San Francisco - Alison Bing [111]
WISHBONE Map Gifts
415-242-5540; www.wishbonesf.com; 601 Irving St; 11:30am-7pm Mon-Sat, to 6pm Sun; N, 44, 71;
Certain gifts never fail to please: explode-in-your-mouth Pop Rocks candy, smiling toast coin purses, candy-colored jewelry, and a stuffed toy called ‘Yes, a Cat Named Marty Cohen.’ Baby gear here is bound to please hipster parents, from baby Ramones T-shirts to Tiny Tyrant striped ensembles.
KAMEI RESTAURANT SUPPLY Map Housewares
415-666-3699; 547 Clement St; 9am-7pm; 1, 2, 28, 38, 44
The human brain was not built to comprehend this broad a selection of ceramics, with three precariously stacked aisles ranging from basic geometric white to spectacular high-end raku platters that would make fried eggs look gourmet. But wait, there’s more: enough industrial steel pots to open 50 restaurants simultaneously, and scouring pads to suit the most discerning dishwashers – all at bargain-basement prices.
MOLLUSK Map Sporting Goods, Local Designer
415-564-6300; www.mollusksurfshop.com; 4500 Irving St; 10am-6:30pm; N
The high-impact store sign by renowned artist Tauba Auerbach is the first hint that this is the source of West Coast surfer cool. Visits by celebrity shapers (surfboard makers) yield limited-edition boards that you won’t find anywhere else, and the signature Mollusk T-shirts and hoodies by local artists buy you nods of surfer recognition. Surf books and sculpture installations by the likes of the Society of Driftwood Enthusiasts give nonsurfers vicarious surf-subculture thrills.
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EATING
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HISTORY
ETIQUETTE
SPECIALTIES
VEGETARIANS & VEGANS
PRACTICALITIES
EMBARCADERO & THE PIERS
FISHERMAN’S WHARF
EMBARCADERO & FERRY BUILDING
DOWNTOWN
FINANCIAL DISTRICT
UNION SQUARE
JACKSON SQUARE
CIVIC CENTER & THE TENDERLOIN
CHINATOWN
NORTH BEACH
RUSSIAN & NOB HILLS
RUSSIAN HILL
NOB HILL
JAPANTOWN & PACIFIC HEIGHTS
THE MARINA & THE PRESIDIO
SOMA
THE MISSION & POTRERO HILL
THE CASTRO & NOE VALLEY
THE HAIGHT
HAYES VALLEY
GOLDEN GATE PARK & THE AVENUES
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top picks
Jardinière
Tataki
La Taqueria
Aziza
Namu
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What’s your recommendation? www.lonelyplanet.com/san-francisco
Other US cities boast bigger monuments, but San Francisco packs more flavor. Two secret ingredients have transformed this small city into a global culinary capital: dirt and competition. Almost anything can and does grow in California’s fertile Central Valley, south of San Francisco; coastal pastures to the north are prime grazing territory for livestock; and rocky hillsides and volcanic terroir yield fine wines in nearby Sonoma and Napa. Add local, sustainable seafood to the mix, and it might seem like a no-fail recipe for success. But what a chef does with those ingredients can make or break a restaurant in San Francisco, where there’s about one restaurant for every 28 people – that’s 10 times more restaurants per capita than any other city in North America.
For even a $10 meal, San Franciscans expect inventive combinations of fresh, seasonal ingredients; for $20 and up, they demand to know where those organic dry-farmed tomatoes were farmed, when that fish was caught, and everything but the pet nickname of that cow. Some menus include the generic disclaimer ‘We use organic ingredients whenever possible’ – but, increasingly, that’s not enough to placate San Francisco diners, who buy organic, seasonal produce at home and expect the same from their favorite restaurants. Many San Francisco restaurant menus are meticulously detailed and heavily footnoted, sharing credit with the farms that grew key ingredients, and noting which ingredients are organic and sustainably sourced. Mock if you must, but people have been known to move here for the food (ahem).
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HISTORY
Fresh, fusion cooking isn