-Brunch and beignets in Kenwood.

-That is the best part.

-Traditional Ethiopian cuisine in Oakland.

-Flavors that I don't get anywhere else.

-And French fare with a twist in San Francisco.

-That sauce gives it a little oomph.

Just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

-You had no dessert at this place?

Leslie, we had cocktails.

-You are banished from the table!

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 attorney Holly Rickett, nonprofit director and speaker Arash Bayatmakou, and wellness business owner Anya Myalyuk.

Welcome, everyone.

-Woo-hoo!

-Thanks for having us.

-Holly gets us started with her favorite Sonoma County brunch spot.

She says tucking into hearty, Southern-inspired comfort food is the perfect way to fuel up for an afternoon of wine country touring.

Located along scenic Sonoma Highway 12 in Kenwood, it's TIPS Roadside.

-Alright, hello, TIPS Roadside.

Let's do it.

♪♪ Play it for me, Bill.

-TIPS Roadside is wine country comfort food.

-That's awesome.

-We wanted to create a experience that we ourselves would enjoy coming to a restaurant.

-Yeah.

-We wanted it to be a comfortable atmosphere where you didn't have to get dressed up, but you could still have amazing food.

-And so taking this kind of Southern-inspired comfort food concept, but pairing it with amazing, locally sourced produce -- that's really what our vision was from day one, and it's an amazing combination.

Let's do this.

I've always been a big barbecue fan.

We've gotten really creative with how to use the smoker to drive some really unique flavors.

See that crust?

Tri-tip is very much a California thing.

It started in Santa Maria down on the Central Coast.

Our tri-tip is quite a bit different.

We take a whole roast, cut it into bite-sized cubes.

We marinate it overnight, and then we cook that on a high heat.

It sears the meat and all the juices inside each of those cubes and there's seasoning on every bite, right?

And it's still our absolute top seller.

♪♪ -So we're also known for our beignets, which are very different than other beignets.

Ours are round and fluffy.

-Our recipe came to us by our founding chef, who was from New Orleans, and it was a recipe that was his grandmother's pate a choux that predates Cafe du Monde, and so it is very different, but we kind of think it's better, if I can be so bold, right?

We've seen you.

Of course.

Welcome back.

Certainly in Sonoma, you got to love your tourists and people that want to visit this amazing place, but the lifeblood of this restaurant are the locals and the people that come here 2, 3 times a week with their families to enjoy great food and to meet great friends.

We have a saying on our wall by our kitchen that says, "Wherever you're from, welcome home."

That's the vibe we want.

-Enjoy.

-Oh.

-Thank you.

-See you soon.

-So, Holly, is wine country touring something you do often?

-Well, we're blessed to live in an area of the country, and especially in California, that just has so much to offer.

So I think for people who are coming up to experience wine country, to be able to start at TIPS and start the day there before they go off to whatever they're going to do, it's just a great first stop.

-And what did you have?

-I always usually get the green eggs and ham.

I think I love the name, first of all, a little nod to Dr. Seuss.

And it's just fun.

It's a little play on a classic eggs Benedict, You know, instead of the hollandaise sauce, you're getting green goddess sauce.

Instead of the sort of English muffin, you get potato cakes, and then the beautiful roasted tomatoes, and then the salty bacon instead of ham.

♪♪ And usually I sit outside, there's live music.

It's a good way to start the day.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-We went for brunch and tried the green eggs and ham.

It was absolutely fantastic.

It's the first time I've seen Green Goddess dressing on a breakfast plate, and I thought that was really cool, and I liked the smoked cherry tomato on top.

I was like, I wish they gave me more than one.

That was just so tasty and smoky.

-Yes, it's a very nice, healthier version, I think, of egg Benedict, But also the my favorite dish from the menu was the tri-tip sandwich.

That's actually what put that place on the map.

-That's right.

-They began with tri-tip.

-Yes.

-Mm-hmm.

-So it was so delicious.

Also, I'm not really like, a big meat person and I wouldn't even point where the tri-tip on a cow, so I don't know, but -- [ Laughs ] -At least you know it's a cow.

-Yeah, I think so.

So it was delicious.

It was tender.

It was juicy.

It was perfect aioli mayo with a spiciness to it.

And also coleslaw, which gave a nice crunch to meat.

But it had so much meat in it, I couldn't finish it, so I actually took it to go, but it was just as perfect the next day.

The other dish that I would recommend to order, and it takes a while for them to make it, so maybe it would be the first thing I would order -- it's beignets.

So those, like, a little puff pastry, fluffy.

They're like little cloud.

Absolutely delicious.

