announcer:â a kqed television production. [ indistinct conversation ] sbrocco: hi, i'm leslie sbrocco. welcome to"check, please! bay area" -- the show where regular bay arearesidents review and talk about their favorite restaurants. we have three guests, and each one recommendsone of their favorite spots and the other two go to check'em out to see what they think.
this week, program managerkim knox is a bay area native who likes to start the dayright. the first meal of the dayis the one that counts, and she fills up witha breakfast made with love. compliance director phil jerome brokers a deal or twoat the office. dinner, though,is non-negotiable. it must be stylish, inviting,and unpretentious. oh, and the foodhas to be top-notch.
but first, high-schoolactivities director larry lopez keeps busy organizingpep rallies, dances, and events. and when he wants to pep uphis life, he addsa little korean barbecue heat at this hidden gemin santa clara. it's called to bang korean bbq. ♪♪ kim: we're going this way. lee: our owner,her major is nutrition,
and she started this restaurantbecause of that. she wanted to serve healthy food for all the customersthat she loves. kim: my name is ji yeon kim. i'm ownerof the to bang restaurant. [ bell dings ] my grandma is a good cook. i learned from my momand grandmom. i can taste and i know,
"oh, this is pretty good"or not. lee: rice cake for you guys. hi, my name is sam. i'm a server here at to bang. to bang is justa korean barbecue restaurant. we serve meat. we have bottomless side dishes,so, you know, if you want some more,you can always ask for more. we serve two types of kimchis --
one made with cabbageand the other, pickled radish. and both of themare less spicy than usual, just so customerscan enjoy them. kim: the name "to bang" --it's like a mud house. it's, like, natural,comfortable. lee:boss is very nice, generous, so we get unlimited supplyof meat, so if you want to eat,you just come in, eat with your co-workers.
we're all like a family here. we have good chemistry. i believe, you know,having good co-workers is a good foundationof a restaurant. kim: i'm very happy about, like, a family coming and enjoy lifeand enjoy dinner. sbrocco:all right, korean barbecue. what is it that draws you?that heat? that kick? lopez: so, my partner is korean,
and actually got memy foot in the door, and i was just amazedat how much food you get and just all the littleside dishes, and it's literally, like, the non-stop smorgasbordof korean food. and never experiencingkorean food, it was a delight. you go in there,and you've got the japchae, which is sort ofthe cellophane noodles, the sweet-potato noodles,and it's so delicious -- extra pepper,lots of vegetables.
and then there was fish cakes, which were a little spicy,and i wasn't sure, because i'm kind of nervous about the fish and cakein the same sentence... [ laughter ] ...unless it's a song. sbrocco: there's crab cake. lopez: well, yeah, i mean,crab cake, but -- sbrocco:it's a marriage made in heaven.
lopez: that's true. and it was spicy and it justmelted in your mouth. i literally had, like,three helpings of it before they're, like, okay,there's more food coming. sbrocco:and i see kim shaking her head. do the fish and the cakemake sense to you? knox: yeah, it does now. it's brought to the tablein a round sort of serving dish. it has a little crisp to it,which i like.
lopez: and just the right amountof heat. knox: just the right amountof heat. yeah, yeah. -lopez: not too much.-knox: it was really good. jerome: the cake. i'll tell youthe best thing about the cake, for me, was that it was warm and it was waitingright when we got to the table. we had kind of a cold waitin the waiting area. sbrocco: you are easy, honey.you are easy to please. jerome: so it was really niceto have that, you know,
warm cake and hot teawaiting for us. i have to say, i found itto be a little bit greasy. i didn't really tastemuch spice. i thought the flavorwas a little bit flat. sbrocco: and thenwhere did you go from there? jerome: so we ordered the combo, which i think is the big thingto get there, right? and that's where they come over and they just continueto bring you food.
as you said,it's kind of furious, gluttonous eating, right? i mean, they're just bringingyou food all night long. different meats, and, you know, they cook the meatsat the griddle right there on your table, and they'rejust slapping meats down -- big slabs of what looks likebacon. and so that was really fun,i thought. you know, it was an experience,i'll say.
