Sbrocco: Artisanal pastries in Pacifica.

You could put anything on that sandwich bread and I will eat it.

Sbrocco: Tex-Mex fusion in San Francisco.

The best smoked barbecue I've ever had.

Sbrocco: And soupless ramen delights in San Mateo.

The noodles were literally falling out of my son's mouth while he was eating it.

Sbrocco: Just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area".

-Giddy up.

-Yeah.

♪♪ -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 design history professor Alessandra Wood, teacher and theater director Ryan Juan, and physical therapist Candice Meng.

-Welcome, everyone.

-[ All greeting ] Excited to be here.

The pitmasters at Ryan's go-to spot are pushing the limits of classic Texas barbecue, blending it with both Asian and Mexican influences.

The payoff?

Smoky, fall-off-the-bone meats bursting with cross-cultural flavor.

Ooh!

Sbrocco: Tucked away in San Francisco's Outer Sunset, it's Smokin' D's BBQ.

-Yeah!

[ Laughs ] -I'll take a half pound.

Oh, my God, look at this.

Man: So good.

Number 44.

I grew up in San Francisco, which has always been known as a great food city.

-For me, I grew up eating barbecue since I'm from Texas, and barbecue is just a way of life.

Chu: When we started this, we just wanted to focus on things that we love to eat.

Ramirez: Taking a little Mexican, a little Asian, and a whole lot of Texan and mending them together.

Mmm!

Ramirez: So in Texas, we're known for barbecuing our food low and slow.

A lot of salt, a lot of pepper, and a little secret recipe that I can't divulge.

-It's a little spicy.

It's got a kick.

-Fun fact -- I don't even like barbecue, but I sure love a pork bun.

-Woman: Oh, my God, look at that.

-Woman #2: Yeah.

Chu: When we first started dating, I was like, let me bring you somewhere that I love and we're going to have dim sum.

And he had a pork bun and he was like, "Damn, this is good.

Can we put brisket inside?"

We actually smoke our brisket specifically for the bao.

We mix it with a traditional barbecue sauce, so it's sweet and tangy.

The bread to meat ratio is a little bit different than what you would normally find in Chinatown, so you're getting almost a quarter pound of meat inside.

[ Laughter ] -One of the things that incorporates my Mexican influence is the brisket tamale.

We house make our masa as well as our salsa roja.

You're looking at my salsa roja maker right here.

-Alright, man.

-Thank you.

I'll see you later, bro.

Appreciate it.

We're very small, so we don't have a ton of seating.

Even though there may be a little bit of a line, we get through it really quickly.

You can also order ahead and it'll be ready for you when you walk in.

Nice to meet you.

We're right next to Golden Gate Park.

You can walk there easily and have a picnic.

I was born in the Sunset.

I'm a native kid.

What gives us so much pride and joy in this business is the people.

We've really grown this community of customers.

Really, it's a family.

-Came to get some brisky bao.

Chu: We love seeing them day in and day out.

Does daddy need to get you your own chips and queso?

We really, truly have developed a neighborhood spot, which is exactly what we wanted to do.

♪♪ -Alright, Ryan, what is it about this place?

I mean, this is a small spot, right?

Kind of a lot of takeaway happening.

-How did you discover it?

-Yeah.

So my wife and I, we've never seen a Texas barbecue place in the Sunset District.

And so we'd gone on a walk by there, and it just smelled fantastic.

I'm like, we got to try something from here.

So we get there, we get their smoked signature brisket, and the crust on it is amazing.

It's got this amazing spice rub on it.

And this is probably the best smoked barbecue I've ever had.

Did you get the brisket?

Did you try the brisket?

-Wood: I got a brisket sandwich.

-Sbrocco: Okay.

Wood: Yes.

Sbrocco: That could be the best of both worlds.

Wood: It was.

It was so good because, you know, I was just kind of thinking like, oh, there's going to be coleslaw on it, but instead of coleslaw, there were pickled onions.

-Pickled red onions.

-Juan: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Wood: And so they had this, like, beautiful tartness to them.