It comes with a lemon sauce, but I prefer caramel.

I'm a caramel person.

So yeah, it was really delicious.

-Have you gotten the beignets before?

-I did, and we ordered the beignets.

They take about 15 minutes to make.

-They take about 1 minute to eat.

-Yeah, exactly.

Thank you.

-And I thought, "Oh, it's not going to come at the beginning of the meal."

But it actually came perfect, 'cause it was like a dessert, and at brunch, you don't usually have a dessert.

So to finish up with that crisp Meyer lemon sauce -- And I've eaten beignets all over the world.

Luckily enough, I've eaten them in New Orleans, and these are just fabulous.

-So did you have anything else on the menu?

-Yeah, I did.

I tried the cinnamon walnut French toast, which was really, really tasty.

You get this really nice French toast that has, like, the walnut in the bread.

It's got these crispy edges, which I thought was really nice.

And then it's served with, I think, three slices of bacon and scrambled eggs.

So you kind of get that sweet and savory combination.

And then I'm a sucker for fried chicken, so I actually ordered just a side of the fried chicken as well, which was really nice.

It was thin and breaded and fried nicely, and just a nice complement to go with everything.

-My gluten-free friends absolutely love it and intentionally go there to order it because it's done in rice flour, not the usual.

So for gluten-free folks, it's just a great fried chicken.

-Awesome.

-And what about those polenta fries?

-I got to say, they were the hit of our day, and a little bit of a surprise, because we ordered polenta fries sort of as a side.

And when they came, all three of us said, this is the one that we would remember maybe most for that meal.

They were dusted in a nice red crunch.

They were large, kind of a rectangle, sort of a French fry, dip into that chipotle sauce and piping hot.

They just hit it out of the park.

-Yeah, it was confusing when I saw it on the menu, "polenta fries"?

And then I was like, oh, I see what they mean.

It's kind of like a take on French fries, but made out of polenta.

It was really crisp on the outside and soft inside, and I think it's just a better version of French fries.

-I love that.

-And I also had a really nice baby kale Caesar salad.

It was a great complement to that tri-tip sandwich.

It was a pretty big portion, so you can actually share it.

And baby kale is not as chewy as kale can be, so it's just a perfect combo, sandwich and a salad.

-I actually had a salad too.

I had not the kale, but I had the butter leaf Cobb salad.

Fresh, bright and large enough for two of my friends to share.

They thought for brunch, it was just a nice sort of set off against maybe the heaviness of some of the bready stuff.

-Yeah, I just feel guilty all the time when I eat so much carbs and meat.

I'm like, I need to have like, at least when I have something green, it makes me feel good.

-We don't talk about the calories of the dressing.

Let's just leave that off.

-Yeah, yeah.

-What about washing it down?

Coffee, drinks?

-I had just their drip coffee, and for breakfast, that's always kind of what I go for.

And theirs was delicious.

I think they even made it, like, one cup at a time.

-Yeah, I actually had a very nice cappuccino, and they made it perfectly.

And actually at the end, I felt like I need a little bit more boost after all of that food.

I had espresso, and I think espresso is a really good way to identify the quality of the coffee, and that was very delicious.

-They have a really great selection of shrubs and coolers and seltzers.

We had the pomegranate one and another one that were just delicious, fresh and fruity-forward and something non-alcoholic and non-caffeinated.

-Arash, would you go back for other meals of the day?

-100%.

I think it would be a really fun place to go, maybe even after the wine tasting, to kind of fill the belly.

So either way, brunch before or lunch or dinner after.

-And would you go back?

Did you enjoy it?

-Yeah, I would totally go back.

I really enjoyed it.

And in terms of pricing, I think it was a very reasonable price, because we actually took a lot of food with us to go.

And when we saw the bill, it was like, "Oh, okay, that's pretty good.

In the city, we would pay much more than this."

-Alright.

If you would like to try TIPS Roadside, It's located on Sonoma Highway in Kenwood, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $25.

-Oh, that's pretty tasty.

-Arash often reminisces about his days as an international tour guide, when he would eat his way through countless countries around the world.

As a primarily vegetarian diner, he particularly enjoyed discovering Ethiopian food and the large variety of plant-forward options the cuisine offers.

Now, whenever he's craving those warm, aromatic dishes, he heads to Oakland, to a lively spot called Cafe Colucci.

♪♪ ♪♪ -Cafe Colucci is an Ethiopian restaurant that's a gathering place for friends, family and community.

Ethiopian cuisine is really about tasting and touching all of the different flavor palates.

