Thursday
03May
Market Day
Thursday, May 3, 2007 at 01:19AM 
The Ferry Building...does this look like Mecca to you?
"The Waterfront without the Ferry Tower would be like a birthday cake without the candle."
When Michael Brendan Dougherty invited me to explain the mystique around the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, he knew I'd take the bait. Not only do I adore MBD and am always seeking new ways to do his bidding, but I love cuisine culture, I love my city, and I work just steps away from this wonderful landmark. I know it well. But as I always seem to discover about this town, there is always so much more to the story than I realized, and being a fourth-generation native, I love finding the bawdy old histories at the heart of the things I see every day.
By kismet, I recently finished reading David Kamp's United States of Arugula - an exhaustive, entertaining romp through American foodie culture that is as informative as it is gossipy. The work triangulates between the three major food cities: New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, spending a few generous chapters chronicling Alice Waters' Chez Panisse, the development of organic farming in Marin County, and discussing the resurgence of American farmers markets, led by the Ferry Building Marketplace. Once again, things have a way of coming together...
Mr. Kamp concludes the United States of Arugula on an optimistic note, bending a smile to the consumer demand for organics, freshness, and locally-grown foods. As the American culture is becoming more educated on food quality and the benefits of small-scale farming, we are demanding better products on our grocery shelves and dining plates. Surely this trend bodes well for the future. I must say, Mr. Kamp's work is much more fun to read than Mr. Michael Pollan's nturient-filled, scientific explanations of every molecule, food-writing, but that's just me. While both authors seem to arrive at the same conclusion: organic, sustainable food supplies are a good thing, one has a much more entertaining way of arriving there.
Organic blooms by the rustic galvanized bucket-load...At the heart of this high-brow foodie discourse is a magnificent San Francisco landmark, originally built over 100 years ago - and that's a lot in earthquake country. The Ferry Building lies on the Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street - standing sentinel over one of the city's main thoroughfares. Opening in 1898, it served is one of the world's busiest transit terminals (second only to London's Charing Cross Station,) until the two bridges opened in the 1930s. The building survived both the 1906 earthquake, and 1989 earthquake with little damage. (In the latter case, the gigantic hands of the clock tower were stopped at 5:04 PM for weeks. Little did anyone know that this earth-shifting moment would mean a complete re-generation for the landmark: the Emrbarcadero freeway would soon be deemed unsafe and demolished, leaving the gleaming, beautiful clocktower to once again stand as an unobstructed terminal for commuters and tourists alike.) In 2004, the building reopened after an extensive renovation, as both an office building and marketplace on the main floor. The natural lighting and 19th-century iron-work are easily reminiscent of the Musee D'Orsay, or even Grand Central Station - other busy terminals that have been restored and repurposed for the modern age.
And what better way to repurpose a landmark than to make it a center for the new era of culinary lifestyles that have been ever-present in Northern California for decades? What indeed. In this case, the Ferry Building Marketplace has become not only the Mecca, but also the alpha and the omega - the crown jewel draped in the words "organic", "artisanal", and "sustainable".
Cowgirl Creamery cheese counterIt's almost too much. It's too perfect. The stalls are arranged in stylized rusticity - quaint crates, buckets, and carts are overflowing with beautifully un-touched-by-chemicals food stuffs and gift items. Everything is a boutique label, everything is small-production, everything has an overwhelmingly pure flavor, and everything is worthwhile.
There's two artisanal chocolate companies: Recchiutti Confections and Scharffen Berger (about whom other food-mongers at the market snicker "Hershey-berger" since their "sell out" a few years ago,) two olive oil companies: Stonehouse, whose specialties include a Persian Lime olive oil (they have limes in Persia?) and the Napa Valley favorite McEvoy Ranch. There's Far West Fungi, where you can purchase every type of mushroom product you never knew you needed, as well as Tsar Nicouli Caviar, because when eating Beluga, make certain its sustainably-harvested. (Hunh?)