Like the acidity that you wanted to cut through the brisket without the heaviness of coleslaw.

Like, there wasn't as heavy as you expected.

And then pickles, which were great.

It was a really nice sandwich.

Candice, what was your experience?

We ordered the pulled pork sandwich.

I can never turn down a pulled pork sandwich.

And it was...that brioche.

It -- Everything about it was so tasty and flavorful.

And I thought whatever sauce they used on it didn't overwhelm the meat.

So you really got a good hit of that smokiness.

So good, so good.

And did you get anything with it like sides or...?

We got the cornbread, which was enormous.

It was like the size of my head.

Oh, yeah, and I was so excited because the cornbread is baked in, like, muffin tins.

So all of the bottom of it has this chewy crispiness, which is my favorite.

Like, I'm a corner brownie person.

So it was like -- -I so am!

I so am.

I don't let my kids touch the corners.

Wood: Yes, and it was like a sweet cornbread with some jalapeños in it.

So you had a little bit of spiciness, -and I loved the chewiness of it.

-Yeah.

And what did you get?

I'm sure you got many dishes.

-I did, yeah.

-Sbrocco: Start with one.

Well, I got a rack of ribs, which were delicious and I would say probably the best ribs I've had in the Bay area.

They were really beautifully seasoned.

They were not, like, fall off the bone, but they were really tender.

Yeah, we did get the, uh, the potato salad as a side once.

-Did you try that one?

-It's so good.

Juan: Yeah, yeah.

[ Laughs ] Sbrocco: So is this one more kind of a little vinegary or...?

Juan: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

There's some egg into it.

Wood: It wasn't like a mayo-y potato salad.

It was a little bit fresher.

A really good compliment to the meats.

What was your second, third, or fourth dish?

[ Laughter ] What we also got was the bao... -Sbrocco: Yeah.

-Meng: ...with the brisket.

Sbrocco: Which is really their signature.

Meng: Correct.

And anything that can sort of fit in the palm of my hand easily I am game for.

And it was delicious.

I really liked the bake on the bao.

I thought it had that really nice milk bun flavor that is very common.

And so, the combination, it really, really did make sense.

And what else did you have?

The Korean cowboy bun, which was also really delicious.

It was like spicy.

You really could taste the gochujang in it.

And so it had this -- It left a nice flavor in your mouth wanting you to go back for more.

But the bun sort of tamed it a little bit.

It's just a good name.

Giddy up.

-Yeah.

-[ Laughter ] Korean cowboy.

I love it.

-Alright, Ryan, what about you?

Any other dishes?

The other thing we did have was the hot link.

And that one's really good.

They smoke it perfectly, and then when they give it to you, they cut it up into bite sized pieces already.

So it's ready to go.

And it's hard because, like, when I go to pick it up, I have to stop myself from eating it on the way home.

When you said that, I knew that that was going to happen.

[ Laughter ] Yeah.

Now, did you wash it down with anything?

Did you have any drinks or...?

Oh, no, we didn't have any drinks.

We -- I always just end up getting more meat.

But I want to ask you guys if there's -- about the banana brulée bliss.

Did you guys happen to try it?

Because for my thing, for desserts, like, if it's too sweet, then it kind of ruins it.

-I want something that's just a little bit sweet.

-Sbrocco: right.

Juan: Because if it's not too sweet, I'm going to get some later.

So, [laughs] I wanna make sure.

-But I haven't had it yet.

-No, it's perfect if it's not too sweet.

You've had such intense, you know, savoriness.

You want something just to -- just a change of flavor, but not too much.

And so did you guys happen to try the -- -Any room?

No.

-No room.

Yeah.

No room after all the barbecue.

-Just get more meat.

-Sbrocco: Yeah, yeah.

Well, it sounds like you all had a great time there.

Yeah.

And would go back.

She's like, "We go back all the time."

I just want to get the brisky bao.

-[ Laughter ] -Alright.

If you would like to try Smokin' D's BBQ, it's located on Irving Street in San Francisco.

