Behold a Food Cornucopia at San Francisco Marketplace

By George Medovoy, Editor

(All photos by George Medovoy unless otherwise noted)

(In the photo above, Peter Taylor lifts his glass of wine in celebration of what he calls his "adult tailgate party" at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, where he holds forth every Saturday)

The late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen once called the Ferry Building clock tower "a famous city's most famous landmark."

For many years, the 240-foot-tall icon, modeled after a 12th-century Seville church bell tower, welcomed commuters for whom the ferry was the only way to the city.

 

(The Ferry Building, with its distinctive clock tower, is the setting for San Francisco's popular Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market)

Today, the tower is the centerpiece of the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, the lively home of sustainable farm products and sophisticated indoor shops.

Crowds of shoppers meander back and forth between outdoor sidewalk booths topped by white umbrellas, and indoor food stalls illuminated by sunlight streaming through a distinctive central nave.

And like icing on the cake, storybook electric F-Line trams ply the Embarcadero, linking up with Fisherman's Wharf, Downtown and the Castro District.

(Colorful F-line trams ply the Embarcadero. You can pick one up in front of the market for a ride to Fisherman's Wharf, Downtown, or the Castro District)

One sunny Saturday morning, I joined at least 15,000 other devotees of fresh food and city chic to experience this glorious urban market.

Outdoor fruit and vegetable stalls overflowed with fresh produce, like bins of colorful peppers and heirloom tomatoes. Vendors offered free samples of freshly-picked peaches and plums.

(You can buy a world of fresh fruit at the market, including heirloom tomatoes for your salad)

I met producers like Benoit de Korsak, a young French alpinist transplanted to Bodega Bay, who makes "good yogurt for babies."

I didn't see any babies, but a good helping of adults sampled his Yogurt Saint Benoit, which was flavored with tasty ingredients like plums and honey.

(Benoit de Korsak offers a sample of his fresh yogurt)

 

 

Then there was John Tannaci from Grenada, selling peach lavender jam.

"Grenada? Where's Grenada?" I asked.

From under a broad-brimmed hat, Tannaci replied: "About 20 minutes from Mt. Shasta," and then added with a chuckle: "Dinner out is Ashland, Oregon."

(John Tannaci, in a broad-brimmed hat, sells fresh peaches...and peach lavender jam. He comes all the way from Grenada)

Inside the Ferry Building itself, I peaked into shops with enough fancy foods for a full day's browsing.

My eye caught the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Shop, whose main ingredient, much to the Berkeley firm's credit, is cacao beans, not sugar.

(Inside the marketplace, shoppers find the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Shop, with fine chocolates made with cacao beans as the principal ingredient)

Others shops I liked were the Cowgirl Creamery Cheese Shop, where help dressed in white served a crowded counter of shoppers; the Hog Island Oyster Company (which hosts a happy hour and shucking classes on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4 - 7 p.m.) for great Sweetwater oysters; Tsar Nicoulai Caviar for California-farmed sturgeon caviar; and the Imperial Tea Court, which puts on an hour-long Gong Fu tea presentation.

For breakfast, I sat down at a small place called Lulu Petite - nothing fancy, but the croissant was tasty and the coffee hot.

I saw Mistral for ratatouille; Mijita for fish tacos; and a cool Japanese deli called DELICA rf1, whose specialty is sozai, many small dishes turned into a meal.

Then, in a thoroughly fortuitous moment, I met a fellow named Peter Taylor, an Internet advertising specialist who was seated at a small table on the edge of the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant. A red sweater draped casually around his shoulders, Taylor said he comes here every Saturday from 9-3 for what he calls his "adult tailgate party."

But, believe me, this is no ordinary party!

Taylor brings his own tablecloth and flowers and buys whatever his heart desires in the marketplace for his enviable repast, which, I observed, included a generous plate of brie, slices of Italian salami, a big boysenberry pie, and fresh fruit.

He also had opened a bottle of rose, noting that "for the last two weeks, roses have been 'hot.'"

(You'll find the freshest of fruit at the marketplace!)

Taylor reads the papers, eyes the passing crowd, and visits with friends who stop by to gossip. It's his personal way of celebrating the little joys of life.

