Watch More of Season 14
Check, Please! Bay Area Season 14 episode 13 airs Thursday, September 19 at 7:30pm on KQED 9. See other
television airtimes. And never miss an episode by
subscribing to the video podcast.
To kick things off, we head to San Francisco's
Roosevelt Tamale Parlor, a Mission district institution established in 1922 that serves an updated version of its Mexican-inspired menu. Up next, we savor an evening of delicious Spanish bites in Sonoma wine country at
Bravas Bar de Tapas in Healdsburg. Finally, we land back in San Francisco for
International Smoke, a bustling Financial District spot helmed by famous food personalities and featuring a blend of globally-inspired offerings and Southern comforts.
Host Leslie Sbrocco and guests on the set of season 14 episode 13. (Grace Cheung/KQED)
Get Restaurant Information:
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Roosevelt Tamale Parlor (San Francisco)
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Bravas Bar de Tapas (Healdsburg)
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International Smoke (San Francisco)
Host Leslie Sbrocco sipping wine (Courtesy of Leslie Sbrocco)
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.
2014 Orsi Family Sagrantino, Dry Creek Valley, California $34
When I first saw the diverse lineup of Italian varietals being made by California’s Orsi Family winery, I was pleasantly surprised. Their unique wines are a study in Italy’s native grapes and an ode to the family’s Italian heritage. They have a smile-inducing, tongue-twisting lineup of whites, but this red stole my heart.
Sagrantino is an inky purple variety grown in Montefalco in Italy’s Umbria region. When I visited there years ago, I left with an appreciation for powerful reds paired with hearty food. This Sonoma county version is a worthy complement to its Italian cousin. Deeply-hued with dark berry fruit and grippy tannin, it begs for lamb chops or meat ragu pasta.
2016 Flora Springs Trilogy, Napa Valley, California $85
Flora Springs is a Napa Valley classic with a rich history. Trilogy is their flagship wine and is considered an icon of California Bordeaux-style blends. Hailing from the Komes-Garvey family estate vineyards, it’s a marriage of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with Petit Verdot and Malbec.
Like the three sides of a triangle, there is ideal balance and structure in this blend. Smooth and sumptuous, it’s a wine to enjoy now with a grilled steak dolloped with blue cheese and smothered in mushrooms. Or, age for up to a decade and let it gain even more complexity.
Schramsberg Mirabelle Brut sparkling wine, North Coast, California $29
As one of California – and the world’s – top sparkling producers, Schramsberg brings its depth of experience and benchmark of quality to Mirabelle. Known for their vintage bottlings of bubbly, this is the wine producer’s multi-vintage blend of Chardon...