♪♪
Kasin: It's unctuous,
and it's just irresistible.
♪♪
Ashby: ...which was phenomenal.
I was blown away.
I wanted to stay.
I didn't want to leave.
Sbrocco: Everybody!
[ Laughter ]
♪♪
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.
We have three guests,
and each one recommends
one of their favorite spots,
and the other two
go check 'em out,
to see what they think.
This week, writer, artist,
and culinary historian
Miriam Kasin
takes us to her favorite
Middle-Eastern cafe.
Not only can you dine in,
but, if inspired,
you can buy the ingredients
and make the meal yourself.
And third-grade teacher
Natalie Ashby guides us
to the coast to a cozy cove
and an even cozier dining room
on Tomales Bay.
But first, security guard
and organic beer lover
Omar Montes shares his favorite
brewery and tapas restaurant.
Small bites and craft beer
are complemented by charcuterie
and flamenco dancing
at ThirstyBear Brewing Company.
♪♪
Mullins: ThirstyBear was
named -- funny story --
it was named after
an escaped circus bear
who had stolen a beer
from a gentlemen
sitting in a park in Russia.
Slapped the man, took his beer,
got drunk, and then they had
to take him back to the circus.
Welcome to ThirstyBear.
We're the first and only
certified organic brewery.
My name is Tim Mullins.
I'm the general manager here.
♪♪
We went organic
in our beer production 2007.
We got our green business
certification in 2010.
ThirstyBear was
a top-100 restaurant
for the first five years
it was open.
It was very unique for a brewpub
to have Spanish cuisine.
I mean, tapas is historically
a communal food.
You order a lot of small plates
and everybody shared,
much like beer.
We serve nine different beers
on tap.
Really, only two are flagships,
or that we have all the time.
One is our Panda Bear Ale
and our Howard Street IPA.
All the other beers rotate,
and our brewmaster, Brenden,
brews all of them.
They're all really his recipes
and his creations.
We all love
what we're doing here.
Beer is fun.
Food is fun.
It's a fun environment.
You know, people come here to
have a good time and a fun time,
so it's really about just
the passion for the product
and the people that work here.
Man: Perfect, yes.
Thank you.
Sbrocco: Now, Omar,
you are a beer lover.
Montes: Yes.
Sbrocco: Right, and this is
San Francisco's oldest brewpub.
Montes: Yeah.
Sbrocco: I mean, 1996 --
This has been around
20-plus years.
Montes: Pretty old, yeah.
Sbrocco: How did you
first discover it?
Montes: Well,
so about two years ago,
I picked up guitar lessons
from one of
my Spanish instructors.
You know,
I really love the music.
I like flamenco music.
I was learning how to play it,
and he just told me one day,
"Hey, check out
this place in the city."
Sbrocco: Because they have --
ThirstyBear has flamenco dancing
on Monday night.
Montes: Exactly, exactly.
He never even brought up
the food or the drinks.
Sbrocco: Right.
Montes: I just went
to check out the show,
and I was really impressed
by the quality of the beer,
the quality of the food.
I said,
"I'm going to come back."
Sbrocco: That's awesome.
Everybody!
[ Laughter ]
Right?
Montes: Yeah.
Sbrocco: Get your flamenco in.
Montes: Yeah.
Sbrocco: So is there a dish
that you really enjoy?
Montes: For appetizers, yeah.
I will get the piquillo peppers.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Montes: It's served in
a really nice white plate.
It has a lot of color,
and it's filled with tuna,
and on the side,
it has aioli sauce...
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Montes: ...just kind of
drizzled around the plate
with a little bit
of onions and chives.
I have no idea what else is
on there, but it's really good.
Kasin: I also started
with the piquillo peppers,
which I thought were wonderful.
It was a cilantro puree salsa...
Montes: Oh.
Kasin: ...that it's in
with the tuna.
That was very good.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Kasin: We tried another one
that we liked called zarzuela,
which is a seafood stew
in a nice broth.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm, right.
