Henderson: The flavors were bursting.

Sbrocco: ...Japanese Italian fusion in Santa Clara... Baccam: That alone got me through the door.

Sbrocco: ...and Tibetan tandoor in Napa.

Bhatt: They did fire it up for me.

I was like -- Sbrocco: Just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area".

Man: The daiquiris!

Oh, my gosh.

A daiquiri.

[ Indistinct talking ] Sbrocco: Hi, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to "Check, Please!

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

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 police reform director Paul Henderson, regional sales manager Nipa Bhatt, and accountant Alisa Baccam.

Welcome, everyone.

Henderson: Hey.

Sbrocco: Are you ready?

Bhatt: I'm ready.

Sbrocco: Paul's up first.

He's a fourth generation San Franciscan, but back in his law school days, he spent a lot of time in New Orleans.

It's where he developed a love for beignets, po' boys, and steamy bowls of gumbo.

Luckily, he's found a place to enjoy a taste of the bayou right here by the Bay.

Located on San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, it's Queen's Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe.

Man: Order up!

Man #2: Whoo!

Reed-Reese: I named the restaurant Queen's Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe because I come from a line of great cooks in my family.

So, to honor all of them, I decided to name it Queen's because they're all queens in my life.

The theme of the restaurant is my mother's favorite holiday, which is Mardi Gras.

That's my mom.

[ Laughs ] She is the jester saying hello to everyone as they come in here.

Man: Hey, now!

Reed-Reese: As we say in Louisiana, "Laissez les bon temps rouler."

It's called, "Let the good times roll."

That's what we're about in Louisiana.

We're about eating and having a great time.

[ Laughs ] Man: [ Laughs ] Reed-Reese: Our catfish is really fresh.

It's from Louisiana.

Indigenous catfish.

So it's really special.

Louisiana food in San Francisco has this unique connection where we're both port cities.

So, when they see that we have shrimp, oysters, catfish, fish and chips, it all resonates with people walking by, and it makes that bridge and that connection.

So, our menu now is not only a Louisiana type of cuisine, but more Americana as well.

A lot of times, I have to teach people about Louisiana food, and a po' boy is an easy example where I don't have to explain what it is.

It's a hot seafood sandwich.

[ Laughs ] And you get it instantly.

Cheers, Troy, to a job well done.

We're like the first Black owned business operating with the Port of San Francisco.

So, I mean, I'm beyond appreciative and overwhelmed by the experience to be here and to be succeeding.

We're here, and we're able to serve not only the locals of San Francisco, but we serve tourists from all over the country and the world.

Where are you guys visiting from?

Woman: Kansas.

Reed-Reese: Awesome.

You should have a full belly when you leave here.

We aim to please you and fill you up at the same time.

Here's your cup of gumbo.

I want you to experience my ancestors because these are their recipes.

Some days, I come in here and I see people eating my food, and I'm teary eyed because someone is eating one of their recipes.

Here you go.

Eat it all, too.

Man: I'm gonna eat all of this.

[ Both laugh ] Sbrocco: Alright, Paul, you were born here, but it sounds like you left your heart in New Orleans.

Henderson: I did leave at least part of my stomach there.

So, my heart is still here, but part of my stomach was there, and I love eating in New Orleans, and that's what made me so excited when I discovered Queen's, and it's why I keep going back again and again.

Sbrocco: Okay, so what is your go-to dish?

Henderson: So I always start off with the gumbo.

They are not shy about putting in the sausage and the shrimp.

I hate when you go to get gumbo and it's mostly just, like, kind of a thick soup or a thin soup.

That's not gumbo.

I want to see big chunks of shrimp.

I want to see crab.

I want to see sausage.

It's all of that that I'm looking for, and then flavoring and seasoning in the gumbo.

Sbrocco: Did you try the gumbo, Alisa?

Baccam: I did.

Sbrocco: And what did you think?

Baccam: I think I was surprised by how much shrimp and sausage there were in there.

Yeah, because every time I've had gumbo, they always skimp out, you know?

Sbrocco: Okay.

And what about you, Nipa?

