American cuisine.

Worsley: I mean, I drizzled it on my fingers.

Sbrocco: And Singaporean small plates in Oakland.

Ari: It was deep.

It had a lot of flavors.

Sbrocco: Plus Indian dishes with a California twist.

in San Francisco.

Blackwell: It went down real easy Sbrocco: Just ahead on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

So you'll all go back together.

Ari: We can go after this.

Worsley: Yeah.

They're open.

♪♪ 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 author and somatic coach, Kelsey Blackwell.

Educator, Vani Ari.

And performing arts executive director, Clive Worsley.

Welcome, everyone.

[ All cheer ] Blackwell: Happy to be here.

Sbrocco: Let's kick things off with Kelsey.

As a somatic coach focused on the mind/body connection, she's very intentional with her dining choices, opting for places that offer fresh, nourishing food for the soul.

Her new go-to is a groundbreaking cafe by a Native American chef.

Located in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood, it's Wahpepah's Kitchen.

♪♪ Wahpepah: The name of the restaurant is Wahpepah's Kitchen.

In Kickapoo language, it means "the one to entice the enemy."

I come from a family of hunters and gatherers.

When you do things by hand, I always feel that it just brings good energy.

And what I vision when I see Native American foods is the most beautiful landscape of all.

And you can also tell a story on your plate.

Look at this lettuce.

I come from a woodland tribe, so you'll see just a lot of the maple, you'll see a lot of the wild rice.

Definitely grew up on squash.

Yeah, I try to calm down a little bit on the blue corn.

[ Laughs ] I think the blue corn is my favorite, only because it's one of my really good memories.

When I was younger, my grandmother always would make blue corn mush when she would put different things in it.

And so I kind of took that on and I still do the same thing.

♪♪ Wahpepah's Kitchen is all about us as a native community, all through the nation.

We have so many different tribes that work here.

We have Lakota, we have Dakota, we have Hawaiian.

Al: Welcome to Wahpepah's Kitchen.

Wahpepah: My three daughters, they're from the Big Valley Pomo tribe.

And there's nothing like it to see them serve someone their own dish from their own homeland.

There's a lot of Native American community, especially our elders, when they come into this place, they've never been in a Native American restaurant, and they never thought they'll see a Native American restaurant in their lifetime.

So, to me, it's such an honor.

Woman: Do we?

Wahpepah: Yeah.

Just break it and dip it.

Yeah.

We reside on the Ohlone land, and so I wanted to spark a little trigger, like, "Wow, I am on native land, am I?

Yeah.

Okay."

You know, and say, "Oh, what do they eat?"

And the knowledge of the land and who was here and who is still here?

Sbrocco: You know, Kelsey, this is -- Chef Crystal is really an interesting story.

Why have you chosen to tell that story and showcase this restaurant?

Blackwell: You know, I feel like Wahpepah's is really this hidden gem that a lot of people don't know about.

When I go to this restaurant, I feel really taken care of.

And I think their mission is worth celebrating.

They're sourcing their ingredients from indigenous land stewards and farmers.

And that's really where I learned about indigenous food sovereignty.

And I think the care and the intentionality really shows up on the plate.

Sbrocco: And when you go, what do you usually start with?

Blackwell: I've got to do the deer sticks.

The first time I saw the deer sticks on the menu, I was like, "I don't know," because I'm not a big game eater.

So I ordered them mostly out of curiosity and then they just knocked my socks off.

They are so delicious.

You get two skewers of meat served with like a charred Anaheim chili pepper, and then a chokecherry dipping sauce, and that meat is just so tender and flavorful.

The chokecherry dipping sauce is nice, but I think it's totally optional.

The meat is just juicy and tender, and delicious on its own.

And then that chili pepper, it can be a little spicy, so I recommend that you taste it a little bit first before you dive in, but that is definitely my go-to.

Ari: I had these potato wedges that had a maple syrup kind of taste to it.

I don't usually recommend potatoes to people, but these were special and there was a lot in the bowl and we ended up finishing all of them.

