Sbrocco: Soul food and Latin fusion bites in Oakland... Mongolian hot pot heaven in San Jose... and traditional Turkish meze in San Francisco.

Phillips: [ Laughs ] Sbrocco: Just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Mohamed: It's a very hot and steamy experience.

Sbrocco: A hot and steamy snacktivity.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: Smile.

Good laughter.

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 check them out to see what they think.

Joining me at the "Check, Please!"

table today are author and DEI coordinator Marissa McGee, product design engineer Phil Pham, and social entrepreneur Abbas Mohamed.

Welcome, everyone.

Mohamed: Thank you.

Pham: We're ready.

Sbrocco: First up, Marissa.

She's a huge fan of New Orleans -- the food, the music, and the Southern-style hospitality.

Luckily, she's found the perfect place to let the good times roll right here in the Bay.

Boasting rooftop views and an eclectic Southern Latin vibe, it's Oakland's Oeste Bar and Kitchen.

♪♪ Villalobos: Oeste Bar and Kitchen, it was started by women of color, which is, like -- It was a big deal.

Man: Drinks up, please.

Villalobos: It became a place for the community The community made this place.

Becerra: Oeste Bar and Kitchen is open.

Get this pan nice and hot.

When it comes to our food, we have a little bit of everything because Oakland has a little bit of everything.

We have staples in here.

I know that if I took off our catfish with our red beans and rice, we'd probably have a riot out here.

Villalobos: We probably would.

Becerra: Our shrimp and grits -- We've had this on our menu from day one.

I've made grits for a long time, and I've always played with the flavors.

We added sharp cheddar cheese to it.

We put in a little bit of hot sauce.

It all comes together.

When I have people coming from different regions telling me that our shrimp and grits are some of the best that they've had, you know, it's a proud dad moment.

So.... ♪♪ Villalobos: The vibe at Oeste, it's high energy.

Man: There you go, there you go.

Villalobos: A lot of people know each other, and I think you just get that vibration that's really, really intense and exciting.

Becerra: Even though it's high energy, it's comfortable, also.

It doesn't matter who you are.

You can come in here with your grandmother and you can come in here with your younger sister.

Everybody's gonna have a good time.

You know, some of the older people like myself, just, we're done at about 10:00, 11:00.

But the party keeps going.

Villalobos: And for a long time, we used to laugh about it because, you know, people feel really welcome here.

And it's like, I mean, at some point, you got to go.

But we have so many customers that are repeat customers.

We know we're gonna see them on Friday and Saturday no matter what.

And so those relationships have become so important.

And that is the beauty of this place.

Sbrocco: All right, Marissa, why are you such a New Orleans lover?

Is there a reason?

McGee: There is a reason.

So I celebrated a birthday there many moons ago, and the Southern hospitality -- People came up and pinned money on me.

The beignets, the food.

I got to go up onstage with the band.

So I'm just a huge fan of New Orleans.

Sbrocco: You love just the feel of it.

McGee: Yes.

My go-to dish is catfish.

I love it because when you bite into it, it's not too crunchy that you think you chipped a tooth, but it's also not mushy with the consistency of cottage cheese.

That's, like, my scale for food.

And it comes with a side of red beans and rice.

So again, it just takes me back to New Orleans.

Sbrocco: All right.

What about you, Abbas?

Mohamed: Simple is great, and I'm a fan of simple.

Now, I can't have catfish because that's not considered halal.

However, I did try the shrimp and grits, and that was phenomenal.

The shrimp was really well spiced and the grits were creamy.

Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.

Mohamed: I like things to be on the spicier side, so maybe next time, I'd ask for a little extra hot sauce.

But shrimp and grits is -- It's comfort food.

Sbrocco: Right.

And, Phil, what did you start with?

Pham: I started with the wings.

It was in a white tray with about six pieces.

Six or seven pieces.

And it came with a side of ranch.

But it was really tasty.

It wasn't too salty, it wasn't too saucy, even though I know some people like the sauciness for wings.

McGee: Yeah, that's how you know wings are good, when you don't have to use the dipping sauce.

Like, they were fine by themselves.

And again, they were just the right amount of, like, crispiness and crunch.