Did you have the gumbo?

Bhatt: I actually did not.

I had the clam chowder, which they serve in the sourdough bowl, which -- Oh, my gosh, they also carved out the inside of the bowl and then they gave you that to, like, dip into the chowder, and it was delicious.

It was really creamy.

And the sourdough, as we know in California, is one of our favorite foods here Sbrocco: You're in San Francisco.

Absolutely.

Bhatt: Exactly.

Sbrocco: Let's talk about po' boys now, really.

Henderson: I really love po' boys.

Sbrocco: I mean, it's in the name of the place.

Henderson: It really is because po' boys are so delicious and they are ubiquitous.

When you're in New Orleans, they have them everywhere, but the quality of them varies, especially when you're outside of Louisiana.

I'm particularly paying attention to folks being stingy with the ingredients.

I don't like to feel like they've counted the number of shrimp, or there's just a small piece of catfish.

Sbrocco: And a lot of bread.

Henderson: And a lot of bread, and the quality of the bread.

That actually makes a difference in an authentic po' boy.

The bread specifically is unique.

They have a little less flour, a little more water.

I think it enhances the flavor of the po' boy.

Sbrocco: And there's a variety of po' boys that you can get.

Do you have a favorite or do you kind of switch it up?

Henderson: You know what?

I like to say I have two favorites.

So, I love shrimp, I love catfish, and Queen's allows you to split and do both.

So, you can order a po' boy with both ingredients, and it's half catfish, half shrimp.

So I get that and it makes me very happy.

Sbrocco: Okay, That is the tip of the day right there.

That's how you do it, everybody, from the expert.

Did you have a po' boy?

Bhatt: I did.

I had the spicy chicken one.

So, it was, like, chicken strips which were drenched in this spicy kind of buffalo chicken sauce.

The sauce is all over the bread too, so you're really just spiced out.

Your lips are all fiery, and then you're kind of eating your French fries to cool yourself off a little bit.

So, that was really nice, and I love spicy food.

The spicier, the better.

Sbrocco: You liked the messy, spicy -- Okay.

Bhatt: Yeah, I like when my lips are burning and, like, I think the po' boys is why I would want to go to that place.

Sbrocco: And po' boy for you, Alisa?

Baccam: No, actually, I tried the fried catfish plate, so I understand the love for the catfish.

That was so good.

The cornmeal breading on there was so crispy, and the fish itself was, like, milky and tender, and it, like, melted practically despite, like, the crispy exterior.

So, I really, really enjoyed that.

And then it also came with fries too, and the fries were, like, more on the soggy side, but it worked well because it contrasted with such a crunchy fish, you know?

Henderson: And dips.

Baccam: Exactly.

That tartar sauce.

So good, so good.

[ Laughs ] Bhatt: You got to dip.

Sbrocco: And did you wash these things down with anything?

Henderson: Oh!

Okay.

Okay.

So, the daiquiris -- Oh my gosh.

A daiquiri.

Daiquiris -- You have daiquiris all the time in New Orleans.

And so, to see the little spinny machines where you can get the flavors of the daiquiris, I was so excited that they had those with alcohol.

It was fantastic.

Bhatt: I didn't see those.

Sbrocco: Any other dishes you want to talk about?

Henderson: Dessert.

If we don't talk about those beignets, because it's so difficult to find a good beignet.

Listen, I like donuts, but a beignet is a beignet, and there's not a whole lot of places where you can get it.

Sbrocco: It's a donut with a crown.

Henderson: A donut with a crown, with the powdered sugar.

Oh, delicious.

That's always a good finisher.

Bhatt: I actually wanted the beignets.

That's the one reason I was very excited to try this place, but they were out that day, so, I had to, like, go back, and, like, just for the beignets.

I have to go earlier, I think.

That was my mistake, and it was like a late lunch, like, at 1:00 or 2:00 or something like that.

Despite that time of day, it was still super busy.

We got, like, a two top right by the kitchen and we had a really nice view.

Henderson: Because it's right on the water in the Embarcadero.

