San Francisco - Alison Bing [94]
FERRY PLAZA WINE MERCHANT Map Food & Drink
415-391-9400; www.fpwm.com; 1 Ferry Plaza; 11am-8pm Mon, 10am-8pm Tue-Wed, 10am-9pm Thu-Fri, 8am-9pm Sat, 10am-7pm Sun; 2, 7, 21, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Embarcadero
Stock up on California wines after you’ve sipped a few – start with viogniers, work your way to cabs, and swish and spit when you only want to taste. Savvy staff describe wines in a fun, informative way, making sure a fine time is had by all. The bar is jammed on Saturdays, but otherwise staff will take the time to suggest pairings and exciting new releases.
RECCHIUTI CHOCOLATES Map Food & Drink, Local Maker
415-834-9494; www.recchiuticonfections.com; 1 Ferry Bldg; 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm Sat, 10am-5pm Sun; 2, 7, 21, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Embarcadero
No San Franciscan can resist Recchiuti: Pacific Heights parts with old money for its fleur de sel caramels; Noe Valley’s child foodie prodigies prefer S’more Bites to the campground variety; and the Mission splurges on chocolates designed by developmentally disabled artists from Creativity Explored – part of the proceeds benefit the nonprofit gallery.
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CONSUMER TAXES
When you’re tallying up the grand total of all those bargains, don’t forget the 9.5% sales tax tacked onto every item sold. Sorry, this isn’t refundable to visitors like the European VAT (value-added tax).
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SUR LA TABLE Map Housewares
415-262-9970; www.surlatable.com; 1 Ferry Bldg, most classes at 77 Maiden Lane; 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8am-7pm Sat, 10am-6pm Sun; 2, 7, 21, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Embarcadero
Can’t fathom life without an espresso maker and citrus reamer? You’ll never need to, thanks to these understanding salespeople. For the hippie gourmet, there’s a windowsill grow-light for sprouting, ahem, herbs, and for the young aspiring chef, a cupcake-frosting set. The Ferry Building location features free demos; evening classes at the Maiden Lane store on knife skills, seasonal California cuisine and more cost $79 to $89.
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DOWNTOWN
FOLK ART INTERNATIONAL Map Arts & Crafts
415-392-9999; www.folkartintl.com; 140 Maiden Lane; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat; & Powell St
Squeeze the Guggenheim spiral into a brick box with a sunken Romanesque archway, and there you have Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1949 Circle Gallery Building, which since 1979 has been the home of Folk Art International. Strategically located in niches along the ramp is a carefully curated collection of Thai neck cuffs and pre-Columbian fertility figurines that casually command the entire room.
EDEN & EDEN Map Clothing & Accessories, Housewares
415-983-0490; www.edenandeden.com; 560 Jackson St; 10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat, noon-6pm Sun; 15, 30, 41, 45
Quirkiness is an SF style trademark that can either be achieved through an MFA program or a quick stop at Eden & Eden. Everything you might dream up after diligent study of pop art is already here: a necklace that looks like a giant zipper, shaggy-haired orange tea cozies, a cushion that says ‘blahblahblah,’ and hideous apartment buildings on elegant bone-china plates.
H&M Map Clothing & Accessories
415-986-4215; www.hm.com; 150 Powell St; 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 11am-8pm Sun; 5, 6, 7, 21, 31, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Powell St; Powell-Mason & Powell-Hyde
What IKEA is to home furnishing, H&M is to fashion: suspiciously affordable, perpetually crowded, not really made for the long haul and perfect for parties. With limited-edition runs and special collections by designers like splashy British colorist Matthew Williamson (and lesser ones like, oof, Madonna) you won’t have to worry that your closet looks exactly like everyone else’s – unless you bought it at IKEA. There are several outlets in town, but the one on Powell St is the biggest,