for me, some of the stuffthat they cooked at the table, the flavor wasa little bit flat. i think you're supposedto really use the dipping sauces that they give you there. lopez: not to say going witha korean is how you do it, but since paul's korean, it was easier to getthe instructions of "you're supposed to use thisdipping sauce with the meat," and so only going theremultiple times,
i found the thinly sliced beefis what i absolutely love. 'cause it's extra crispy,and we sometimes, like, they take it off,but we secretly put it back on, and we grill it upjust a little more 'cause we like ita little extra crispy. but that layered withsome of the lettuce, and then wrappedin the rice paper. and there's different waysof eating it, and i think that wasthe difficult thing
is not knowing that, and thenactually having someone there to, like, coach you and say, "well, this is kind ofhow you do it." sbrocco: but did the serversgive you instruction? knox: were great.oh, he was just great. the service, i must say, i wasimpressed with the service. our server came over,and he just walked us through, "okay, get this.do you like that?" you know, "do you like heat?"he was great.
lopez: my favorite is the owner, who's literally, like,she's moving a mile a minute. she's throwing things out. she's talking to everybody, and it's just, like,everything's on point. knox: service was great. we had the combo also,and it was so much food. just the food just keeps coming. lopez: oh, girl.girl, i know.
knox: it's like a buffetthat you sit down. it's a sit-down buffet. but our meat was actuallycooked in the kitchen, so it wasn't flat, and the chicken was justgrilled perfectly. you taste the grilland a little teriyaki. and thenthe marinated steak came. it's like little,small pieces of steak that you can actually eatalmost like a finger food.
so we never used the lettuceor anything, 'cause again, we just trying everythingfor ourselves. just perfect. delicious. jerome: we had that, too.the bulgogi was -- it was cooked in the kitchen,and that did have good flavor. knox: that was really good. lopez: you guys havethe seafood pancake? knox: i had that, too.that was good, too. lopez: yeah,so the seafood pancake --
it's this pancake with calamariand different types of fish and shrimp in it that'sgrilled to perfection. and it's brought outfor your table to share, and it's really greatwith the soy sauce, dipping. it's one of the most crispiestseafood pancakes i've had in korean barbecue cuisine. sbrocco:and you had a beer with it? lopez: well, yes.you have to have beer when you go to korean barbecue,and shame if you don't.
shame, shame,shame if you don't. but they also have sake. they have, you know, anassortment of sodas and stuff. sbrocco: tell me about the soup. knox: the soup,we had the kimchi soup. it's kind of almost likea sweet and sour soup with a tomato baseand also a little spice. it was really good. it had a few vegetables in it,and it had a meat in it.
i think it was pork. but it was really good. it was nice and hot,and really flavorful. lopez: we also hadthe kimchi fried rice, and i don't know if you guysgot to try that. jerome: yeah, so that, to me,was the highlight of the meal. other than the service,i thought, yeah, the kimchi fried ricewas amazing. it was super tangy.
it was a perfect combination, ithought, of sweetness and spice. they pile on this rice on this,you know, tin foil that they put on the griddle, and they just fry it upright there, and they put a little smileyface on there for you when it's all done. lopez:i didn't get a smiley face. jerome: oh, yeah, we got a --[ laughter ] sbrocco: see? you got cheated!
jerome:we got a smiley face, yeah. that was delicious. i mean, it was justso tangy and yummy. yeah, it was. sbrocco: do you feel likebecause there's so much food, that it's good value? is that why... jerome: yeah,i'd say it's great value. you know, again,
i wish we had some more of theitems cooked from the kitchen. i'd say the food was probablya better value if we did that, but, you know, the service wasoutstanding -- the atmosphere. so for considering all that andeverything that goes into it, for the price, yeah, i'd sayit's a pretty good value. sbrocco: all right, this isyour spot. wrap it up for us. lopez: i think if you're willingto try something, go out and try korean barbecue, and to bang is definitelya great option for that.
sbrocco: all right, and phil? jerome: fast, fun,friendly service. furious, gluttonous eating. sbrocco: and kim. knox: ditto. if you're looking for -- ifyou're in the santa clara area and looking forsome korean barbecue -- to try it for the first timeor you like korean barbecue -- definitely recommend it.
