Sbrocco: We're jetting in for coastal comforts in Monterey.

Thomander: When you stick your fork in, it goes down inches.

Sbrocco: Hot dog heaven in Pacific Grove.

Lammie: A little bit of mustard on it, call it a day.

Sbrocco: And a homey date night destination in Soquel.

Madden-Folk: It did have a nice umami flavor.

Sbrocco: Just ahead on a special Monterey Bay area edition of "Check, Please!"

Saguil: Eat the heart.

Eat your heart out.

Sbrocco: Hi, I'm Leslie Sbrocco.

Welcome to a special edition of "Check, Please!

Bay Area."

Today we're venturing down the coast to explore the scenic Monterey Bay area.

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 historical tour guide Julia Madden-Fulk, design program manager TJ Thomander and orthotics practitioner Percival Lammie.

Welcome, everyone.

-Lammie: Thank you.

-Madden-Fulk: Good to be here.

Sbrocco: Percival says his pick offers elevated food that will take your taste buds to new heights.

Don't worry.

Whether you're a jet setter or just passing through, there's no boarding pass required to kick back in Monterey at Woody's at the Airport.

♪♪ Wood: If someone was to ask me what it's like to own a restaurant at the airport, I would say it's one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had.

Turn that puppy up.

And that's what's exciting about it.

We gear our food towards what people want to eat, whether they're on the fly, no pun intended, or whether they want to sit and have a really nice meal.

Woman: Oh, man, that's good.

Wood: We have locals that come in every day.

Man: Yeah!

Wood: Some folks, they're just grabbing a bite before they get on a flight.

Man: I'd travel over 700 miles for a chicken wing like that.

Wood: One of the biggest compliments we get is the menu has something for everyone.

If I was to describe the cuisine, it would be locally sourced, Monterey-based, American-style food.

This is our world-famous beet salad.

It is all from here in Monterey County and up north a little bit in Hollister.

Boom!

Let that puppy get cooking.

My favorite thing to eat would be a burger.

There you go.

We make a really good burger.

Boom, boom.

And that is a burger.

What are we known for?

It's 100% the sand dabs... World-famous Monterey sand dabs.

...and the prime rib.

Oh, that's my dinner.

This is our honey wing sauce.

The craziest part about having a restaurant in the airport is that, like me, it doesn't have any boundaries.

We just go boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

And everybody loves a little bit of the Monterey Bay sea salt.

Bang!

The vibe at Woody's at the Airport is pretty hustle and bustle.

People coming, people going.

You never know when you're gonna hit turbulence.

But whether you're a diner or whether you want food and get out of here, our staff is really there to take care of you.

And that's really what makes the difference at Woody's.

All: Woody's!

Sbrocco: Alright, Percival, this seems like a real locals hangout.

Lammie: Yes, yes, yes, it is.

But first, I'm your friend, so call me Percy.

Sbrocco: Ah, okay, Percy.

Percy.

Are they friends, too?

Lammie: Yes.

They're friends, too.

Yes, yes, you are.

So, yeah, what I like is that any place you sit, you actually see the runway where the planes land.

Sbrocco: I wore my flight attendant scarf.

Lammie: Yes, yes, I noticed.

Madden-Fulk: Perfect for the occasion.

Sbrocco: When you're watching the planes... -Lammie: Yes.

-Sbrocco: ...what do you order?

Lammie: Well, first, I like the Wills Fargo steak bites.

Wonderful.

Tender, dipped in teriyaki.

They garnish it with cucumber and red peppers, and then they sprinkle it with sesame.

I didn't try any of that.

I just ate the steak bites.

-Sbrocco: Give me the meat.

-Lammie: Yes, yes.

Madden-Fulk: I had some beer-battered onion rings.

I can't resist an onion ring.

And they came really quickly.

They were nice and thick, a little oily, but they had some really good sauces.

Ranch.

And then a spicy ketchup.

It was so good.

Sbrocco: And what did you start with?

Thomander: The plating really struck me.

Even with the bread that they brought in, that they had sliced into small pieces with roasted garlic on top and parsley with drizzled olive oil.

And so we ate that right up and chased it down with some honey wings.

Lammie: Honey chili wings.

Thomander: The honey chili wings.

Exactly.

And even on the menu, you know, it said award winning.

So of course we got it.

Sbrocco: And it is award winning?

