omakase in Oakland... Pham: "This is delicious."

But it was also, like, super beautiful.

Sbrocco: ...Indian fusion fare in San Francisco... Hogan: Garlic naan, baby.

Sbrocco: ...and a little slice of Italia in Half Moon Bay... Sola: Oh, my goodness.

It was so decadent.

Sbrocco: ...just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Pham: I want to stop you there because -- Sbrocco: I've lost control.

Pham: Yeah, yeah.

o: Yeah, absolutely.

Hi.

I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

Bay Area," the show where Bay area residents review and talk about their favorite restaurants.

Now, we have three guests, and each one recommends one of their favorite spots, and the other two go check them out to see what they think.

Joining me at the "Check, Please" table today are graphic novelist Thien Pham, VP of finance Andrea Sola, and retired R&D model maker Kimo Hogan.

Aloha, everyone!

Hogan: Aloha.

Sola: Aloha.

Sbrocco: Andrea's restaurant offers a true feast for the senses.

Mouthwatering smells of Desi-style street food, lush decor, and upbeat Bollywood tracks are what keep her coming back time and time again to her special spot.

In San Francisco's Lower Nob Hill, It's Kinara Fusion Kitchen.

♪♪ Man: Whoa!

Sufiyan: Kinara Fusion Kitchen is more of a representation of our culture.

We think of it as our second home, and we think about coming here as something that we love to do and spending time together as family.

Wow.

Shahil: That's nice and juicy.

Sufiyan: So the food here is fusion -- a good combination of Indian food, Pakistani food, American food.

Shahil: Some fresh ginger.

Of course, we've learned from our parents.

You know, my mom loves cooking.

We call it the karhai chicken.

That's her recipe right there.

We go back in the kitchen, and we're always playing around, having ideas together and saying, "How do you make it more fun and unique?"

Woman: Probably the best naan I've ever had.

Shahil: One of our high-end chefs out there.

Woman: Oh, my God.

Shahil: My brother.

Our comfort food is our traditional food.

So when you talk about the chicken tikka masalas and the chana masalas and the dals, like, that screams, like, India culture.

And then when we want to have some fun with it, we combined it with burgers, ribs, different flavors of wings.

You know, we even added our Indian traditional-style pizza, but with our own fusion flavor into it.

Being a little energetic, being joyful, having that American culture in the back of your head, but also embracing your true values of being Indian.

So I think the heat level of our food is pretty medium, mostly has that good balance to it.

Tasting to make it mild is hard as well because our spices are very strong.

Sufiyan: That's the whole point we're here.

Shahil: And we say if you're not sweating while you're eating food, the food's not good.

So if you're sweating, that means the food is good.

Sufiyan: Right.

Man: That's their naan.

Sufiyan: Looks so good.

We want our customers to embrace that whole Kinara vibe.

The whole restaurant was inspired by Shah Rukh Khan.

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the biggest Bollywood actors of India.

We have a sign there that says, "pyaar dosti hai."

It means love is friendship.

So to bring him in, to bring his dialogues with the flowers, with the whole vibe, where you can come in enjoy a time with your family, with your loved ones, eat some good food, listen to some great music, and also have a good ambience around you.

[ Both speaking foreign language ] Sbrocco: Now, Andrea, this is truly a place that you sort of start the feast with your eyes.

Sola: Absolutely, Leslie.

The owners have put a lot of thought into the decor and the ambience.

You see lush greens and deep reds and neon signs that give it a very friendly city vibe.

Sbrocco: Now, what do you start with when you go?

Sola: So typically when we go, we'll start with pani puri shots.

Pham: Yeah!

Sola: Right, Thien?

Sola: Delicious.

Sbrocco: Pani puri!

Sola: Beautifully crafted, tiny fried hollow puffs.

Inside you see potatoes, onions, and there's spicy garbanzo beans.

Sbrocco: All right, and Thien's going, "Yeah, I had that."

Pham: Oh, yeah, I loved it.

I've had pani puri before, but the way they presented it with the shot glass and the chutneys underneath... Sola: Yes.

Pham: ...I thought it was amazing, and when I first ate it, I poured my whole shot glass in there, and I ate it, and I was like, "Whoa."