Kasin: It was very good.
Sbrocco: What about
macaroni and cheese?
Ashby: I did have macaroni
and cheese, actually.
Montes: You did?
Ashby: That was one
of our tapas, yeah,
and it comes out
in a little cast-iron pot,
and it's fairly large shells,
so the shells just have
the ooey-gooey sharp cheddar.
Sbrocco: You can say that,
ooey-gooey.
It's a term.
It's a term.
Ashby:
Sharp cheddar cheese inside,
and, again,
it's a fairly large portion,
so three people can
share it easily,
and it's wonderful
with the beer selection.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Ashby: And we also
had the empanadas...
Montes: Oh, yeah.
Ashby: ...which have malt
in the dough so, again,
perfect pairing with the beer.
Montes: Yeah, yeah.
Ashby: The pastry was really
soft and fluffy,
and it was filled
with some pork.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Ashby: But we did have
some other wonderful appetizers.
We had the pork ribs,
which were
in this juicy sauce...
Montes: Oh, yeah, love those.
Ashby: ...and it just
melted off the bone.
Montes: Yeah,
right off the bone.
Ashby: And it was in
a little raclette,
and so we shared it as a table.
We also started
with the nine-beer tasters,
so we tried every single beer
in the --
Sbrocco: That's what they
have on draft, right?
Ashby: Yes, and I discovered
so many, like, wonderfully
creative, unusual flavors.
Montes: Yeah.
Sbrocco: Do you have
a favorite beer?
You want to talk about the beers
for a bit?
Montes: The one I've been trying
recently is called the Kolsch,
which is, like, German ale.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Montes: It's nice and gold.
Again, it's very smooth,
you know, not bitter at all.
It's ice cold.
It just goes down real well.
Sbrocco: It goes great
with the piquillo pepper.
Montes: Exactly.
Sbrocco: Did you have...
indulge in any of the beers
or drinks?
Kasin: I did.
My companion had
the beer sampler,
which I tasted,
and I really liked
the Tolstoy's Inkwell.
It's a very dark beer,
obviously,
and I also had
a glass of sangria,
and their sangria
is really interesting.
Montes: Yeah.
Kasin: It's not sweet,
and they add brandy to it...
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Kasin:
...three different spices,
and it comes
with a fruit garnish,
which I put into the drink
to get the flavors
of the fruit in it,
and I thought it was delightful.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
What do you often get
for your main course?
Montes: If I'm really hungry
I'll go
for the ThirstyBear burger.
It's nice, lightly charred meat,
you know?
It has arugula lettuce on top.
The bun is just nice and warm.
It's not crunchy,
but it's that right amount.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Kasin: We had
the paella Verduras,
which was a vegetable paella,
which was very nice.
It had roasted zucchini
and peppers and onions
and then chopped spinach
and peas in it,
and it was topped with
queso fresco that was melted.
Montes: Mm-hmm.
Kasin: I thought it was
very tasty and very delicious.
Sbrocco: Right.
Ashby:
I had the paella Valenciana,
which was the meat
and fish paella,
and that came out in
a big cast-iron pan,
and my dad and I shared it,
and it was steaming hot,
just what we wanted on a cold,
rainy night in San Francisco.
And it was packed with fish,
and the fish tasted very fresh
and saffron in the rice
added a nice floral component.
It was just something
that you wanted to savor,
and the beer cooled you down,
and you dug into this paella,
and flamenco was happening
in the next room.
Montes: Yeah. You just...
You go in there.
I thought I had to pay
to watch the show,
but one of the best performances
for free, absolutely.
Ashby: Right!
Sbrocco: You're at a beer pub
with Spanish tapas and flamenco.
Ashby: It just felt like
a wonderful cozy
and celebratory space.
Kasin: Mm-hmm.
Sbrocco: What about...
So any desserts?
Kasin: Yes, the warm
bittersweet chocolate cake
was just delicious.
It was very dense and very rich,
and it was just wonderful.
Sbrocco: Yeah.