Lammie: Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Sbrocco: Alright, let's talk a little bit more about the honey chili wings because obviously that's a popular item.

Lammie: Yes, yes.

It had a glistening like it was wet but it wasn't.

So I'm sitting there, I'm chewing.

I'm like, "Wow, these are amazing."

I'm talking to my wife.

And we were just having fun with it.

And I was like, "Wow."

I needed more.

I needed more.

-Thomander: For the main course, I had the sand dabs and they were herb-floured, so slightly breaded with a beurre blanc caper sauce that was just drenched from top to bottom with another side of tartar sauce, steamed veggies on the side.

And it's a very generous helping.

Madden-Fulk: I had the Swank Farms beet salad, and I love beets.

I don't eat meat, but I feel like a beet -- Like, I crave that like people crave meat.

Sbrocco: A beet is kind of like a meat.

Madden-Fulk: It's like the meat of the vegetable world.

And it was really delicious.

It had baby lettuce, a little radicchio, which added a nice bitterness to it.

Thomander: It was ginormous.

Madden-Fulk: It was huge, yeah.

Thomander: And I mean, there were beets in it, but there was a lot of other, you know, fennel and citrus and it was a big salad.

-Sbrocco: Mm-hmm.

Madden-Fulk: And for a main, we had the pasta of the day.

It's got a nice brothy tomato sauce with ricotta and a little fennel and Parmesan on the top.

Sbrocco: And do you ever get the pasta?

Lammie: I would usually get the burger.

Sbrocco: Okay.

Lammie: It's charbroiled.

So you have that smoky flavor.

Get the fixings of bacon and everything is crispy.

What I really like is that when you get a burger, the bun has to be toasted.

-Sbrocco: Yes, no soggy bun.

-Lammie: That is the killer.

No soggy -- No, no, I don't do that.

I don't do that.

It just adds to the flavor.

So we enjoyed it.

We enjoyed with the fries and everything.

What I did order this time was the fish and chips with the cod fish, and I like that it's crispy, it wasn't oily and it was flaky.

And they give you enough.

They give you a generous -- I mean, if you're gonna eat there, you might as well know you're gonna take some food home.

Thomander: Or on the plane.

Lammie: Or on the plane.

On the plane.

Madden-Fulk: It was definitely generous helpings.

Sbrocco: And what about desserts?

Thomander: Yeah, we had the cheesecake, which again was just beautifully plated.

It was a generous helping for two, maybe three people.

Lammie: Yeah.

Thomander: It was just the classic kind of crunchy graham cracker crust.

And I mean, when you stick your fork in, it goes down inches until you hit that crust.

-Lammie: Yeah.

-Sbrocco: It sounds good.

Madden-Fulk: I also had dessert.

Similar but a little different.

We had the crème brulée.

It was topped with strawberries and a little homemade whipped cream.

Had a good crack of the sugar crust.

So really delicious.

We gobbled that up.

It was quick.

Sbrocco: Now, talk about service because you go back again and again.

Lammie: I like the atmosphere and I like how they treat people really, really well.

Impeccable service.

Sbrocco: Did you feel the same about service?

Madden-Fulk: I did feel the same.

It wasn't too busy, but they were super on top of it.

I'm sure they would be if it was busy as well.

-Lammie: Right.

-Sbrocco: Right.

Is this a place you'd go back to?

Thomander: Oh, absolutely.

You can hang out there seeing these big airplanes land right there in front of you.

It's one of the most unique atmospheres I've experienced.

-Sbrocco: It's really fun.

-Thomander: Yeah.

-Sbrocco: Alright.

If you would like to try Woody's at the Airport, it's located on Fred Kane Drive in Monterey.

And the average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $60.

Julia has found the perfect place to unwind after some fun in the Asilomar sun.

If the '80s surf and skate vibe, live music and quirky hot dog centric menu aren't enough to entice you, just wait till you see the milkshakes.

Located in Pacific Grove, it's Lucy's on Lighthouse.

Green: Lucy's on Lighthouse is everything I love and know.

You guys good?

My whole family skates, surfs, and I played roller derby for 13 years.

This basically looks like my house.

I have surfboards all over my yard, skateboards all in my house on the walls.

30 years of collecting stickers.

This is Lucy, the dog that the restaurant is named after.

I love me a hot dog.

I love me a hot dog.

We get them at concerts.

We get them on vacation.

We get them everywhere.

I eat a lot of hot dogs.