And my neighbor, the table next to me, were like, "Bro, that's too much.

You know, you -- that's why it's in the glass, so you can control how much you put in there."

So I put in half the next, and it was like... Sola: It's a burst of flavor.

Pham: It's perfect.

Sbrocco: Did you have this, too, Kimo?

Hogan: I didn't, but we had -- Sbrocco: Okay.

But you want it now.

Hogan: I'm gonna have it now.

I'm gonna have it now.

Sbrocco: Yes.

Hogan: We had the garlic naan, and we ordered extra garlic.

Sbrocco: Extra garlic.

Yes, Kimo.

Hogan: Oh!

Pham: You gonna do that!

Hogan: I don't care if I got bad breath because I'm gonna enjoy that stuff, right?

Sbrocco: And it's good for you.

Hogan: And it's good for you.

Sola: The chicken tikka masala is an absolute must that you need to order.

Pham: Well, wait, wait, wait.

I got to say, I was gonna order the chicken masala 'cause everybody said, "You got to order the chicken masala."

And I asked the waitress, I was like, "I'm thinking of the chicken masala.

What do you think?"

And the waitress was like, "I like the chicken karhai."

Sbrocco: Oh, okay.

Sola: I've never tried that.

I want to hear about that.

Sbrocco: Let her make her case and then I'm gonna let you make yours.

Okay.

Sola: So the chicken tikka masala is generous portions of mouthwatering chicken that's been roasted in the traditional tandoori oven, blended with a tomato gravy and an onion gravy that is just -- it's a mouthwatering dish that you definitely need to try.

Sbrocco: And you had this one?

Hogan: Yes.

And first I want to say thank you, because I love trying their different spices and their different styles of cooking.

It was really -- Sbrocco: Aw.

So you enjoyed the experience?

Hogan: I enjoyed it very, very much.

Sbrocco: Good.

And what else did you have?

Hogan: The Green Lantern chicken.

Sola: That is delicious.

One of my favorites, Kimo.

Hogan: It is awesome.

I mean -- Sbrocco: 'Cause it's got, like, cilantro and -- Hogan: Yogurt and mint.

Sola: And you can really taste that it comes out and it comes from the tandoor.

Hogan: And I brought it home for, you know, like, leftovers.

Sola: Was it better the next day?

Hogan: It was really good because the extra herbs soaked in, right?

Sola: Yes.

Hogan: Kimo likes that.

Sbrocco: But now your chicken dish.

Pham: We need to -- We need -- I gotta do my chicken.

Sbrocco: All right.

The chicken wars begin.

Pham: It is the best dish I had of all of our restaurants, even mine.

Like, it was so good.

Because it's been cooked so long, everything is just very soft and beautiful.

And the chicken itself had the bone in it, and it was amazing 'cause it made the chicken, I felt like, a little bit juicier.

It was, like, the perfect dish for putting on your rice or just taking your naan and just dipping it in it.

Hogan: Garlic naan, baby.

Pham: It's so good.

And sometimes it's fiery for no reason.

This is, like, a tasty fiery.

Sola: Tasty fiery, yes.

Sbrocco: All right.

You got to put that on your roster.

Sola: I will.

Next time I'm there, I'm ordering it.

Pham: I basically went with what the waitress said, and she did not steer me wrong.

It was so good.

Sbrocco: Now, what else did you have?

Hogan: I feel bad because wherever I go, it's like, "Okay, I need it mild.

Kimo is a baby."

Pham: But, Kimo, that's what the mango lassi is for.

Sola: To balance it out.

Pham: And not only that, the mango lassi is amazing.

Sola: Yes.

Hogan: It wasn't too thick.

It was smooth.

It was sweet.

Pham: Did you notice they have little crushed-up pistachios?

Sola: Pistachios.

Yes.

Yes.

Pham: What?

That's amazing, and it went perfectly.

I kept seeing these dishes going by and just thinking, "Wow.

That looks amazing."

And one of the dishes that I saw was a chicken wing covered in a mound of crushed-up Takis.

You know, Takis are like the hot chips.

Sola: Yeah.