And the average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $30.

At Alessandra's hip modern bakery, sourdough is the star attraction, forming the base for inventive sandwiches stacked with seasonal produce and chef driven flavors.

Located just blocks from the beach in Pacifica, it's Rosalind Bakery.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Rosalind Bakery is a community hub here in Pacifica.

It's art, it's music, it's delicious artisan food.

♪♪ The first thing that you're probably going to get hit with is the smell of all of the baked goods coming in and out of the oven, and then you'll definitely notice the atmosphere and how welcoming it can be.

♪♪ I started the bakery in 2017, and was at great discontent with my career doing software development.

I felt compelled to make a product with my hands.

Bread is fascinating.

It's this hub of a wheel of life, of agriculture, art, math, and biology.

-Check the pH level of the bread.

Usually 4.2 is an ideal.

Kosoy: The item that I'm most proud of is the coastside sourdough.

We're about 1,000 feet from the ocean, and it's always going to be a little bit more humid here, a little bit cooler.

And that helps with our fermentation.

And it develops that complex flavor in the bread.

♪♪ I have my hoagie roll, which features semolina and sesame seeds as a flavor combination that I love.

-It has such a great texture.

-Kosoy: It's amazing.

We've developed a separate sourdough culture just for the croissants that has sugar added to it to help with the fermentation in that enriched dough.

we're making savory and sweet danishes, depending upon what ingredients we get from the farmer's market.

Rave: We have a full espresso bar.

We make our own syrups in-house.

And all of our coffees are sourced from local roasters.

What I hope most people feel like when they're leaving is, "Man, that place is really cool.

I would really like to go back sometime."

-Yeah.

-Kosoy: A lot of love and passion in what we're doing.

I've dedicated my life to bread.

Kosoy: Rosalind is my temple to bread!

Man: Good job.

Nicely done.

Alright, Alessandra, this is -- It's not what you expect from a bakery, right?

It's kind of got a party vibe going on.

-Absolutely.

I go in there and I can't stop myself from singing whatever songs they have blasting.

Or sometimes it's live music.

-It's just fun.

Good energy.

-Sbrocco: Yeah.

One of my favorite things there is anything made on their hoagie bread.

So the Rosalind hoagie, it's this Italian hoagie.

Just amazing.

For anybody who's an East Coaster, you know what a hoagie is.

Like a big, long sub sandwich.

That bread is so iconic to the East Coast.

It's soft on the inside.

It has a light crust.

It's peppered in sesame seeds, but it has this really chewy texture.

And then it's filled with Italian meats, sharp provolone cheese, some nice, like, radicchio or red leaf lettuce to kind of elevate it a little bit.

And then this Calabrian chili mayo, which gives it a touch of spice that's like, you know, you just want to eat the whole thing.

You've got everything in one spot.

-Yes.

-Sbrocco: Alright.

What about you?

What did you order, Ryan?

So we got the con patate pizza.

And it was baked on this, the most perfect focaccia bread ever.

The focaccia was so soft and pillowy.

And on the top, they had perfectly seasoned potatoes and the cheese.

And they cooked it such that it had, like, a slight char to it at the top.

It gives that extra flavor to it.

It was just amazing.

And it was a big piece, too.

And so it's like my wife and I could split that and like, okay.

The only thing was, I wish I could take it home and warm it up so I could have it nice and hot.

But I had to eat it right then and there.

It was just so perfect.

We'd gotten the breakfast sando as well, and in that it has, like, the egg, it has -- We actually added mortadella.

And what I love about that was they pan fried the mortadella a little bit.

So it's almost like bacon.

-Wow.

-Put bacon in anything, I'm all game.

[ Laughs ] But then with that spicy sauce on it, I'm like, oh, my gosh.

-That sandwich bread, that is what I'm most obsessed about at Rosalind Bakery.

You could put anything on that sandwich bread and I will eat it.

Ironically, my favorite thing there was the turkey sandwich because my son got it, and the turkey was moist and tender.

Sbrocco: Which doesn't always happen.

