Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [162]
RAG If you want to add some truly unique San Francisco designs to your closet, head to RAG, or Residents Apparel Gallery, a co-op shop where around 55 local emerging designers showcase their latest creations. Prices are great; fashions are forward, young, and hip; and if you grab a few pieces, no one at home’s going to be able to copy your look. 541 Octavia St. (btw. Hayes and Grove sts.). 415/621-7718.www.ragsf.com.
Food
Boulangerie A bit of Paris on Pine Street, this true-blue bakery sells authentically French creations, from delicious and slightly sour French country wheat bread to rustic-style desserts, including the locally famous cannelés de Bordeaux, custard baked in a copper mold. And if you’re looking for a place to eat Boulangerie bread and pastries, visit their cafes—Boulange de Polk, at 2300 Polk St. near Green St. ( 415/345-1107); Boulange de Cole, at 1000 Cole St. at Parnassus St. ( 415/242-2442); or Boulange de Noe, 3898 24th St. ( 415/821-1050). Closed Monday. 2325 Pine St. (at Fillmore St.). 415/440-0356, ext. 204. http://laboulangebakery.com.
Cowgirl Creamery Cheese Shop San Francisco is fanatical about cheese, and much of the local enthusiasm can be attributed to the two women who created the small-production Cowgirl Creamery up in Point Reyes. Their city outpost is located in the Ferry Building Marketplace and offers all their signature cheeses—robust Red Hawk to smooth, creamy Mt. Tam. Here’s how you do it: Sample a few, buy a hefty slice of your favorite cheese, and then enjoy it on the waterfront with some crusty Acme Bread and a piece of fruit from Capay Farms (all within the same building). Ferry Building Marketplace, no. 17. 415/362-9354.www.cowgirlcreamery.com.
Ferry Building Marketplace A one-stop shop for some of the city’s finest edibles, the renovated historic Ferry Building is home to the revered Acme Bread Company, Scharffen Berger Chocolate, the Imperial Tea Court, Peet’s Coffee, Cowgirl Creamery Cheese Shop (see above), Recchiuti Confections, and more. There’s no better place to load up on the Bay Area’s outstanding bounty. Ferry Building Plaza (at the foot of Market St. at the Embarcadero). 415/693-0996.www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com.
Ten Ren Tea Co., Ltd. At the Ten Ren Tea Co. shop, you will be offered a steaming cup of tea when you walk in the door. In addition to a selection of almost 50 traditional and herbal teas, the company stocks a collection of cold tea drinks, tea-related paraphernalia such as pots, cups, and infusers, and pearl, tapioca, and bubble tea. If you can’t make up your mind, take home a mail-order form. The shop is open daily from 9am to 9pm. 949 Grant Ave. (btw. Washington and Jackson sts.). 415/362-0656.www.tenren.com.
Gifts
Art of China Amid a wide variety of collectibles, this shop features exquisite, hand-carved Chinese figurines. You’ll also find a lovely assortment of ivory beads, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Pink-quartz dogs, jade figurines, porcelain vases, cache pots, and blue-and-white barrels suitable for use as table bases are just some of the many items stocked here. 839–843 Grant Ave. (btw. Clay and Washington sts.). 415/981-1602.www.artsofchinasf.com.
Cost Plus World Market At the Fisherman’s Wharf cable car turntable, Cost Plus is a vast warehouse crammed to the rafters with Chinese baskets, Indian camel bells, Malaysian batik scarves, and innumerable other items from Algeria to Zanzibar. More than 20,000 items from 50 nations, imported directly from their countries of origin, pack this warehouse. There’s also a mammoth gourmet imports selection and a decent wine shop. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 9pm and Sunday from 10am to 7pm. 2552 Taylor St. (btw. North Point and Bay sts.). 415/928-6200.www.worldmarket.com.
amazing GRAZING
There’s no better way to spend a sunny Saturday morning in San Francisco than to stroll the Ferry Building Marketplace and Farmers’ Market, snacking your way through some of America’s finest organic produce—it’s one of the most highly acclaimed