Pham: And the Takis made it look like a beautiful flower that had been crushed on top.

Sbrocco: Playful touches.

Hogan: Exactly.

Pham: I had this thing called the Curry for MVP pizza, and basically it was curry chicken on top of a naan crust.

Sola: Yes.

Pham: And I was like, "I don't know about this."

And I ate it, and it was perfect.

I also had this amazing beef dish called the Nihari Ka Nasha.

And it was slow-cooked chunks of beef that had been cooked in this beautiful sauce that had a lot of black pepper in it.

And that meat had been cooked so perfectly.

And when I eat Indian food, I love eating it on top of rice.

I loved it.

Sbrocco: Did you have anything else to drink?

Sola: So I had a after-dinner drink called the Kashmiri Chai, and that's only available on Friday and Saturday evenings.

It takes the restaurant eight hours to make it.

I believe there's cardamom in it.

There's also hints of pistachio and almond.

And it's the perfect after-dinner drink to warm you up.

Sbrocco: Drink/dessert, right?

Sola: Yes.

Sbrocco: Did anybody have desserts?

Pham: I did not try any desserts because I'd gotten so much food.

And unlike Kimo, I did not take any of it home.

Hogan: Oh, dude.

Pham: I ate it all there.

Sola: It's hard to take home,yes.

Sbrocco: And what about service?

Sola: Top-notch service.

Hogan: Excellent.

Sola: Excellent.

The servers there are always checking in on you, making sure that the spice is okay, if there's anything that you need.

Hogan: Exactly, you know, especially when I wanted it toned down.

Sbrocco: You're not the only one.

Pham: For me, it's important for a restaurant like that that is doing something different and things that people might not have seen before to tell me, describe everything.

And a family next to us offered to, like, let us try their food.

You know, it was just like -- I felt like -- Sola: Did you take some?

Pham: And I really felt like -- I was like, "Oh, like a family restaurant."

Hogan: That's so cool.

Pham: Of course I had some.

Sola: It's a gem.

Absolutely.

Sbrocco: And affordability?

Hogan: Excellent.

I will definitely be going back because I've got to try those other things.

Sbrocco: You need to go with Andrea.

Sola: Yes.

We should go together.

Yes.

And Thien.

Absolutely.

Hogan: And Thien.

Pham: I'm going.

I'll be there already.

Sbrocco: If you would like to try Kinara Fusion Kitchen, It's located on Geary at Jones Street in San Francisco, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $30.

Shahil: Nice and hot and tender.

Sbrocco: All right.

I have to acknowledge, everybody, audience, that we are wearing these beautiful fresh-flower leis gifted to us from Kimo.

Hogan: I wanted to share a little bit of the aloha spirit with everyone here, and feeling so blessed to be on this show, Leslie.

I've wanted to be on this show since I was a young man.

Sbrocco: Well, we'll get more into why these play such an important part.

Mahalo for -- Pham: Mahalo.

Sbrocco: So I really want to introduce Kimo's favorite place, a trattoria that offers house-made pastas, brick-oven pizzas, and a classic chicken marsala he claims is the best in the Bay.

Luckily, he can find this little slice of carb heaven in the heart of Half Moon Bay at It's Italia.

♪♪ Camille: It's Italia is a family-run business here in downtown Half Moon Bay.

Betsy: Why did we go into this crazy business?

I don't know.

We just had a whim that we could do it.

Camille: I think it's because we told you that we wanted a good pizza place.

I remember that.

Betsy: Yeah.

I mean, this is 25 years ago, so we've been here ever since.

Maile: Here we go.

Betsy: I think you could make a reality show here at It's Italia.

Camille: Yeah.

Family is extremely involved in the business, every aspect, from Mom being the creative genius to my sister being head chef, my dad being the accountant and I guess to me running the front of the house and keeping things organized and -- Betsy: You got to have a whip cracker.

Camille: Well, you know.

Maile: These are gonna be nice and yummy.

Betsy: Well, one of the things about Maile is that she came in and took everything that I put on the menu and made it better.

[ Laughs ] She really did.

Camille: Yeah.