Sbrocco: Right.

Pham: I also had the blackened chicken sandwich.

What I noticed at Oeste is that the ingredients they use are very, very fresh.

And so when you bite in and you taste the chicken breast, you know it's good quality chicken breast, you know that the lettuce and tomatoes and onions that they use -- absolutely fresh.

Mohamed: Well, my dish happened to be saucy and spicy.

Sbrocco: See?

There you go.

Pham: Oh.

Mohamed: I went there around brunch time.

So I started off with the chilaquiles, and I loved that it still had its crunch to it because, you know, sometimes it can get really soggy.

Sbrocco: That's the key with chilaquiles.

Mohamed: That was phenomenal.

And I loved the fact that they had some avocado on top in the form of guacamole.

I hadn't seen that in chilaquiles before.

And just an excuse to have chips and salsa for breakfast -- I mean, that's what it's all about.

Living your best life, right?

Sbrocco: That's right.

In the form of chilaquiles.

Mohamed: There you go.

Sbrocco: So it does have a brunch, but you usually go for?

McGee: I usually go for happy hour.

I like happy hour because that can be California casual.

So I can come after work.

Like, you don't have to do too much.

So that's why I like it.

Sbrocco: Right.

McGee: I started with the Jalisco 75, which has tequila in it, and then I saw on the menu three words I have never seen together, and that was "margarita on draft."

Pham: Mm-hmm.

McGee: And they are my new three favorite words.

It was so good, and it had a Tajín rim.

Like, it was just perfection.

Sbrocco: Any other dishes?

Mohamed: Oh, yeah, absolutely.

I finished up the meal with the bananas Foster French toast.

I consider this the dessert to the brunch.

I love when a banana is nice and caramelized on the edges.

It just brings out a flavor that you don't usually get.

This really hit the sweet spot.

Sbrocco: Now, Phil, did you save room at all?

Pham: Oh, absolutely.

No, actually, I didn't save room, but I just kind of -- I have the third stomach just for dessert.

Right?

And so we ordered the bread pudding.

The exterior was perfectly crispy, but when you enter into the dessert, it was so gooey and rich, and they finish it off with some whipped cream and a toffee drizzle on top.

Mohamed: That sounds heavenly.

Pham: Mm-hmm.

Sbrocco: Are you a bread pudding person?

McGee: I'm not a bread pudding person because of the consistency.

Sbrocco: Where does it go on the scale?

McGee: You know, it's closer to the cottage cheese side of the scale, so...

But I did end the meal with some mac and cheese for a little razzle-dazzle, and I honestly do not eat everyone's mac and cheese.

Like, I'm very particular about that.

But it was just the perfect amount of cheese, and they had some green onions on top.

It was amazing.

Sbrocco: Yeah?

McGee: Like, I could have that right now.

Yes.

Sbrocco: And this place is almost as much about the food and the drink as it is about the feel.

What did you think?

Mohamed: Absolutely.

You know, the upstairs, the rooftop vibe is phenomenal.

I mean, this is a place I know I'm gonna be coming back to just to hang back, have a few small plates.

Definitely have to try that mac and cheese and the bread pudding.

McGee: You do, you do.

Sbrocco: Would you go back?

Pham: I would absolutely go back.

I think the overall price point is what I'm looking for.

It's a no-brainer.

I'm going back.

Sbrocco: And the feel is fabulous?

Pham: The feel is fabulous.

Yeah.

Sbrocco: All right.

If you would like to try Oeste Bar and Kitchen, it's located on Clay Street in Old Oakland, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $25.

Serving up steamy pots of fragrant broth in a style that dates all the way back to Genghis Khan himself, Abbas' South Bay spot has gained quite a following for its traditional hot pot experience.

Whenever he's craving meaty Mongolian delights, he makes his way to San Jose, home to the Little Lamb Hot Pot & BBQ.

♪♪ [ Man laughs ] Sha: Well, hot pot is very popular in Chinese cuisine.

So hot pot originated in Mongolia as soldiers go fighting and they cannot carry their kitchen gear with them.

So they have a helmet and they have water and fire and they start boiling it.

