the support I've seen you give each other

and our local eateries and businesses

shows how strong our community can be.

That's the spirit that made "Check, Please" possible

for the last 15 years.

We hope you enjoy our season premiere

recorded earlier this year.

Cheers!

Chorus: ♪ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine ♪

♪ "Check, Please! Bay Area" ♪

Webber Jr.: My tomahawk steak was this big.

Covington: So good.

♪♪

Thomas III: That's another "every time" dish.

Webber Jr.: I feel good about that.

Sbrocco: Boom.

Webber Jr.: I feel really good about that.

♪♪

Sbrocco: 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.

Now, 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.

Chorus: ♪ And I am not throwing away my shot ♪

Sbrocco: This week, "Check, Please! Bay Area"

journeys back to 1776 with three very special guests.

These revolutionaries are not throwing away

their shot to tell the stories

of their favorite San Francisco eateries.

Raise a glass to the four of us

with the stars of San Francisco's "Hamilton."

When it comes to classic burgers,

actor Donald Webber Jr. wants to be in the room

where it happens. Like Aaron Burr,

he's willing to wait for it...

Covington: ♪ Wait for it, wait for it, wait ♪

Sbrocco: ...at his spot in the Marina.

And after a long day of putting in the work

playing one of the Schuyler sisters,

actor Rebecca Covington indulges in Japanese-American cuisine

with crave-worthy steaks in the Design District.

But first, there's a million things

actor Julius Thomas III hasn't done,

since he's busy playing Alexander Hamilton every night.

Yes, the man is nonstop. When he wants to relax,

it's at an elegant South-of-Market-spot

for modern North African cuisine,

named after its visionary Moroccan-born chef

and decorated with one Michelin star.

This is Mourad.

Man: One runner, please!

♪♪

Lahlou: The vibe at Mourad is really fun.

It's a place where you want to be seen,

and you want to see other people.

The ground floor is very festive.

The ceilings are high. The chandeliers are big.

But upstairs is quieter. It's more intimate.

Hello. My name is Mourad. And welcome to Mourad.

So when I started cooking,

my goal was to preserve Moroccan food,

bring it back, cook the stuff that I grew up eating back home.

And then I started to question those things.

Why are we eating this way?

Why are we making couscous this way?

I realized that a lot of these things could change.

And I had to think outside of the box to take Moroccan foods

from traditional foods, traditional cooking,

to experimental.

And then we took it to the next level, and then it evolved.

And now it's the food that I like to eat.

You know, I've been here for a long time

in San Francisco.

And I lived through a lot of phases of this city's life.

So, yeah, I try to be genuine.

I try to follow my my instinct

and hopefully end up in a place that is good.

Sbrocco: Alright. First, I just have to say

I'm not a fan girl of anything.

But "Hamilton," I absolutely am in love with it.

I've gone twice, and it's been

the best theatrical experience of my life.

So kudos to all of you for your participation

in this amazing, amazing piece of work.

So, how long have you lived in San Francisco, Julius?

Thomas III: I've been here for about a year,

and it's been fantastic.

Sbrocco: Right. And, Julius, how did you find Mourad?

Thomas III: Actually, funny story.

My agents sent me a gift card

to just say "Here -- Congratulations

for booking 'Hamilton.' Here's a lovely restaurant

that we've heard a lot about. Go."

Sbrocco: And so your first experience was --

Thomas III: It was wonderful,

and it made me want to go back again and again and again.

And I have. [ Laughter ]

Sbrocco: And what do you usually start with?

Thomas III: Oh, every time -- This is an "every time" dish.

I have to have the Basteeya. It is delicious.

Just phyllo dough that wraps around duck and almond.

The phyllo sort of melts in your mouth.

The duck is sweet and savory. And then the almond gives it

that nice crunch for different texture.

They top it off with crème fraîche and some quince paste.

And I'm just in heaven.

Sbrocco: And that's really one of their signature dishes.

Thomas III: It's delicious. You have to have it.

Sbrocco: Did you have that when you went?

Webber Jr.: No, I went, and I got the oysters.

I wish I knew. I wish I'd known about that.

The oysters were fantastic.

And, you know, I went alone, and I was sitting at the bar,

and, you know, you kind of just take in this whole space

and the way that they have it lit, it's so wonderful.

So you feel like you're not just having oysters.

You're having, like, oysters.

You know what I mean?

Sbrocco: They were very "slurppable."

Webber Jr.: Yes, very --

Sbrocco: What did you have with them?

This place is known for drinks.

Webber Jr.: So, I splurged a little bit.

I had a WhistlePig.

It's a 15-year WhistlePig.

You know, and I had it neat, you know,

because I felt like this place deserved it, you know?

Thomas III: Like a sipping whiskey?

Webber Jr.: Yes. I mean, it's so good.