When you bite into a hot dog, the crispness, the snap makes a really good wiener.

We have 18 different kinds of gourmet hot dog creations.

We have really good sauerkraut, homemade chili, nacho cheese, all the good things.

You could put anything you want on your wiener.

[ Laughs ] All the names of our hot dogs are surf spots around the area, and the names of our sides are skateboarding tricks and roller-derby moves.

Our most popular hot dog is named the Asilomar.

It's definitely the most surfed spot in Pacific Grove where all the locals surf.

We have tasty milkshakes with whipped cream.

We have beer, wine.

We have mermaid mimosas, which is Brut champagne with a scoop of Marianne's Raspberry sorbet ice cream.

And it's really good.

Man: This song I like to call "Check, Please!"

Green: Pacific Grove is the most amazing community.

I was born and raised here.

My whole family is still here.

All the customers I've met over the last five years, just getting to know everyone in the area has been very special.

It really means a lot to me to be in this town.

[ All cheer ] Sbrocco: Alright, Julia.

This is a meaty-centric place.

What's a vegetarian like you doing at a place like this?

Madden-Fulk: I know, I don't know how I found myself there.

Um, but the nice thing about Lucy's is you can substitute any hot dog for a bacon-wrapped dog or for a veggie dog.

And as a vegetarian who grew up not really eating alternative meat, it's been a fun experience to dive into the hot-dog world.

I usually go for the bone yards, which is bell pepper sautéed with onions, and it has the Lucy's sauce on it, which is some sort of mixture... Lammie: What's in the Lucy's sauce?

Sbrocco: It's their secret sauce and it's secret.

Madden-Fulk: They're not telling us.

It seems to have a little bit of a honey mustard taste to it.

Really good vinegary sauce.

Sbrocco: I love that it's a vegetarian called the Bone Yard.

Madden-Fulk: Yeah.

Sbrocco: And when you say hot dogs and ice cream, you know, you're thinking limited menu, but there is a lot to choose from.

-Thomander: Oh, yes.

-Sbrocco: What'd you get?

Thomander: I think it was called the Dick Verde, which are Brussels sprouts.

What was special about them is they had tons of flavor but were still crispy.

Our whole table just demolished them.

Madden-Fulk: I have the same note that they're really crunchy and crispy, but they also have so much of the caramelized balsamic glaze.

So they're really drenched in that sauce.

Don't know about healthy, but they're delicious.

Sbrocco: They're delicious.

Alright, what did you get, Percy?

Lammie: Well, I had tater tots.

The Ollie is the tater tot.

It's wonderful.

Just crispy all the way around.

I like that they're crunchy.

I tried to use my fork to dip in the sauce and stuff.

I couldn't get my fork in.

I was like, it's perfect.

Sbrocco: That's a real tater tot.

Lammie: That's a real tater tot.

So I had to grab it and just shove it in there.

Thomander: Ollied it right into your mouth.

Lammie: Yeah.

Yeah.

Pretty much.

Pretty much.

I don't know what the Ollie is, but do you -- Do you know what...?

-Thomander: Yeah.

It's just when you jump on a skateboard and it sounds like that's exactly what you did with the food.

Lammie: Yeah.

Jumped into the Lucy's sauce.

Thomander: Yeah.

Sbrocco: What about a hot dog?

Lammie: Hot dog -- I had the Asilomar.

It's a Nathan's hot dog, which I'm from New York.

Nathan's hot dog, carnivals and all that.

Nathan's hot -- wrapped in bacon with a spicy chili sauce and cheese melted.

It was really, really good.

What really threw me was that there was so much stuff, and you can't pick it up because it's too heavy.

So you got to use a fork and knife, which really is silly using a fork and knife on a hot dog.

Sbrocco: Yeah, you got to pick up a hot dog.

Lammie: If I picked it up, it'd have been all over me.

It was a lot of food.

This thing was heavy.

Thomander: So the dog I got was called Freights.

And it's a full spear of pickle with a tangy mustard on it, relish and sport peppers.

So it had, like, the sweet and the spicy and just felt kind of like the most classic dog that you can get.

And then my parents got the Cobblestone, which was a bacon-wrapped hot dog that also had shredded pork on top.

So I mean, again, very heavy, but so indulgent.

And after a long day at the beach, I can't imagine anything better.

Madden-Fulk: Right.

Thomander: And then my children got the mac and cheese, which actually has, like, a Tabasco onion ring on top.