But I love the casual and comfortable feel about being able to eat what, for me, is comfort food in an environment like that and have a fantastic meal that's not super expensive, and for them to go out of their way as they do with not just me.

Everyone I saw there was getting that kind of special treatment.

Sbrocco: Everyone's a queen.

Henderson: Everyone's a queen.

In San Francisco, everyone's a queen.

Sbrocco: Alright, so it sounds like you're all going back together.

Baccam: I think so.

Bhatt: I have to go for the beignets.

[ Chuckles ] Henderson: And gumbo.

Sbrocco: If you would like to try.

Queen's Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe, it's located on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $20.

Man: Well, enjoy your stay.

Sbrocco: Now, Alisa's up with a pretty rare find.

It's a cozy little spot serving umami filled dishes that blend Japanese and Italian comfort food.

Now, while that might sound surprising, it's a style of cooking that's been common in Japan for more than a century.

To see how they do it, let's head to Santa Clara, home to La Casa Mia.

♪♪ Ozawa: The name of this restaurant is La Casa Mia.

It means "my home" in Italian.

In Japan, there is a type of food called Itameshi.

It is Japanese-Italian fusion.

Itameshi is very popular.

So, we want to bring Japanese culture, our home, to the US.

I took a lot of the recipes that I really was craving and put an American twist to it.

Japanese-Italian dishes in Japan are soy sauce based, so all of our dishes have a kind of a sweet taste to it.

I'm a pasta lover.

I love the noodles, and we also add in a lot of seafood.

I love the salmon ikura pasta.

I also really like mentaiko cod roe, and so you can see that in a lot of my dishes.

We do have some dishes that are light... Woman: Ooh, that's refreshing/ Ozawa: ...but we're mainly a heavy, like, "I'm hungry" type of place to go to.

There are some people that come in with no experience in eating this food, so it is very much of a surprise.

And so, a lot of my servers will go through and explain the menu to them.

And there are some regulars that come every single week that are grateful.

It is definitely a flavor that they miss from their home.

And so, they spend a long time here and have a lot of fun.

Sbrocco: Now, Alisa, this is such an interesting combination of cuisines.

How did you find this place?

Baccam: I think I was really just interested after seeing so much social media behind it.

Everyone is starting to combine different cuisines into different ways.

And so, I was really interested with pizza and Japanese food specifically.

It's such a strange combination.

Seafood alone on pizza sounds crazy to me, but I really enjoyed it.

Specifically the mentaiko mochi pizza.

That alone got me through the door.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Baccam: So, mentaiko alone is fish roe, and so a lot of people are, like, daunting at the thought of that.

But I think on pizza, it was very subtle, and the creamy cheese with the sausage saltiness.

Sbrocco: It has those unique umami kind of flavors too.

Baccam: Definitely.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

What was your experience, Paul, at this place?

Henderson: You know, I liked it.

It seemed so different and unique.

I was like, "What do you order?

Is it Italian?

Is it Japanese?"

It's both.

I had the garlic shrimp pizza that was delicious.

It was a thin crust, so you could actually taste the shrimp.

The cheese didn't overwhelm it like in a traditional pizza.

I thought it was really well done and interesting.

I will tell you that the standout for me was the honey mustard chicken.

I didn't know what I was going to get, but what came out was a really substantive portion of fried chicken on a bed of lettuce with housemade sauce of honey mustard.

Delicious.

I would drive to Santa Clara for that honey mustard chicken.

It was really, really good.

Sbrocco: I'm trying to think of what is the Japanese and/or Italian influence to that dish.

Henderson: Delicious.

I don't know.

It was so good.

Bhatt: So, I had this really interesting dish.

It was called tuna sashimi carpaccio salad.

And you could tell it was ahi grade.

Very, very expertly sliced, robust with flavor.

It had kind of melt in your mouth consistency, prepared with a salmon roe and very lightly dressed.

Yeah, I felt very healthy after I ate that.

Baccam: I really like to start off with the takoyaki.

It's Tokyo style takoyaki, which are, like, octopus balls.

And surprisingly, they weren't super crispy and instead, they're very, like, tender and doughy inside.