sbrocco: all right. if you would like to tryto bang korean bbq, it's located on kiely boulevardat benton street in santa clara. the telephone numberis 408-615-7540. it's open every nightfor dinner. reservations are acceptedfor parties of seven or more, monday through thursday only. and the average dinner tabper person, without drinks, is around $20.
tucked awayin quaint old town pinole, kim's go-to dining-destination is a spotthat won't break the bank. it serves three comforting mealsa day and it's called tina's place. woman: hi, how are you? woman #2: good,how are you doing? holtzclaw: so this ispinole's old town district. most of the businesses down here
are limitedto small mom-and-pop, and that's what makesthis part of town really, really sweet. i'm tina holtzclaw, and i'm the owner oftina's place in old town pinole. the name makes it personal, and that's the experiencewe want you to have. we didn't want you to feel like you're walking intoa restaurant.
i wanted you to feel likeyou were in my house, at my dining-room tableand that i was cooking for you. hands down,you can't beat the omelets here. they're packed with good,fresh veggies. we get a fresh produce orderevery morning. we get out meat in almost daily. all of our eggsare blended to order. we average about 5,000 eggsa week. all those eggsare cracked fresh.
we don't pre-crack them. but the biggest, biggest thingthat we use is a lot,a lot of fresh produce. chambers: i'm justin chambers, and i'm the chefat tina's place. tina's place, to me,really is family. i've known the familyfor many years. this is actually my first job. i was a dish washer
and just graduallymoved my way to the back. we definitely havea lot of regulars. just know their faces,so i'll see them walk in, already know what to fire,what to get ready. holtzclaw: portions are big,and you don't leave unhappy. that's what we're doing here.we go big. sbrocco: all right.you're a breakfast girl. knox: i am. i love breakfast, and i think it's why i wasdrawn to tina's place.
it's nothing fancy,but it's good breakfast. it's good food.the prices are good. everything is made well. the staff is consistentlyaccommodating and helpful. service is great. you have a wait on saturdays,but who doesn't, right? i love the pancakes.they are -- again, they're huge. you have to share those,but they're delicious. they're made perfect.
the butter melts wonderfully. i usually havethe black bean omelet. it's a three-egg omelet, but i usually ask just forthe two eggs, because it's huge. sbrocco: that's a theme here.[ laughter ] knox: there you go.there you go. -sbrocco: a lot of food.-knox: a lot of food. but what i like abouttheir omelets is that they sautã©all of the ingredients first,
so that when the omeletcomes out, it's all hot. the black beans are tender, the chickenis seasoned perfectly -- a great go-to placefor breakfast. sbrocco:all right. larry, jump in. lopez:i started with the bloody mary, and it was nice and spicy --just the way i like it, and it's hard to finda really good bloody mary, and this place had it going on.
and then we had a waffle. we were sitting at the bar,so it was kind of cool. and the waffle wasthis pillowy waffle and we just drenched itin syrup, and it was the lightest thing. like, we inhaled that. we had the linguica scramble, and it was a little runny --the eggs on top. that was my only concern,
but when you talked aboutthe portions being huge -- it was, like, two of my faceswas how big the portions were. it was crazy. sbrocco: and phil, you'rea little quiet over there. jerome: no, i would agree. the food at tina's placeis great. my girlfriend hadthe veggie omelet and she said it was, you know, light and fluffy and stuffedwith fresh vegetables,
and she's pretty pickyabout her vegetables. i orderedthe french toast combo, which came with two fried eggs. i had them over easy, which --kind of hard to mess up, but they really did itperfectly. there was no browningof the whites whatsoever. they were cooked perfectly, and, you know, the french toastwas equally amazing. i mean, it was fluffyon the outside
and it was creamy on the inside, and, you know,it was vanilla cinnamon, and it was very subtle vanillacinnamon flavors, not overwhelming --a perfect amount of sweetness. you know, usually,breakfast places -- if they give you justa little tin of syrup. i really don't like that,'cause i want more syrup. i'm always ordering more,but i didn't need any more. i mean, the french toast wasperfectly sweet on its own.
