♪♪ Sbrocco: A tempting taco with a twist in San Jose... Woman: It's the ultimate bar bite.

...house-made ravioli in San Mateo... Woman #2: I had the meat sauce and it brought it to a whole 'nother dimension.

...and a killer cheeseburger paired with small batch brews in Pacifica.

Man: I almost ate my fingers because I just wanted more.

Sbrocco: You gotta try this!

Hi, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to Check, Please!

"You Gotta Try This!"

We have three guests and each one recommends the one dish they can't get enough of, and the other to go check 'em out to see what they think.

Along the way, we take a deep dive into the stories behind the dishes, learning the special ingredients and techniques that make them so delicious.

Joining me virtually at the Check Please table today, are Retiree Latonyia Fernandez, Dancer and Recording Artist Gypsy Love, and Entrepreneur Robby Bancroft.

Welcome, everyone.

-Welcome.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

Sbrocco: Now that she's retired, Latonyia is a lady of leisure, enjoying dining out with her friends any chance she gets.

One of her favorite bar bites is a crispy Brussels Sprout Taco, so full of flavor it will definitely make you want to eat your veggies.

It's one of the signature dishes at downtown San Jose's Paper Plane.

♪♪ Lahlouh: The bar is named after a modern classic cocktail called a Paper Plane... -Paper Plane.

Lahlouh: ...which is the drink that was created around the time the cocktail revival was going on.

And around the time we started to conceptualize opening our own bar.

We wanted to be playful, creative, and I thought, Okay, you know, Paper Plane folded up to work around, it's like a toy when you're a kid, you know, and we just wanted to open up a space where we had great drinks, great quality, as well as kind of just like a fun, lively atmosphere.

Duong: Paper Plane's food is very new American with like a potential global influence.

So the Brussels Sprouts Tacos, what inspired it was we wanted to put something with vegetables on the menu, but it still had to be finger food.

I tried to sell the Brussels Sprout Tacos, and then one of the managers at the time were like, no one's going to eat Brussels sprout.

I'm like, I'm going to put it in a taco and it's going to be good.

♪♪ The Brussels sprouts, I want to make it really meaty.

And so what we do is we quarter it and we salt it overnight and we let it sit.

And that penetrates the cell walls and kind of softens it.

And then we fry it, we toss it with a little salt, and then what really makes it meat-y is the pumpkin seeds and the ground masala.

And it gives it this earthiness and a lot of, like, depth of flavor.

We add a little bit of a yogurt sauce, So it's citrus-y.

For the pickled onions and the Fresno chilies, we cut it up and we put it into a vinegar brine of coriander, black pepper, bay leaf, sugar.

And this is a very clean vinegar that helps cut through the fat of the dish.

-So, cheers, guys.

-Cheers, guys.

All: Cheers!

Duong: It's a great flavor profile and everything kind of works together.

Brussels Sprout Tacos, it works.

Yeah.

Latonyia, tell me about this dish -- Brussels Sprout Taco.

Now, I can honestly say I've eaten a lot of tacos in my life, but never a Brussels Sprout Taco.

I would totally agree with you.

I would never have thought of a Brussels Sprout Taco, although I love Brussels sprouts.

So any way I can get them, I will take them.

Someone told me about the restaurant, the cocktail bar, and I went and tried them, and it was the most delicious taco I have ever had.

It was soft and crispy and savory, and it just had all the flavors that my palate is always calling for.

It's just something that you have to try.

Well, and I have to say, Gypsy is shaking her head.

So I think that means you're giving it a thumbs up, Gypsy, is that?

If I had more thumbs, I would put those up, too.

You got mine.

Sbrocco: What did you think about this taco?

It's the ultimate bar bite.

I mean, it was real-- like Latonyia said, it appeals to all the senses.

Those Brussels sprouts were plump.

They had that beautiful char.

They were savory, crispy the tortilla was fresh.