Ashby: Yeah, so we
had the churros,
and they were just
melty, oozy, cinnamon.
Kasin: Fluffy.
Ashby: They melt in your mouth,
and you have a little cup
of hot chocolate...
Kasin: Yeah.
Ashby: ...so you dip the churro
in the hot chocolate,
and then you have
the hot chocolate
to sip when you're finished
with the churros.
Montes: It's perfect, yeah.
Ashby: It's perfect.
Sbrocco: All right.
Your restaurant, Omar.
Wrap it up for us.
Montes: Yeah.
Good food, good vibes.
Share a plate with some friends
and enjoy the beer.
Sbrocco: All right.
And Miriam?
Kasin: I would go to the bar
and try the different beers
and the sangria,
which is delicious,
and have a couple of tapas.
Sbrocco: And Natalie.
Ashby: Creative beers
and delicious bites.
Go for the flamenco
and the wonderful night out.
Sbrocco: All right.
If you would like to try
ThirstyBear Brewing Company,
it's located on Howard Street
in San Francisco.
The telephone number
is 415-974-0905.
It's open for lunch and dinner
every day.
Reservations are recommended,
and the average dinner tab
per person without drinks
is around $30.
♪♪
♪♪
Our next restaurant
is a waterside retreat.
As one of the last remaining
historic settlements
which catered to
the early tourist trade
on the Northern
California coast,
Natalie's spot
serves fresh seafood
and produce grown
right on the property.
It's Nick's Cove.
♪♪
♪♪
Grunt: Nicks was born
out of the passion
of Nick and Francis Kojich.
They bought it in 1930
and opened pretty much
what it is today.
Staying in our cottages
is an experience that...
It's just not to be missed.
From the minute that you arrive,
you're greeted
with barbecued oysters.
There are beautiful
marble floors in the bathroom
that are heated, so your toes
are nice and toasty.
In the morning,
our servers bring you
beautifully baked pastries,
French-press coffee, and teas.
We have an acre garden
that is sheltered
by a row of cypress trees,
so it has these wonderful
little microclimates,
and we're able to grow things
that most people can't grow
this close to the coast.
A lot of the vegetables go onto
the plates in the dining room,
and some of our fresh herbs
are made into shrubs
for our cocktail program,
and we are neighbors
to some of the most amazing
cheese makers across America.
Like, this is the place
for cheese.
♪♪
I think one of the best vibes
about Nick's
is that it's for anybody.
You can come here after
you've been out kayaking,
and you're wet,
and you have your sandals on,
and you can come into
a beautiful dining room,
or you can come for
a special occasion --
a birthday, an anniversary --
in beautiful outfits,
and you're still going to feel
as welcome and as comfortable.
Sbrocco: Natalie, you have
been going to Nick's Cove
since you were young.
Ashby: Yeah,
so I grew up in Marin,
and we would toodle out
on Highway 1
and go for a hike on a Sunday
or celebrate a special occasion,
and we would end up
at Nick's Cove with my family.
Sbrocco: Is there a food memory
or something that you go back
and you walk in the door
at Nick's cove and --
Ashby: Oh, yeah.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Ashby: Fish and chips.
Sbrocco: Right.
Ashby: So the fish and chips
comes out in this metal pan,
very rustic,
and you have some delicious cod,
incredibly fresh,
and it's battered
in this fluffy batter
that just kind of breaks apart
as you open it,
and it's warm,
and it's Lagunitas IPA
beer-battered,
so it's also local
in that sense,
and you have the Kennebec fries,
which just break apart,
and they're crispy
on the outside.
Sbrocco: Okay, now I'm hungry.
[ Laughter ]
Ashby: I could go on.
Sbrocco: Omar, what did you have
when you went?
Montes: Yeah, I had
the fish and chips, as well.
It was light.
It was tasty.
You could taste the fish.
It was really fresh,
and the tartar sauce
was just amazing.
I was dipping everything
in the tartar sauce.
It had a very strong flavor,
but it's not overwhelming.