Meng: Exactly.

Right.

A lot of turkey deli meat can be very dry, but that with the bread and whatever that dijonnaise that they put on it with the cheese, I mean, it was so good.

-Any pastries or things you want to talk about?

The cinnamon roll.

That is -- First of all, it's huge.

It's like the size of my head.

And it has sourdough in it.

So you have, like, this sourdough feel to it filled with cinnamon and sugar.

So the sugar caramelizes on the bottom.

And then it has that classic cream cheese icing.

But it's huge.

And it is -- -So it's a shareable item?

-It's shareable.

I will eat it for a couple days with my kids.

They will cry if they're out of stock.

When we get to the bakery and there are no cinnamon rolls, they literally will cry.

They're 3 and 5, so they're allowed.

They're allowed.

Okay.

And then when we eat it all up, there may be tears, too, so... They're like, "Oh, we wanted more."

-Sbrocco: Did you get any pastries?

-We did.

We got chocolate chip cookies.

Because you can't really ever go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie.

And I think we got two and they were gone within about 30 seconds with eight hands between the family of four digging into the paper bag.

And they were flavorful and thick and just so sweet and so delicious.

Sbrocco: And what else did you get?

The olive oil cake.

It's a lemon poppy seed olive oil cake.

And it's vegan, actually.

But you wouldn't know.

It is beautifully baked with these very crispy, chewy edges, which I love.

People will request, and I've heard this.

I always request a corner piece.

I've heard others request a middle piece.

But the edges get really brown and chewy, and it's sweet, but it's not overly sweet.

You eat it and you have yourself wondering, like, how is this vegan?

What's in here?

But olive oil cakes are so moist in general.

It is so moist.

Yeah, it's moist and it feels a little bit decadent, but it's just, like, really easy to eat.

-Juan: Yeah.

-Yeah, yeah.

Juan: We got the chocolate almond croissant.

And I love chocolate, my wife loves almond stuff.

-So this was the -- -Sbrocco: No brainer.

Juan: ...thing made for us.

So... [ Laughs ] But we had it, and we took a bite into it.

It has, like, this powdered sugar thing on top of it.

They don't skimp.

They have a lot of almonds on it, and there's a lot of chocolate filling on the inside.

And we bit into it, and I was like, oh, this is so good.

We split it in half, and I told my wife, I'm like, "You should have gotten two of these and then get a third one for you."

[ Laughter ] It was so good.

I had a mocha, and I'm very sensitive to caffeine.

And so if I have a little, like, I'm ready to go.

This was -- The mocha was a double shot of espresso.

Wow.

You must have been flying.

Yeah.

[ Laughs ] But it actually helped, because we're having all this bread and all these carbohydrates.

And the mocha kept us awake.

And so I was ready to go.

For me, cappuccino all the way.

It's my favorite thing to order from there, but it's always, yeah, beautifully crafted, perfect foam.

I like a good, strong coffee.

So it's, for me, perfect.

Yeah.

You know, I really had a nice time.

Just, like, looking at all the merch in the store, and, yeah, it was very Pacifica.

Like, I definitely got that beach, you know, relaxed beach vibe.

My -- Actually, my own sourdough baby at home is from Rosalind, so yeah, I got my sourdough starter from them.

-Wait, they do that?

-Yeah.

Juan: [ Laughs ] Okay.

[ Laughs ] Sbrocco: You've just given away -- [ Overlapping chatter ] Rosalind's going to be cursing you.

-[ Laughter ] -Yeah.

Alright.

I've had it for a few years, so I don't know if they still do it.

Alright.

If you would like to try Rosalind Bakery, it's located in the Manor Plaza in Pacifica.

The average multicourse tab per person without drinks is around $20.

Candice's pick is the first US location for an iconic Tokyo-based ramen shop.

Fresh, house-made noodles, broth simmered for hours, and layers of savory umami keep her whole family happily slurping to the last drop.

Located in downtown San Mateo, it's Taishoken Ramen.

