Foodie Sight-Seeing in San Francisco

[A Patric]

Hi All,

I'll be in SF for about eight days starting this coming Tuesday. I've amassed a nice selection of restaurants and other eateries to choose from when I'm there, but I am also looking for other "must-visits.". I don't have much specific in mind, but here are some possibilities:

-Any really interesting grocery stores that a foodie would love.

-Any book stores devoted to food-related books.

-Any tours of interesting/famous food-manufacturing facilities.

-Any interesting fine food boutiques.

-Anything else that I should be thinking of...

Thank you!

Alan

[Special K]

Hi Alan,

Be sure you go to the Ferry Building Market, at the foot of Market Street along the Embarcadero (www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com). On Tuesdays and Saturdays there's a farmer's market, but if you can't go then, there's plenty to see (and buy!) inside on the other days.

Have a great trip!

K

[djyee100]

Stacey's Bookstore on Market Street (near Montgomery BART station) has a huge selection of new cookbooks.

When I lived in SF, these are the neighborhoods where I liked to eat and shop:

- Chestnut Street (the western end) in the Marina neighborhood has many wonderful restaurants and interesting shops. http://www.chestnutshop.com/

- Clement Street in the Richmond neighborhood is the place where many Asian residents go to avoid the crush (and higher prices) of downtown Chinatown. http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/art...nt_street01.asp

- 9th & Irving in the Sunset neighborhood. You can take the N Judah MUNI streetcar from downtown and get off here. It's a short block to a popular entrance for Golden Gate Park, close to the Arboretum and the Japanese Tea Garden. Noteworthy for food are Park Chow (casual family style), Ebisu (for sushi), and the Arizmendi Bakery. The Arizmendi Bakery sells my absolutely favorite pizza in the world, made with a sourdough crust.

If you're willing to cross over to the East Bay, Moe's Bookstore on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley is unsurpassed for used, sometimes hard to find cookbooks.

The Scharffenberger chocolate factory, with tours, is also in Berkeley. And of course there's the gourmet ghetto at Shattuck X Vine, with the incredible Cheese Board across the street from a restaurant the locals nickname Chez. Reservations for the upstairs restaurant at CP should be available; it's the downstairs restaurant that's booked solid way in advance.

Have a wonderful trip!

[Joe Blowe]

Cookin' on Divisadero.

Despite what people say here and elsewhere, the ol' lady running the place is not that rude, and if you don't come off like some foodie-tourist-jerk, she'll cough up some good info. Prices run high on most items, but there are some treasures lurking about...

[justhoward]

I assume you already know about it (and it may be the reason for your trip?), but in case you don't I will mention it. Slow Food Nation is taking place in and around SF with events from Thurs the 28th through Labor Day. If you want more info go to slowfoodnation.org. My fiance and I are going and besides several workshops and a lot of looking around at the marketplace and the taste pavillions, we have dinners planned at Incanto, Ame, and Boulevard. We won't have much time to spare, but I will watch this thread closely - it looks like there's already been some interesting suggestions.

Also, since I see you are a chocolate maker you may want to check out fellow chocolatier (and fellow Missourian) Christopher Elbo's new shop.

Edited August 24, 2008 by justhoward (log)

[A Patric]

I assume you already know about it (and it may be the reason for your trip?)...

Slow Food Nation is why I'll be there. Actually I'm one fifth of the chocolate feature:

http://slowfoodnation.org/events/the-main-...-to-your-table/

Feel free to stop by and say "Hi," since you'll be there.

Edited August 24, 2008 by A Patric (log)

[justhoward]

Slow Food Nation is why I'll be there. Actually I'm one fifth of the chocolate feature:

Well that makes sense!

I see the chocolate workshops are full, but we will be at the taste pavilions on Sunday afternoon, so we'll track you down and introduce ourselves. This should be an amazing event. Have fun, good luck, and we'll see you there.

[A Patric]

Hi Alan,

Be sure you go to the Ferry Building Market, at the foot of Market Street along the Embarcadero (www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com).  On Tuesdays and Saturdays there's a farmer's market, but if you can't go then, there's plenty to see (and buy!) inside on the other days. 