It was a nice portion, too.
I really liked it.
Sbrocco: And, Miriam,
what about you?
Kasin: I have to say the fish
and chips, for me,
I tasted the cooking oil
too much...
Sbrocco: Ah.
Montes: Hmm.
Kasin: ...which was
a little unpleasant.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Kasin: I loved the clam chowder.
It is just chock-full
of fresh clams,
and it's not thickened
with flour,
so it's very, very nice.
Ashby: Yeah, I agree.
It's incredibly light,
and you don't feel burdened down
by the cream
that's often in clam chowder,
and you can really taste
the fresh clam.
Kasin: Mm-hmm. Right, right.
Sbrocco: Obviously,
we're talking about Tamales Bay,
so we've got oysters,
as well, that you
can certainly indulge in.
Kasin: Oh, yeah.
Sbrocco: You had some oysters
when you were there?
Montes: Yeah. I'm not sure
what they were called,
but they had the barbecue
oyster sauce on top.
Ashby: Mm-hmm.
Montes: It was amazing.
Like, it was just the right
amount of barbecue sauce,
where you still taste
the oyster, you know,
and then you get this nice kick.
It was sweet.
It was tangy.
It was just perfect,
and I ate all of them.
Sbrocco:
You ate all the oysters.
Montes: Yeah.
Ashby: Of course!
Sbrocco: Although, Miriam?
Kasin: That's interesting
because the sauce was
too sweet for me.
Montes: It was too sweet?
Kasin: Yeah.
Sbrocco: You would have
preferred the oysters
without that sauce,
the barbecue sauce.
Kasin: Yes, the people that
ordered the raw oysters
with a little vinegar sauce
and a little champagne sauce,
those were very nice.
Sbrocco: Right.
Kasin: But we loved the ceviche.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Kasin: It had just the right
amount of citrus
and then the smooth avocado
that went with it,
and I thought that
was excellent.
And then I had the cioppino.
Sbrocco: Yeah.
Kasin: The broth is
a tomato puree.
It's not the kind of cioppino
broth that I'm used to,
and there wasn't a lot of taste
of garlic in it,
so I wasn't as fond of that.
Sbrocco: So, that wasn't one
of your favorite dishes at all?
Kasin: No, that was
a little disappointment.
Sbrocco: Right.
Kasin: What was really good
with the crab was
the crab Benedict.
Ashby: Yes!
Kasin: It has a layer
of mashed avocado
underneath the crab,
a good healthy portion of crab
and just very nicely done.
Ashby: Yeah.
Montes: Did you try
the garlic fries?
Kasin: Oh, yes.
Montes: They're amazing.
Kasin: They're wonderful.
Sbrocco:
You're still smelling it.
[ Laughter ]
Kasin: Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, it's fresh garlic.
It's not garlic powder.
Montes: Yeah, you can taste it.
It was in your breath
for a few days.
but it was good.
Sbrocco: It's a beautiful place
to look at the view, isn't it?
Ashby: Yes, it's beautiful.
Kasin: Oh, stunning view.
Ashby: Yeah. Amazing.
Kasin: And the drive out --
If you go out on
the Lucas Valley Road route...
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Ashby: Yes.
Kasin: ...it's just
a beautiful drive there.
Montes: Yeah.
Ashby: Yes.
Sbrocco: Yeah.
Ashby: And did anyone walk down
the dock to the end,
...and there's
the little warming pad?
Sbrocco: The little warming pad
that you can sit and bring
your cocktail or your drink.
Ashby: Yeah.
And you can order a cocktail
on the phone out there.
Montes: Oh, wow.
Ashby: There's a phone,
so you can order one,
or play the piano.
Someone was playing the piano
when I was there.
Sbrocco: Did you have anything
to drink with...
Montes: Yes.
Sbrocco: They certainly have...
Montes: Extensive.
Sbrocco: ...quite
extensive wine list.
Montes: I got the margarita.
It was --
Sbrocco: That's not
on the wine list.