Worsley: It's that maple chili oil that came along with several of the dishes that you could drizzle on things.

I mean, I drizzled it on my fingers.

It was so good.

Yeah.

Blackwell: Yes.

You've got to try the wild mushroom pumpkin seed mole.

And I love moles, but I've never had one that's quite like this.

It's just really light and cloud-like, and it's got these beautiful wild mushrooms in there that give it some nice texture and bite.

The color of the mole is beautiful.

It's this bright green color, and then it's served with black beans, a side salad.

And then the other thing that's really a standout are these beautiful heirloom corn tortillas.

My dining companion said that they were the best she's ever had.

And I totally agree with her because they're really dense, chewy, and satisfying to dip in that mole.

Sbrocco: Well, and I can see you shaking your head.

Worsley: I agree that mole was out of this world.

I'd never had a mole quite like that.

And as you said, with the shredded wild mushrooms inside, it was really surprising.

And I found this was true with virtually all of the dishes, was this element of surprise, things that I -- I thought I would recognize and understand, but then all of a sudden there would be an ingredient or a treatment of something that was beyond my imagination.

Ari: I had the sweet potato taquitos.

They were delicious, they were beautifully plated, and there were two sauces that were drizzled on top.

I think one was a pepita cream, the other one was a hibiscus sauce.

It was just beautiful and lots of flavors.

Worsley: The Three Sisters Veggie Bowl was the hit of our table.

You know, obviously corn, squash, and beans, but then quinoa and amaranth and then, surprisingly, blueberries and strawberries showing up in savory dishes.

I know that that's not, like, the first time that that's ever happened, but it still surprised me to have those berries show up in those very savory dishes.

Sbrocco: Any other dishes?

Worsley: I have to say bison frybread taco -- what in the world was this thing?

It was like the tostada of your dreams, but sitting on top of something that was closer to, like, a cronut or like a savory donut.

Oh, my goodness gracious.

The ground bison perfectly seasoned and cooked, and all of your favorite tostada taco toppings on this.

Blackwell: Isn't that bread just so crispy and... Worsley: Oh, my goodness.

I could just eat that all day.

Blackwell: ...flaky?

Yes, I've had that as well.

Worsley: Give me more.

Blackwell: One thing I will say, I always get the wild ceyaka mint tea sweetened with maple syrup, not too sweet.

I like to sit out on the patio and it's just perfection.

Sbrocco: Fantastic.

What about desserts?

Blackwell: I usually do the cornbread for dessert.

Sbrocco: Is that typically a side, right?

Blackwell: It's typically a side, but I like to do it for dessert.

It's a blue cornbread and they put juniper berries in it, which is very unexpected.

And I think it gives it a nice, delicate, crumbly texture.

And then it's drizzled with this maple cream and then edible flowers on top.

It's just beautiful and it's not too sweet, but it satisfies my sweet tooth.

Sbrocco: Any sweets that you ended with?

Ari: I had the frybread.

I have never had frybread before.

I will be eating frybread more often.

The crunch of it, but then also the sweetness of it, but it's not overpowering.

It's like a nice little finish.

Worsley: Yeah, a large piece of perfectly cooked, crispy but fluffy frybread mounded with fresh blueberry compote and some cream.

I would go back just for that.

Frybread all day.

That's me.

Ari: Yeah.

Sbrocco: And would you go back again?

Ari: I loved it, I would definitely recommend it to other people.

I don't drive, it was really easy to get to, very warm and inviting.

There were so many new discoveries.

Sbrocco: Unique.

Worsley: Absolutely.

The only thing that I would say is that I wish there hours were a little bit more expansive.

There was a bison short loin on the menu that really felt like a dinner dish to me, but we were there at lunchtime and I didn't feel like I could face it.

I would love to go back a little later in the day and get into that short loin, because it looked really good.

Sbrocco: All right.

Well, you know who to go with.

[ Laughter ] Blackwell: Let's do it.

