San Francisco - Alison Bing [116]
SLANTED DOOR Map Vietnamese $$
415-861-8032; 1 Ferry Bldg; lunch & dinner; 2, 7, 21, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Embarcadero
San Francisco’s most effortlessly elegant restaurant harmonizes California ingredients, Continental influences and Vietnamese flair. Owner/chef Charles Phan enhances top-notch ingredients with bright flavors, heaping local Dungeness crab atop cellophane noodles and garlicky Meyer Ranch ‘shaking beef’ on watercress. The wildly successful venture is still a family establishment, with 20 Phan family members serving multistar meals for here and to go at Out the Door.
HOG ISLAND OYSTER COMPANY Map Seafood $$
415-391-7117; www.hogislandoysters.com; 1 Ferry Bldg; 11:30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 11am-6pm Sat & Sun; 2, 7, 21, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Embarcadero
Slurp down the bounty of the North Bay with a view of the East Bay. Take yours au naturel, with caper beurre blanc, spiked with bacon and paprika, or perhaps classic lemon and shallots… oh, go on, try some of each. Mondays and Thursdays between 5pm and 7pm are happy hours indeed for shellfish fans, with $1 oysters and $3.50 beer.
BOULETTE’S LARDER Map Californian $$
415-399-1155; www.bouletteslarder.com; 1 Ferry Bldg; 9am-3pm Mon-Fri, noon-3pm Sat, 11am-3pm Sun; 2, 7, 21, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Embarcadero
Dinner theater doesn’t get better than brunch here at the communal table, strategically placed inside a working kitchen, amid a swirl of chefs preparing for dinner service. Inspired by their truffled eggs and beignets? Get spices and mixes to go at the pantry counter.
TSAR NICOULAI CAVIAR CAFE Map Seafood $$
415-288-8630; www.tsarnicoulai.com; 1 Ferry Bldg; 11am-7pm Mon-Thu, 11am-8pm Fri, 9am-7pm Sat, 11am-5pm Sun; 2, 7, 21, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Embarcadero
Indulge champagne tastes and caviar dreams with a West Coast twist: grassy, sprightly Sonoma sparkling wine and sustainably farmed California ostetra caviar. Pair bubbly by the glass with the Infused Sampler: caviar with traces of brandy, kaffir lime, wasabi, truffle and ginger. Better yet: samplers are half-price on Mondays and Tuesdays. But the most deliciously perverse bar snack ever has to be the ahi and sturgeon sashimi, served in a glass inserted into a fishbowl, with fish flitting around the base.
* * *
NOW EAT THIS: SF FARMERS MARKETS
Year-Round Markets
Daily: Island Earth (Map; www.islandearthfarmersmarket.org; Yerba Buena Gardens entrance, lower level, Metreon; 10am-7pm or 8pm) has local produce, food artisans and wine tasting; it’s indoors, occasionally with a live DJ. There are some organics, and prices are moderate.
Saturday: Ferry Plaza (Map; www.cuesa.org; Market St & the Embarcadero; 8am-2pm Sat) has California-grown produce, meat, seafood and eggs, plus local artisan cheeses, chocolates, olive oils and other gourmet-prepared foods; there’s an excellent range of organics and sustainably harvested foods at moderate-to-premium prices. Since 1945, city-run Alemany (www.sfgov.org/site/alemany; 100 Alemany Blvd; 6am-4pm Sat) has flowers, fish and eggs, and stalls with ready-to-eat foods, plus bargain prices and a good range of organics and sustainably harvested foods. The Fillmore Center Plaza (www.pcfma.com; O’Farrell at Fillmore; 9am-1pm Sat) has local produce, food vendors, live jazz and moderate prices.
Sunday and Wednesday: Heart of the City (Map; United Nations Plaza, Market St btwn Hyde & Leavenworth Sts; 7am-4pm Wed, to 5pm Sun) has local produce (some organics), including an excellent selection of lesser-known varietals, plus prepared-food stalls. Bargain prices.
Thursday: Crocker Galleria (50 Post St; 11am-3pm) has local fruit and vegetables and some organics; premium prices.
Seasonal Markets
Seasonal markets usually run from May to November.
Sunday: Inner Sunset (parking lot btwn 8th & 9th Ave, off Irving St; 9am-1pm) has local produce and artisan foods, live music, some organics and bargain-to-moderate prices.