Have a great trip! 

K

←

K,

I'm definitely planning on visiting the Ferry building. Last time I was there I really enjoyed it. I'll probably pick up some hard-to-find cheeses at the Cowgirl Creamery while there.

Alan

[A Patric]

Stacey's Bookstore on Market Street (near Montgomery BART station) has a huge selection of new cookbooks.

When I lived in SF, these are the neighborhoods where I liked to eat and shop:

- Chestnut Street (the western end) in the Marina neighborhood has many wonderful restaurants and interesting shops. http://www.chestnutshop.com/

- Clement Street in the Richmond neighborhood is the place where many Asian residents go to avoid the crush (and higher prices) of downtown Chinatown. http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/art...nt_street01.asp

- 9th & Irving in the Sunset neighborhood. You can take the N Judah MUNI streetcar from downtown and get off here. It's a short block to a popular entrance for Golden Gate Park, close to the Arboretum and the Japanese Tea Garden. Noteworthy for food are Park Chow (casual family style), Ebisu (for sushi), and the Arizmendi Bakery. The Arizmendi Bakery sells my absolutely favorite pizza in the world, made with a sourdough crust.

If you're willing to cross over to the East Bay, Moe's Bookstore on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley is unsurpassed for used, sometimes hard to find cookbooks.

The Scharffenberger chocolate factory, with tours, is also in Berkeley. And of course there's the gourmet ghetto at Shattuck X Vine, with the incredible Cheese Board across the street from a restaurant the locals nickname Chez. Reservations for the upstairs restaurant at CP should be available; it's the downstairs restaurant that's booked solid way in advance.

Have a wonderful trip!

←

DJ,

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll type them all up, and try to visit some. I'll actually be all over the place in SF and out near Berkeley, so they should all be possibilities. I've been on the Scharffen Berger tour, so I probably won't do that again, but do you know if Ghirardelli has a good tour/museum in SF?

Alan

[A Patric]

Cookin' on Divisadero. 

Despite what people say here and elsewhere, the ol' lady running the place is not that rude, and if you don't come off like some foodie-tourist-jerk, she'll cough up some good info.  Prices run high on most items, but there are some treasures lurking about...

←

Excellent. I'll make sure not to miss it.

Alan

[djyee100]

do you know if Ghirardelli has a good tour/museum in SF?

I've never heard of a Ghirardelli museum tour. Perhaps someone else can help you with this question. IMO, Ghirardelli chocolate is a mass-marketed chocolate and does not measure up in quality with other chocolates.

I do have a soft spot for See's Chocolates, a West Coast chain. There's a store on Market St across from Stacey's Bookstore (mentioned in my first post). When I am in that part of SF I hit those 2 locations. (books...chocolate...books...chocolate..)

Michael Recchiuti Chocolates, besides Scharffenberger, is my other favorite stop for chocolates. There's a store in the Ferry Bldg. http://www.recchiuti.com/index.html

ETA: If you're going to be in Berkeley, you can also check out the Berkeley Bowl supermarket, especially the produce section. I suggest you avoid the parking lot and park on the street to protect your life and your sanity. Across the street from the Bowl, on Adeline about one block north is an excellent bakery, one of my favs, Crixa. http://www.crixacakes.com/

Edited August 24, 2008 by djyee100 (log)

[A Patric]

do you know if Ghirardelli has a good tour/museum in SF?

I've never heard of a Ghirardelli museum tour. Perhaps someone else can help you with this question. IMO, Ghirardelli chocolate is a mass-marketed chocolate and does not measure up in quality with other chocolates.

I do have a soft spot for See's Chocolates, a West Coast chain. There's a store on Market St across from Stacey's Bookstore (mentioned in my first post). When I am in that part of SF I hit those 2 locations. (books...chocolate...books...chocolate..)