Sbrocco: If you would like to try Wahpepah's Kitchen, it's located on East 12th Street in the Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland, and the average tab per person, without drinks, is around $20.

Wahpepah: Thank you for coming.

Clive's up next with another innovative pick.

It's a lively little spot, offering a creative menu of Singaporean, Chinese, and Italian dishes.

All completely meat and dairy free.

Located in downtown Oakland, it's Lion Dance Cafe.

♪♪ Chia: A lion dance is a traditional type of dance in a lot of Chinese cultures that bring you good luck.

♪♪ As someone who was born and raised in Singapore, it's really something I have fond memories of.

Coming to Oakland really made me want to share this taste of home with everybody.

Stanbridge: I always say that I'm only a quarter Italian, but that's the loudest part of my family, so it's the food tradition that I most identify with.

Chia: Our slogan is "authentic, not traditional," meaning that it's not food that our grandparents made, but it is authentically us.

♪♪ We often just say that it's small plates because there's not enough categories we can pick to say Singaporean, Italian, vegan, Chinese, all of that.

So we just say small plates when we can.

Stanbridge: We're going to the farmers market, like, four times a week, making sure that we always have very fresh produce.

We like to use a lot of fresh and dried chilies.

It's a really great way to communicate a lot of flavor.

♪♪ Chia: We wanted a space that didn't feel complicated and didn't feel pretentious, but just felt uplifting and stimulating to be in.

♪♪ This is really a space that we want to be practicing radical hospitality.

We're both queer, neurodivergent, almost our entire staff is.

If you're queer, you're always going to be welcome here.

It's so meaningful to me, especially when we have people from the same part of the world that I came from, trying our food, leaving us notes saying that felt very nostalgic to them and meaningful.

That is kind of what keeps us going.

♪♪ Sbrocco: Now, Clive, I find it interesting you are not a vegan, but this is still your go-to place for comfort food.

Worsley: It is, I'm not a vegan, as you said, but very good friends of ours are vegan.

We stumbled upon this place and then it became the spot for the four of us to get our to-go food.

But I always start with the potato chips and the dip, which is essentially like a sour cream and onion dip, but it's vegan, with some shallot oil, fried shallots, and pickled shallots all in this creamy, luscious dip.

I could just take six of those to go and eat them with a basketball game at home.

Sbrocco: [ Laughs ] Worsley: No problem.

Sbrocco: All right.

You are a vegan.

Ari: Yes, I'm a trying vegan Sbrocco: A trying vegan.

Ari: I try my best to be vegan.

[ Laughter ] So I'm gonna tell you, you are my new best friend because this restaurant blew my mind.

I'm not going to say I liked it more than my restaurant.

Thank goodness it's in Oakland and mine's in San Francisco, so it's not a competition, but, there-- Sbrocco: But it is.

Ari: But it is.

Sbrocco: What did you have?

Ari: I had the mushroom goreng, I loved it, it was fried and it tasted like meat.

And it had a spicy sauce on it that had a nice kick to it and it was delicious.

It was a nice way to start the meal.

Worsley: The mushroom goreng is my go-to.

I have to have that every time I go.

Again, I'm not a vegan, I'm a fried chicken person and that fried mushroom thing will satisfy my fried chicken craving every time.

Blackwell: It kind of reminded me of fried chicken feet, actually, when it came out, I was like, "These look like fried chicken feet."

Worsley: Yeah, and it's got that calamansi, sambal, fried curry leaves that come with it.

Blackwell: A little shallot.

Worsley: Mmm.

Yeah.

All day Ari: I liked it, but there was a tomato sandwich.

And you might say to yourself, "It's a tomato sandwich, Why are you talking about it?"

There are these fresh heirloom tomatoes with a shiok mayo and some basil.

And while I was eating it, I closed my eyes and thought that I was in a small cafe in Italy.

And I do wish I -- If I lived closer, I would be there every week for that sandwich.

That was a beautiful sandwich.

Blackwell: We had the golden bread service.

Incredible!

