Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A Gourmet Food Mall
The Ferry Building is a true city landmark, having been one of the only
structures to survive the quake and fire, and serving as a visual landmark
at the foot of Market Street. It took the earthquake of 1989, though, to
deliver the building unto popularity again. That's when the hideous ele-
vated highway that ran in front of it and along the waterfront, cleaving
the Bay from the city, was so seriously damaged by tremors that disman-
tling it became the most attractive option. That got the ball rolling, and
by 2004, the Ferry Building reopened, beautiful as a modern-day cathedral
(in fact, the main shopping area is called “the Nave”) and as a hip mini-
mall for fancy foods. Its gorgeous renovation has spurred the revitalization
of the entire Embarcadero district.
The
Ferry Building Marketplace
(1 Ferry Building;
%
415/693-0996
;
www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com; Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun
11am-5pm)
sells artisanal wares that are almost uniformly delicious, but for
many budget travelers a visit here is as much about window shopping (and
getting ideas for recipes) as it is about shopping. Certainly, the sellers all
have detailed explanations of their wares, and
pesticide
and
non-organic
are
the equivalent of four-letter words. Here, a tomato isn't just a tomato; here,
it has a story behind it. As you walk from stall to stall, browsing the fresh
produce and wishing your last meal had been smaller, you'll learn quite a bit
about how food is produced. Half the vendors were selected by a tough cura-
tion process that insisted on local provenance. Nothing is made or sold in
bulk. Many of the offerings lend themselves to impulse buys (chocolates,
nuts, cheeses) and are not true staples, which is convenient for visitors. You
won't find many people doing honest-to-goodness daily grocery shopping
here. Even most of the restaurants are high-end.
$
The newspaper clips in the window offer 20-year-old praise, but there's no
need to update them because the steaming, aromatic
Tú Lan
555
(8 6th St., at
Market;
%
415/626
-
0927; Mon-Sat 11am-9:30pm; MC, V)
has been a solid,
unchanging value in Vietnamese food since 1977 that's packed for every meal,
despite the fact it's on the “wrong” side of Market in a sagging neighborhood.
Julia Child herself elected to eat here in 1985—she pigged out and ordered spring
rolls, pork shish kebabs (pork is a specialty), lemon beef salad, fried fish in ginger,
and a Tsingtao beer. She came for the food, not the service, which is workman-
like at best. Ask about the brilliantly priced specials, such as the Family Dinner
for two or more, with soup, salad, and up to two main dishes, for $10.75 per per-
son. And that's pricey for this place—you can get a heaping plate of food and a
Vietnamese beer for $8.
$$-$$$
Here's the gimmick at
Asia SF
5
(201 9th St., at Howard;
%
415/255
-
2742; www.asiasf.com; reservations required; daily 6pm-10pm; club until 2am; AE,