All of the fixings were also really bright -- pickled onions, pepitas.

It was really satisfying.

I'm a meat lover and I've never had a vegetarian taco.

And I definitely didn't miss the meat.

Yeah, the Brussels Sprout Tacos, like I'm a Brussels sprouts guy.

Like wherever I go, I get Brussels sprouts.

But I've never had them in a taco before.

-Right?

-And with, like, the veggies, the yogurt, and even the tortilla just, oh, it's the tortilla or whatever.

But they like take the time, whatever they do with whatever love they put into this tortilla, it just all works so well together that, like, literally, like, I could have almost ate my fingers because I just wanted more.

♪♪ Lahlouh: You know, we really set out to do creative, fun cocktails that are, you know, reiterations on the classic era of cocktails where there's a lot of focus on quality and how you produce the drink.

We have an amazing whiskey selection.

Over 400 different bourbons, ryes, international whiskey, scotches, Japanese whiskies to pick from.

If I see someone just get their drinks, I tend to like to watch until they take that sip.

We love to see people kind of take that leap out of their comfort zone and try something they've never had before.

Did any of you have a drink?

Because Paper Plane is actually a drink.

It's one of my favorite cocktails.

Bancroft: Had the maze under that one was really good.

That was the drink that I would recommend.

I think I have four of them actually.

[ Laughs ] Stuck in a little a little date night.

But yeah, their cocktails are great.

And they take time to get into them and they even talk to you about them and put up a little show, too, so.

Fernandez: Yeah, I chose the Escape Artist and it was very light.

It went very well with my meal.

And it just helped me finish off the meal and get started with the rest of the evening.

Right.

Well, my husband and I, we did make it a date night.

We had planned on taking our 4-year-old until we read more about it and realized, oh, they check IDs here.

So we actually made it into a lovely date night.

And my husband had a Negroni, I had a bourbon on ice, and it went beautifully with the bar bite.

I love the vibe of this place, the high ceilings, the exposed brick.

There's a really cool mural in the back.

The beats were just fantastic.

It was probably not the place to have a quiet conversation, but that wasn't what we were looking for.

Right?

[ Laughter ] But there is another dish, I know, Latonyia, that you are a fan of as well, right.

The Koji Chicken?

I love chicken wings.

Let me start out by saying I like that bone to be cooked.

And those chicken wings are cooked perfectly.

They remain crispy.

They're savory.

They're sweet.

They're spicy, but not so spicy that you really can't enjoy them.

-Yeah?

-Just delicious.

I agree.

Did you have the chicken wings to Robby?

So I got the chicken wings.

And when they were so crispy that I was like, we've got to try the chicken sandwich now, because obviously they do chicken well.

So we definitely we definitely spent our time there.

But yeah, the wings, I would get that again.

And same with the tacos.

I think you hit it out of the park, Latonyia, with this with this pick.

-Oh, I'm so excited.

-Would you go back for it?

Yeah, actually, I have to go pick up some more merch 'cause I print shirts out of San Jose.

So I'm already planning my trip around that stop by Paper Plane.

But yeah, super cool and the staff was cool.

And again, the vibe was just, you know, start to finish a really good experience.

So thank you for recommending that.

-Welcome.

My pleasure.

-Alright.

Well, if you would like to try a Paper Plane, it's located on South 1st Street in downtown San Jose.

And Latonyia's pro tip, of course, try those crispy Koji Wings, too.

Gypsy's spot is an old-school delicatessen that's one of the last in the Bay Area still making all their pasta in-house.

Whenever she's craving homey Italian comfort food, she orders the Asiago Roasted Zucchini Ravioli at San Mateo's Ravioli House.

♪♪ Topoian: The Ravioli House is the oldest deli around San Mateo, and even some of the bigger ones in San Francisco, we're one of those last standing one that still is producing their own pasta, as well as making sandwiches and everything else we can make on site.

People are always going to say their grandma makes the best raviolli.