That was a recommendation of our server.

That caramelized mushroom rendang pâté with flavors of lemongrass, curry leaves, and coriander and cumin.

It was so, so delicious.

I would put that on everything.

Ari: One of the entrées I love was the laksa.

So beautiful.

It was deep.

It had a lot of flavors.

I really like a lot of spicy flavors in my food.

I think there was some squash in there.

Worsley: That's right -- coconut milk, curry, chili, soup, with some beans.

Ari: Yes.

Worsley: That's their sort of house signature dish.

That's the one thing that's always on the menu.

Blackwell: I really loved the black bean summer squash.

The squashes were just perfectly cooked.

They were kind of grilled and they were super tender.

A little bit of shallot on top, Thai basil, and a sauce that was like a black bean sauce.

I couldn't taste the black beans, but it was so flavorful and I could just eat that all day long.

It was delicious.

Sbrocco: Did you wash it down with anything?

Blackwell: We had the sunset shrub.

Amazing!

And it was apricot shrub with a little bit of Fresno chili peppers in it, which was unexpected.

I wouldn't think to put Fresno chilies with apricot, but it was so good.

Ari: I had the shrub, as well.

I loved it.

The sweet and the chili kind of fighting each other in a drink, beautiful.

Worsley: My pal, who I go with often, doesn't drink alcohol and she always starts her meal with the Jade jungle, which is a aged lime and pandan and coconut, and it's delightfully, really vibrant green, really festive, nonalcoholic beverage.

Sbrocco: And what about the service?

Ari: I love the service.

It's a diverse menu and they were very attentive to what we liked, what we didn't, came back to check on us and they taught us about the food as well.

Worsley: You know, Lion Dance is BIPOC and queer owned and operated business, really hip and chill, kind of, environment.

It feels like the sort of quintessential contemporary Oakland experience to go in there, you know?

Really, really sweet place.

Sbrocco: And did you end it with dessert?

Anybody?

Blackwell: Yes, the warm pandan nian gao -- absolutely delicious.

The pandan makes it a beautiful green color.

The cake itself is kind of chewy, like a mochi, but then you get a little bit of crunch from the crust.

On the side, there's this beautiful coconut cream that I actually had to ration because my partner was getting a little too zealous... [ Laughter ] ...dipping his cake.

I said, "Okay, that's enough."

And then on top, there's some shredded coconut and some beautiful edible flowers.

It was a really nice way to end the meal.

Worsley: It really is gorgeous.

But you have to, have to, have to eat the A.S.S.

cookies.

Okay?

Come on.

[ Laughter ] Almond, sesame, shallot oil.

Those things are to die for.

We will order-- Sbrocco: Let's go back to eat the A.S.S.

cookies because again, another line we don't hear on "Check, Please!"

too often, but I'm assuming that stands for something?

Worsley: Almond, sesame, shallot.

Sbrocco: There we go.

Worsley: And these things are so good, we will order two orders, which is three cookies each, and take one home to have with tea the next morning.

Ari: Okay, that's what I need to be doing, 'cause I'm go go get that sandwich again and get a double.

Sbrocco: And the combinations it sounds like are so unique.

Worsley: Exactly.

Blackwell: Yeah.

Worsley: Things that you never expect.

Blackwell: Shallot in a cookie.

Worsley: Shallot in a dessert.

Blackwell: Yeah.

Worsley: But it's perfect.

Sbrocco: So you'll all go back together?

Ari: I would go back.

We can go after this.

Worsley: Yeah.

They're open.

Sbrocco: Date made.

Date made.

If you would like to try Lion Dance Cafe, it's located on 17th Street in downtown Oakland, and the average tab per person, without drinks, is around $50.

Vani's restaurant features vibrant, veggie-centric small plates inspired by the Gujarati cuisine of India.

But the first thing that drew her in were the pop art murals and modern design that set the stage for the perfect night out in San Francisco's Dogpatch, it's Besharam.

♪♪ Woman: So, it is amazing.

