason I get the green in a pancake is because that is a childhood staple of mine.

I grew up making that with my parents and I thought that it was very well done.

I would have added a little more salt to it, but they give you this kind of sauce that you can dip it in that kind of supplements it.

Van Hatten: Alright.

Sbrocco: What did you get?

Van Hatten: Well, I didn't know what to expect.

And driving up to the place, not being from San Francisco, and I knew it wasn't in Chinatown, so I'm thinking, "What are we doing here?"

And I was pleasantly surprised.

We ordered three or four different dishes and everything was so flavorful.

And -- And you look at it and you see it's this kind of white dumpling, and you mentally think, "Is that going to have flavor?"

Because it's -- it's white.

You know.

But the flavors were so good.

The pork and corn one that we had, you could taste the pork.

The corn was so sweet.

I mean, it was -- it was fantastic.

And while we're sitting there, they're bringing in trays of these dumplings.

The whole experience was just so unique and the food was much more flavorful than I originally thought it might be.

Gow: Definitely order the green onion pancakes because that is a staple of my childhood, as well.

So I know a good, fresh cong you bing, or a green onion pancake.

I'm whipping out my Chinese.

Peng: That was a very good Mandarin tone, by the way.

Gow: Thank you.

Xiexie.

Xiexie.

Green onion pancakes, definitely, it's a great appetizer, a side dish.

The farmer's cucumber is fresh.

It's crisp and cool.

It's a great side dish or an appetizer.

I love it.

♪♪ ♪♪ Chi: So we want to create a place where people come in and you always get good food no matter what.

Kind of Italians enjoy their life, you know, they just drink and eat all the time and they're very happy.

Belotti: Wine and food, it just keep coming, keep coming, keep coming.

And when you're done, you start.

Chi: My name is Joyce Chi, I'm co-owner of Belotti Ristorante e Bottega.

Belotti: My name is Michele Belotti.

I'm the chef and co-owner.

[ Speaks indistinctly ] The focus was obviously the pasta because from the beginning, I always work in pasta since my mom in the kitchen making pasta, you know, at least twice a week.

In my town, Bergamo, every family has their own recipe for pasta.

If you go to my neighbor in Italy, the recipe is gonna be different than mine.

Cappellacci means, mm, better looking shoes.

Yes, because the shape reminds, like, a shape of old shoes in Bergamo.

There was no shoes.

Everybody was poor.

So there was, like, wrapping towel around the feet.

And that was looking, like, funny, like a little boat I would say.

Chi: I know my husband, he really enjoys seeing people eating.

And he can see their face go from, "Oh, what is this?"

And when they put it in their mouth, they're like... That gets him every single time.

He's like, "This is why I do what I do."

Belotti: You know, eat and you enjoy a glass of wine and then you forget about everything else outside of this restaurant.

We try to make you happy.

Yeah.

Sbrocco: Alright, let's talk Italian food.

Parry: My husband and I actually heard about this restaurant by word of mouth.

We heard that there was this really, really good, authentic Italian restaurant that was reasonably priced in Rockridge.

It knocked our socks off.

It's just like a little neighborhood place.

It's tiny.

It's only about 10 to 12 tables plus a bar.

And you can have a full menu at the bar.

The food, I keep going back to the same entree and salad.

It's the lattuga salad.

It's practically an entire head of fresh butter lettuce -- it's the freshest lettuce you've ever had -- with toasted pine nuts, a little sprinkled Grana Padano, and then a really tasty lemon vinaigrette.

The Agnolotti di Lidia, [Sighs] it's just -- it's the best.

It is -- Sbrocco: Little pillows of love.

Parry: All the pasta's handmade in house.

So these are little pillows.

They are filled with a mix of I think it's beef and pork.

And then there's the sauce that it's in is a beef reduction, which is not too thick, not too thin.

You kind of want to lick the bowl when you're finished.

Sbrocco: Dennis is drooling over here.

I just want you to know he's -- he's shaking his head, you know, like, [Groans].

Trixler: It's out of this world.

It is.

And I'm so happy that you picked this restaurant.

From start to finish, it's probably one of my favorite restaurants I've ever been to in my life.

Sbrocco: Wow.

That's saying a lot.

Trixler: That dish you're talking about, this beef production sauce was so rich and lovely that it almost tasted like there was caramel in it.

There's so many good dishes on that menu that I had no idea what to do.

And the waiter came up and he was Italian and he gave it the, [In Italian accent] "Hey, ya -- How ya doin'?"

You know, kind of tough guy, right?

But -- and I go -- Sbrocco: That's Jersey.

But that's okay.

Trixler: That's East Coast.

You're right.

Sbrocco: That's Jersey.

Vu: I had exactly the same experience.

And in fact, I had exactly the same experience twice because it was so good I had to go back another time.

Parry: Oh, I'm so happy.