And then there's a plenty of sheep out there.

And that is how they started the hot pot.

So traditionally hot pot is when you have a group of people eating together because it's more fun and you have more food to enjoy.

But you can come by yourself.

We have individual small pot as well, and you may eat a lot.

So that's okay.

The hot pot is using a broth as a base.

And then you start cooking and placing your own meat or food in there.

Whether it's lamb, beef, chicken, or vegetable, you want it to be tender.

You don't want the meat to stay there too long.

Woman: Mmm.

Very good.

Sha: The food cooks very fast, but it does take time to eat because everybody's enjoying themselves.

Why rush yourself?

You know?

When you have come for dinner, you want to have a good time.

[ Laughter ] It's a family business and we all help each other as a family.

We're very passionate about make sure the restaurant's serving the best food because I come here to eat a lot.

I want to have good food.

And so I want the customers to feel the same thing.

It's just like it's their restaurant.

[ Group cheering ] Sbrocco: All right.

Give me an idea of how you discovered this spot.

Because it's kind of, like, in a little strip mall, isn't it?

Mohamed: It is a little off the beaten path, and I -- So I only eat halal meats, which fairly limits what I'm able to eat.

For instance, fish without scales, eels, catfish.

But even the animals that I am allowed to eat, they have to be prepared and slaughtered in a certain way, fairly similar to kosher.

And so when I'm looking for halal restaurants, I really wanted to try hot pot.

I'd never had it before.

So I always get the Spicy Lamb Chine Pot, which has a whole backbone of the lamb inside of the stew.

It's very unctuous, it's very brothy.

And then on the side, I'll get the rib eye very thinly sliced, some Angus beef.

And, of course, you got to have some vegetables -- baby bok choy, perhaps some lotus root, thinly sliced potatoes.

And then I prefer to eat it over noodles, but I always get some rice on the side as well.

Sbrocco: That's it?

Mohamed: That's it.

And then you have your dipping sauces on the side.

They have all sorts of ingredients.

You can mix and match.

I always go heavy on the garlic, heavy on the spice.

A little bit of umami, vinegar, some salt in there.

And then you -- Of course, you take your meat, you dip it in the sauce, and then you have it over the noodles.

Sbrocco: And, Phil, did you get saucy on this one?

Pham: I didn't get saucy on this one, but what I ordered actually was the half and half hot pot option, and it was the Spicy Lamb Chine Bone Broth and the Original Lamb Chine Bone Broth.

But the flavors of each of those broths were so good that I completely neglected the sauce that I conjured up for myself.

I also like to order the enoki mushrooms.

They really soak up the spicy, unctuous broth, and it really celebrates what that broth has to offer.

But I also ordered the house special fish ball, which is perfectly cooked and tender if you cook it right.

And it was -- It was great.

I also ordered a flowery dish that was resembling that of chrysanthemum, and it provided this nice floral note to the overall experience that I appreciated.

McGee: I'm not a huge DIY person when it comes to food, so I started off with the sweet and sour cabbage.

The cabbage wasn't sweet or sour.

Actually, it was just right, like, the Goldilocks effect.

And then I followed it up with the Kung Pao chicken.

We went with the no spice, which in hindsight, we definitely should have at least gone with mild, and the ratio was more onion than chicken.

So I can't really say how much I enjoyed the chicken honestly.

Sbrocco: Right.

But you enjoyed the cabbage at least?

McGee: The cabbage was amazing.

Yes.

Mohamed: And, of course, they also do have a lot of barbecue items.

So I had to try out their skewers.

They had the lamb skewer and the beef skewer that night.

They're both tasty, but at the price point that it's at, I think I'd rather save my dollars for that premium rib eye that I'm gonna dip into my hot broth.

Pham: I also ordered the -- the lamb skewers.

I do agree that it's a little bit on the pricier side, but having traveled to China a lot for our business trips, the cumin-y flavor that you taste from these lamb skewers are very, very authentic to what you find in the night market in China.

Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.

Mohamed: And my favorite thing to drink there has got to be the watermelon juice.

It's absolutely fresh.

They bring it by the pitcher.

And one pitcher is not enough.

I mean, you could have two people split a pitcher.