♪♪ Patel: The name of the restaurant is Besharam.

It means shameless.

Man: Oh, my God.

Heena: In our culture, calling someone Besharam means you are not doing what I just asked you to do.

And that was against my nature, without realizing I was Besharam Table 24.

And I want to remind myself to push that boundary and think outside what was given to me.

The cuisine is Gujarati.

Paresh: So, one of the things about Gujarati cuisine is it's 5,000 years old.

5,000 years gives you a lot of experience.

[ Laughs ] Heena: If I describe in one sentence it's salty, sweet, spicy, sour in one bite.

And vegetarianism is celebrated.

Paresh: There are different cuisines around the state of Gujarat.

Heena: That's the chutney section.

Paresh: A lot of the dishes that we have are related to a temple or a city where it was first originated.

Heena: So I'm gonna make you travel to those regions and introduce how rich, how diverse, how technique-forward this cuisine is without saying a word.

Paresh: And so the Besharam part is when Heena takes those dishes and creates her own version of it.

And then when people look at the dish and go, "This is not the way my grandmother makes it," that's a wonderful compliment in the end, because it's like, "Well, you know, there's somebody else cooking it, not your grandmother."

Food is the biggest way to connect with history and explain your culture to other people when you're assimilating.

And you don't forget flavors, you forget language, but you don't forget flavors.

Woman: It's delicious.

Sbrocco: This show, Vani, has been about discovering unique restaurants and this falls into that category as well, right?

This isn't just a traditional Indian restaurant.

Ari: No, this is not where you go if you want chicken Tiki masala.

This is where you go if you want to try South Indian food and specifically, Gujarati food.

And then also the chef -- Chef Heena Patel, who I've been fangirling or fanwomaning.

I don't know how I should say that.

Sbrocco: I think it's fangirl.

Ari: Fangirling over her.

Is a chef that came up through La Cocina, which I know-- Sbrocco: Chef Crystal.

Blackwell: Right.

Exactly.

Ari: I love that it supports women of color, bringing in some, like, migrant indigenous voices.

And I think that for all of our restaurants, we're very aligned, not just with the food, but some of the stories that are coming out of the places we like.

Worsley: Absolutely, and I really liked this layout of the menu with the four cities or regions.

There were four of us at our table and our server, who was amazing, suggested that each of the four of us take a city, pick an appetizer, and then pick an entrée and then share everything, which is exactly what we did.

And it was perfect.

Sbrocco: A vacation at the table.

Worsley: It really was.

And, you know, discovery.

Sbrocco: Name one of them.

Worsley: Well, that drunken pani puri.

It's a little fried cup of semolina flour, and then inside is potato, onion, and then you get a little carafe of tamarind water you pour inside and then... [ Pop! ]

...in it goes and away it goes.

Ari: And don't forget the gin.

There's some gin in that tamarind water.

Blackwell: I couldn't taste the gin though.

Sbrocco: When you name something "drunken," there might be a little reason... Worsley: Just a little bit.

Sbrocco: A little gin in there.

Ari: Yeah.

Sbrocco: And do you get that dish?

Ari: So here's the thing -- that's the dish that I love, but I have to tell you, I got something better.

The last time I went, I tried the dal dhokli, which I've never had before.

It's a sweet and savory broth that has some coconut, tofu sheets and squash.

But there's something about a sweetened broth that has a little bit of savoriness in it.

I like those flavor clashes.

Just beautiful.

Sbrocco: And what about you?

Blackwell: So I mean, we had the tasting menu, so we had a lot of beautiful dishes.

A real standout for me was the maska paneer.

The spinach is mixed with masala.

So you get these really beautiful spices.

And then the paneer on top is just crumbly and creamy and so delicious.

It's a little swirl of chili oil on top.

Sbrocco: I was over there going, "Yes!"

Worsley: Not like any paneer I've ever had.

And saag paneer is one of my favorite dishes of Indian restaurants.

But this cheese was not like your usual paneer, which is, you know, a cubed farmer cheese, kind of chewy.

