Support Season 15 Restaurants

Check, Please! Bay Area Season 15 episode 4 airs Thursday, April 23 at 7:30pm on KQED 9. See other television airtimes. And never miss an episode by subscribing to the video podcast.

Our show is all about breakfast, the most important meal of the day.  You’ll feel right at home at Concord’s Big Country Kitchen, a woman- and veteran-owned spot serving Southern favorites and featuring a whole table of hot sauces. Then it’s off to Castro Valley, for colorful, inventive morning treats like cookie dough waffles and giant mimosas at Denica’s Real Food Kitchen. We finish it all off at an Oakland institution that’s been serving all-day eggs and homefries for the past 46 years. Decorated with napkin art and old fashioned aprons, you can’t miss the one-of-a-kind atmosphere at Mama’s Royal Cafe.

Host Leslie Sbrocco and guests on the set of season 15 episode 4. (Anthonia Onyejekwe/KQED)

Get Restaurant Information:

* Big Country Kitchen (Concord) [CLOSED]

* Denica’s Real Food Kitchen (Castro Valley)

* Mama’s Royal Cafe (Oakland)

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’ll share my tasting notes about the wine, beer and spirits the guests and I drank on set during the taping of the show.

Prima Cuvée Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Italy, $18

Wine drinkers know (and love) the name Prosecco. They’re generally not as familiar, however, with the historic spot in Northern Italy where many of the best versions are produced: Valdobbiadene. The area’s steep hillside vineyards are a picturesque patchwork of green against a pristine blue sky. Planted to the variety, Glera, these white grapes give Prosecco its aromatic succulence. Bellenda Winery’s ‘Prima’ is flavorful fizz. Affordable yet impressive, it’s a stylish Prosecco ideal for special occasions or everyday sipping.

2018 Clarendelle Bordeaux Blanc

Bordeaux, France, $20

It's a treat to indulge in wines from one of Bordeaux’s famed names at a price that pleases. As owners of the classic (and expensive) first-growth, Château Haut-Brion, the Dillon family’s Clarence Dillon négociant wines are inspired by the great house. The Clarendelle line offers top-notch value with a focus on quality. This dry, elegant white wine is a blend of Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Light and lemon-scented with a hint of honeyed richness, I call it a “twice-the-price” wine as its worth double the price tag.

2018 Villa Matilde ‘Rocca Dei Leoni’ Falanghina, Campania IGP

Italy, $20

Italian whites are some of my global favorites because they blend the ping of food-friendly freshness with unique ...