Some things that we're really well-known for -- our minestrone soup, our house-made pastas, beautiful vegetable dishes that are seasonal.

Wow.

Betsy: I love our -- Camille: I know what you're gonna say.

Betsy: I like to eat the pesto gnocchi.

Camille: With prawns.

Betsy: Such a good homemade basic pesto.

Camille: And definitely can't forget our desserts because we're very well-known for those as well.

Betsy: I was born and raised in Hawaii.

By the way, my husband is the Italian one.

In the islands, the Hawaiian culture is very open and welcoming.

I like to think of us as holding hands with our community.

Camille: Yeah, it's a small town.

A lot of families have been here for generations.

Betsy: We're not trying to impress anyone.

We just want to welcome people and make them feel good and have fun, 'cause we like to have fun.

You can't just feed the tummy.

You have to feed the soul.

Sbrocco: So you grew up in Half Moon Bay?

I mean, you've lived there a long time and seen a lot of restaurants come and go, I'm sure.

Hogan: Yes.

Sbrocco: So what has made It's Italia stick for you, and why is it so good?

Hogan: It's Italia is a personal place for me because Betsy, the owner, connected with my mother.

She grew up on Oahu, where my mother grew up.

My mother's Hawaiian.

And the food and everything is so fresh and so connected.

And any time I come in and Betsy's there and the family's there, they, like, take care of me like I'm a prince.

And I feel so blessed and thankful.

Sbrocco: So do you have a favorite?

Is there a starter that you begin with?

Hogan: So the chicken marsala -- okay, it's one of my favorites.

But there are so many things that are so good there.

Sola: Oh, my goodness.

It was so decadent.

The marsala wine sauce was on point, and there are juicy, tender pieces of chicken on top of mashed potatoes with sautéed spinach.

Hogan: The focaccia bread, the warm focaccia bread, with warm, melted garlic butter -- oh!

Sola: That was delicious.

We started with that.

Pham: First round is on them.

Hogan: Oh, dude.

Pham: It's on the menu.

Hogan: There you go.

So I take that bread and I dip it in the sauce, you know?

Sbrocco: I'm detecting a theme, from the naan bread dipped in the sauce -- Hogan: I know.

And what did you have?

Pham: You know what you should try?

You should try the minestrone soup.

Hogan: Yes!

Pham: So good.

The pasta is al dente, which is really rare for a minestrone soup.

Hogan: Homemade pasta, too.

Pham: Yeah, it just had a perfect give.

The soup base had this excellent, like, tomatoey taste, but not like you're just eating tomato sauce.

Hogan: Tomatoes fresh from the field.

Pham: It is so good.

Sola: We started with the Hatch Wood Pizza, and there are slices of mushrooms on it, fresh roasted tomato sauce.

And what I really loved about it was the crispy pancetta on top.

Added a great saltiness to the pizza.

And the crust -- crust was amazing.

And I believe that they started out as a pizzeria, Kimo?

Kimo: Yes.

Sola: They just do such a great job with their pizzas.

Hogan: Everything is awesome.

The ocean is right there.

Half Moon Bay is, like, blocks away.

Fresh seafood.

Pham: Okay, I want to stop you there because -- because my dish -- Sbrocco: I've lost control.

Pham: Yeah, yeah.

Hogan: Oh, no.

Sorry.

Pham: I just want to say, when you said, "Coming into the sea..." Hogan: Yes!

Pham: ...and that just totally described my first dish.

It was the seafood risotto.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Sola: I had that, too.

That was delicious.

Pham: I mean, you can't go wrong.

It's Half Moon Bay.

I got to get some seafood.

Sola: Yes.

Pham: And the risotto's been cooked in this beautiful seafood broth.

Hogan: Oh!

Pham: And it really just knocked me back a little bit.

Sola: And the prawns were delicious.

There were huge prawns in there.

There were big, juicy, plump scallops.

Pham: Like, I literally was like, "Whoa."

Sola: Yes.

A lot of seafood there.

I was very impressed with that dish.

Sbrocco: Now, tell me about those linguine and prawns.

Hogan: I love linguine and prawns.

It's the sauce.

It's fresh from the ocean.

I mean, from ocean to plate.

