Watch Check, Please! Bay Area review: Oi-C Bowl Chinese Restaurant [CLOSED], Los Moles, Hotel Mac Restaurant

Check, Please! Bay Area Season 10 episode 4 airs Thursday, May 7 at 7:30pm on KQED 9. See other television airtimes. And never miss an episode by subscribing to the video podcast.

Walnut Creek’s Oi-C Bowl Chinese Restaurant[CLOSED] serves up regional Chinese food favorites with a Japanese flair in an elegant and relaxed setting. It’s all about sauces at our next spot in Emeryville at Los Moles, where the pride and joy of this puebla-style eatery is that everything is hencho in casa. Lastly, we take a trip through yesteryear to historic Hotel Mac Restaurant in Point Richmond, where classic comfort foods are the menu mainstays.

Get Restaurant Information:

• Oi-C Bowl Chinese Restaurant (Walnut Creek) CLOSED
• Los Moles (Emeryville)
• Hotel Mac Restaurant (Point Richmond)

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 the guests and I drank on set during the taping of the show. I will also share some wine (beer and spirits) tips with each episode. This week I discuss: What role does acidity play in the taste of wine?

2013 Frog’s Leap Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California ($32)
One of the classic wineries of modern-day Napa Valley is Frog’s Leap. Founded on a whim in the mid-1970s by John Williams, the founder — like the wines — have always maintained a sense of whimsy and wonder. This is a fun place to visit and the wines are a sheer joy to sip. Take the Chardonnay, for example. Lushly-styled and layered with complex aromas of ripe fruit and whiff of minerality, there’s a refreshing vibrancy that makes you want to drink another glass (or three). It’s a world-class Chardonnay that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

2013 Saved “Money Maker” Rosé, Napa Valley, California ($15)
A melange of grapes from Grenache to Pinot Noir and Malbec are blended to create the powerfully dry pink dubbed SAVED. As the owner, artist Scott Campbell says, “Rosé is a pink wine for tough guys and gals.” Noted winemaker Clay Brock only crafted a few hundred cases of this appealing pink. Pick it up and save your day…and night.

2012 Assobio, Douro, Portugal ($13)
Most people think that wines from Portugal only include sweet, fortified Port. Not true at all. One of the hottest trends in the historic wine-making country is the rise of dry, hearty reds. They offer some of the best values on the wine market today. This sumptuous, spicy blend from famous producer, Esporao, is made with the same native grapes that go into Port (Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional) but is dry and delicious. With a price tag of under $15, it’s a wine to purchase by the case and pour all year long.