So, it really lets the octopus inside shine from the chewiness.

And on top, they put these dried pepper strips that actually weren't very spicy, but rather sweet.

And so, it not only looked beautiful, but it tasted really good too.

Bhatt: I also had a rice croquette.

I've never had that before and I thought that was very interesting.

Sbrocco: Well, in Italy, they make arancini, which is, you know, from Sicily.

Bhatt: Exactly.

Yeah.

It was really crispy on the outside, but then in the inside, it was very tender and almost like a fritter.

Sbrocco: Absolutely.

And tell us what other dishes you like.

Baccam: I really like the wagyu meat and fried cutlet spaghetti.

That was so good.

It had this really tender and fatty beef grounded, and then also a fried cutlet on top with their house made spaghetti.

So, it was just all around good quality pasta.

Sbrocco: That's a lot of meat in it.

Baccam: Yeah.

Bhatt: Yeah, so I went on the opposite spectrum and I actually got the vegetable pomodoro pasta.

The spaghetti was made in house.

They let the vegetables do the flavorings.

So, not a lot of heavy, like, creams.

So it was very light and refreshing, oil based, and the vegetables were all locally sourced.

Henderson: I really wanted to try one of the pastas, and I saw both of those, and I tried to get something that was in the middle that wasn't just vegetables and wasn't too much meat, so I could really taste the noodles.

The pasta was delicious, super buttery, but with a balance of the bacon and the sharp pepper.

Really very filling, and I was glad that that was the choice that I made.

Sbrocco: And did you get anything to drink?

Baccam: I tried the orange Calpico, and Calpico is, like, a yogurt nostalgic drink for me that I always grew up drinking, and so, they put their own freshly squeezed orange juice in there.

And so, that combination was really interesting, like, the tanginess with the creaminess from the yogurt flavor.

It was really good.

[ Laughs ] Sbrocco: What about the ambiance of the place?

Baccam: I really like the ambiance.

It's kind of a cottage inspired place.

They have, like, bar seating and little booths.

But I really like the bar because you get to see them making the pizza hands-on, from scratch.

So I feel like it's just very homey and somewhere that I really like to take friends and family.

Bhatt: Absolutely.

And I agree.

It was a very friendly atmosphere, just warm fuzzies all around.

And so, I would definitely go back.

Sbrocco: Alright, if you would like to try La Casa Mia, it's located on Homestead Road in Santa Clara, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $35.

Nipa's never been to Mount Everest, but she's a huge fan of the traditional dishes made by the Sherpas who traverse that summit.

Luckily, she's found a restaurant offering a taste of the Himalayas right here in the Bay area.

Located in Napa, it's Yak & Yeti.

Gyalzen: Our restaurant name is Yak & Yeti.

Here, we serve Nepalese, Tibetan, and Indian mixed cuisine.

Pemba: So we are from the Himalaya, where yaks are used for transportation.

And yetis are found in the mountain.

Gyalzen: The yeti, we believe is like a god, you know, for us.

Pemba: If you do something bad in his area, they become, you know, bad.

But as long as they are not harmed, they are good.

We both, and another two of the partners, we are from Himalaya.

Gyalzen: Namche Bazaar is the main gate to enter up the Mount Everest region.

So, whenever you go to Mount Everest, you have to pass through my village.

Pemba: It's called Climber's Town.

So, where all the famous climbers, like Tenzing Norgay, the first person to climb Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary.

There are a lot of people think that the Sherpas are poorer in the mountain, but the reality is that Sherpa is an ethnic group migrated from Tibet to Nepal many years ago.

We have four brothers, not real brothers, but good friends and more than brothers.

Gyalzen: And we've been working in the restaurant industry for, like, 20-plus years.

Pemba: Yeah, we have a good chemistry.

So, we work together.

[ Laughs ] We call it Nepalese and Indian cuisine because we use the same spices.

We use same ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, but quantity-wise, more or less make difference.

If you make the same tikka masala, maybe they will use garam masala or cumin, coriander -- two spoon.

Maybe we go with the half spoon or we will use one spice instead of two.

