From San Francisco:
Farmers
Market at the Ferry Plaza
The
Better-Than-Ever Farmers Market
Barely
five months old, the Farmers Market at the Ferry Plaza has
already become a favorite spot for locals and visiting foodies
alike. The Ferry Building, one of San Francisco's most famous
landmarks, has been restored to its original grandeur, and
folks are drawn by the aisles of leading Bay Area vendors
serving up fresh Asian noodles, artisan cheeses, artisan
breads, oysters, meat, wines by the bottle and by the glass,
chocolates, and so much more. The freshly picked, organic
produce comes directly from local farms.
Doug Biederbeck (of Bix
and Florio)
and Joseph Graham just opened the Mediterranean-inspired
Marketbar with al-fresco dining (and great people watching)
and boutique, country-style wines.
Also,
look for the opening of a version of St. Helena's cultish
Taylor's Refresher, which "will maintain the historic
feeling of the well-loved Taylor's Refresher in St. Helenabut
with a San Francisco touch." There will be more salads,
soups, and a daily vegetarian special.
January
2004 will see the move of Slanted
Door to the Ferry Building from its spot on Brannan
Street. It will boast a live fish tank with local crab and
lobster, fresh noodles, and an assortment of Vietnamese
street food. Executive chef Charles Phan will personally
preside over the selection of distinctive Chinese teas.
Sommelier Mark Ellenbogen will oversee the wine list.
Speaking
of sommeliers, the Ferry Plaza has its very own Master Sommelier
in Peter Granoff. The Bay Area wine expert helms the huge
Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant along with Debbie Zachareas (bacar).
The nearly 3,000 square foot shop is a classic, hands-on
European-style destination. Selections change daily at the
20-seat, dark wood wine bar.
Other
fine shops include Cowgirl Creamery's Artisan Cheese Shop,
which walked away with best in show at this year's 20th
annual conference of The American Cheese Society. Look for
their triple crème organic washed rind Red Hawk.
The
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a certified farmers market
sponsored by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable
Agriculture (CUESA). Every Saturday, "five to eight
thousand shoppers learn how their food is grown, who grew
it and why it tastes so good." Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
CUESA offers "Shop with the Chef." Visitors team
up with a well-known Bay Area chef and farmer in the market
to share recipes for simple, seasonal dishes with ingredients
from the market's farmers and to showcase that farm's peak
season, sustainably-grown produce. Sample the chefs creation,
take a recipe, and recreate it at home with fresh market
produce.
San
Francisco City Guides, a local non-profit volunteer organization,
is offering free regular walking tours of the Ferry Building
offering an opportunity to sample fresh foods, produce and
plants from local farms and nurseries. Tours start at noon
on Saturdays, Sundays and Tuesdays.
The market is open four days a week (rain or shine)-Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday-with the goal to expand to
seven days. www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com
For
City Guides information, visit www.sfcityguides.org
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