Rappoport: Cheers.

Edward: Yep, perfect Sbrocco: Heaping plates of Creole seafood delights in Oakland, French pastries almost too pretty to eat in San Francisco, and a rockin' good time at a Cal-Italian Martinez mainstay on "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Adams: It was the best ever in life.

Penman: Wow.

Sbrocco: Hi.

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 process alchemist Kalen Lagerquist, medical social worker Jill Penman, and people and engineering administrator Ja'Net Adams.

Oodles and oodles of garlicky noodles topped with spicy Louisiana-style seafood is what brings Ja'Net back time after time to her comfort-food happy place.

It's run by a friendly chef who rose to fame through a series of East Bay pop-ups.

You'll find his down-home soul food creations in the heart of uptown Oakland at Smelly's Creole.

♪♪ Edward: The name of the restaurant is called Smelly's Authentic Creole Soul Food Catering.

Creole sweet chili garlic sauce.

Growing up in East Oakland, California, being raised by a single parent.

I lost my dad at a young age Being a Black youth in the inner city, I mean, I got in trouble, went to jail, and just trying to still figure stuff out because I was just kind of young and dumb.

That's how you hold them so they don't bite you.

Nothing really interested me until I ran across the culinary program.

I never met a Black chef when I was growing up, so it wasn't anything that I really thought that I would do.

This is our fresh catfish po'boy.

Never frozen, baby.

But still, it was a passion of mine.

I just knew it was something that I just had to do deep down.

Smell this.

My mother, her family's from Louisiana, and that's where I get my Creole Southern roots, from the cooking.

Mm, perfect.

Actually, my mother came up with the name for the restaurant because when I was young, my friends called me Smelly.

She was like, "It's your name, first of all, and the food smells so good," so Chef Smelly it was.

Ooh, look at that pull!

I call it soul fusion 'cause I like to mix soul food with other ethnicities.

We break down the menu in different categories.

We have land, we have sea combo, we have combo platters.

So if you're a crab lover, the Dungeness garlic butter crab or the Creole crab is crab heaven.

And the garlic noodles suck up and absorb all the butter and garlicky goodness and flavors.

And it's just garlic euphoria.

♪♪ Elegance: My name is Elegance Wooley, A.K.A.

Elegance Treats.

And I make a lot of desserts for my dad's restaurant.

♪♪ My Mimi, my dad's mom, she makes this amazing peach cobbler.

And then I called her, asked her how to make the crust and, like, all the secret ingredients you put into it.

Desserts, when you make them yourself, I mean, you can always eat them, too, while you're making it.

And then -- But sometimes, my mom, she's like, "Why are you eating that?

Stop eating it.

Stop eating it.

It's for your customers.

Stop eating it."

Edward: One of the big inspirations or motivations is to my daughters, my family.

I let them know that Black men can be successful.

It's all good.

The other day, I looked out, and I was just like, "Dang," I just wanted to cry, I mean, tears of joy because, like, I just -- I never pictured this.

♪♪ Sbrocco: So with a name like Smelly's, you know it has to be good, right?

Adams: Oh, my gosh.

I just love Smelly's.

Sbrocco: You walk in there, and the aromas and the smells are just intoxicating.

Lagerquist: There aren't very many vampires around that place.

Sbrocco: Intoxicating.

So, what's your go-to dish?

Adams: I love the garlic noodles, but my favorite is the garlic crab.

Oh, my gosh!

Oh!

It pops in your mouth when you eat it.

It's very flavorful.

Lots of chopped garlic.

You get either a full or a half crab.

It's your choice.

And normally, I would get the half crab, and I would also get some of the prawns.

They're so big and crispy.

And if you'd like, you can have sweet chili sauce, and you can dip your fried prawns in there.

It's so good.

Sbrocco: Did you guys have that, by the way?

Lagerquist: Crab was a delicious mess.

Absolutely loved it.

I had their prawns, as well, their spicy fried prawns.

And I thought they were phenomenally cooked.

They were perfect, snappy, really, like, a joy as soon as you bite into it.

Really enjoyed.

Sbrocco: And, Jill, what about you?

Penman: We tried all those dishes and the Creole surf-and-turf, which is a must.

It's a large bowl served over French fries with copious amounts of lobster, Dungeness crab, Angus beef with I don't know what sauce over the top.

Like, I wanted some to take home.

And that we had as a dinner entrée, and I would recommend trying it as an appetizer because there was a lot, and it was filling.

Fantastic.