Montes: Oh!
[ Laughter ]
Sbrocco: They do have lots
of great cocktails, too.
Montes: I got it from the bar,
and it was, like, a nice
amount of tequila in it.
It was really strong,
but the lime was just
absolutely amazing.
It was fresh, organic.
It had a lot of flavor.
Sbrocco: Absolutely.
Montes: Yeah.
Sbrocco: Do you have
a favorite drink that you get
when you're there, or...
Ashby: I do.
So, the craft cocktail
is a cocktail that they make
fresh from the garden,
and it changes
from time to time.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Ashby: But while I was there
most recently,
their cocktail included
honey and Terroir gin
from St. George's influenced
by the Marin mountains and...
Kasin: Oh, wow.
Ashby: So it's perfect
after you've gone
on a hike outside in Marin,
and then you come back,
and you have this cocktail,
so...
Sbrocco: And there are places
to stay if you've had
too many margaritas.
Ashby: Mm-hmm. Yes.
Sbrocco: There are
12 cottages there
that you can stay overnight
and stay for the weekend.
Montes: I wanted to stay.
Sbrocco:
They are quite something.
Montes: I didn't want to leave.
Sbrocco: What about
any desserts?
Kasin: I had the butterscotch
pot de creme...
Ashby: Yes!
Kasin: ...and that was lovely.
It had home-whipped
whip cream on it
and a very subtle
brown-sugar flavor to it.
It was very pleasant.
Ashby: So we also enjoyed
the butterscotch pot de creme,
and it was very refreshing
after eating a lot,
and it tasted like whipped cream
with this lovely
butterscotch-y flavor,
and then they also brought us,
on the house, a brownie sundae,
which we discovered...
It was this warm melty brownie
with black cherries on it
that were slightly boozy,
and they added a nice punch,
and we discovered that
if we dipped the brownie
into the butterscotch,
it was this amazing combination,
like, the butter...
Oh, very decadent.
Sbrocco: All right.
Your restaurant, Natalie.
Wrap it up for us.
Ashby: Okay.
Toodle down to Tomales Bay
and enjoy the cozy comforts
of Nick's Cove.
Sbrocco: Okay.
Miriam?
Kasin: Go for
the fantastic view,
the lovely drive out,
and order the ceviche
and the clam chowder.
Sbrocco: And Omar.
Montes: Yeah, I think it was
great scenic views, beautiful,
freshly made fish entrees,
and an extensive drink list.
Amazing.
Sbrocco: All right.
If you would like
to try Nick's Cove,
it's located on Highway 1
in Marshall.
The telephone number
is 415-663-1033.
It's open for lunch and dinner
every day.
Reservations are recommended,
and the average meal per person
without drinks is around $50.
♪♪
Post your favorite food shots
on Instagram
with the #bayareabites,
and have a chance to see
your food pics on the show.
♪♪
♪♪
Miriam's spot is both
a Persian cafe
and a Middle Eastern market.
This welcoming business lives up
to Persia's legendary tradition
of hospitality.
 Khosh amadid!
Or welcome
to Middle East Market.
♪♪
Amir: It was actually
my dad's dream or idea
to do something like this,
but, you know,
we decided to do it together.
We ended up coming in together
and starting the business,
and it has been
a dream come true.
Hossein: Hi, I'm Hossein,
and my son Amir.
We are the owners
of the Middle East Market.
Amir: The idea from
the beginning was
to have a place
where people could come,
have good food for a good price,
a place where
they could be themselves
and just enjoy it,
have a place for community
and place to look forward
to coming to.
Hossein: Me and Amir
always ask people,
you know, whatever you like...
You just tell us what you like,
and we can get it for you.
Woman: This is my favorite
of all of them.
Hossein: You know, they say,
"Oh, I want this cheese,"
or that candy or that rice
or that spice,
and we bring it for them.
It really is amazing because
we have lots of people
who really actually count on us,
and this is something
that I'm so happy
for my son to witness that
and witness it together.