just a little bit of syrupand that's really all i needed. so, and i also lovedthe bloody mary. it was very forgiving foras much spice as it had, so i was happy with the food. knox:i also love their home fries. they are delicious. i like my home fries to havea little bit of crisp on the potato skin,and theirs do. it's just perfect withthe bell peppers and onions,
and again, i'm a potato eater, so i like my potatoesto come to the table hot. like my fries hot, and so i think that's a markof a good restaurant. sbrocco: even though there islunch and dinner, it's really a breakfast spot. knox: it is. now, i've hadlunch and dinner there. the portions are just as large. if i've gone and orderedthe pork chops,
and they come with, again, big mounds of vegetablesand potatoes, but i want to say, too, justbecause the portions are large, it's still good food. jerome: so the service there,i think, was the only issue that i had with tina's place,and it wasn't the servers. i thought the serverswere great. they were clearly workingvery hard, and that place is super busy.
it wasn't the wait, either. i mean, you know, i think theyhave an app that you can use that you can check in early soyou don't have to do the wait. i think the one thingthat tina's could maybe work on is sort of their system. i think they havea new ordering system. they're all on tablets,and i think, you know, they're probably going throughsome growing pains with that. knox: i mean,i've gone at night.
i've gone in the morning. i've gone in the afternoon,and i've never had an issue. jerome:it was very clear, though, the servers themselveswere great. i mean,they were working so hard. sbrocco:just getting used to things. knox:i think that's what it is, yeah. lopez: well, i think you guysneed to sit at the bar, 'cause i didn't have that.
so you just need tosit at the bar. sbrocco: and they do.they have a full bar. knox: they have a full bar. sbrocco: and you can sitand order anything you want. knox:yes. i recommend the lemon drop. sbrocco: the lemon drop,the sexy diva, the bloody mary. and what about the shrimpand grits? knox: [ sighs ]so i like grits, first of all. i like my grits creamy.i like them seasoned.
i like them buttery, and tina's place does themperfectly. they do a cheesy grits andshrimp, which are just perfect. the shrimp is perfect.it's not overcooked. sbrocco:what else did you have, larry? lopez: well, i was gonna say, kim, we're gonna havea "friendervention". knox: uh-oh. lopez:because the shrimp and grits,
for me, wasn't that great. the shrimp was amazing. the shrimp was roasted perfectlyand i loved it. the grits were justa little too congealed, and it just didn't go down well. and then there's, like,bacon pieces, which bacon, i mean, you can't do baconwrong with anything. let's be honest.everything's better with bacon. but the bacon pieces, i mean,there was like seven pieces,
and then they were like sort ofthrown in there, and i just felt like it waskind of an afterthought. i love the idea ofbaking it in there. it just kind of --these big old pieces of bacon and i was like, you know, choking a little biton the bacon. but the shrimp itselfwas phenomenal. sbrocco:she's still your friend. all right, your restaurant.give is a quick summary.
knox: yep. if you're lookingfor a place with good food, good company, good price --tina's is your place. sbrocco: all right, and phil. jerome: yeah, i'd sayhigh-quality breakfast food at a very reasonable price. very clean, comfortable,and tasteful atmosphere. a few kinks to work outwith the service. sbrocco: larry. lopez:it's a little bit of a trek,
but if you're looking fora little charming, quaint place with an amazing bloody mary, than this is the best placeto go. sbrocco: all right. if you wouldlike to try tina's place, it's located on san pablo avenueat tennent in pinole. the telephone number510-964-7546. it's open for breakfastand lunch every day, dinner tuesday through sunday. reservations are acceptedfor parties of 8 or more,
not including the holidaysor the weekends. and the average breakfast tabper person, without drinks, my only rulein food and wine pairing is to drink what you likeand eat what you like. fish and red wine? sure. steak and chardonnay?well, not so much. one delicious duothat does work, however, is sparkling and snacks. when faced with fantastic fizzlike this italian prosecco
or california bubbly,reach for salty nuts and chips. the lighter alcoholand refreshing quality of sparkling wine quenches yourthirst and cleanses your palate. want to reach bubbly nirvana? drizzle truffle oilover warm popcorn, add some sea salt,and pair with a classy dry rosã©. #happyplace! cozy, with a checkered floorand red pleather stools, phil's diner-esque spotserves up crafty cocktails
and regional american food witha touch of japanese influence. in oakland,it's called hopscotch. schwarz: oakland is, by far, the best placethat i've ever worked. it's so diverseand really accepting of all the fun and innovativethings that we do. i'm jenny schwarz, beverage director and ownerat hopscotch in oakland. when we found this space,
we loved the diner aspectsto it, but then really elevated thespace with the marble counter. shortly after we openedhopscotch, we were bursting at the seamsa little bit. we got a second spacejust one door over, and now we have almost twicethe seating here at hopscotch. itani: i'm kyle itani, chef/owner at hopscotchin oakland. the menu at hopscotch stems frommy japanese-american upbringing.