Adams: Yeah, I also enjoy their macaroni and cheese.

It's nice, creamy, and thick.

It's definitely a lot of cheese.

It's perfectly cooked and very filling.

So you definitely have to bring your appetite.

Sbrocco: Be prepared for that.

So it's macaroni in small case, and then in full caps, it's cheese, right?

Is that right, Kalen?

Lagerquist: You are not going away hungry from Smelly's.

The garlic noodles were probably enough for three or four people, which I wasn't complaining in the least bit.

We also had the green beans, the garlicky green beans, which were a nice break from a lot of the heavier, richer items.

They give you a lot of food there and a really great, great time.

The mixologist there was fantastic.

Very kind and generous.

The whole atmosphere of the place, as soon as you walk in, it's very friendly, very welcoming.

Sbrocco: Yeah, you're smiling.

Is it a date-night place?

What is it for you?

Adams: Yeah, I actually went there recently with a friend of mine, an old coworker, and we just had a great time just talking.

And the food is great, the peach cobbler is delicious, and I like the fact that it's a lot of crust.

Some people don't like having an abundance of peaches, but his peach cobbler has a lot of crust in it, which is like the favorite part of the cobbler.

Sbrocco: Be honest.

How often do you go?

Come on.

Adams: Oh, probably -- maybe about five times within maybe six months.

Sbrocco: So it's a regular.

It's a regular spot.

All right, if you would like to try Smelly's Creole, it's located in AU Lounge on Broadway in Oakland.

And the average tab per person, without drinks, is around $50.

♪♪ Kalen says his pick, an elegant French tea salon, is the quintessential diamond in the rough.

Step inside the double doors, and you're instantly transported from Polk Street to Paris.

Allons-y in the City by the Bay, it's Maison Danel.

♪♪ ♪♪ David: So the idea for Maison Danel came from us really wanting to create an experience like you see in Paris and Vienna, where they have these grand tea salons where dessert really is the centerpiece.

And you go in the afternoon, have some tea, enjoy company and great food in a relaxed atmosphere with impeccable service.

♪♪ I think what makes Maison Danel special is Danel's focus on bringing what you can only find in France here to San Francisco.

♪♪ Danel: So Viennoiserie is all the family of the croissant.

So pain au chocolat, croissants, chausson aux pommes, every kind of stuff.

And patisserie, it's all the desserts.

the tart, éclair.

David: Sometimes people will ask, "Do you have a cookie, or do you have a muffin?"

Danel: "Do you have a scone?"

"No, we don't do a scone.

We don't do many things."

David: So we do have Matcha Chocolate.

Danel: Well...

I just want to keep it really French.

That's really my goal.

David: So I'm a big tea drinker.

And so, it's been a lot of fun for me to find my favorite teas from all around the world.

One's called La Parisienne.

It is a black tea with rose.

That's very popular.

And the other really popular one is Le Provençal, which is an Earl Grey mixed with lavender from Provence.

♪♪ Also, we have a full menu of brasserie favorites.

Danel: The pork pâté is very special for me because it reminds me of my grandmother definitely.

So my mom, she lives between France and here now.

Woman: [ Speaks French ] Très jolie!

Ooh!

Danel: And I learn with her, as well, to make the pâté, and we just keep doing what she teaches.

[ Conversing in French ] The best way to eat the pâté, it's a French baguette and the pâté and a knife.

And that's it.

Just put it on the bread and eat it.

Enjoy.

David: Something that Danel told me when we first met is you eat with your eyes, because it's not just what you're eating, but it's everything surrounding it.

And that makes it so special.

Danel: More detail and more creativity, and that's what I like, yeah.

♪♪ Bonne chance.

Sbrocco: So, Kalen, how did you find this beautiful salon de thé?

Lagerquist: We were originally looking for a special place for a momentous occasion for my daughter Pippa.

It's very relaxed, very casual, but elegant at the same time.

It's a unique combination.

We originally went in for the tea and the Viennoiseries.

Sbrocco: Very nicely said.

Lagerquist: We have now taken to going there for the boeuf bourguignon or the cassoulet.

Sbrocco: Let's talk about the cassoulet.

Lagerquist: It is simple, elegant, very unctuous.

Classic French flavors, very subtle, a nice herb backbone.

It's really beautiful.

Adams: I would have to agree with Kalen.

The plating was absolutely beautiful.

And the bean stew, oh, my goodness.

The beans were perfectly cooked.

They were not too hard, not too soft.

They were not broken.