Amir: Yeah, it's been a great
response from the community
from support and...
Hossein: Their support
is amazing.
Really, I feel more blessed
than anything else
because I'm sharing this
experience with my son,
and at my age,
and it could've never been
so much sweeter.
Sbrocco: Now, Miriam, this place
has a rich history, doesn't it?
Kasin: I discovered it
when I went to get some baklava
for a meal I was making at home,
and then I discovered
the restaurant,
and I've been going there
ever since.
Sbrocco: And, you know,
this is Persian cuisine
or Iranian cuisine.
Kasin: Mm-hmm.
Sbrocco: Let's talk a little bit
about the flavor profiles.
Kasin: Well, one thing
I really appreciate about
Middle East Market
is that they serve a number
of long-cooking stews,
and one of my favorites
is called fesenjan.
And they make the sauce
by pounding the walnuts
in a mortar and pestle
until they're completely smooth,
and then they cook it
with pomegranate molasses
for four or five hours,
and it's sweet and sour,
and it's unctuous,
and it's just irresistible.
Sbrocco: Did you have a dish
that you fell in love with?
Montes: I really loved
the chicken wrap.
It was just amazing
with the pieces of chicken,
and you can tell there are
so many spices on the chicken.
It had a lot of flavor.
Just...
It all contrasted
well with the --
I believe there was yogurt
and lettuce and tomato.
Everything was fresh.
Everything had its own
unique flavor,
and it all just mixed perfectly.
I really loved it.
Sbrocco: You ate the whole wrap?
Montes: Of course.
[ Laughter ]
Sbrocco: What was
your experience
at Middle East Market?
Ashby: So we walked in knowing
very little about Persian food,
and we told Daniel,
who works at the counter,
that we didn't really know what
we were getting ourselves into,
and he said, "Okay.
I'll take care of you."
So, he started spooning out
a taste of each of the stews.
Montes: Oh, wow.
Kasin: Oh, really?
Ashby: And then we were
still unsure what to order
because everything
was so delicious,
and we wanted everything,
so he's like, "Okay.
I'll just bring out
some dishes."
Kasin: Oh!
Ashby: So we sat down,
and we ended up having
a lot of the menu.
We had three different
types of stew.
The fesenjan
was definitely one
of my favorites of all time.
We also had
a koobideh kabob,
and Daniel said that you
put the sumac on top
for health and digestion,
so we did that,
and it added a really
nice savory quality
that kind of cut through the oil
and made it feel
a bit healthier.
Sbrocco: Healthy, digestion.
Ashby: Yes, healthy.
Exactly, as you ate it.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Ashby: We also really enjoyed
one of the green stews.
Kasin: Oh, ghormeh sabzi.
Ashby: Yes, that's the name.
Ghormeh sabzi, exactly.
Kasin: Mm-hmm.
Ashby: And it had a slight
sour flavor and kidney beans,
and it just felt
incredibly healthy.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Ashby: And then you soak it up
with your dill and fennel
fava bean leaf rice,
which is just
wonderfully seasoned
and just what you want.
Kasin: Oh, Persian rice
is the best in the world.
Ashby: Yeah.
Kasin: They make it by
this really long process
where it's soaked overnight
with some salt.
Then it's drained,
and it's boiled
in a pot of water
for about 10 minutes.
Then they drain it again,
and then they pile it up
in a pot
with some sliced potatoes
or some bread on the bottom,
and it steams in its own water,
and every grain is separate.
Ashby: Yeah.
And they brought out some
tahdig for us...
Kasin: Oh, they did? Oh!
Ashby: ...which was phenomenal.
I was blown away,
and so Daniel said that
in a Persian family,
this is what everybody
fights over.
It's the bottom of the rice,
and it's the lavash,
and the rice is fried on top,
and it's crispy,
and it soaks up
the fesenjan in this,
like, amazingly decadent way,
and I was all over that.
We had a big plate,
and it was on the house,
of the tahdig,
and I just kept devouring it.
