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. Helena—but 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