[ Speaking in Japanese ] Sakaguchi: Our restaurant is called Taishoken.

We serve ramen and we are known as the birthplace of Tsukemen.

Tsukemen means dipping noodle in Japanese.

We serve noodle and hot broth separately.

My grandfather and his cousin started Taishoken in 1951 Tokyo.

[ Speaking in Japanese ] I really want to make my own noodle because the noodles is very important for texture and flavor.

I brought special noodle machine from Japan, and we make noodle every single day in-house.

Our main broth is tonkotsu broth.

We cook over 24 hours.

It makes broth very rich.

First bite, just pick up some noodles and eat it to feel the flavor.

And next, you just dip into the broth and slurp.

It tastes really good.

When I see the customer dump the dipping broth to the noodle, I was like, ah!

But it's been seven years, so I think they're getting to know how to eat tsukemen.

♪♪ I want to make customers happy, so I think the portion is kind of big.

[ Chuckles ] My grandfather passed away, but I believe we carry on the legacy for making guests happy.

♪♪ [ Laughter ] Alright, Candice, this kind of feels like a slice of Tokyo, huh?

I have never been to Tokyo, but I'd like to think that by going to Taishoken, I have an opportunity to experience it.

-Sbrocco: Yeah.

-Meng: And, you know, sometimes I don't necessarily want a really hot broth of ramen, especially on, like, a summer day.

And when I saw the menu and they had a soupless-based ramen, the Tokyo Classic Aburasoba, it is delicious.

It comes with this beautiful egg yolk on top.

And underneath you have your pork chashu, your bamboo, your green onions, the noodles.

But to me, what really brought it to that next level is this little cup of vinegar on the side.

And you pour it on and you mix it in and it cuts through that richness.

-That was it, I was hooked.

-[ Laughs ] Sbrocco: What did you have, Alessandra?

So we had a few things, but one of my favorites was what my kids ordered, the yuzu shio ramen.

And first of all, I have to tell you, when we sat down, they brought special cups for my kids who are 3 and 5, and they brought special utensils and bowls for them.

So immediately they invited them to be really prestigious guests at the table, which was so special for them.

So they got that ramen.

They loved it.

It was this vegetable ramen.

It had a really beautiful clear, but earthy kind of herby broth.

There was a piece of fried tofu that sucked up the broth so perfectly.

And then there were herbs on top of it.

It was just really nice and light, and like, the noodles were literally falling out of my son's mouth while he was eating it, like, okay, this is good.

I was putting some in my dish.

We were all eating it.

I was going to say, 3- and 5-year-olds, you know, -I would imagine.

-Yes.

Yeah, they loved it and they felt like -they were part of the party.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

And what other dish did you have?

We had the tsukemen, the spicy tsukemen, which was a soupless ramen.

-It has a dipping sauce.

-Meng: Dipping ramen.

Yes, and so you had this beautiful noodle, and those were buckwheat noodles.

So they were, like, a little thicker, chewier, but really delicious and hearty.

And then the dipping sauce was almost like a gravy.

Like, this spicy gravy that you put the noodles in.

There were two types of pork.

And everything just melded together to have a really beautiful, hearty dish that was not soup.

You know, it's was, like, different.

You're like, oh, I'm going for ramen, but it's not soup.

You don't have to dip it if you didn't want to.

You could just go for the noodle.

Sbrocco: Okay.

What about you?

So I got to say, when I first heard about this place, my wife and I had actually been there before.

-Oh, really?

-And it was -- We didn't have our best experience -eating there the first time.

-Okay.

But then I got to tell you, as a teacher, I always tell my kids, you can't change what happens to you, but you can always change how you feel about it.

-Yeah.

-So we went there a second time.

So much better.

It was so good.

I'm glad you recommended it.

It was given a second chance.

They could redeem themselves.

Exactly.

Exactly.

It was so good.

We got the Niku spicy ramen.

I love spicy food, I love it.

I can tell it's spicy enough if it looks like I took a shower with my clothes on after.

-I was just dripping.

-Sbrocco: Sweating a lot.