And the pasta's fresh.

It's made there, too, and it's just like I can feel myself getting very large.

Pham: But I also had the short rib on polenta... Hogan: Yes!

Sbrocco: Ooh.

Pham: ...which was perfectly cooked.

It was paired with this polenta that was creamy.

It had a great texture to it.

Hogan: Did you get a chance to try the little breadsticks at the bar?

Sola: Yes.

Hogan: Walk through and like -- Sola: Grab one on the way to the table.

Perfect.

Hogan: Out to the bar or just to party.

Sola: Did anybody have the roasted heirloom beet salad over cashew crema?

Hogan: Mnh-mnh.

Sola: So it's deep-red beets on top of golden beets.

And on top of that, there's caramelized onions.

There's pickled shallots, pea shoots, all on top of cashew crema.

And I love the playfulness of the dish because it looked like beef tartare.

But it was all vegetables, so it was delicious.

Sbrocco: And did you have anything to drink?

Hogan: They have such a huge wine selection, and their bar and their cocktails they have -- I'll go in and I'll have a lavender lemon drop.

Sola: We had that.

That was phenomenal.

Hogan: It sounds like, what?

Lavender lemon drop?

But I'm like, it's really good, 'Cause my wife doesn't drink, so she has the lavender lemonade.

Sbrocco: Oh.

Hogan: And then I go with the lavender lemon drop and I'm like, "Yeah, baby, everything's good."

Sola: But it wasn't too overpowering, the lavender.

Sbrocco: Because lavender can be very overpowering.

Sola: Exactly.

It was perfect.

Hogan: Exquisite.

Sbrocco: And what about dessert?

Hogan: The key lime pie is so decadent.

It's got that graham cracker crust.

My God.

My wife makes a key lime pie, too.

But I'm not trying to say anything bad about my wife, but their key lime pie is the dakine.

Sola: So we finished off our meal with a very decadent chocolate cake named Submission.

There was a Chantilly cream on the side, a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

And the story about why it's called Submission is because a famous MMA fighter came into the restaurant one evening and ordered the dessert.

And, again, it's a very rich, decadent, kind of like a lava cake.

And he admitted that he couldn't finish the cake, so he submitted.

Pham: Yeah, the chocolate core was too much for him.

Sola: The chocolate core.

Hogan: Was that what he said?

Sola: Exactly.

Pham: I had the affogato, which I'd never had before.

And the idea of having something warm that night, 'cause it was kind of a chilly night, you know, in Half Moon Bay.

And the ice cream was so creamy and delicious.

And then you pour the espresso, and it was so good, 'cause the ice cream balances that coffee bitterness.

Sola: And the warmness of the coffee.

Pham: Oh, yeah, and it melted and it was just kind of saucy.

I loved it.

Sbrocco: And did you feel like you got value?

Pham: Yeah.

We arrived there early.

Got a chance to walk around Half Moon Bay.

Hogan: Yes.

Pham: It just feels special.

Sola: Special and romantic.

Pham: And romantic, but not with this crazy price tag, you know?

Sola: And when you leave the restaurant, you really feel what the owners intend for diners to feel is that aloha spirit.

Hogan: Which is why -- Sbrocco: Which is why we have the leis.

Thank you very much.

Sola: Thanks, Kimo.

Sbrocco: Mahalo.

Hogan: Mahalo nui loa.

Sbrocco: All right, if you would like to try It's Italia, it's located on Main Street in Half Moon Bay, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $45.

Betsy: Have a little bite.

Sbrocco: As a comic book artist, Thien has a huge appreciation for food that looks as good as it tastes.

He finds it at an upscale spot where a tempting menu of sashimi, nigiri, and other seasonal Japanese specialties changes nightly depending on whatever the chefs dream up.

Located in Old Town Oakland's Swan's Market, it's Delage.

♪♪ Sawada: This is a Japanese sushi restaurant, but it's more like Californian-inspired.

Escobar: The restaurant start eight years ago by Chikara Ono.

Ono: Kanpai!

Man: Kanpai!

Escobar: Delage means the owner's nickname, "Dela," and "ge" means in Japanese, "welcome home."