The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market is one of the major anchors for the rebirth of the Embarcadero waterfront.

For as long as I can remember, about the only people you'd see down here were morning joggers running along a stretch of waterfront where the Oakland Bay Bridge towers over the water like a modern-day behemoth.

And let's not forget the longshoremen who still gather at Red's Java House (Pier 30-32 at Bryant), an old-fashioned greasy spoon, which rubs elbows with the bridge.

But a lot has changed now with revitalization, crowned by the make-over of the Ferry Building into approximately 65,000 square feet of first-floor market space, plus premium second-and third-floor offices.

(A suite at the Vitale with a spectacular view of San Francisco Bay. Hotel Vitale photo)

 

And on a corner across the street is another anchor: Chip Conley's magnificent new Hotel Vitale, with understated interior touches of a Japanese spa.

By late afternoon, and after a full walk-through of the market, I was back at the eighth-floor window of my Vitale room, from where I sensed a forlorn quiet settling over the Ferry Building. Gone were the crowds, and even the few remaining sailboats on the bay were making for port.

So that evening, I gave my spirits a boost with dinner at Shanghai 1930, George Chen's hip Chinese restaurant around the corner on Steuart Street, where the fun starts at the bottom of a spiral staircase and the jazz lounge.

Patricia Unterman, the author of Food Lover's Guide to the Bay Area, whose book, incidentally, is in every Vitale guest room, calls Shanghai 1930's bar, with its long, icy-blue mirror, "one of the sexiest" in San Francisco.

(The icy-blue bar at Shanghai 1930 has been called "one of the sexiest" in San Francisco. Shanghai 1930 photo)

And when the jazz starts, Chen's place is definitely the place to be!

When it's time to put your head to the pillow, the Vitale is also the place to be.

Conley's Joie de Vivre Hospitality specializes in Bay Area boutique hotels designed around special themes. But with the Vitale and its Americano Restaurant and Bar, Conley has outdone himself this time.

The Vitale's 199 guestrooms include eight suites on eight floors, many with panoramic views of the Bay Bridge, Alcatraz and Treasure Island. The penthouse-level spa has bay views and outdoor soaking tubs in a lush garden, while the fitness center and penthouse-floor studio offer complimentary yoga and stretching classes.

(The Vitale's glorious spa is at the penthouse level. Hotel Vitale photo)

Downstairs, the circular cocktail lounge has 180-degree views of the Bay Bridge, while the Americano Restaurant & Bar features light Italian cuisine, either indoors or in a street-side patio setting.

From my glorious perch at the Vitale, I recalled William Saroyan's paean to this great city, and thought about all the special moments of my morning at the market:

"Arrival in San Francisco," the author once noted, "is an experience in living."

So let the living begin!

IF YOU GO…

The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market is open Saturday, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., Tuesday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Thursday evening 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. (May - October), and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. (seasonally).Visit www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com.

On October 2, the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) will hold its annual Sunday Supper. Reservations: (415) 291-3276.

The Hotel Vitale, Eight Mission Street. Reservations: (888) 890-8688 or visit www.hotelvitale.com. The concierge desk has Ferry Building tote bags to help you gather goodies for a feast that you can enjoy on Vitale's 5th-floor Plaza Terrace.

(Live a little...and try the caviar at the marketplace!)

Check out the hotel's two-night Vitality Weekends: "Gourmet Weekend,' a tour of the Farmer's Market with Americano chef Paul Arenstam, followed by a cooking demonstration; Adventure Weekend, including a kayaking trip on the bay or a bike ride along the waterfront to the Golden Gate Bridge; Walking History Weekend, where CEO Conley gets in on the act by leading a walking tour of the Barbary Coast and North Beach; and Romance Weekend, including instruction on couples massage and yoga with an exotic collection of bath and beauty products.

(If you go walking along the Embarcadero about two blocks south of the Hotel Vitale, expect to see Claes Oldenburg's Cupid's Arrow, a striking design set against San Francisco Bay)

Shanghai 1930, 133 Steuart Street. Call (415) 896-5600. Jazz Monday - Saturday from 7:30 p.m. Closed Sunday. Visit www.shanghai1930.com.

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