And I'm just a young guy who doesn't know what he's talking about.

Historically, the ravioli recipes, they looked like they were more about tough times and saving on costs.

You know, you use all the end-cuts from the salami, the prosciutto, the bread crumbs at the end of the day.

I mean, you're throwing away nothing.

Everything's getting packed into that ravioli.

And so I looked at those recipes and I wasn't a fan like I just thought they should be given more care.

The ravioli filling should be given as much attention as creating a killer salami or a sausage recipe or something like that, and give it more precise measurements with fresh ground spices to get them perfect.

♪♪ There's six types of ravioli and each one of them, we just worked our way backwards and created our own fillings.

The zucchini ravioli was something we did because I thought I could do better than spinach and cheese.

You know, we roast the zucchini and then caramelize the shallots... throw in some Asiago, some ricotta, some Parmesan.

♪♪ It's an awesome ravioli.

♪♪ Yep.

But I think a good pesto has pine nuts, and we don't use pine nuts, just because of nut allergies today.

So I figured, okay, I can do this without pine nuts.

You know, handpicking the basil and washing it, the lemon juice, the garlic, Parmesan, and kosher salt.

It's very simple.

♪♪ The fun part is how many people, you know, because everybody's got to eat, you know.

The fire department, the police, the city workers, young people, old people, everyone's in here.

I like when people come in here, there's flour all over us.

There's flour all over the place.

And they walk through the back and you're like, watch your step.

You know, the flour slippery.

And they see these machines running, they know.

That's what keeps them coming back.

♪♪ Sbrocco: Alright.

Gypsy, a deli that serves homemade ravioli.

Talk to me about this combination.

I come from an Italian family.

Ravioli is my ultimate comfort food.

And I have to say, the Ravioli House delivers on every count.

Sbrocco: So, Gypsy, there's so much to choose from at this place, why did you settle on your dish?

Well, I always get the Asiago and Roasted Zucchini Ravioli with the pesto.

I won't say always because I do oftentimes opt to add some Bolognese sauce to the mix.

But... -Yeah.

-...I do enjoy that pesto sauce.

It's bright, it's fresh, preservative free.

That means a lot to me.

The garlic is definitely present, which is another thing I love.

They don't shy away from garlic there.

And for me, I don't miss the meat.

It's a lovely, versatile vegetarian option.

Ravioli, Robby.

Talk to me about this ravioli dish.

I'm just yeah, I'm just so excited to be here and be on the show and discover these two new places that I had no idea about.

And I grew -- I'm born and raised in the Bay Area along the peninsula.

But it's a little bit off the beaten path.

So if you're not looking for it, you won't find it.

Yeah.

Parking was good.

Walked right in.

I got a combo sandwich and the ravioli and I actually split the sauces, which was great.

The staff was super cool and accommodating.

So it was super comforting, like big portions.

And the garlic bread that came with it, too.

I love garlic bread, but I almost forgot about the garlic bread because I was so excited about the ravioli.

-[ Laughs ] And it's perfect to kind of get that extra little sauce at the bottom after you devour these ravioli.

Alright.

Latonyia, tell me about your experience with these raviolis.

Were they delicious?

They were delicious.

They were tender.

I had the meat sauce, as you suggested, and it just brought it to a whole 'nother dimension.

And what I like, too, is when I got there kind of late and I thought, oh, you know, they're not going to serve me.

But they were very accommodating.

I felt like I was at home, like I enjoyed it, loved it, and loved that turkey sandwich also.

-Oh!

-It's one thing to have Oscar Meyer Turkey, and we love you, Oscar.

But it's another thing to have a turkey breast that you put in the oven and you just get that flavor of Thanksgiving.

Just tastes like home.

It was just delicious.

And I'm a sucker for a real turkey sandwich, so.

Alright.

And I see Robby shaking his head, so I've got to go back.

Did you get anything else besides the ravioli?

Of course, we got a combo sandwich, which was, again, just like classic deli.