And we're bringing all these spices from Ethiopia, so they're fresh, they're organic, they're milled at the source, so a lot of the dishes, you taste the spices directly in there.

♪♪ Ethiopian meat dishes are really good.

Super brothy, really flavorful.

A lot of them come out kind of smoking and sizzling.

But when you're in the continent, when you're in the country, those are mostly kind of celebratory dishes.

A lot of the country day to day is eating more of these kind of vegan food and since there's long fasting periods, they're eating more of these fasting foods.

So we really worked on perfecting a lot of our vegan dishes.

Injera is a soft, flat bread that we use to put the food on as well as, we eat the food with it.

The injera itself is a fermented dough made out of teff.

So what you have to do is you have to take teff flour, and teff from Ethiopia, indigenous to Ethiopia.

You put it in some water, you ferment it over time, you mix it, and then you cook it on a flat grill.

It's a really arduous and hot and steamy process, but it makes a really, really good final product.

We make about 1,200 to 1,300 a day.

♪♪ We've been around since 1991.

We get a lot of families, a lot of folks that have been coming here for the last 30 years.

So we really enjoy being here for the community around us to have good, healthy food that's affordable, that's near them.

I hope they feel warm and nutritious.

This is good?

-Alright, Arash.

This place has been around for 30 years, which in the Bay Area, is quite a feat.

How long have you been going?

-I've been going there for about 20 years.

-Wow.

-Yeah.

A really long time.

Ethiopian food drew me in because it's so unique.

Their spice combinations, and they use a spice called berbere in a lot of their dishes, and it's just unlike Indian food or Persian food, which is how I grew up eating.

I just love the combination of flavors, and I feel like it's flavors that I don't get anywhere else.

It's always fun to start with the veggie sambussas.

They're a little bit different, a little thinner pastry than like, an Indian samosa, but nice filling on the inside, you know, fried, so it's got that crispy pastry layer.

And I also go for the vegan sampler.

It's a combination of six different dishes, all served on one, big plate.

It's communal eating, which makes it really fun.

And my personal favorite is the misser wot, which is the red lentil stew.

And there is a chickpea dish.

There's a split pea dish, there's braised collard greens, and a couple other things as well.

And there's a little bit of salad on top.

-I agree with you.

I thought the misser wot was terrific.

That red lentil has a nice color to it.

It kind of popped out on the plate, and it just has a nice creaminess to it.

I'm not a big vegetarian eater, but that one stood out.

-Are you familiar, Anya, with Ethiopian food?

Do you eat it a lot?

-No, it was a very new adventure for me, which is a cultural treat.

I knew that they would have a spice shop there as well, so I was very excited.

When I walk into the space, they actually, half of it was dedicated to different Ethiopian spices, so I bought some for my kitchen.

I love the idea actually eating with your hands using that injera bread, right?

I mean, I still used fork, but I like that.

-I always say you get to play with your food with Ethiopian.

-Yeah, exactly.

-That's right.

-The other dish we got, recommended by our server was denitch tibs.

So it's essentially a very large potato chips, but they tasted slightly different from regular potato chips.

They were very thin, but very crispy on the outside and a little bit softer inside, and the Ethiopian spices on it and the portion is quite big, so it's actually good for a group of people.

It was just perfect.

-And you can get a variety of tibs that they offer on that.

-Reminds me a little bit of like, fajitas.

They come kind of on like a sizzling plate, and it's strips of either meat or mushrooms or whatever it is, or potatoes, usually with onions and bell peppers.

And they come out steaming hot, smelling so fragrant.

I go for the mushroom tibs, but I've also, over the years, I've tried, I think, the lamb, and they have a beef version as well.

-There was also a chickpea part of it.

I really enjoyed that.

It was a nice fiery, warm smell that just kind of warmed my tummy.

-Yeah.

-And I can tell you something about the tibs you may not know that our server told us, was that most of the people order the meat tibs, the lamb or the beef, and that beautiful juice runs into the injera bread, which is what is forming the basis, of course, of your platter.

But they're done with the meal.

They think they're finished.

And the waiter said, that is the best part.

-That's the best part.

-Because the juices -- -The drippings are all down there.

-Yes, exactly.

He said it always makes him sad when he has to clear those plates and they've missed what he considers the best part.

-That is absolutely the best part.

And especially with anything you get there, you have to pace yourself and leave room in your stomach to finish that last layer, because everything's served on that layer of injera, so whatever it is you've been eating has been soaking up those lovely juices.

And at the end it's kind of sloppy and it's kind of like falling apart.

I absolutely love that.

And I will not let one inch of that injera layer go to waste.

-That's a great tip.