Guess who's coming to dinner? - King Crab at SF Fish CompanyThe meat and fish shops are phoenomenal, as well as the organic grocers and flower stalls. My favorite shops include Cowgirl Creamery - a round of Red Hawk makes me happy!, and the classic bastion of San Francisco sourdough, Acme Bakery. For a little afternoon treat, there's Ciao Bella Gelato which is lovely, but the A-number one best thing to indulge in are the Miette Organic Patisserie cupcakes. That's all, say goodnight, seriously. Go for the chocolate with vanilla buttercream frosting - you won't be disappointed.
The restaurants and "eateries" in the Ferry Building are on a par with the stalls, featuring fantastic Italian deli sandwiches at Mastrelli's, and wonderfully filling tacos at Mijita. If you have more time, Boulette's Larder offers a traditional French bistro lunch served at a communal chef's table, and afterwards you can purchase a half-pint of their house-made rendered duck fat, so you can go home and make...er, what exactly? (Escoffier where are you?) Taylor's Refresher, (long a mainstay on Highway 29 through St. Helena,) is a big favorite among the financial district set, with folks in suits lining up for sloppy burgers and sweet potato fries. Personally, I go for their Ahi Tuna burger, but at around $14 I really need to decide if that's money well-spent.
Every day should include a Miette cupcake!If the Ferry Building is the gem of the waterfront, then The Slanted Door is the gem of the Ferry Building. This haute Vietnamese restaurant sits very unobtrusively in the north-east corner of the building, with very little signage. In fact, the number one question asked of food-sellers in the market is undoubtedly: "Which way to The Slanted Door?" The airy dining room offers an unobstrcted view of the bay, and the spicy, fresh flavors make an impression on every diner. A fantastic place to bring out-of-town friends or colleagues for a long lunch, a few years back I was priviledged enough to bring some French coworkers to it's precise, yet easy-going atmosphere for a meal. As I contemplated the blooming flower of my Art Tea (so worth it!) I smugly explained that both Prince Charles and the Rolling Stones had eaten there the week prior. Only in San Francisco, and only at The Slanted Door.
And then there's the days when the farmers come to town... Something lovely happens every Tuesday in the Financial District: all at once, beginning around lunchtime, you begin to see people with plastic bags. They're everywhere - stuffed in shoulder bags, hanging low from the hands, being juggled with sandwhiches and salad boxes by folks in nice suits. Everyone totes their precious cargo in identical plastic bags, but the contents vary widely: asparagus, oranges, bell peppers, brussel sprouts, herbs... Yes, San Francisco eats well on Tuesday nights, after all, everyone went to the market today.
The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market is not just for the weekend, it's also open on Tuesdays with tents popping up as early as 9AM to capitalize on every aspect of the commuter and lunch rushes. The local organic farmers bring their wares and spread out on the promenade in front of the Ferry Building, quickly filling the sidewalk, spreading under the eaves and across the street. Sales are brisk, and the entire place has a feeling of another time when people always bought their food this way. It's an event, it's social, it's outside, and it's fun. The sun shines, people walk, talk, and eat - the renaissance of the Ferry Building is complete on these days, bringing people together in a common area that the Europeans have always known to be the true heart of every city: the plaza.
For me, I have a mixed emotion about the Ferry Building Marketplace; I love the purpose, the escalation in food quality and craftsmanship, but by that same token, I am hard-pressed to find anything truly deserving of my hard-earned food budget. The Ferry Marketplace is the one-stop-shop for luxury food brands. Being an old luxury brand gal myself, I know that while these kinds of products are beautiful, flavorful, crafted, and limited-production, they aren't necessarily anything you really need. Let's face it, you can buy 25 kinds of extra virgin olive oil at your corner market, do you really need a smaller bottle that costs twice as much? Does it really taste that much better? I sometimes wonder how all of these specialized "artisanal" shops stay afloat in their expensive real estate plots, but it seems the foodie world loves having another hand-crafted chocolate truffle.
The Ferry Building is an historical beauty, and a modern touchstone for the new lifestyle of good eating and prime ingredients. If eating well is a place, this is the spot. While I sincerely hope the trend continues, I do beg the question: can it truly last? This coming from me, one of the world's biggest optimists. Still, food is practical at its core; while I love visiting the impractical and impressive culinary heaven, I sometimes wonder if it's one day going to evaporate into thin fluffy clouds. Only time will tell!
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