Vu: Yeah.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

The pasta, amazing.

But my favorite was the Casoncelli, which was another stuffed pasta.

Parry: That's what my husband gets.

Vu: Braised meat that's so tender.

They also serve it with sage and pancetta.

Trixler: Is that the one stuffed with pork?

Vu: Yeah, it's the one stuffed with pork.

And it is just so good.

You have to get it.

And also the Papperdelle.

It just comes with hen of the wood mushrooms, but it has so much beefy flavor and just deep, like, umami unctuousness.

♪♪ ♪♪ Gino: Dad based his belief on, you know, this is a place where he wanted everybody to come and be comfortable.

When we were growing up, We basically -- our house was a house where all the friends came and hung out.

Mom would be cooking pasta or whatever.

Dad would be barbecuing.

Hi, I'm Gino DeRose.

Nick: And I'm Nick DeRose.

Together: And we're the guys from Antipastos.

Nick: Well, we'll call it raised being Italian.

And a lot of those sauce recipes definitely come from our grandmothers.

Dad always had a quote where he said, "Quality should not be compromised."

So the raviolis are made on a 100-year-old ravioli machine that he hunted down.

And the thing about our raviolis is we cut the meat here.

We cook the meat here.

We do everything from scratch.

The dough is made here.

Gino: Thin dough.

Nice, rich filling.

Pillows of heaven.

Nick: We're very old school when it comes to our etiquette.

Man: Thanks, Gino.

Nick: And we always know a first timer from the second they walk through the door.

We can look at them and say, "Welcome to our store.

We know it's your first time.

This is what we do."

Woman: Is that good?

Woman #2: I know, I know.

Where have you been?

Nick: We've turned more strangers into best friends in this place.

Gino: It's personable, you know, making people feel comfortable.

Man: Oh, there you go.

Perfect.

Yeah.

Nick: Yeah, we have lots of children that come in and want to see our mom, Mary.

She's like their grandma, and there's so many people that love her.

Gino: She's the, uh, backbone of the whole business and, uh... Nick: We couldn't do it without her.

Gino: Yeah.

Together: Pasta!

Sbrocco: Now, Ethan, this is a place that you have literally grown up at, right?

You've gone there how many times?

Ethan: Too many to count.

It's a ta-- But in my mind, it's just -- everything is great on its own.

But it all just kind of gobbles up into one thing that I know is Antipastos.

I love everything there.

Sbrocco: Give me a couple of dishes that you just wake up in the morning and go, "Oh, God, I want this right now."

Ethan: [ Exhales ] I got to sit back here.

The steak is -- Sbrocco: take a breath.

Ethan: Take a breath.

The steak is the most wonderful piece of meat I've ever had.

It's always, always perfectly cooked.

And then they have pasta on the side and they have the meat marinara to go with the steak.

Ethan: And then -- it blends in well.

And then on Fridays, they do a calamari Caesar salad.

Well, first off, they do make their own dressing, but then they've got the calamari, which -- unbelievable.

It's breaded, it's salted, perfectly crispy.

And then the squid itself, it's like the steak, except in squid form, basically.

It's just as good as that.

Sbrocco: It's like the beef of the sea.

Ethan: Yeah, exactly.

Girl: Yeah.

Ethan: It just kind of pushes over.

Rosa: I think it's very family friendly.

And then also, I noticed that they have, like, a little market that has lots of Italian treats.

So I thought that was really cool.

Elias: It was like a mixture of a ton of different places.

It was like a sports bar on one hand, but then a deli and kind of a butcher shop on the other hand.

And I thought it was really interesting, and I liked that a lot.

Sbrocco: Tell me what you got.

Elias: So I got the beef ravioli, which was perfect.

It was perfectly al dente.

I had it in Alfredo cream sauce, and it was great.

The cream sauce was super rich and had a kind of smoky flavor.

I thought the beef inside the ravioli was really good.

It was kind of garlicky and a little bit lemony I'd say.

My dad, I think, got the linguine plate, and there was so much of it.

And we were all happy with that 'cause it was really good, so we all kind of shared it.

It was pretty much perfect on the linguine.

Sbrocco: And did you have pasta, as well?

Rosa: Yeah.

So we had the tomato basil cream sauce with the penne pasta.

That was delicious.

I -- Oh, my God.

It was so good.

You get, like, a little bit of zing from the tomato, and then I love cream sauce and basil.

Sbrocco: Well, who doesn't love cream sauce?

Yes.

Rosa: So it all came together really nicely.

And then since we got the dinner we also got the ribs.

The ribs were amazing.

I loved the barbecue sauce that they coat it in.

Tender, fall-off-the-bone kind of ribs.

And then we also had the pastrami sandwich, the deli sandwich.

And I liked that you can make your own.