Lammie: Yeah.

They dip it in Tabasco sauce and then they deep-fry it.

Thomander: That was one that we passed around and really loved.

Sbrocco: Excellent.

What else did you get?

Lammie: I got the corn dog.

Now, I appreciate a really, really good corn dog.

I've had them at the carnivals here, but nothing like what's at Lucy's.

It tasted like they actually took the Nathan's hot dog, and they cooked it a little bit before they dipped it and deep-fried it.

And it's a sweet cornmeal that they use.

Wonderful.

A little bit of mustard on it.

Call it a day.

We were fighting over that.

Thomander: Yeah.

We got the corn dog or my boys got the corn dog, too, but we ate it.

Lammie: You will not be disappointed.

Sbrocco: So we got taters, we got dogs, we got veggie dogs.

Let's talk ice cream.

Madden-Fulk: Yeah, they have Marianne's ice cream, a Santa Cruz company, and they have a lot of the special flavors.

My favorite is 1020, which is like caramel and Oreo and all that good stuff.

Lammie: Oh, we had the banana split, but I discovered -- I discovered something and we fought over it.

It's called the butter brickle.

Sbrocco: Oh, I love a butter brickle.

Lammie: I didn't know what a butter brickle was.

You know, vanilla ice cream with, like, toffee bits in it.

It was crazy.

And then we had basic vanilla and mint chip.

If the whole thing was butter brickle, I'd have been fine.

It was -- Oh, we gonna have to go back and get that.

Sbrocco: Did your kids get any ice cream?

Did you get any ice cream?

Thomander: So we did get the mint chip milkshake.

We shared it and it went down too fast, so we had to order another one.

It's exactly the way that you want to top a meal like this with these hot dogs.

And so we were just all delighted.

Sbrocco: Alright.

If you would like to try Lucy's on Lighthouse, it's located on Lighthouse Avenue in Pacific Grove.

The average tab per person without drinks is around $20.

Many chefs want you to feel at home in their restaurant, but the owners of TJ's favorite place take that sentiment to a whole new level.

Step inside the cozy house and you're treated to a rustic meal inspired by the bounty of the coast, plus whatever's in season in the gardens right out back.

Located in Soquel Village, it's the appropriately named Home.

♪♪ Briske: Home Soquel is truly Santa Cruz County's food destination.

This area produces food that feeds the country and the world, you know.

So we're so lucky to be here in the middle of it.

People come and they just see a little house and they're like, "Oh, how weird.

Like, what a weird restaurant."

And then you take them outside and it's the whole expansive space, you know, it's a street to creek property, and it's kind of special because it's like a little hidden gem.

That smoked flavor?

Mmm.

Briske: Yeah.

The mustard.

I made the menu based off of the way that I like to eat, with a focus on just strictly California ingredients.

Welcome to the Home garden.

Ritten: In our garden, the herbs are always fresh.

The rosemary, the fresh Buddha hand lemons, the fingerling limes, all the satsumas.

Briske: This is a beautiful garnish.

Not having to even go to a farmer's market to get that, but be able to come out and pick it just an hour before we start dinner service, that's what makes Home so special and so unique.

We have a whole animal-butchering program.

A lot of that lends itself into this homemade charcuterie program.

Copa Lomo, our fennel salami.

We make all our own bone-in prosciutto.

We cure copas.

We cure loins.

We cure sirloins.

Ritten: We like to keep it homegrown.

We want people to feel comfortable.

[ Indistinct conversations ] Briske: The vibe is so Santa Cruz.

It's like classic combination of flip-flops, swimsuit to fancy dinner with family, date night.

There's no particular style or dress code, that's for sure.

He's been waiting to try this for years now.

Man: For three years.

Briske: It's definitely worth the wait.

Sbrocco: Now, TJ, you know, we use the term "farm to table" a lot.

Backyard to table.

But this truly lives that, right?

Thomander: Exactly.

This really embodies that whole philosophy.

The chef is looking to see what's in season, what is ripe and what is delicious.

Every time you go, there'll probably be something different.

So I always start with the focaccia with the sea lettuce butter.

When else are you going to have sea lettuce butter?

Sbrocco: Sea lettuce butter.

No, I've not heard of that before.

Thomander: It's served in an abalone shell.

It's like this tangy, umami seaweed flavor in your butter that combines with the crispy focaccia.

