Check, Please! Bay Area Starts Eighth Season with 100th Episode

Award–winning program reaches major milestone with the season premiere on Thursday, April 11, at 7:30pm on KQED 9.

Bay Area foodies — ready to discover a whole new season of the best local eateries? KQED Public Television’s Check, Please! Bay Area’s eighth season launches with the program’s 100^th episode on Thursday, April 11, at 7:30pm on KQED 9. With each episode of the James Beard and Emmy Award–winning program, three local diners are cast as restaurant critics and share their favorite spots — whether it be an artisan beer pub, a new vegetarian destination or the place for ladies-who-lunch. Host Leslie Sbrocco (thirstygirl, Good Morning America) leads the conversation adding a sprinkling of humor and fun, but the question always remains: Will the three guests agree about their favorites?

For video, restaurant information and more, please visit kqed.org/checkplease and follow Check Please! Bay Area on Facebook and Twitter for more insider information, behind-the-scene photos and amazing giveaways.

“Wow — 100 episodes! It’s hard to believe that we have reached this incredible moment,” said Sbrocco, who is an award-winning wine expert. “This season builds on last year. You can expect fun and guest fireworks, more wine tips and eateries that you’ve never heard of but that deserve the attention.”

Each episode travels around the Bay to visit hidden restaurant gems on the recommendation of the three guests. The food and the personalities featured this season are as diverse as the Bay Area itself. The premiere episode on April 11 features three San Francisco treasures: a Cambodian family restaurant with traditional menu, a spot known for its California cuisine with a hint of Asian influence and a high-end Union Square seafood eatery set in an historic building.

In every episode, each guest chooses their favorite place to eat and the other two guests visit anonymously — the restaurants are not notified that Check, Please! “reviewers” are dining there. After trying each other’s recommendations, they join host and moderator Leslie Sbrocco to discuss, dispute and celebrate their dining experiences with lively commentary. The series is produced by Tina Salter.

KQED thanks sponsors Wine Luxury, Integrated Resources Group, CARS and Subaru.

About KQED Public Television
KQED Public Television, one of the country’s most popular public television stations, brings the values of public media to homes around the Bay Area with Emmy Award–winning programming that inspires, informs and entertains. KQED Public Television produces local series like Check, Please! Bay Area, This Week in Northern California, Truly CA, San Francisco Opera and ImageMakers as well as popular programs for national broadcast such as Essential Pépin, QUEST and Film School Shorts. KQED Public Television also distributes programming to public media stations across the country including The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!, Roadtrip Nation and Joanne Weir’s Cooking School. kqed.org/tv

KQED Public Television channels are KQED 9 (San Francisco/Bay Area, also available in HD), KQED Plus (Bay Area, also available in HD) and KQET (Monterey/Salinas).

KQED also offers digital channels available via XFINITY and over-the-air, each with distinct quality programming: KQED World, KQED Life, KQED Kids and KQED V-me (Spanish language).