So we always get two for the table.

Sbrocco: And what about service?

McGee: So the service unfortunately wasn't what I'm used to.

But if I go back, I would have to go with Abbas, because clearly he knows the ins and outs of everything.

At one point, it was like, "Oh, I have to raise my hand."

I felt like I was back in the classroom with my kindergarten students.

But again, if I go with the regular -- hint, hint -- then maybe it will be a bit different.

Mohamed: Service-wise, you know, they're not gonna be checking up on you unless you absolutely need something.

And there are a couple of times where I've had to ask them to bring something back out or that, "Hey, we haven't gotten our rice yet."

But honestly, sometimes I forget that I even ordered the rice because I'm just lost in the sauce.

And it's a very interactive -- It's a snack and activity.

It's a snacktivity.

Sbrocco: [ Laughing ] It's a snacktivity.

So, Abbas, is this a place to bring folks to share food?

Mohamed: Oh, absolutely.

I've gone with large groups, and it's usually four people to a pot.

But also, like, this would be a great idea for a date.

See how your date deals with the snacktivity portion of it.

McGee: Are there any dates out there?

Let me know.

[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: Hot pot excepted.

All right.

And would you go back, Phil?

Pham: I would go back if I'm in the area and I'm craving hot pot, but I probably wouldn't say I would be driving out of my way from San Francisco to try this place.

Mohamed: I'm not even kidding.

I've woken up, looked at the gloomy weather, got in the car, and driven an hour and a half to get this exact hot pot before.

McGee: I have to try it then.

Pham: I have to go with you.

McGee: We're going together.

Mohamed: Road trip!

Sbrocco: I see your calendar is booking up here.

[ Laughter ] All right.

If you would like to try Little Lamb Hot Pot & BBQ, it's located on Story Road in San Jose, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $30.

Phil's place is another destination with food that's tailor-made for sharing.

Featuring fresh-from-the-oven pita, savory spreads, and other traditional Turkish meze, it's fast becoming his neighborhood go-to.

Located in San Francisco's Richmond District, it's Lokma.

♪♪ Demirtas: We're both from Turkey.

Kabayel: And after we moved from Turkey here, you know, it's still easy to find the street food, like kabobs and other stuff.

Demirtas: Gyros.

Kabayel: Gyros.

But we weren't able to get the stuff that our moms make, so we wanted to show the other side of Turkish cuisine.

Man: Mmm.

Demirtas: The name of the restaurant is Lokma, which means "small bites."

Kabayel: Yeah.

That's how we like to eat in Turkey.

We like to have the mezes, the small plates, as well as the big bites.

Demirtas: Our moms, they just came, and she created the menu with our chef.

And she make zucchini dolmas and manti, which is like small dumplings.

Kabayel: We like to stuff things in Turkey.

[ Both laugh ] We love using eggplant.

There's a lot of eggplant in Turkish dishes, maybe 100 ways of it.

You can roast it, you can grill it.

Demirtas: Whatever you want.

Kabayel: Yeah.

The hospitality is a great thing in Turkey.

Demirtas: We love people.

We love to service, we love foods.

Kabayel: When we first opened our restaurant, we wanted to have regular customers other than just, like, first-timers.

We want them to be happy so they say to other people, "It was great."

And then they come back again with friends or family.

Demirtas: It's amazing.

Kabayel: Yeah, that makes us happy.

Sbrocco: So this is fast becoming your go-to spot?

Pham: It is fast becoming my go-to spot.

I'm a Richmond District native of San Francisco.

Sbrocco: You say that so proudly.

Pham: Absolutely.

Born and raised.

And we always walked past it and we decided to sit down because it evoked this calm, comfortable, cozy vibe, both in the patio area as well as inside.

Sbrocco: All right.

You have a favorite dish?

Pham: Yeah.

My absolute go-to dish are the zucchini dolmas.

It's these two zucchini pieces that are very unassuming, peeled.

But as you bite in, you realize that there are these spiced ground beef inside, and complemented with it, would be this yogurt garlic sauce that's drizzled all over it.

And it's very delicate to the flavor, delicate to the texture.