Most of the time, our food are shareable.

Gyalzen: Mostly at the momos.

You know, momos is very popular.

Pemba: And dal bhat.

Gyalzen: Dal bhat.

People can't resist the dal bhat.

So, those are really popular.

More like a tradition, you know, food.

Pemba: You know, any tourist goes to Nepal, they will have a dal bhat, basically any kind of lentil with rice, and if you had that for breakfast, lunch, then eight, nine hours, they can hike anywhere without -- Gyalzen: Dal bhat power, 24 hour.

Pemba: Yeah, that's what it says.

Okay.

Gyalzen: Would you like mild, medium, or spicy?

Woman: Can I do in between mild and medium?

Gyalzen: So, mild-plus.

Woman: Yes!

Pemba: I love Napa.

Really nice people here.

Very friendly.

Gyalzen: Come as a customer, go as, like, a family.

You know, that's how we feel.

Okay.

Thank you.

When they go with the big smile, that makes us happy, you know?

That's -- Right?

And we expect that, like, each and every time.

we feel blessed to be here.

Namaste.

Bye-bye.

Sbrocco: Okay.

How did you find this spot?

I mean, it is tucked away in a little strip mall.

You would not necessarily be walking by this spot.

Bhatt: I know.

And it's so funny.

So, Napa is known for their really high, upscale kind of French cuisine, and we had that the night before.

But then after a full day of really delicious wine tasting, all of us wanted a lot of food, not just, like, a little bit, and we were craving really spicy food.

So, we found this place, and just the minute we walked in, we felt like we were in a different universe in a different world.

Yeah, the menu is quite extensive.

They have traditional Nepalese cuisine as well as traditional and Indian cuisine.

But I started with a Nepalese dish.

They're called momos.

Everybody knows momos.

Sbrocco: Dumpling,.

Bhatt: Little dumpling.

And they're so cute.

They do lamb dumplings, they do veggie ones and chicken.

And what we did was we ordered an appetizer platter of momos.

They come to your table in a big, beautiful platter with the sauces, and it's just really tender outside.

And then when you cut into it and take a bite with the sauce, it's just flavor bomb inside.

Baccam: What really started the meal for me was the vegetable pakoras.

They were, like, fried and they seasoned the batter.

So, it was, like, super flavorful on its own.

But they also had, like, tamarind and mint sauces as well.

That really just sealed the deal for me.

[ Chuckles ] Sbrocco: What did you start with?

Henderson: I started with the daal, and I like Indian food, but this daal was so delicious.

It was thick, it was creamy.

It really could have been an entree on, like, a cold, rainy Bay Area day.

Really a standout.

Bhatt: Yeah, it was, like, filling as well.

Sbrocco: Because you got lentils.

It's really rich and hearty and savory.

Baccam: It was just a way to coat the mouth and really feel like, "Okay, I'm, like, savoring all of it right now."

Sbrocco: You're going to just strap on a backpack and hike up there.

Baccam: Exactly.

Yeah, yeah.

I felt nourished after.

Sbrocco: Absolutely.

Bhatt: So, you know how when you go to a Mexican restaurant and you get the fajitas and they come out sizzling and you're just, like, the star of the show?

My rendition of that here was shrimp tandoori.

They marinate it in the tandoori masala.

They put the shrimp in the tandoor, which is a clay oven, and then they sizzle it up on this cool cast iron skillet, and it came out sizzling with the onions and the peppers.

That was delicious.

Sbrocco: And it was a showstopper.

Bhatt: Yeah.

Yeah, no, I was just, like, the star of the restaurant that day.

Henderson: So I had the salmon tikka masala, which I've never ordered.

I like tikka masala.

I've never had it with salmon, and it was delicious.

The salmon was cooked perfectly.

It was a great balance.

The flavors were bursting through.

It was a good compliment to everything that I had.

And then I had the chicken biryani.

That was fantastic.

I took their suggestion and I had it spicy, and it did not disappoint.

I like spicy, and it was spicy.

Fortunately, I had ordered the naan bread, so I had the dipping sauce, the little yogurt sauce to cool it down a little bit.