But I was really curious about the lobster ravioli.

I didn't get it, but I wanted to.

And I might go back for the lobster ravioli if you guys recommend it.

Of course.

Sbrocco: Can you give him a little advice on the lobster ravioli?

Buttery, rich, delicious.

Go for it.

I'll see you there.

And remember to get a chocolate chip cookie after they make them at home, home-bake them, yeah.

Sbrocco: There you go.

Home-made chocolate chips.

Alright, Robby, would you go back to this spot for this ravioli?

-No, honestly... Yeah, of course!

[ Laughs ] Back for the lobster.

We're going to get the cookies and I will report back.

Latonyia, would you go back to visit for that ravioli?

I absolutely would.

And I would take a little picnic lunch over to the Central Park as it is in walking distance and turkey sandwich, some ravioli, and just enjoy the scenery of downtown.

Alright.

If you would like to try the Asiago Roasted Zucchini Ravioli at the Ravioli House, it's located on South B Street in San Mateo.

And Gypsy's pro tip be sure to try the Bolognese sauce.

Born and raised in coastal Pacifica.

Robby loves the beach brews and burgers.

His favorite neighborhood gastro pub, offers all of those and more.

It's run by a French chef whose handcrafted PB Burgers pair perfectly with whatever the brewmaster dreams up at Pacifica Brewery.

♪♪ Smith: I grew up here in Pacifica.

Growing up here, I just knew this was something that was missing.

You know, when I met Sylvain, I was eating at the restaurant he was the chef at.

And he brought up the foie gras trio.

And the rest is history.

[ Laughs ] He was kind of like a city guy, you know, grew up cooking all over Europe in big cities, London, Paris, and then San Francisco.

So people are extremely shocked when they come out and they're going to a brewery and then they have this amazing dinner by a chef that's cooked in Michelin restaurants.

♪♪ Montassier: [ French accent ] I really enjoy food, you know, and I enjoy eating.

So I cook what I like to eat.

You know, so we use a fair amount of butter here in cooking, you know.

We have our room-temperature butter.

The PB Burger is special.

Everything is made fresh.

We grind our own meat, we make the burger bun every day.

We shape it into an eight ounce patties.

So you see, that's a good-looking meat.

You see a lot of white in here.

So that's going to make a good burger.

Then make a quick rotation.

We make the buns here every day.

We put the beer in the process, you know, instead of putting in, like, raw onions, we do, like, beer-braised onions And, like, we just, like, top the burger, you know, so it brings that caramelized flavor, you know, that goes great with the meat.

We use a sharp cheddar from Oregon.

We use a Tillamook cheddar.

I'm a cheddar guy.

I'm a purist.

I like it, like, very simple, you know, like we put a little bit of mayonnaise on the bun.

A nice leaf of lettuce and that's about it, some fries.

I don't want, like, all kind of component, you know, are getting there on the burger and get that tall and it's difficult to eat.

You know, this is like one of the dish where I really wanted to make, just like a good burger.

10,000 pounds of grain.

I met Helen and Sylvain in the spring of 2020 amidst the pandemic.

And they were great people and I saw the space and just thought how beautiful it is.

♪♪ The types of beers that I like to have for our guests are a mix of things that are really refreshing.

Great for the beer garden on a hot summer day after a hike, something like that.

So hefeweizens, German lagers, lighter styles.

-These are hops.

-And then, I really like to have fun with hops because hops are just such a beautiful ingredient.

So I'm just experimenting with all different types of styles to put hops in, I'm making hoppy cream ales, which is not really a traditional thing to do.

Oh, I like that.

Smith: We actually would love for the Pacifica to be a destination, you know, for a lot of families and people traveling through the state of California to pop in and say, "Oh, let's stay a night over," you know, off Rockaway Beach and let's go to Pacifica Brewery and enjoy a great meal.

And some craft, amazing beers, and wonderful cocktails.