Very different from the dolmas that you're used to.

Sbrocco: Right.

With grape leaves.

Pham: So I really welcome this departure from what I'm used to.

Sbrocco: Okay.

All right.

Dolmas is the order.

What did you start with?

McGee: I started with dolmas as well.

And "unassuming" is the perfect way to describe it.

I didn't know what to expect.

They almost looked like tamales.

So that's what I had in my brain.

And then when I tasted, I was like, "Okay, this is the way to go."

And then I followed that with the spreads.

And the baba ganoush, like, if I could bottle that up and take it home, that's how good it was.

And since I was sharing with someone, I felt so guilty because I kept going back for little scoops of that on the warm pita bread.

Like [Breathes deeply] Pham: Did you get a trio spread?

McGee: I did.

I did.

But the baba ganoush was what stood out.

It was the star of the show.

Pham: I also ordered the bal and kaymak, which is a honey and clotted cream dip, and it's paired with some fresh pita.

And I would say the pita is out of this world.

It's fresh.

It's pillowy.

McGee: Yep.

That pita is amazing.

I don't know what they do to it, but, oh, my gosh.

Mohamed: I got the Muhammara spread.

That was phenomenal.

It has sweet peppers in it.

It's got a little bit of, like, a nutty flavor to it.

I mean, I love dips and I'd taken my brother with me on this one.

And so we both thrilled at being able to share this -- this wonderful appetizer.

Pham: The watermelon salad is a perfect light start.

And the watermelon cubes, they use are so fresh, and with the feta cheese.

And a little sprinkling of some mint leaves made it feel like I was somewhere in the Mediterranean.

McGee: I also had the lamb loin chops, which were amazing.

They had, like, a little bit of a pomegranate glaze on them, and then they were on top of some sort of eggplant puree.

And I'm like, "You could have put a few extra dollops of that."

They were so good.

And then they had these crispy onions.

It took everything in me not to pick up the lamb chop and just, like, eat whatever was left on the bone.

Sbrocco: That's allowed, you know?

McGee: I know, but... Mohamed: And I have to say that this lamb chop -- I did exactly what you didn't.

I just went all up in there.

And, you know, like you said, the puree was fantastic.

The texture of it, the sweetness, because it was so caramelized at that point.

I mean, wow.

McGee: I also had a side of the Swiss chard.

And when I ordered it, one friend was like, "Are you getting lettuce?"

It is so much more than lettuce.

That's Swiss chard was amazing.

Actually, I could have gone with two sides of that.

Like, it was too small for me to share just because it was so good.

So shout-out to the Swiss chard.

Mohamed: Yeah, I got the stuffed eggplant and it was stuffed with meat.

And on the side, there was a tzatziki sauce and a yellow rice.

And as soon as you pick up a spoonful of that yellow rice, you can smell the saffron.

It was so wonderfully cooked.

Sbrocco: What about drinks?

Pham: I ordered the Uludag Gazoz mixed fruit soda.

It's just a really sweet Turkish soda.

It is a little bit sweeter than I usually get to pair, but I do enjoy it.

Sbrocco: All right.

It's kind of like dessert.

Speaking of dessert, anybody partake in that?

Pham: I partook in the revani.

It integrates the pistachio and coconut flakes on top of a crumbly cake, and they drizzle on some orange syrup throughout.

And it was a joy to eat.

Sbrocco: And you mentioned service was great.

What about price?

McGee: I would say for the quality of food -- Very frugal person, but for the quality that I got, I would pay.

Like, it was worth it.

Mohamed: So it was great that it was traditional Turkish and you could really sense that they cared about what went into the food.

They cared about how the food was presented.

The price point was a little bit of a sticker shock, but I realize I probably haven't eaten in San Francisco in a long time.

McGee: Fair.

Mohamed: And that's what I'll chalk it up to.

Sbrocco: All right.

If you would like to try Lokma, it's located on Clement Street at 19th Avenue in San Francisco, and the average dinner tab per person is around $45.

And now reporter Cecilia Phillips has a little something to satisfy your sweet tooth.

She's headed to the heart of North Beach for a little fudge making 101.

Zwiefelhofer: Come on in.