This resembled more a ricotta salata in its texture and flavor.

And it just blew me away.

Blackwell: And then we added to the tasting menu the garlic cheese naan.

Oh, my God, that was like-- Sbrocco: Wow!

Ari: Okay.

Blackwell: It was a beautiful, generous portion of naan with sunflower seeds and pine nuts and herbs on top.

And then the beautiful smell of garlic, and then you just get this beautiful stringy cheese.

It took me back to my childhood, like, eating a slice of pizza and then to dip it in that beautiful maska paneer was just really wonderful.

So I also had the dahl dumpling and it was so beautiful when it came to the plate.

It's almost like a fritter.

And then there was a swirl of chilled yogurt, little tamarind, a little chutney, and then some beautiful edible flowers on top.

And then the other thing we had was a kanji wada, which is a tapioca dumpling, so a little bit more chewy.

And then on the side of that, there was a tamarind chutney.

Sbrocco: And did you have any drinks?

Because they do have an extensive cocktail and mocktail list... Worsley: Yeeeeah.

Sbrocco: ...and -- Yeeeeah?

Worsley: There's this cocktail -- I'm sorry -- called "right above it," which is a gin infused black tea with some chai and some lemon.

It was like an Indian Arnold Palmer Besharam itself is located on the ground floor of what is -- upstairs is the Minnesota Art Street Project, right?

You just feel like you're in a really hip and happening spot.

Blackwell: Yeah, it was really nice to sit out in the atrium around the art, they had a great playlist.

I was really enjoying the whole vibe.

Worsley: Yeah.

Sbrocco: Desserts, dishes?

Blackwell: Yeah, so, we had four beignets on a plate that was dusted in powdered sugar, and then it had a side of rose anglaise, and then a caramel toffee anglaise.

The caramel toffee -- total crowd pleaser.

I could just eat that by the spoonful.

So wonderful.

Sbrocco: What about you, Vani, when you go?

Ari: Um, the last time I went, I tried the khaman, which is a savory, steamed sponge cake that has like a taste of tamarind in it, and it's got sesame seeds on top to add a little texture.

I don't get excited about savory sponge cakes, but this cake in particular just had an extra kick.

And I'm gonna tell you, I've never seen it in an Indian restaurant.

Sbrocco: An easy place to be a trying vegan.

Ari: There's a lot for me to choose from there.

Worsley: Yeah, I appreciated that about all of the restaurants that we talked about today.

Really welcoming to everybody that is the Bay Area today.

Sbrocco: You know, I've been doing this so long, I think I've heard or seen everything, and that's not true at all.

This was just an amazing trio of restaurants.

So I love to see that.

Thank you.

Blackwell: Yeah, it was just an adventure all along the way.

Sbrocco: All right, if you would like to try Besharam, it's located on Minnesota Street in San Francisco, and the average tab per person, without drinks, is around $80.

Man: Thank you so much.

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

Cecilia: Salud!

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

I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show -- Kelsey Blackwell, a devotee of the deer sticks at Wahpepah's Kitchen in Oakland; Vani Ari, who loves the veggie-forward Indian fare at Besharam in San Francisco; and Clive Worsley, who digs the onion dip and chips at Lion Dance Cafe in Oakland.

Join us next time when three more guests will recommend their favorite spots right here on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

I'm Leslie Sbrocco and I'll see you then.

Cheers everyone.

And cheers to you, you guys were fabulous!

Fabulous, fabulous.

Awesome.

Cheers.

Woohoo!

Blackwell: One thing that's really special about Wahpepah's is that they're celebrating the indigenous culinary tradition.

And the native names of the dishes is actually on the menu.

Worsley: And it's giving me an opportunity to learn about the cuisine of the place that I live that, embarrassingly, I don't have a relationship with.

So I'm just so grateful that Chef Crystal is doing that work.

Ari: I like to learn things and I love to eat, so when I can combine those two things, so, that educational piece adds to the depth of what you're eating.