♪♪ Alright, Robby.

This is a destination spot.

This is.

And this is, this is Pacifica's attempt at trying to, you know, attract more visitors and keep the locals happy at the same time.

But they put a lot of time, effort, and money into establishing this place as a destination spot.

So I'm happy to give it the elevation it needs.

Sbrocco: What's so special about this burger?

Bancroft: Burgers are burgers wherever you go.

But if there's a place that can add their own little twist, then that's what really catches my attention.

Sbrocco: Yeah.

Bancroft: And this is a house-made pretzel bun, which, you know, they've had a moment, but he's bringing them back.

And the salt just works so well with the minimalistic ingredients, which is also what makes a good burger.

I like the presentation.

I love the French fries.

I would say the bun gets you to the door.

But the main attraction is just how it all works well together.

Sbrocco: And with a good beer, right?

Bancroft: I agree.

I usually I go for a cider.

So I had a south city cider.

But of course, they're a brewery, so the last time I went, I got one of their beers.

And I'm like a dark beer guy, so I liked one of their stouts.

But today I'm drinking one of their pilsners and it is called Pacifica Mist.

So I wanted to give a little shout out to my hometown.

Sbrocco: To Pacifica and to brewmaster Kim.

Well, they do have an ever-changing beer list.

And one of the classics certainly was when brewmaster Kim did Czech Pils!

and take up on "Check, Please!," of course.

Latonyia, tell me about your experience with this burger.

I totally loved the burger.

I loved the presentation of the burger.

I loved the bun because the bun makes a burger.

The bread was nice and soft.

And the fact that it had a little salty crust cooked exactly the way I asked it to be.

It was just delicious.

It was just another one of those burgers that, you know, you want to eat like this and like, oh, I better not be a pig.

It was just delicious.

This is a scrumptious burger.

This is a really well-balanced burger.

I thought it was very thoughtfully prepared with really high quality ingredients that I call it onion jam, I guess they call it the Iranians, that these onions have been sautéed to their maximum sweetness.

I could seriously just eat that jam.

Montassier: Fish taco.

Sbrocco: And burgers aren't the only things they do here.

Obviously, they do a Sunday brunch.

They do lots of fish.

Did anybody have something else to eat?

Well, I've been to all of these places more than once already.

So... -That's awesome!

Fernandez: I'm telling you and I'm a big fan of brunch and I love Pacifica.

I love the ocean.

And I always thought of Pacifica, like, "Who has a Taco Bell on the beach?"

Right.

And then we found you.

And this burger was just great.

So I had the fried chicken and I took it home to go.

-Almost did that, too.

-And beignets and...

They used to have a chicken and biscuit on the brunch menu, which I'm hoping -- -Come on, really?

-Yeah.

-Exactly.

-Bring it back.

Yeah.

-Don't miss the biscuit, according to Robby, alright.

-Delicious.

Sbrocco: But you did mention the other B word, which is beignets.

-Oh, yes.

Did you have the beignets, Gypsy?

Well, I'm a sucker for anything that looks, feels, tastes, anything like a donut.

I'm a big fan of donuts.

And I really loved how they nailed the texture.

So it was definitely your classic fried beignets.

But inside, it retained its silky softness and outside it had a lovely crunch to it.

And we actually chased it with an Irish coffee, which was also very good.

[ Laughs ] Sbrocco: Talk about the vibe of this place in terms of the outdoor seating and the beer garden feel, because that really plays into the spot.

Bancroft: One hundred percent.

And I think the combination that we have at Pacifica Brewery is really good for the city because they pay so much attention to the detail, even their private rooms that they're starting to open up.

And they're you know, they're just a Pride Celebration in St. John.

So these cool little things usually don't happen in my hometown.

So the fact that they are setting the foundation for these kind of opportunities, so you can tell that they care.

And when you can tell that a place cares about their appearance, then you feel good about being there and spending the money there.

And that only benefits, you know, the city and all.