Sbrocco: It was the Goldilocks of cassoulet.

Adams: Oh, my gosh!

Yes!

Yes.

And the duck leg that they put on top was just scrumptious.

It was a nice herb-crusted duck leg.

And on the inside, it was so tender.

And it also included some garlic sausage.

It was really nice.

Sbrocco: The theme of the show is garlic.

I can tell you.

Adams: I love garlic, so... Sbrocco: Yeah.

So you lived in Paris, Jill, right?

Penman: I did, I did.

Several years ago.

And I walked in there and had that feeling that you were, perhaps, in a patisserie in Paris.

But also, as you were saying, Ja'Net, the way things were served, it was so almost homey, like you're at somebody's house on a Sunday.

We started with the French onion soup, which was just absolutely on point -- a rich broth with the onions but then the crusty bread and this cheese that just goes over the side.

We got the boeuf bourguignon, you know, traditional, with the potatoes on top.

So you could cut through and get potato and boeuf bourguignon.

Lagerquist: And it's really good with just a baguette on the side, as well.

Sbrocco: Oh, fantastic, because, again, these are French, you know, bistro classics.

Lagerquist: Absolutely.

It's the good French comfort food.

So we really enjoy the afternoon tea service that comes on a beautiful tiered presentation.

And you can have as few or as many Viennoiseries as you want.

You can even add on to your tea service some caviar and some sparkling wine, as well.

Sbrocco: And it's interesting that you talk about sparkling wine there because they have their own unique bottling of Crémant D'Alsace, which is a sparkling wine from the Alsace region of France.

And it's lovely with a little dash of sorbet or lovely by itself or... Lagerquist: Perfect with a little fruit pastry, if you ask me.

Sbrocco: Right.

Right.

So did you have the tea service, as well?

Adams: I didn't have a tea service, but what I did have was a ham and cheese croissant, and it was wonderful.

The ham is slightly salted, but they put this cream, like, cheese on top, and it's like the perfect combination.

Lagerquist: Well, we enjoy all their pastries.

The one that really stands out for us is the Paris-San Francisco, which is a puff pastry with the chocolate hazelnut cream in it.

And it's really dense on flavor but really light on texture.

And in our family, divide it in fours, and I get a small quarter, and that is plenty because it's so rich and wonderful at the same time.

Penman: We enjoyed that, as well, and they finish that so beautifully with slivered almonds, slivered toasted almonds, a light dusting of powdered sugar.

It's just perfect.

Sbrocco: All right, give us the take on the croissant.

Adams: Yes, I love the chocolate croissant.

It had the perfect amount of chocolate in there.

It wasn't too much, and it wasn't too little.

Sbrocco: Is there too much chocolate, though, really?

Adams: No, not really.

Sbrocco: You can never have too much chocolate.

Adams: And when you bite into the croissant, it is so crispy but yet fluffy on the inside.

Nice and buttery.

Definitely, I would go back for that.

Sbrocco: If you would like to try Maison Danel, it's located on Polk Street between Post and Geary in San Francisco.

And the average tab per person, without drinks, is around $60.

When it comes to dining out, Jill is always on the hunt for restaurants offering wild, organic, and locally-sourced fare that tastes as fresh as can be.

Her go-to pick checks all those boxes and offers live entertainment to boot.

On the southern shore of the Carquinez Strait, you'll find the historic town of Martinez, home to Roxx on Main.

♪♪ Woman: Welcome to Roxx on Main!

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ Stiles: Roxx on Main is a destination in Martinez, and we always wanted it to be a destination for the food... Woman #2: That was good!

Stiles: ...and a destination for the music.

♪♪ My chef/partner Tony and I have known each other since he was 15 and I was 21, and we've been cooking together since then.

Tony and I have a passion for really good food.

If it doesn't knock you off your chair, we didn't succeed.

♪♪ When I started cooking in my career, I always had a healthy background.

My grandfather was an organic gardener.

He taught us how to garden.

We love herbs.

I grow a lot of herbs.

We have pretty ornate, awesome salads that have lots of components to them.

So these just get pulsed, so they're not a paste.

They're still kind of chunky.

Our veggie burger we've been working on for three years, trying to perfect it.

We wanted to put it together as an entrée, like this is its own special thing.

We're very committed to keeping it gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan so that anybody can have it.

♪♪ It's rumored that the martini was created in Martinez.

So we have to keep up with that, and we make a very good martini.

My perfect martini has a film of ice on top, and that's how I judge a bar.