So you get to choose your bread and your toppings and your meat, whatever you want, and kind of build your own which was really nice.

Sbrocco: Because it is a deli, too.

Right.

Ethan: Yeah, it is.

Sbrocco: And did you feel like there -- the portions were big?

Elias: Yeah, I thought the ravioli plate, I -- it was large, like, I could barely finish it.

It was -- It was a lot of food.

And I-I liked that.

Sbrocco: And I know Ethan likes it 'cause you said you -- Ethan: Oh, yeah.

I eat a lot of food.

Elias: Yeah.

♪♪ Sbrocco: Next up, our global noodle tour continues with a lot more swirling and even some slurping -- a clear sign you know your noodles.

♪♪ Washino: Soba is very common in Japan.

But here, nobody does soba because it's really hard to make the noodles.

You cannot use the noodles machine to make soba.

Ishii: I'm from Yamagata, which is kind of famous for soba noodles.

I've been making soba for about 10 years.

Making soba process is everyday kind of different.

Depends on the weather.

Humidity affects a lot, but dough has to be saved every day.

Making soba noodle is good for me, you know?

I can do the same thing over and over.

Washino: It was a very busy day.

He made like 200 portion of noodles.

Yeah.

That's a lot.

[Chuckles] Too much.

Ishii: Maybe it depends on personality.

If you can keep doing it or not.

Washino: Everything about the soba is beautiful, you know?

The knives, the tools.

It's very delicate, I think.

The process to mix always delicate.

Mizrahi: So 02 Artisans Aggregate is a collection of makers and artisans that are focused on high craft.

And the owner, Paul Discoe, who's the managing partner of 02 Artisans Aggregate, is also co-owner of Ippuku and co-owner of Soba Ichi.

So he kind of does a lot to curate and cultivate this sense of high craft, and especially around Japanese culture.

His background is in Japanese timber framing and joinery.

So all the woodworking you see in the restaurant is from his mind.

And they're one of our anchor businesses.

You know, they anchor this corner and really, like, kind of highlighting West Oakland as a space for makers and craftspeople.

Woman: Thank you very much.

Mizrahi: And it's been really great to see Soba Ichi grow and also pivot so seamlessly during these times.

Like, it's been really impressive.

We're still able to provide fresh noodles to the public.

So... Washino: Before you cook soba noodles, maybe you should prepare everything.

You need to boil.

Big part in the boiler.

You have to be careful of the time.

And then it is quick.

[ Indistinct speaking ] And then just wash the noodles.

And then put the ice water and soak it.

And then they'll just get tight.

And then just -- Shake it and then eat it.

Man: [ Indistinct speaking ] Washino: Soba Ichi means -- you know, soba is buckwheat noodles.

Ichi means one -- number one.

"Number one soba restaurant" sounds perfect.

[ Laughs ] Man: Thank you very much.

Sbrocco: You know, we talk about hidden treasures in the Bay Area, but this really is one, isn't it?

Yeah?

How did you find it?

Mani: I just read about it in some magazines when it was about to open, and we lined up.

People would line up because they only had a certain number of portions a day.

Sbrocco: Right.

Tell us a little bit about the soba noodles.

Mani: So they're handmade every day by a soba chef.

They make a couple dishes a day.

They have two different types.

One is 100 percent buckwheat noodles.

They have that type and they have an 80, 20 percent type.

Fenner: What I went for was the tofu.

And everything they make there is a work of art.

This little plate comes.

The tofu is all laid out, covered with bonito.

Now, this is what real tofu is like.

It's not rubbery.

It is silky and velvety.

The toasted bonito on top -- they have the onions, the ginger.

Sbrocco: Alright.

What about you, Joanna?

Trammell: We had the kamo miso curry which is the fresh cucumbers with the duck miso paste.

And we thought that was delicious.

The cucumbers were so fresh and crunchy and the miso paste was a wonderful complement to the cucumbers.

It was really good.

We also had the camino karaage which are the deep fried mountain yams with salt and seaweed.

And it wasn't oily.

It was cooked perfectly.

And then we went on to having the tempura soba noodles, and I thought the presentation was lovely.

It came in this beautiful tray with a side of cabbage.

And I was really amazed by the generous portions of tempura and the variety of tempura that was provided.

And the broth was delicious.

Fenner: Well, I had the duck soba and I thought it was magnificent.

And it's easy to sort of think, "A bowl of noodles?

Big deal."

Well, you have this lovely texture in the subtlety of the soba noodles in the smoky broth.

And then you dip through and you go duck hunting, literally.

And you -- "There's a piece of duck."

And it's -- it's got just this beautiful rich flavor to it and in the vegetable.

So you're constantly surprised by the flavors that are coming out of this bowl.

Washino: Soba has a long history.

But at the beginning it was just a fast food.

People eat really quick and then just leave.

That's the soba.

Even now, people just -- you have to eat right away.