And we all need it because we've all been trying to survive this pandemic so.

Yeah, everything works.

And of course, the food, you know.

Sbrocco: Well, if you would like to try the PB Burger at Pacifica Brewery, it's located on Pacific Coast Highway in Pacifica and Robby's pro tip?

Save room for the beignets.

And now time for a detour along the culinary road, less traveled.

Producer Cecilia Phillips is on the hunt for more Bay Area bites you've just gotta try.

What's up, brother?

How you doing?

Good to see you.

♪♪ Phillips: For someone who's never been in the market before, what can they expect when they come here?

It's kind of like a big party in your you're operating with 100 different individual businesses.

So it's always a lot of fun.

The market's super important to the community.

It supports local food system.

It supports farmers directly.

It's delicious.

Mmm!

Phillips: If there is something that everybody has to try when they come here, what should they try?

Which pie?

That's easy.

Our signature pie, the sweet potato pie here.

You must try it.

-Oh, thank you.

Olatunji: It's a superfood.

It has so many nutrients, so many vitamins.

And it comes from Africa.

We brought food technology with us.

Let's do it together.

♪♪ Mmm!

So what makes Ethiopian coffee different than any other coffee?

What makes it special?

I think it's it's grown while it's not harvested.

Phillips: Do you have a way that you say cheers in Ethiopian?

-Yeah, we say letenachin.

Letenachin.

Yeah, it's kinda hard, yeah, but.

Okay, here we go.

Oh, my gosh.

-Good?

But it's more than good, it's amazing.

It's strong, it's rich, it's deep.

-Absolutely.

-It tastes of the place that it came from.

-Absolutely.

Calder: So Vacos Vegan Tacos, is fully vegan, no soy, no tofu, no fake meat products.

We really just want to let the fruits and vegetables shine.

This is the fried avocado taco.

-Alright, let's try this.

Mmm.

Wow.

Crisp cabbage, warm avocado, light, great spice with the salsa.

Phenomenal.

-Thank you.

This is Moroccan Sweet and Savory.

It's all homemade.

This is birowat.

It's an Arabic name for an envelope.

Phillips: It looks like a little pocket of deliciousness.

Should I try it?

Okay.

I'm gonna try it, give it bite.

Mmm!

I'm going to try this pound cake now.

Mmm!

Felix: When the shoulders relax and the smiles come, that's when you know.

-That is some pound business.

[ Laughter ] Wow.

Man: I came for the bagels.

I got the bagels.

We're here for the bagels.

-They are authentic East Coast style bagels, so we hand roll every single one of them, boil them.

We bake them in a deck oven, and then we make California-inspired sandwiches.

Phillips: Bagels, fruit inside or outside, a bagel?

Outside the bagel.

And you're from New York, so you guys are probably going to have an opinion.

Outside.

100 percent outside.

Yeah, I mean, and keep it separate.

Fruit is dessert.

-Outside the bagel.

-Outside the bagel.

-You don't put fruit inside.

Phillips: Okay, so darn.

Those cinnamon raisin bagels that I love so much.

It's a no-no, apparently.

-I'm sorry.

-You heard it here first.

You've gotta try this.

Well, that's our show.

Time for a big thank you to my fabulous guests.

I'm Leslie Sbrocco, and I'll see you next time on "Check, Please: You've Gotta Try This!"

Cheers, everyone.

-Bye!

Woman: Whoo!

Sbrocco: Which of these dishes would you try?

Follow us on Instagram or like us on Facebook and let us know what you think.

This is the spot.

If you ever wanna try some great desserts, this is the spot.

Belani is a delicious and nutritious food that loves you back.

It gets crispy.

When you take that bite, you never forget it.

These watermelons have not drink water in three weeks.

You know what that does?

It intensifies the sugar.

That's why you're tasting that.

Both: You gotta try this.

♪♪ Phillips: Oh, wow, you weren't kidding.

That's good.