If I go in and I get a martini and there's a film of ice on it, I'm happy.

Man: Cheers.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ Stiles: When we came together on this place, we wanted to have something special that people could locally come to and get that feeling of going to the city or going to Oakland or Berkeley and having a great time.

This town is coming alive -- the arts, the entertainment, the food, the breweries.

So it's very cool to be a part of this amazingly vibrant scene.

♪♪ Sbrocco: Jill, this is quite a spot for locals to hang out, isn't it?

Penman: Yes, it is, indeed.

When Roxx came downtown, they were one of the first that I'm aware of that brought music and good food together.

They're very involved, also, in our community.

So Martinez is built on that sense of community, and they contribute a lot.

Sbrocco: What do you get when you go out to eat?

Penman: So their salmon Caesar is what I generally order.

It's the sustainable, wild-caught salmon.

Done just perfectly.

It just has that nice little bit of crust on the top, and not overdone in the middle.

The Caesar itself is a combination of kale, romaine, and arugula.

A very garlicky Caesar dressing.

Sbrocco: See, I told you, garlic is the theme of the show.

Lagerquist: There we go.

Sbrocco: We're garlic lovers at this table.

Penman: It truly is.

And then the cheese, the house-made croutons.

You start your meal when you go there, I should say also, when she brings rosemary focaccia, house-made bread.

You can dip that in a lemon-infused olive oil, balsamic on the side just to get started.

Sbrocco: What was your experience?

Did you enjoy it?

Adams: Oh, my gosh, yes.

First off, I love the area.

There's a lot of little shops that are right next to the Roxx on Main.

So it's a nice place to go.

Sbrocco: So you shop, too?

Adams: Just looking, window shopping.

And I enjoyed having the caprese burrata.

It is very good.

It comes with a fresh lemon oil as well as balsamic.

The heirloom tomatoes are super fresh and thick, and I really loved the crostini that it sits on top of.

It's very crispy.

So it's a fun dish.

Actually, two or three people could share that, as well.

Sbrocco: Kalen, what about you?

Lagerquist: Our favorite was the pork chop.

It's a double-cut pork chop, so it's nice and thick, and it was perfectly cooked.

It comes with a pan gravy.

And my pleasant surprise was they do a potatoes au gratin that's very nutmeg forward.

And it was surprising and really delicious.

And I think they do a lot of little touches like that, basing off of whatever's seasonal and what's available locally.

We actually had probably our favorite veggie burger ever, and it was a beautiful homemade patty with hummus on top and tons of lettuce and tomato.

But really exceptional.

Penman: It is good.

And the texture, there's something about the texture that's a bit unique, and I'm not sure what ingredient creates that, but it's delicious.

Adams: My goodness, I had the special of the day, which was a chicken Parmesan.

It was the best ever in life.

Penman: Wow.

Lagerquist: Wow!

Sbrocco: A toast to Jill for discovering this restaurant.

Adams: Yes!

And they give you a very large amount.

Literally, at least three people can eat that one dish.

But I managed to... Sbrocco: Managed to make a dent.

Adams: Yeah.

The chicken itself had a nice crispiness on the outside, and it was also juicy on the inside and also lots of ooey, gooey cheese.

And it sits on top of a noodle.

And it's a lot of garlic cream sauce.

Here we go with the garlic again.

Sbrocco: Garlic and cheese, I think, are our favorites.

Adams: Yeah.

Sbrocco: And what about dessert?

Lagerquist: We had the seasonal fruit crisp, and ours had some stone fruit with some blueberries.

Again, not too sweet.

Really featured the flavors of the fruit to come out.

And really an enjoyable dessert.

Sbrocco: Is that what you get normally?

Penman: That is my go-to.

I have seen their sundae, which has house-made graham crackers, and it's called a s'more sundae.

So it looks like a s'more in an ice cream parfait dish.

Sbrocco: And who doesn't love a s'more?

Penman: Right.

I need to go back for that.

Lagerquist: We had to have that, as well.

Penman: Oh, you tried it?

Lagerquist: And it was fantastic.

Sbrocco: You're trying to pretend you didn't have two desserts, right?

Penman: I'm so glad you both liked it.

Adams: Loved it.

Sbrocco: Would you go back for it?

Would you go back if you were that way?

Adams: Oh, absolutely.

And they also have outdoor dining, as well, so you can have both an indoor and outdoor experience.

Lagerquist: We were outside, and the entire service staff was very nice, checking on us.