it's a lot ofamerican diner foods like pork chops and burgers, but we havea japanese inflection on each of the dishes. a lot of the ingredientswe use are locally sourced. i get a lot of ingredientsstraight from japan as well. we try and use ingredientsthat are at the peak of the seasonand also taste the best.
schwarz: the cocktail list is right front and centeron the menu, and they're definitely intendedto pair with the food, not killing the palate, so that you can really enjoyeverything that you're eating. itani: when we first openedthe restaurant, the menu was very safe and was received really,really well, so we just started pushingharder and harder,
and now we have a really great,complex menu. schwarz: we've always hada lot of faith in our opinions. we get really technicaland really geek out. itani:when guests leave hopscotch, i hope they feel likethey've tasted something maybe new for the first timeor tasted something familiar but done exceptionally well. sbrocco:it is a diner-esque feel. jerome: you know, i thinkthey're doing themselves
a little disservice callingthemselves a "high-class diner". this place is higher classthan that, i would say. -you know, the bar is beautiful.-sbrocco: and it's a full bar. jerome: it's a full bar, and it's gotan amazing selection of, you know, small-batch spirits,particularly whiskeys, lots of local craft beers. all their cocktails there --the thing with them is you can always tastethe alcohol,
but it always just goes downso smooth. sbrocco: [ laughs ]we call them spirit forward. we don't call them boozy. we call them spirit forward. jerome: yeah, they just allhave the perfect mix. and, you know,the golden spike that i had, it was five spiceand bourbon and lemon, some aperol, and it was great. -sbrocco: besides the drinks...-jerome: yeah.
sbrocco:...what else do you like? jerome: they're known fortheir fried chicken there. i mean, the fried chickenis consistently moist and tender all the way through, but it has a crispyflavorful crust that still manages to belight and not greasy. sbrocco:a little bit of soy sauce. a little bit of japanese. larry's over here grippingthe table.
gripping -- oh, my god! i'm in love! lopez: yes. the fried chicken. the fried chickenwas so many things. the best part is that it wasnice and salty, and sometimes you havethat fried chicken that has no flavor, and it wasthe perfect amount of spice. and they havetheir own hot sauce, so you just sort of slather thaton to the chicken.
it was great. sbrocco: and they sell itby the bucket now. knox:the fried chicken was okay. i mean,i eat a lot of fried chicken. i mean, i wasn't real impressedwith it, but it was good. i wasn't really impressedwith it. but i hadthe whole roasted trout, which was really, really good. the skin --it was just perfectly crisp
with not being too cooked. on the inside,the fish was flaky and seasoned. the whole roasted troutwas perfect. i highly recommend that. not too many bones,just on the little spine part. the fennel was also cooked well. my sister loved it,but i had a side of fries, 'cause, again,i'm a potato girl. we all know that.we all know that. yes.
sbrocco: love the spud. knox: and, again,the fries came to the table hot. they were piping hot, and they're served with a littlechili aioli lemon dressing. right amount of heat,right amount of spiciness. it was perfect. really good.love the trout. sbrocco: and what else do youeat when you go there? jerome: well, the cocktails,like we talked about. sbrocco:that is a dining choice.
jerome: they usually havea good tempura to start with. this time around,they had the kakiage, which is mixed vegetabletempura. it's light. it's crispy. it's very savory withoutbeing overly salty. knox: of course, i had neverheard of that before, so we asked the waitresswhat it was. so it's root vegetablesthat are almost like shredded, and then deep friedwith a tempura batter.