Sawada: And "omakase" means "chef's choice."

Escobar: We decide the food for you guys.

[ Laughter ] Sometimes when the people come, they find very interesting to see two women behind the sushi bar, especially one so different, because I'm from Latin America.

Sawada: And I'm from Tokyo, Japan.

Escobar: And we work together as a team.

The techniques have to be executed very precise.

For me, it's like art in a plate.

I found a, like, way of meditate, because you need to have a little OCD in there and just work.

My favorite thing to present is the nigiri.

It's four pieces.

We use interesting toppings and non-traditional.

Sawada: And our nigiri is special because we put our esthetics on top of nigiri.

Escobar: Exactly.

Each one has, like, a signature.

Sawada: Yeah.

Escobar: This one right here, the mini chirashis.

We care about the customer.

The idea is to just make them feel welcome.

Sawada: Our maximum capacity is 12 per seating.

They can make friends with each other, and we can also make friends with them.

Escobar: It creates intimacy with the customers, and the food is delicious.

Sbrocco: Now, Thien, this is truly a special small spot because it's a chef's menu.

It's omakase.

Pham: The reason I love Delage is that I've been to other omakase, and I love omakase, but a lot of times it's very stuffy.

But Delage has such a relaxed feel.

It's got this ‘80s, 90s, city pop Japanese vibe that just feels like a place that you would come in, hang out for a while.

The beginning, when you first come there, the amuse-bouche is this crystal bread that they make.

It's sort of like the pani puri, only it's see-through.

Sola: Yes.

Pham: And on top of the bread is just a little bit of smoked salmon.

And just enough.

Not too much.

Sola: It's a perfect bite.

Pham: Yes.

Take that perfect bite and you're like, "This is delicious."

But it was also, like, super beautiful.

You know, it was like sitting on a rock.

Sbrocco: Makes your mouth happy.

Pham: Yeah.

It was really great.

Hogan: So we got the seat right to the left of where the chef was preparing the sushi.

Each dish came out like art.

Sola: Every course felt like you were opening a present, like you were opening a gift, and that's what I really appreciated.

And one course that stands out was two little perfectly wrapped bamboo leaves.

And when you open one up, it's freshly shaved lotus root with a cherry blossom flower on top of some rice.

And that was very delicate, very delicious with avocado on that.

And then a nice piece of fresh fish on top of rice that has ponzu sauce and soy sauce mixed in.

And I really enjoyed that.

Pham: I took my dad to this restaurant.

My dad lives in San Jose, so it was quite a drive, and he wasn't quite sure why we were going to this restaurant.

And he was like, "Uh, this is beautiful."

And he was like, "Well, I guess once you eat like this, it's hard to go back."

Sbrocco: And speaking of family, show me what you've got there.

Pham: Oh!

So I am a graphic novelist.

This book just came out in June.

Sola: Congrats, Thien.

Pham: Thank you so much.

It's called "Family Style."

It's actually a story of my family's immigration to America.

I came to America when I was 5 years old on a boat from Vietnam, and I wanted to tell my story, but for a long time, I had no idea how to tell it until I realized that all my memories were tied to food.

So this is a memoir told through memories of food.

Sbrocco: Isn't that great?

And so you're bringing your father to a restaurant -- Pham: Yes, exactly.

This is kind of like my full-circle moment.

The nigiri comes next.

And this -- for me, this is the highlight.

I love all the dishes, but I'm a sushi guy.

Hogan: Okay, I had the toro.

Pham: Yeah.

Hogan: It was buttery.

It was fresh.

The rice, everything was just so succulent.

Pham: Chikara once told me that when you eat the sushi, it's not all about the fish.

The fish is amazing.

But that rice... Hogan: Fresh.

Pham: ...when they make it, you can taste each grain of rice, that perfect seasoning, that perfect texture.

Sola: But did anybody like the palate cleanser?

Pham: Oh.

Sola: It's a fermented pomegranate juice with a yuzu foam on top.

Pham: The yuzu foam!

My dad -- that blew his mind.

And it's a palate cleanser, but it's also delicious.

Hogan: Yeah.

Pham: Do you remember the sake you had?

