Check, Please! Bay Area Season 12 episode 20 airs Thursday, October 19 at 7:30pm on KQED 9. See other
television airtimes. And never miss an episode by
subscribing to the video podcast.
Burmese flavors take us to Burlingame this week with stir-fry dishes that are neither too hot nor too spicy at
Mingalaba Restaurant. But if you get a late-night hankering, while you're in the Cow Hollow district of San Francisco, the pub favorites at
The Brazen Head are sure to hit the spot. Finally, we end with a love letter to the islands in the form of elevated Hawaiian cuisine at
āina in San Francisco's Dogpatch.
Host Leslie Sbrocco and guests having fun on the set of season 12 episode 20. (Wendy Goodfriend)
Get Restaurant Information:
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Mingalaba Restaurant (Burlingame)
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The Brazen Head (San Francisco)
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āina (San Francisco) [CLOSED]
Host Leslie Sbrocco tasting wine. (Wendy Goodfriend)
My name is Leslie Sbrocco and I'm the
host of Check, Please! Bay Area. Each week, I will be sharing my tasting notes about the wine, beer, and spirits the guests and I drank on set during the taping of the show. I will also share some
wine, beer and spirits tips with each episode. This week I discuss:
Hard Cider.
2016 Chronic Cellars ‘Pink Pedals’ Rosé, Paso Robles, California $15
The idea behind Chronic Cellars is to make seriously killer wine without taking themselves too seriously. Winemakers, Josh and Jake Beckett, are Paso Robles locals who wanted to launch a brand focused on easy-sipping wines made with great grapes. They call their label designs “off-color-yet-full-of-color” and the blonde skeleton pedaling a bike on this pink makes a sassy statement. A wallop of Grenache grapes with a splash of Syrah makes a succulent, watermelon and green apple-scented, dry-styled rosé perfect to pedal your cares away.
2013 Loveblock Pinot Gris, Marlborough, New Zealand $26
Erica and Kim Crawford (yes, Kim is a man) helped create Americans’ love for New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The duo also ranks among my favorite vintners from the land of the long white cloud. After selling their namesake wine brand, Kim Crawford, they embarked on a passion project and founded Loveblock. A blend of hillside and valley floor grapes give weightiness yet delicacy to this lovely Pinot Gris. If you aren’t familiar with Kiwi Pinot Gris (same grape as Pinot Grigio but oh so different), this is a wine that will make you fall in love with the variety.
2015 Long Meadow Ranch Chardonnay, Anderson Valley, California $40
Long Meadow Ranch is an historic Napa property that’s home to a family creating a unique culinary community. With more than 2,000 acres of grapes, olive trees and pastures to graze cows, Laddie, Ted and Chris Hall are making a difference in how food and wine are grown and enjoyed. (They also own Farmstead restaurant in Napa, which was highlighted in