Michael Recchiuti Chocolates, besides Scharffenberger, is my other favorite stop for chocolates. There's a store in the Ferry Bldg. http://www.recchiuti.com/index.html

ETA: If you're going to be in Berkeley, you can also check out the Berkeley Bowl supermarket, especially the produce section. I suggest you avoid the parking lot and park on the street to protect your life and your sanity. Across the street from the Bowl, on Adeline about one block north is an excellent bakery, one of my favs, Crixa. http://www.crixacakes.com/

←

DJ,

Thank you, but I'm not looking for chocolate/chocolates to buy, and so it is not the chocolate at Ghirardelli that interests me, but the chocolate history museum tour that I thought I heard about. I was under the impression that they had a selection of old chocolate manufacturing equipment there (melangeurs, longitudinal conches, etc), but I haven't found anything here about it:

http://www.ghirardellisq.com/ghirardellisq/visitor_info.php

Anyone know?

Alan

[A Patric]

I found a video a few videos showing what I was thinking of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j-M9MKMBxM

The last one notes the location as being Ghirardelli Square, so it looks like they must have some machinery set up on display.

[weinoo]

If you're a coffee lover, a stop by Blue Bottle on Mint & Jessie is great. Watch the mad scientists at work, drink a cuppa or a perfectly drawn espresso, and take home a pound or two of some pretty tasty, freshly roasted beans.

The old time roasters that are still left on Columbus in North Beach are fun too.

Oh, and you can tour the Anchor Brewery as well.

[VenerableBede]

Oh, and you can tour the  Anchor Brewery as well.

←

yes, the anchor steam brewery tour. . .i greatly enjoyed that tour, especially the beer at the end.

[cats2]

I found a video a few videos showing what I was thinking of. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j-M9MKMBxM

The last one notes the location as being Ghirardelli Square, so it looks like they must have some machinery set up on display.

←

Here's the answer from Ghirardelli's webpage. Yes, they have old equipment set up in the ice cream shop at Ghirardelli square to demonstrate the process of chocolate making to the public. The ice cream shop can get pretty crowded at times (depending on if it's a weekend or not and what the weather is like), and the line to order ice cream can snake out the front entrance.

Last time I was there (June of last yr), they had a little satellite ice cream shop set up on the west side of the Square (for people who don't want to wait in long lines). The shop with the chocolate machinery is located on the east side of the Square (off Larkin St)

[TheFuzzy]

Alan,

If you were in town for some other reason, I'd recommend visiting Fog City News and/or Bittersweet Cafe for impressive selections of chocolate. You might want to drop by Fog City News before/after you visit the Ferry Building in any case to get them to carry your stuff (the owner is Adam Smith. Yes, really).

Beyond that, you also want to visit one of our Chinese supermarkets here. Sunset Super and the New May Wah markets are the most impressive. Neither is anywhere near Chinatown. If you do go to Chinatown, cut over to the fish markets on Stockton Street, 1 block from the tourist-thronged Grant Street. And keep in mind that with 40% of the urban population Chinese or Chinese-American, all of San Francisco is Chinatown.

I expect you'll be occupied full-time, but saturday & sunday the Thai Temple will be having a Thai Food Festival in the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park.

Bizarrely for such a foodie town, San Francisco has no foodie bookstore. Stacey's (downtown) does have a large cooking section, though.

Too bad I just found out you're doing the Chocolate Pavillion. If I'd known, my wife would have bought us tickets. Sold out now, alas.

[tsquare]

I have a soft spot for Graffeo Coffee Roasting Company - it appears to be owned by a company in Singapore now? I assume you can still go to a store in North Beach at 735 Columbus Ave? Not easy to tell from the website.

I remember visiting Ghirardelli's so many years ago. There was a time it was a special event. But then, so was Cost Plus!

Isn't there a grocery store everyone raves about, but rants about the prices? Bi-Rite at 3639 18th St?

[TheFuzzy]

Isn't there a grocery store everyone raves about, but rants about the prices? Bi-Rite at 3639 18th St?

←

Yeah, that would be it.

[TarteTatin]

Any updates for Philly Foodies going to San Francisco?

(really Santa Rosa/Sonoma, but we'll spend a little time in San Francisco.

[Audiofan2]

If you like beer go to Toronado: http://www.toronado.com