You have to slurp right away.

Sbrocco: And the soba noodles really are an art form.

Making these soba noodles, it's an art form.

Mani: You know, it's just fun seeing them.

Occasionally you'll see the guy making them in the window.

He's, you know, rolling the dough and finally chopping them into these tiny, tiny, thin noodles.

Then at the end of your dish, they'll take the soba -- hot soba broth that they cook the noodles in.

So you kind of pour the sauce in and it's like a tea afterwards to kind of cleanse your palate.

Sbrocco: And do you get anything usually?

Mani: Yeah, we got a bottle of Den Sake, which is actually brewed in Oakland next door.

So you kind of have a special partnership there.

It's very delicious.

Sbrocco: Hyper local.

Washino: Soba and sake go very well.

Most popular sake is Den Sake.

He's brewing his sake right next to us.

♪♪ Yoshihiro's using local California rice.

He does everything by himself.

It's lots of work.

His sake especially is richer.

It's very savory.

The savoriness goes well with our dipping sauce for us.

Sbrocco: Any tips?

Just get there early so you don't miss the noodles?

Mani: Get there early or make a reservation.

♪♪ ♪♪ Tong: We're from Laos.

Laos is a small, landlocked country in Southeast Asia.

And so we specialize in Lao food.

Unlike the Vietnamese version, our pho is a little bit more creamier, much more beefier, and has a little bit more kick to it.

Cindy: [ Speaks native language ] My name is Cindy Sengsourith.

Tong: [ Speaks native language ] My name is Tom Sengsourith.

And welcome to Noodles Pho Me here in San Leandro, California.

Cindy: I wanted to start a restaurant because I want to educate the Bay Area people here about the Lao food and I want to share that food.

All my family here, we love to cook, we love to eat.

In the back of the kitchen are myself, my two moms, my three sisters, and in front are my four boys.

You could be like a family, be yourself when you're here at Noodle Pho me.

Tong: After the Vietnam War, we came to the United States as a refugees because we got sponsored by a nonprofit organization to come to the United States to escape persecution.

And so we're so blessed to be able to be here and so happy and honored to be able to share our tradition and our Lao cuisine with the communities here.

♪♪ Cam: First off, this place is completely nostalgic for me and reminds me of my childhood.

It's located in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

And it's actually located in a converted house.

And when you walk in, the aroma hits you and you see the aunties and the grandmas in the back working their pots of magic.

And immediately the senses are awakened and you get excited.

And it reminds me of my grandma, my mom, you know, just laboring in the kitchen for hours on end when I was a kid.

This place is run by Laotian immigrants.

And this is completely a place that I can get behind and feel good eating there.

As good as the story is, it wouldn't be anything without the quality of the food.

So when you get there, the first thing that you're shocked by is the size of the bowl.

The bowl is bigger than the size of your head.

And I don't know what Sir Mix-a-Lot is doing these days, but he needs to come out of retirement and do a parody on this place called, "Baby Got Bowls" because -- Sbrocco: [ Laughs ] Baby got bowls!

Cam: The bowl -- The bowl comes out and you're just like, "Oh, my gosh.

Look at that bowl."

Herzog: Well, I was interested in all three of the soups on the menu.

So to get to try the samplings in, like, a little shot glass of broth was great.

So my wife really appreciated that she could get a smaller size.

I could get a larger size.

The quantities were huge.

We still took some home.

Cam: Weak.

Go for large.

Herzog: Yeah.

So -- but I thought it was a nice way to -- and creative way to format it.

I had the cow soy... Cam: Yes.

Herzog: ...which was really interesting.

Fermented tofu, ground pork, tomato, and then it was kind of a citrusy brightness with lemon and mint, which was really warming in a hearty soup.

a very unique flavor that I -- you know, I've had a lot of pho, but I'd never had anything like this.

So I enjoyed that.

My wife ordered the Khao Poon which is a coconut based broth, which she described as a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy, which I thought was coincidental because that's how I would describe her.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: You get points for that.

I'm just saying right now, you get points for that.

Herzog: The perfect amount of sweet and spicy.

Hey: I did the samplers and I thought seeing I've had the samplers, I don't need to have the noodle bowl.

So I had the sausage.

The sausage was great with the chutney on the side.

I thought that was terrific.

Then we had the drunken noodles with vegetables.

Tofu, fresh as fresh.

That was great.

The noodles were flat noodles like fettuccini and lots of vegetables in between.

All very fresh.

Lovely.

Cam: I don't know if any of you guys got the seafood combo with the noodles.

I would definitely recommend that.

It's only an extra two bucks and there's so much protein in there.

I was so shocked at the value of this place, you know?

♪♪ ♪♪ Sbrocco: Hope you enjoyed the show.

Thanks so much for joining us for a special edition of "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Until next time, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Cheers!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