And it's just a perfect combination that you didn't know could exist and really could only exist in this area.

Sbrocco: Focaccia.

Focaccia?

Madden-Fulk: Focaccia indeed.

It was so beautiful in the presentation.

It had a nice garlicky flavor to it as well.

I loved the texture of the seaweed.

It was a little bit of a crunch in each bite of the butter.

Sbrocco: Alright, after the focaccia, what did you have next, Julia?

Madden-Fulk: Yes, we had the baby lettuce salad, which was also presented beautifully.

And it came with fennel.

It had some crumbles on top that were actually fermented almonds.

Thomander: I was surprised that it says "Parmesan."

Which is the fermented almonds.

Madden-Fulk: So it's like "Parmesan" in quotes.

Um, but it did have a nice umami flavor from that fermented almonds.

And so that was really delicious.

And the thing that really pulled me in was the cauliflower that I think was quickly fried.

It had a bit of a chili-oil seasoning and currants on top as well.

It was very delicious.

I could just, like, drink that and I'm going to go back for that cauliflower.

-Sbrocco: Just for that?

-Madden-Fulk: Yeah.

Sbrocco: What else did you have, Percy?

Lammie: I had the beet salad.

How they cut the beet, it almost looked like tuna.

The way it was shaped and everything.

I was like, "Is this..." And I said, "No, it's beet."

It was a beautiful presentation tossed with a light vinaigrette.

And I was like, "Mmm, eat this."

And I like the beets.

She tried and she thought -- You know, she doesn't eat beets, but she ate that.

-Sbrocco: Your wife?

-Lammie: Yes.

She took it.

She took it from me.

Sbrocco: She likes beets now.

Lammie: She likes that beet.

Sbrocco: Anything else?

Madden-Fulk: Well, I also had a mushroom campanelle pasta, which was insane.

And I don't know what kind of mushroom was in there, but I think it was maybe a blend of different types.

It definitely had, like, a really savory porcini flavor to it in a really creamy sauce.

By that point, I was getting full and I was excited to have that for leftovers.

Lammie: I had the lasagnette.

It has a porcini bechamel sauce in it, and they put it in a skillet and they bake it.

The edges were crispy, which I like my lasagnas crispy.

It came hot to the table and we just barreled right into it.

Thomander: So we also got the black cod, which they source locally, same-day-caught fish and it was just so flaky, so tender, drizzled with golden raisins and capers.

I didn't know you could cook fish like that.

-Sbrocco: Wonderful.

-Lammie: I had the fried chicken and they actually do a rice flour, which makes it extra crispy.

-Sbrocco: And GF!

-Lammie: Gluten free, and they serve it with an anchovy aioli sauce.

But the chicken is so good I didn't even dip it.

I really enjoyed it.

I'd go back just for that.

Sbrocco: Let's talk about the drinks program.

Thomander: Well, they're true to their name.

They source all their wines from the home state of California.

It's really an impressive wine room that you can dine in as well.

And they source local ciders.

I had a Don't Make Me Blush cider from Santa Cruz.

Madden-Fulk: Yeah, they have some really good drinks.

I decided to opt for the homemade apple soda and it was very refreshing.

Sbrocco: What about dessert?

Madden-Fulk: We had the candy cap panna cotta.

Lammie: Oh.

Madden-Fulk: And it was also a mushroom dish.

Very beautiful.

But I wouldn't have tasted the mushroom in it if I didn't know it was candy cap.

That has such a sweet maple-y flavor.

It had some pistachios on top and a porcini phyllo strip on top.

We ate that right up even though we were full, so it was delicious.

Lammie: We had the chocolate torte, it said GF on the front, and it didn't clue into my head that it was supposed to be gluten free.

I thought it was good food.

So I'm looking at this going, "Okay."

We were full, but we finished it.

Ice cream.

It was just all this goodness just sitting there waiting to be eaten.

It's beautiful.

Sbrocco: Talk in terms of ambiance and price.

Is it a special-occasion place?

It's a place you can bring your kids?

Thomander: I go on special occasions or just whenever.

I probably wouldn't bring my kids.

Lammie: It feels like a place that you would take if you were going to ask someone to marry you, or you go on a first date.

You have a fireplace going in the back.

You got these lights dim.

It was beautiful.

Sbrocco: It really felt like home.

-Lammie: Yes, yes.

-Sbrocco: Alright.