Welcome in.

Phillips: Mmm.

[ Sniffs ] Zwiefelhofer: Thank you.

Woman: Are these are all your flavors here?

Zwiefelhofer: So Z. Cioccolato is really representative of the neighborhood North Beach, which is our Little Italy.

So the "Z" stands for "zucchero," which is the Italian word for "sugar."

And "cioccolato," of course, is the Italian word for "chocolate."

So our name means "sugar" and "chocolate."

All right.

One for you.

When people walk in here, we want them to feel like they're a kid again.

Woman: Here we go.

Man: There we go.

Man: Yeah!

Woman #2: Yeah!

Zwiefelhofer: People often ask me, like, "What is fudge?"

And the simple answer is that fudge is basically chocolate, sugar, and butter.

Because we make our fudge in pans, we get to layer our fudge and we can make hundreds, if not thousands, of different flavors, because all we have to do is add different combinations into the pan.

Our signature flavor is called peanut butter pie.

It has seven different layers.

It's very time-consuming because each layer does have to cool before we add the next layer.

And so it takes about 5 hours from start to finish.

All right.

Keep going.

You're at six.

Phillips: A little sprinkle?

Okay.

Zwiefelhofer: Just a nice sprinkling.

A little too much, but that's okay.

There you go.

Phillips: This will be a very special "Cecilia Tries It" batch.

Zwiefelhofer: Yeah.

Okay.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

About now.

Give it a nice circle.

There we go.

Look at that.

Phillips: You make this look way easier than it is.

Zwiefelhofer: Gorgeous.

Phillips: So the question is, can I try it?

Zwiefelhofer: Absolutely.

You're ready to try it?

Phillips: Yes.

Yes.

Zwiefelhofer: Let's do it.

Phillips: All right.

Here we go.

Zwiefelhofer: Ready?

Let do it.

Phillips: [ Breathes deeply ] Zwiefelhofer: What do you think?

Phillips: Oh, my gosh.

It is way more smooth and buttery than I could have ever anticipated.

Zwiefelhofer: Yeah.

Phillips: If you could make any flavor of fudge, what would you make?

It can be wild.

Woman: It can be wild.

Okay.

Strawberry cheesecake and some kind of pepper or chili would be crazy.

Woman #2: Is there already a peanut butter and bacon fudge?

Phillips: I don't know.

Woman #2: There is.

Man: Ooh.

I'm thinking, like, a pavlova.

Like, a dessert-y pavlova flavor.

Phillips: That is quite fancy.

Girl: Strawberry taffy.

Phillips: Strawberry taffy fudge?

Man: Something pickle.

[ Laughing ] No.

Just kidding.

Phillips: Yes.

Woman #2: Pickled fudge.

Phillips: Pickled fudge or... Man: Pickles.

Phillips: Okay, I'm gonna go tell him right now.

All right?

Have any of your fudge flavors ever flopped?

Zwiefelhofer: We do get requests for, like, spicy chocolate, so we put crushed red peppers inside dark chocolate fudge with some nuts, and we thought it was gonna be great.

It just -- It just didn't.

Thanks for stopping in.

Girl: I got popcorn.

Woman: Wow!

Thank you!

[ Laughs ] Phillips: I'm taking this home.

Sbrocco: I want to thank my lively guests on this week's show -- Marissa McGee, who savors the Southern fried catfish at Oakland's Oeste; Phil Pham, who delights in the delicate dolmas at Lokma in San Francisco; and Abbas Mohamed, who craves the Spicy Chine Pot at Little Lamb Hot Pot in San Jose.

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, everyone.

Pham: Cheers!

Sbrocco: Cheers!

Whoo!

Zwiefelhofer: Put your aprons on.

We actually have chocolate candy making classes because we teamed up with the wine bar next to us.

It's called Belle Cora.

Just pour it right into... And it's a actually wine tasting and chocolate candy making class.

They get to try four different types of wines from all around the world that pair well with chocolate.

We're gonna put the peanut butter in.

And then I will teach them how to make some chocolate candies.

Phillips: Did you hear that, Leslie?

Wine and chocolate.

Huh?

Come and meet me in North Beach.