Hogan: It was a cold one.

It came in this square wooden box, and they poured it over, and I was like, "Excellent," 'cause they over-filled it.

Sola: They give you extra.

Hogan: Right?

And I was like, "Yeah, excellent."

Sola: And, actually, our neighbor to the left of us ordered a big bottle of sake and shared it with all of us.

Hogan: Whoa!

Sola: So it was just a great conversation.

Sbrocco: So continue on with your meal journey.

Sola: Okay, so next, a lovely dish that comes to mind is the mini chirashi bowls.

Pham: Oh, love those.

Sola: And so, again, it's chef's choice.

So there's freshly sliced fish that came from Japan.

And, Thien, and maybe you might speak to this, but there was one chirashi bowl that had a spicy chili sauce on top of it.

Pham: Oh, the sea beans.

Sola: And the sea beans!

I love that, and they add, like, a perfect crunch that adds, like, a saltiness in your bite.

Pham: Almost like a caper berry, you know?

Sola: Yes.

Pham: But the sea.

Yeah, I loved it.

Sbrocco: So now we're about halfway through, right?

Pham: Yeah.

Sola: Yeah.

Yeah.

Pham: So then, Leslie, this is when the torch comes out.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Pham: I love a torch.

And it's part of the next nigiri set, and the next nigiri set, one of the set is a torched Wagyu beef, a Japanese Miyazaki A5 Wagyu.

Sola: Delicious, yes.

Melts in your mouth, very buttery.

Pham: It's so good -- Sola: With some truffle oil.

Pham: Yes.

And that torch gives it that, like, roasted flavor, that earthiness, that is so delicious.

And then they give you this beautiful soup.

It's like a mixed-vegetable consommé.

But a big part of that is take mushroom, that is just so earthy and delicious.

And there's some yuzu zest on it that just gives it that kind of acidity that you really want.

And, like, the perfect ender is this, I'm gonna say, amazing amazake pudding.

And I think -- what is it served with?

Sola: It's served with seasonal fruits.

I believe that there were some melons in there, some kiwi, as well.

Pham: A very light dessert that is just the perfect ender to this kind of decadent meal.

Sola: Yeah.

Hogan: It was beyond awesome.

And I so appreciate your descriptions.

And whoever's watching the show, you guys need to go.

Okay, it's not cheap, but for a special date night or special occasion -- Sola: Yes.

Pham: They have two seatings, and each seating is like two and a half hours.

And that's one of the reasons why it makes up for the price, because it's an experience for two hours.

Sbrocco: All right, so expensive, but well worth it is what I'm getting.

Hogan: Yes.

Sola: Absolutely agree.

Sbrocco: So you would go back?

Sola: Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Pham: I have to go back 'cause I'm bringing -- I have to bring my mom now.

[ Laughter ] So I got to go back.

Sbrocco: If you would like to try Delage, it's located on 9th Street in Oakland's Swan's Market, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $160.

Man: Yum.

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

Woman: Salud!

Sbrocco: Check out "Cecilia Tries It" online at kqed.org/checkplease.

I have to thank my terrific guests on this week's show -- Thien Pham, who introduced us to the innovative omakase menu at Delage in Oakland, Andrea Sola, who really digs the Desi chicken wings at Kinara Fusion Kitchen in San Francisco, and Kimo Hogan, whose happy place is a seat at the bar in Half Moon Bay at It's Italia.

I'm Leslie Sbrocco, and I'll see you then.

Cheers.

Sola: Cheers.

Sbrocco: Whoo!

Sola: Yay!

Pham: Cheers.

Hogan: Sláinte.

Sola: Cheers.

♪♪ year 1967, those two doors would open, and people would ride horses right here into the bar.

Camille: Actually, they still do ride their horses across the street and park it at San Benito.

Betsy: Yes, but you don't let them in the restaurant.

Camille: I draw -- that's where I draw the line.

Betsy: Yeah.

Escobar: When I first start here, I start learning with the Chef Mikiko.

She was the only female sushi chef in the Japanese omakase style in Oakland.

Woman: Now there's two more women.

Escobar: Is that perfect?

Sawada: It is.