-Because it is just so, so tasty.

-Right.

-I've actually want to recommend a drink.

They had this spicy Ethiopian tea was really delicious.

It has such a nice warmth to it and that spiciness is just great.

It warms you up from inside out.

And their coffee as well.

They actually serve it with a little sweet syrup in the bottom of the cup, so you kind of like, the bitterness and the sweetness at the very end, it just makes it a perfect cup of coffee for the day.

-And I see you both shaking your heads.

Do you agree on that one?

-Yeah.

They've also got imported Ethiopian beers, which are kind of like lighter beers, and they go really well to like, balance the food.

-I love the drink I had.

I had the Fat Belly Bessobela.

Just love saying that.

And it was just essentially an infused lemonade.

I think bessobela is a type of Ethiopian basil and it calms the tongue, calms the mouth from that fiery food, and just a perfect compliment.

So even though nonalcoholic, I ordered two of them and drank them all the way down.

-And pricing wise, this falls on the affordability scale.

-It's very, yeah, it's affordable.

And, you know, it is family style and you order a couple of things and it's usually plenty of food.

-Fantastic.

So you'd go back?

-I would go back, and I would actually bring more people, because the cuisine is just screams that you need to share, so I think it's just a great place.

And of course, it's just delicious food.

-Alright, if you would like to try Cafe Colucci, it's located on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland and the average tab per person without drinks is around $20.

-Anya's Pick is a French restaurant co-founded by one of San Francisco's most renowned pastry chefs.

She says you might be tempted to start with dessert, but if you do, you'd better save room for the equally refined plates of French California fare.

Located in San Francisco's lower Pacific Heights, it's Routier.

♪♪ -The name Routier, obviously, it's French, and routier in France is just a very casual truck stop that serves very approachable, affordable food, but it's always very delicious.

♪♪ The restaurant got started between the partnership of Belinda Leong, Michel Suas and myself, John Paul Carmona.

We wanted to have the vibe of the feel of eating in France, but with the local sensibilities of California and its produce.

♪♪ The recipes originate from two sources, and that would be myself and Belinda.

Belinda is a pastry wizard.

She's won a James Beard Award for pastry chef, and her bakery is very well known here.

So all the desserts come from her.

-Chocolate.

-The chocolate mousse is also one of my favorites.

I love sweets.

Belinda does a great job.

It's something that I steal at the end of the week, it's like, my reward if I steal a spoonful.

♪♪ The savory dishes and the rest of the menu come from myself.

We use a lot of traditional techniques or inspiration, but then we tweak them to make them our own.

♪♪ You're not going to come here and get cream sauces or very heavy dishes that most people associate with French cooking.

You know, a lot of vegetables, a lot of fish, things I love eating, and just doesn't make you feel completely over the top when you're done eating here.

People come here to celebrate, but I don't want them to regret coming here to celebrate.

♪♪ For us, service is the main thing.

We want people to feel comfortable.

We try to make the space really nice.

That's where we pride ourselves more than the food, to be honest.

I feel like people value that a lot more.

The food changes, but the welcoming is what we really want people to feel.

♪♪ -Alright, you know, this is sort of a roadside in France.

You would find a routier in sort of a regional cuisine, little roadside place, wouldn't you?

Do you get that feeling, kind of an elevated version?

-It is.

It's on the fancy side, but not too fancy.

-Yes.

-First of all, it's a really beautiful entrance, you're walking in, it's a beautiful restaurant on its own.

And of course, the food was delicious.

I really tempted to start with dessert.

-Is that because you came from knowing about B Patisserie?

-Yes, exactly.

So it's really hard to get into B Patisserie.

It's always a line.

So I decided, okay, I'm going to try their desserts, but through their restaurant now.

The interior and how they serve the table, the plates' attention to details is just impeccable.

It's like going to your grandma's house and then she pulls out the best china that she kept for, like, 30 years.

So that's the feeling that I got.

I started with the chicken liver mousse.

It was served with the multigrain crisps.

I think it's very common to see chicken liver pâté in any French restaurant, but that was actually, I think, one of the best version of pâté that I had.

So it was more like a mousse texture, and also came with a current compote that adds some sweetness to that.

So they're all combinations and the range of flavors were delicious.

-I agree with you.

The dishes that came on were so beautiful.

Like, each of our meals, and the sashimi came on such a gorgeous dish that was just different from everything else.

And that sashimi was a little bit surprising.

You don't really think of maybe sashimi for French food, but... -French-influenced.

-Absolutely.

-And the person who had it, I think she ate it in, like, four seconds.

We never even saw it.

But that sashimi was on point.