those are really good. lopez: we had the shroomsand greens. it was mushrooms and bok choy and different thingsof that nature. i found it to bea little too saucy. it was a little overpoweringwith the -- sbrocco: quit describing me. knox: saucy! lopez: girl.
giving me hot flashes over here. um, i like the earthinessof the mushrooms and stuff, but i felt like it kind of threwthe rest of our dishes off, 'cause we had thatand the hamburger and fried chicken, and i feltlike -- 'cause we tried to, obviously, we pretty muchordered everything on the menu. sbrocco: they're known fortheir tongue burger -- the burger that hasa little bit of tongue on it. lopez: yeah. it was a little...
jerome: tonguey? knox: tonguey? yeah. lopez: yeah,it was a little tonguey. i think i just wished thatthe bun didn't soak up that juice from the burger. jerome: another thing they'reknown for is the yonsei oyster. it's topped with some uniand some salmon roe and also some ponzu sauce. my girlfriend loves it.she slurps it up.
she calls it"yummy, creamy goodness." sbrocco: and they do havea sense of whimsy. the burger with the tongueis called "first base" because there's tongue on it. -lopez: oh, yeah, all right.-jerome: [ laughs ] lopez: now, i know where you'retrying to take this, leslie. sbrocco:that was told to me by the chef, so don't you worry about it. what else, kim?
knox:i was a little disappointed because the menu was so limited, but for dessert,we had the almond mud pie. jerome: mm-hmm.it's an oreo cookie brownie. knox: okay, yeah,so that was nice. i appreciated the thickchocolate and then the drizzle. jerome:it's dripping with caramel. knox: yeah,that was really good. lopez: well, not beinga chocolate person,
we went for the doughnuts,which you can't go wrong. i mean,we devoured those doughnuts. i wanted to take extra doughnutsand stuff them into my pockets and enjoy them on the way out,because they were that good. knox: okay. lopez: some of the bestdoughnuts i've ever had, and i never thought doughnutsand dessert, but it was absolutely amazing. sbrocco: and you felt likeservice was good?
lopez: yeah.i think the service, overall, was pretty good. i think our waiter thoughthe knew more about the wine than maybe he did,but as far as the service, everything's brought outpretty quickly and there's lotsof great options. so i think, overall,it was great, and it's a really cutelittle restaurant and i lovedthe red pleather chairs.
i think that's so... knox: it's cute. lopez: yeah, it's kitschy. sbrocco: all right,this is your spot. give us a quick summary. jerome: refinedbut casual dining experience serving up american classicsinfused with japanese styles. sbrocco: all right, and larry. well, i think i'll go backfor brunch,
because i want to trythe kimchi fried rice that they have there, but other than that, i think i'll pass from dinnerunless i want cocktails. knox: yeah. sbrocco: and fried chicken. knox: that's what i wasgonna say. yeah. yeah. i think if you are lookingto add to your uptown oaklandrepertoire,
this would be a place. i probably would not go backfor dinner, because, again, the menu was limited,but certainly for cocktails. sbrocco: all right. if youwould like to try hopscotch, it's located on san pablo avenueat 19th street in oakland. the telephone number is510-788-6217. it's open for lunch on weekdays, dinner every nightwith brunch on the weekends. reservations are recommended,
and the average dinner tabper person without drinks is around $30. i want to thank my lively guestson this week's show -- larry lopez, who cheersfor his favorite spicy kimchi and grilled meatsat to bang korean bbq in santa clara, and kim knox, who can't stay awayfrom the plentiful helpings and great valueof tina's place in pinole, and phil jerome, who drinks upthe craft cocktails
and feasts on regional americanfare at hopscotch in oakland. we really want to hearabout your experiences at any of the restaurantswe've been talking about, so keep in touch with uson facebook and follow us on twitter. and don't forget thatyou can watch any of the shows on our website at... it's where you'll find linksto the restaurants and where you'll find my notes
on the wineswe're drinking today. so join us next time when threenew guests will recommend their favorite spots right hereon "check please! bay area". i'm leslie sbroccoand i'll see you then. cheers. cheers, everyone. knox: cheers! sbrocco: thank you. cheers.
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