Really flavorful.

Those were the standouts to me.

Bhatt: One of my favorite dishes is the alu cauli kerau.

So, "alu" means "potato" and "cauli" means "cauliflower", and I love those two vegetables so much, and I think there was peas inside there as well, and they make it in a tomato based sauce with all of the typical spices that an Indian curry has, which is always turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala.

I wanted it a little spicier and so they did fire it up for me.

I was like -- "[Gasps]" But it was delicious.

We did get the garlic naan.

Did you guys get the naan?

Oh, my gosh.

Henderson: Regular and garlic.

Oh, yeah.

Delicious.

Bhatt: And we always eat the naan with our hands, right?

So, we break it.

Henderson: You have to.

Bhatt: Yeah.

Sbrocco: And tell me what you had to drink.

Henderson: Oh, the mango lassi.

That's what I had with my meal.

Fantastic.

It was really good because I ordered the dishes spicy.

So, having a little bit of dairy and mango in a perfect balance was fantastic all throughout the meal.

But I also got the chai.

I'm not really a big coffee person, but I love chai, and by the way, there's free refills.

They make it fresh every day in a big pot and it was really well done.

Sbrocco: And any dessert?

Bhatt: I did not get any dessert that night because I was so full.

Henderson: I did.

[ Laughter ] Henderson: I was just waiting.

I was waiting for Paul to jump in.

Henderson: You know I'm greedy, so I don't want to miss anything.

[ Laughter ] So, I had the gulab jamun.

I didn't even know what it was, but they recommended it.

So I was like, "Let's get it, I'll eat it."

And it was, like, a sweet donut hole.

It tasted a little bit like honey.

It was moist.

I shared it, of course.

I thought it was a perfect finish, especially with my chai.

Sbrocco: And what about the feel of the place when you walk in?

I mean, maybe, you know, the name of the restaurant gives away something.

Henderson: It doesn't give away enough because there's still some surprises when you walk in there.

This place is filled with art of yeti monsters.

Sbrocco: It is called Yak & Yeti.

Henderson: But it actually contributed to making everyone feel really laid back, casual, and comfortable.

Absolutely.

This was not a place where I felt like I need to put on a tie or a coat just to be in there, because there's a yeti monster above your table.

Sbrocco: Many a yeti.

Henderson: Many of them all over.

The different interpretations of the yeti were everywhere, but I felt like they were so kind and so nice and so helpful in terms of navigating the menu.

Sbrocco: But what about the price of the food?

Henderson: I thought it was really well priced.

Baccam: I agree.

It was very affordable.

I actually got the lunch thali, which was like a silver platter, and so that's where I got the daal.

So, it had the daal in there.

It had some sauces, and then also my curry.

So, it was, like, full set for, like, less than $15.

So I was like, "Wow, how could I not order that, right?'

And it also came with naan, too, like, two pieces of naan.

So, it was just so much to eat for under $15.

Sbrocco: So, it's a real hidden find?

Bhatt: Oh yeah.

Yes, yes.

Sbrocco: Alright, if you would like to try Yak & Yeti, it's located on Jefferson Street in Napa, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $20.

Man: Enjoy.

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

Phillips: Salud!

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

I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show.

Paul Henderson, whose happy place is a seat at the bar at Queen's Louisiana Po-Boy Cafe in San Francisco, Nipa Bhatt, who savors the sizzling tandoori shrimp at Yak & Yeti in Napa, and Alisa Baccam, who munches on mentaiko mochi pizza at La Casa Mia in Santa Clara.

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, and cheers to you all.

You were great guests.

Bhatt: Whoo!

Love it.

Sbrocco: Cheers.

Cheers.

Whoo!

Reed-Reese: What really makes a great po' boy sandwich -- it must be dressed.

It's lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, and pickles.

One of the stories of Louisiana are the po' boys.

The story goes that these men were on strike in New Orleans, and the restaurant owner, local man, felt sorry for these guys on strike, didn't have enough money to buy food.

So, he put together these sandwiches, and that's how the po' boy sandwich was invented in New Orleans.