Sbrocco: Rebecca, what was your experience?

Covington: I loved it. I didn't have an appetizer, though.

I just had an entree and a side. Sbrocco: Okay.

Covington: Are we on entrees yet?

Sbrocco: Sure! Go ahead. You start.

Covington: Shocker -- I had the beef.

[ Laughter ]

Sbrocco: Now, I have to say, we're going to do

some restaurants that are beef-driven, right?

No vegetarian. Sorry, guys out there.

There's not a vegetarian. Thomas III: Not at this table.

Sbrocco: You started out --

Covington: It was their braised short rib.

Thomas III: Oh, my God.

Covington: And I got a side of cannellini beans.

Thomas III: Mm-mmm.

Covington: Heavens!

I have -- They were, like, cannellini beans

with bread crumbs and a feta cheese foam.

-Webber Jr.: Wow. -Thomas III: Yeah.

Covington: I want to know how to make foam these days.

Like, that -- It was delicious.

And I had a strawberry cocktail.

It was like Fruity Pebbles punch.

It was pretty dangerous for a lunch,

but it was really good.

Thomas III: Those beans are another one of my --

I will get them every time you go.

Covington: Those. Beans.

Thomas III: The feta cheese --

I think they called it, like, a feta mousse.

And then there's, like, a tomato ragu on it.

It crunches. The beans are tender and cooked perfectly.

It's so, so tasty.

Webber Jr.: The beans were also part of the dish that I had,

which was the braised beef.

But I'll tell you what, this black garlic

that they kind of put around the outside --

It's almost like a bowl-plate combination.

You know, you take a little bit of the braised beef,

and it just falls off of itself

and it actually melted in my mouth.

And I just thought to myself, I was like,

"Well, I'll be back." [ Laughter ]

Sbrocco: Just for that dish. What about you, Julius?

Thomas III: Yeah, this was my first time

with Moroccan cuisine.

I did have the braised beef one of the times that I've been.

But this time, I decided on the lamb.

And it comes two ways.

There's sort of a traditional cut

where it is medium-rare

and really delicious and tender and seasoned very well.

And then there's also a portion

that eats like the braised short ribs.

What I loved about that dish, though,

is that it was a piece of art,

because there were so many different things on the plate,

like pomegranate seeds and puree of root vegetables

that sort of felt like comfort and fall. It was so good.

Sbrocco: And they have an absolutely stupendous wine list.

Covington: Yeah, I saw this glass case

filled with wine. It was gorgeous.

Webber Jr.: I do wish I had looked at that wine menu

now that I know more about it.

But I did go into dessert land.

Sbrocco: Well, if you don't know, now you know.

Thomas III: Now you know.

Covington: Oh, I went into dessert land, too.

Webber Jr.: I went into dessert land.

So, I had what they call donut puffs.

And, so, it comes with a caramel sauce

and also, like, a chocolate sauce.

Thomas III: And an orange. Webber Jr.: And an orange sauce.

Covington: It's like a honey orange.

Webber Jr.: Yes! That's what it was that was in there.

Covington: I had them, as well.

Sbrocco: You had the donuts, too?

Covington: Yes, 100%. Yes.

Thomas III: I've had the donuts before, and they are fantastic.

But this time, this most recent time,

I tried the honey and almond dessert.

and it shows up in front of you

as sort of this, like, mound of white fluff.

And it's very vaguely described on the menu.

So my first bite into it,

I discovered that it was like an ice cream,

and it immediately melted in my mouth.

Each bite, you're going, "What is this?

Oh, my goodness. What is that?"

Because there's orange blossom and sort of a vanilla granita.

And it just keeps you guessing all the way to the end

when you're like, "Oh, what was that? It's gone."

[ Laughter ]

Sbrocco: Well, and this is not

an inexpensive place to dine, is it?

Thomas III: And I am the miser of the group

who thought it is pricy, but absolutely worth it.

It's a splurge.

Sbrocco: Well, this is your spot, Julius.

Wrap it up for us. Thomas III: Delicious food.

Well worth the price. Go, go, go.

Sbrocco: Okay. And Rebecca.

Covington: Delicious food, great cocktails. I'll be back.

Sbrocco: And Donald.

Webber Jr.: Don't be afraid to sit at the bar.

It's wonderful. Get the braised beef.

Sbrocco: Alright. If you would like to try Mourad,

it's located on New Montgomery at Minna Street

in San Francisco.

It's open for dinner every night with lunch on weekdays.

And the average dinner tab per person

without drinks is around $70.

♪♪

♪♪

Burr: ♪ Whoo! There's nothing like summer in the city ♪

♪ Someone in a rush next to someone lookin' pretty ♪

♪♪

Sbrocco: On any given night, you might find Rebecca

playing Angelica or Eliza, the Schuyler sisters. And Peggy.

Her upscale retreat in the Design District