Support Season 15 Restaurants

Check, Please! Bay Area Season 15 episode 2 airs Thursday, April 9 at 7:30pm on KQED 9. See other television airtimes. And never miss an episode by subscribing to the video podcast.

Our first stop is PLāYT Restaurant & Bar where upscale Southern food with a California twist shines in Hayward. Then it’s off to Xingones in Old Oakland, a beloved pop-up run by two Oakland chefs who passionately prepare the foods they grew up eating, like chicken and waffles and street tacos. Finally we end in San Francisco’s Mission District at Stonemill Matcha, a minimalist Japanese cafe with extensive sweet and savory offerings and expertly crafted matcha beverages.

Host Leslie Sbrocco and guests on the set of season 15 episode 2. (Anthonia Onyejekwe/KQED)

Get Restaurant Information:

* PLāYT Restaurant & Bar (Hayward)

* Xingones (Oakland)

* Stonemill Matcha (San Francisco) [CLOSED]

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.

Sommariva Brut Prosecco Superiore Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG

Italy, $17

Prosecco is an American bubbly favorite—a whimsical welcome in every glass. But, there’s also a serious side to this sparkler that offers not only a pleasing price tag, but the highest quality. This Prosecco is dubbed Superiore and hails from the region of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene (DOCG is a stamp of quality guaranteeing the origin of the wine). Sommariva’s deliciously juicy sparkler is made from the glera grape variety grown on the area’s steep hillsides about an hour’s drive from Venice. Crisp and refreshing, it’s an ideal match for sushi, salads and fresh cheeses.

2017 50 Harvests Meritage Blanc

Napa Valley, California, $35

With a family winemaking heritage originating in Italy in 1883, the Scotto family has been farming grapes in California for decades. The label is an ode to their 50 harvests in the Golden State. Winemaker Paul Scotto and Napa winemaking legend, Mitch Cosentino, have married nearly equal parts semillon and sauvignon blanc in a lusciously rich Bordeaux-style blend I call a “white wine for red wine lovers.”

2016 Ramey Chardonnay, Rochioli Vineyard

Russian River Valley, California, $65

David Ramey is one of the noted names of California winemaking and the Rochioli family’s vineyards rank among the world’s best. Together, their talents result in this classy chardonnay. In “wine geek” speak,