The host even brought us blankets in the evening when it was a little chilly, so it was really nice.

Penman: Oh, good.

Sbrocco: If you would like to try Roxx on Main, it's located on, can you guess, Main Street in Martinez.

And the average tab per person is around $50.

Woman: ♪ Never be the same ♪ Sbrocco: And now reporter Cecilia Phillips brings us more Bay Area bites you've just got to try.

♪♪ Phillips: This is one of the largest farmers' markets in California.

Can you tell me why this market is so special?

Pennington: The Marin Farmers Market has over 150 vendors from 48 counties throughout all of California, with organic and conventional products.

And they have some of the best pre-packed and hot food vendors that you can find in the Bay Area.

♪♪ Phillips: So D.R.E.A.M., does it stand for something?

Augustine: It does.

Phillips: What does it stand for?

Augustine: Do you want to try it, because we always ask people first?

Phillips: Let's see.

Doughnuts rule everything around me?

Pastor: Wow!

Phillips: Look at me.

Pastor: We're really proud of our business because we say we're female powered and owned.

So we have an all female team.

We're all immigrants, and we're just, you know, powering through, doing really great pastries.

Phillips: Okay, so what do you have?

Pastor: This is our sakura doughnut.

It's a Japanese cherry blossom white chocolate.

We got a little berry in there, too.

Augustine: Cheers.

Phillips: Cheers.

Phillips: Oh, my gosh.

The crunch of the icing on the outside, the frosting, is so good.

Our business name is Zen Musubi.

Koda: All the different ingredients, the rice, the water, and the salt, together, it make one thing.

Phillips: So musubi with wild-caught salmon.

Cheers.

Mmm!

A portable lunch.

Koda: Portable lunch.

Jean-Baptiste: My husband and I own Maison Porcella.

So we started in 2018 making French-style charcuterie.

Phillips: So what is this one?

Jean-Baptiste: So that's the jambon aux persillés.

So the nice chunk of the lower leg work with the mix of shallots and parsley.

Phillips: Bon appétit!

Jean-Baptiste: Bon appétit!

[ Both laugh ] Phillips: So you are with Rize Up Bakery.

You do some really special bread.

Hall: We just try to create lots of different creative breads.

We have things like masala, bacon jalapeño.

Yeah, this is an ube bread.

So it's a Filipino purple yam that actually turns the bread completely purple.

Phillips: Okay.

Ahh!

Hall: There you go.

Phillips: Mmm!

You have one of my favorite cookies of all time.

Alfajores.

Promanzio: Alfajores is a treat from Argentina.

It's made with a lot of love.

Phillips: So what makes your alfajores better than anybody else's alfajores?

Promanzio: They're delicious, just because.

[ Laughter ] Hayes: So these are Brazilian chocolate truffles.

They're super popular in Brazil.

They're softer and creamier than the regular truffles.

Almost like a fudge.

Girl: And chocolaty and sprinkly, if that's a word, and delicious.

Rappoport: We're Rozemary Kitchen.

We specialize in seasonal sandwiches The bread that we use is a sesame Dutch crunch and a sesame Kamut flour roll.

A popular sandwich here is our vegan sandwich.

It's called the Tam I am.

Phillips: It tastes like a pizza on a sandwich.

Rappoport: Yes.

Phillips: So good.

Get out of here.

Woman: ♪ World go 'round ♪ Phillips: Sounds like something you would say in a deli.

Woman: ♪ World go 'round ♪ Phillips: Get out of here.

Rappoport: Get out of here.

Sbrocco: I have to thank my great guests on this week's show, true Francophile Kalen Lagerquist, who says oui to afternoon tea at Maison Danel in San Francisco, Jill Penman, who savors the wild grilled salmon salad at Roxx on Main in Martinez, and Ja'Net Adams, whose guilty pleasure is the homemade peach cobbler at Smelly's Creole 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.

And cheers to you all.

Whoo!

Great job.

♪♪ Phillips: So you got some beautiful cherry tomatoes.

Can I see them, actually?

Man: Yeah.

For some crazy reason, the Tomato Man can make tomatoes that are really good by April.

I don't know what his trick is.

If I was here five minutes later, he would run out.

And it's only, what, about 9:15 in the morning?

Phillips: You're the tomato man?

Tomato Man: Yes, I am.

I live in Kern County, out in the Mojave Desert.

In order to grow a good tomato, you have to have good sunlight.

And we have better sunlight in the winter than some states have in the summer.

And so, that's one of the many secrets to our success.