If you would like to try Home, it's located on North Main Street in Soquel.

The average multi-course tab per person without drinks is around $65.

And now, can you name California's official state vegetable?

Reporter Cecilia Phillips has the answer as she heads to Castroville for more Monterey Bay area bites you've just got to try.

Phillips: So we're here in Castroville, which happens to be the spot for artichokes, California's state vegetable.

Pezzini: Yeah.

California produces 99% of the artichokes that the US consumes, and Monterey County produces 90% of those artichokes.

My great grandfather immigrated from northern Italy in 1929 and started farming artichokes.

And we grow them from the same rootstock that he was farming 100 years ago.

I do not recommend boiling artichokes.

Most people go the easy route and they just throw them in a tub of water.

Phillips: I've only ever boiled them.

Pezzini: But they get very waterlogged and they lose a lot of their flavor.

Put the artichoke face down like this when you steam it, and the steam goes up in between the leaves, and it steams it a little bit quicker and a lot more evenly.

Phillips: So you have all these beautiful fields, you've got the farmstand.

And if somebody wants to get a bite while they're here... Pezzini: Yeah, we have it.

We have a food truck out there.

It's called The Choke Coach.

Phillips: I've never seen this before.

You do artichoke tacos?

Saguil: We do artichoke tacos.

That's a whole heart of artichoke.

We grill it, mix it with onions in there, and then put the dressing in there, which is the lemon dill.

Phillips: Okay.

My first artichoke taco.

Saguil: Cheers.

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Phillips: If you're going to eat an artichoke, eat the heart.

Saguil: Eat the heart.

Eat your heart out.

[ Both laughing ] Phillips: We are here on our next stop for the artichoke trail.

I think that this is the biggest artichoke I've ever seen.

Salazar: It's the world's biggest artichoke.

18 feet tall by 22 feet wide.

We have about 30 artichoke dishes, including cream of artichoke soup, artichoke enchiladas, artichoke bread, a little bit of everything with artichokes.

Phillips: And you also have a giant sampler plate that people can order.

Salazar: Well, actually, this is our medium artichoke sampler.

Phillips: This is the medium?

Salazar: This is the medium with fire-roasted artichoke, jalapeño artichoke dip, artichoke nachos, the deep-fried artichoke hearts and the Castroville rolls.

Phillips: Wow.

It's like an artichoke chimichanga.

Salazar: Yeah, it's like an artichoke chimichanga kind of.

Phillips: Oh.

♪♪ Final stop on the artichoke trail.

And as they say, it's 5:00 somewhere.

And right now, that place is Pearl Hour in Monterey.

Tell me about this spot.

Blandin: Pearl Hour is a cocktail bar and lounge.

And it's been a bar here since the 1940s.

The cocktail that put us on the artichoke trail is the Black and Yellow, and it is a take on the Bee's Knees because it's got lemon juice, honey and gin.

We've added the Carciofo amaro, made with three varieties of fresh artichoke.

Phillips: Oh, yeah.

So this tastes like a traditional Bee's Knees cocktail that's been running through an artichoke field.

Blandin: Exactly.

It's got a little bit of a bitter, earthy element to it, which I think is complimentary of the Prohibition-era classic.

Phillips: So after somebody's been traveling along the artichoke trail, this is the spot to get a very classic signature cocktail or maybe something with a twist.

Cheers.

-Blandin: Cheers.

♪♪ Sbrocco: I have to thank my fantastic guests on this week's show.

Julia Madden-Fulk, lover of veggie dogs with all the fixin's at Lucy's on Lighthouse in Pacific Grove.

TJ Thomander, whose happy place is at Home in Soquel, and Percy Lammie, who always grabs the window seat at Woody's at the Airport in Monterey.

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, everyone.

-Madden-Fulk: Cheers.

Sbrocco: Did you have fun?

[ Indistinct conversations ] Phillips: So the artichoke cupcake has really piqued my interest.

Pezzini: People think it sounds a little funky to have an artichoke in a cupcake, but we compare it to a zucchini bread, which is pretty delicious, or carrot cake.

And we put a cream cheese frosting on the top, and you can't beat that.

Yeah.

See, right there you can see that nice big chunk of artichoke heart in there.

Phillips: Alright, here we go.

Mm.

It's got the tiniest earthy flavor, but it's mostly just delicious, sweet, cupcake, sugary goodness.

-Pezzini: Exactly.