Juan: But it was so good.

It was a good spice level, a lot of heat to it.

And then we got it with also the sand storm calamari appetizer.

-Have you had that one yet?

-Meng: Yes, that Koji ranch.

-Juan: Mmm.

Oh, yeah.

-Meng: It is -- I don't know what is in it.

-And the calamari is thick.

-Juan: Yeah.

Meng: There are big chunks of calamari and the -- Oh, the fry is so good.

It's not heavy and greasy.

Juan: It's perfect, yeah.

There's, like the pepper to it, too.

Meng: Yes.

And it's not that spicy.

Juan: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sbrocco: Any other dish you want to talk about?

Juan: One of the other appetizers that we got was the cucumber green chili miso.

-Mmm.

-Juan: They have the sauce they put it on top of it.

Makes it just a little bit spicy.

There's a little heat to it.

It has this perfect crunch because they cut it up nice and fresh.

It's the perfect compliment, like, as you're having all this broth and super spicy stuff.

Have a little bite of the crunch there to cool it down.

Cleanse the palate.

Yeah.

I think the takoyaki, it's like little balls with octopus in them.

The fry on the outside of it is not heavy.

The inside is so flavorful.

I don't know how you make it, but it tasted like a creamy, savory mashed potato, I think that's what it is, mixed in with little bits of, like, tender octopus.

And then the okonomiyaki sauce really just tie it all together.

We had had takoyaki, my wife and I had it in Osaka, and it was the closest we've had it.

Like having it there, so... -It's very authentic.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Absolutely.

-Yeah.

I also got the hiyayakko, which is a cold tofu dish.

It comes with a huge pile of fried anchovies on top and red onions, with a ponzu sauce.

And the tofu is firm and it's got a great texture to it.

It doesn't, like, fall apart in your mouth like some tofus.

-It is so good.

-Any drinks to talk about?

I didn't have any drinks.

I just drank more broth.

-Sbrocco: Yeah.

-[ Laughter ] I didn't have any other drinks.

-And I'm driving, so.

-Sbrocco: Yeah.

I think on a recent cold day, we got the hot sake.

And that was really nice.

They only have one kind of hot sake on the menu.

-Sbrocco: Nice and warming.

-Meng: Yeah, it was really good.

And, you know, my kids, they always love the Shirley Temple.

-Juan: Oh, yeah.

[ Laughs ] -[ Overlapping chatter ] Meng: They make a little Shirley Temple there, so... -Sbrocco: That's cute.

-Meng: You can get that for your kids.

Wood: We haven't graduated to that yet.

Want to get them eating without their hands.

Alright.

Was this affordable?

I mean, you've gone quite a few times.

Yeah, we go to Taishoken... At one point, I think my husband was taking them weekly.

Juan: Oh.

Yeah.

Any time there's talk of ramen, it's always Taishoken.

-Juan: Yeah.

-Sbrocco: That's great.

And you guys will be back it sounds like.

-Oh, absolutely.

-Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

-Bring me with you.

-[ Laughter ] Sbrocco: Okay.

Nobody ever brings me.

If you would like to try Taishoken Ramen, it's located on East 4th Avenue in San Mateo, and the average multicourse tab per person without drinks is around $30.

Looking for more Bay area bites you've just got to try?

-[ Laughs ] -Check out "Cecilia Tries It" online at kqed.org/checkplease.

I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show, Ryan Juan, who raves about the brisky baos at Smokin D's BBQ in San Francisco, Alessandra Wood, who finds her own slice of carb heaven at Rosalind Bakery in Pacifica, and Candice Meng, who savors the aburasoba at Taishoken Ramen in San Mateo.

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, everybody.

[ All cheering ] You were fabulous, fabulous, fabulous.

Meng: Whoo!

I never know the perfect noodle because we try to make better noodle every single day.

We have flour and water, salt.

And also, we put the buckwheat.

We try to adjust water ratio in different seasons.

So it's been improved over 70 years.

But it's fun.

[ Speaking in Japanese ]