Check, Please! Bay Area reviews: Shadowbrook, Villa Azteca, Wild Fish


Check, Please! Bay Area, season 19, episode 2, airs Thursday, April 25, at 7:30 pm, on KQED 9. See other television airtimes.

Check, Please! Bay Area makes more waves in the Monterey Bay Area! Located next to Soquel Creek in Capitola, the historic Shadowbrook serves up their signature Pacific Rim salmon and prime rib alongside an extensive and locally-focused wine list, all set in rustic yet undeniably classy quarters. Then, with unique favorites like buttery roasted bone marrow, Villa Azteca brings an unexpected twist to Mexican cuisine in Salinas — alongside classics like chile relleno and chilaquiles. Finally, just off of Lighthouse Avenue, Wild Fish in Pacific Grove dishes up organic bistro fare — from ling cod katsu to bouillabaisse — that’s locally fished, farmed, and foraged. Reporter Cecilia Phillips rounds out this week’s episode with a visit to Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville for a taste of its jams, fruit picking, and famous seasonal pies.

Host Leslie Sbrocco joins guests Ruthie Velasquez, Mike Mollica and Espie Castro from KQED in San Francisco.

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Host Leslie Sbrocco sipping wine
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.


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