I mean, it was just delicious.

-And Arash, what about you?

-We had the hen of the woods mushrooms.

I love kind of unique mushrooms, so it was a really nice way to start the meal.

Got a sense of the combinations of flavors.

It's a French cuisine, but they're throwing in the California twist, and you got that sense from the hen of the woods mushrooms.

-Really fresh California ingredients.

-For sure.

-Also from the starters, I tried another dish, which was squid.

It essentially was a take on just your typical calamari dish, but it was just a little bit more lightly breaded.

And a really soft squid inside, came with a little spicy sauce, which gives it a little oomph, and it was just delicious.

For my next dish, it was mushroom and farro risotto, as they call it.

So instead of rice, they use farro.

And the texture of the farro on its own has that umami feeling.

-Very nutty.

-So good.

And very good with San Francisco, when it can get really cold and nasty.

-We had the short rib confit, and it was really, really good.

You barely even needed a knife to cut through it.

It was so flavorful.

And then there was a celery root and chestnut puree.

I love celery root, so I loved having that to complement it.

And then there was some braised cabbage, so every element on the plate was really, really well done.

-And the other similar dish to yours, I have actually had duck confit, which is of course also very French.

It was delicious.

It's on the heavier side, so it's a very hearty meal, but just as delicious.

-And in terms of what you had to drink with it, they have a small but really French-focused wine list, and you can order by the carafe or the glass, and kind of fun selections on there.

-I think they did a really good selection by the glass, because a lot of those wines go together with what they serve in the menu.

-All the wines were very just drinkable and like you said, really well-suited to the food.

-Under $50 for a carafe.

-Yeah, I think we tried a few different wines by the glass, and we just kind of ordered another and another, just to keep trying more.

-I wanted to also highlight the cocktails.

I know you both had wine, but we only had cocktails, didn't even have dessert, had cocktails instead.

-You had no dessert at this place?

-Leslie, we had cocktails.

-You're banished from the table!

No, I'm kidding.

You drank your dessert.

Alright.

-The French cocktails, we had a Belle Epoque.

We had a perfect Vesper.

And a friend of mine who came with me, she gave them a little bit of a test at the bar and ordered a specific Vesper with very specific things in it, and it came back and she said an A-plus on a Vesper.

And so I knew at that point, we were in a really French restaurant.

-So speaking of desserts, talk about this, because that is the chef's background, obviously.

-It is, and I would highly, highly recommend at least try a few.

My favorite one was pear Napoleon, and it was sort of like a deconstructed version of Napoleon.

So it came with a poached pear on the side so that the combination of the crisp layers of Napoleon with some cream in between, and then the poached pear on the side was just absolutely delicious.

-We tried the dark chocolate mousse and it was so, so good.

It was with a coffee crumble and there was a really light, fluffy whipped cream as well.

And I'm not a huge dessert person, but I loved that dark chocolate mousse, and it did not last long on the plate.

-Fantastic.

Would you go back again?

-Yeah, I would.

Yeah.

The atmosphere was really nice.

Certainly probably more of a special occasion, a date night or something like that.

-It had been a long time since I'd had a classic French meal.

And I don't mean fancy with a lot of sauces, but just a good country, hearty French meal.

And I think that's what Routier does.

And I was so glad to have one.

Just enjoyed having a good French meal.

-Alright, If you would like to try Routier, it's located on California Street in San Francisco's Lower Pacific Heights, and the average tab per person without drinks is around $70.

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

-Whoa.

-Salut.

-Check out "Cecilia Tries It," online at KQED.org/checkplease.

I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show -- Holly Rickett, who swears by the Green Eggs and Ham at TIPS Roadside in Kenwood, Arash Bayatmakou, who can't get enough of the freshly baked injera at Cafe Colucci in Oakland, and Anya Myalyuk, who always saves room for dessert at Routier in San Francisco.

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.

Did you have fun?

[ Indistinct chatter ] Which of these restaurants do you want to try?

We're eager to hear about your experiences at any of the places we've featured, so keep in touch with us online.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at kqedfood.

You'll find our brand new, interactive restaurant map and catch up on all the episodes you've missed at KQED.org/checkplease.

♪♪ [ Both laugh ] -So we're also known for our beignets.

They're light and fluffy.

They have no calories.

[ Both laugh ] -Quick note, if you come in, you'll see a picture that's on the wall behind me.

I actually met this girl when I was 13 years old.

She invited me to her Sadie Hawkins dance, and this year, we'll celebrate 34 years of marriage.

So we're pretty sure it's going to work out.

[ Both laugh ] ♪♪