My poor husband
didn't get very much.
Sbrocco: Did you get the...
Do you get the tahdig?
Kasin: Oh, yes. I did.
I didn't want to talk about it
because I don't want them to run
out when I go there.
Sbrocco: What else did you have
besides the wrap?
Montes: I got
the koobideh kabob.
That was...
It was a nice, generous
portion of rice,
and then the two pieces
of this generous beef
mixed with lamb crushed together
made into, like, almost like
a sausage-looking thing,
and it had a lot of flavor,
but I needed something
to wash it down,
so I ended up going
into the grocery store.
I bought, like, a drink,
and I was just drinking away,
but it was really good.
Kasin: If you want to get
something to drink,
you can go
to the refrigerator case,
and they have really interesting
yogurt drinks that are Persian.
Montes: Yeah,
my friend got the same thing.
He's, like,
a quarter Middle Eastern,
and he said it
reminded him of home.
His grandmother
used to make that.
It's an acquired taste.
Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.
Montes: It's sour,
but it goes really well...
Sbrocco: With the cuisine.
Montes: Exactly, yeah.
Sbrocco: Absolutely.
Kasin: And they are so friendly.
Montes: I agree.
Ashby: Yes.
Kasin: They are just
the nicest people,
and, like you experienced,
they're really happy
to talk about the food
and educate you about it.
Ashby: I felt like I was
in somebody's house almost.
Kasin: Yeah.
Ashby: Even though
it's a market, it felt so homey,
and I felt so cared for.
Montes: They're very
humble people, very nice.
Kasin: Yeah.
Montes: You can tell
it's a small business
because as soon as
he's done preparing,
he's helping someone
in the grocery store
find what they need.
He was on the phone --
just very nice people.
Sbrocco: Well, and desserts
are certainly something
to be discussed.
Kasin: Well, they have three
or four different kinds
of baklava...
Sbrocco: Uh-huh.
Kasin: ...and they're not
overly sweet and sticky,
and they're each
a little different,
which is really fun to try,
and then they have many flavors
of Turkish delight,
which is a candy.
You get a small square of it
but lots of exotic flavors.
They have saffron,
pistachio, rose water,
plus chocolate.
Sbrocco: Right.
That's the best part
about going to Istanbul,
is Turkish delight.
All right.
Miriam, this is your spot.
Give us a quick summary.
Kasin: For fabulous Persian food
with a very friendly atmosphere
and in a grocery that you can
walk around and pick out
exotic and Middle Eastern
ingredients afterwards,
it's just a really fun
and delicious experience.
Sbrocco: All right.
And Omar?
Montes: Yeah, truly authentic
Persian food,
fresh and a lot of variety
of items to choose from,
even in the grocery store.
Sbrocco: Okay, and Natalie?
Ashby: A complete
sensory experience.
Go for the warm,
hearty stews and service.
Sbrocco: All right,
If you would like to try
Middle East Market,
it's located
on San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley.
The telephone number
is 510-704-8800.
It's open for shopping,
lunch and dinner every day,
and the average tab per person
without drinks is around $20.
I have to thank
my fantastic guests
on this week's show --
Natalie Ashby,
who took us to the coast,
visiting Nick's Cove
in Marshall.
Omar Montes showcased
beers, tapas, and dancing
at ThirstyBear Brewing Company
in San Francisco,
and Miriam Kasin,
who shared a Persian welcome
and delicious fare at
Middle East Market in Berkeley.
Now we really want to hear
about your experiences
at any of the restaurants
we've been talking about,
so keep in touch with us
on Facebook,
and follow us on Twitter.
Or better yet,
post your favorite
food shots on Instagram
with the #bayareabites
and have a chance to see
your food pics on the show.
And don't forget
that you can watch
any of the shows on our website
at kqed.org/checkplease.
It's where you'll find links
to the restaurants
and where you'll find my notes
on the wines and libations
we're drinking today.
So join us next time when
three new 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.
Nice work, you guys.
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