Going to the Source - 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers - page 48

( John F. Kennedy Intl (15 miles/24km);
Newark Liberty International (16 miles/
27km); LaGuardia (8 miles/13km).
L $$$ Carlton Hotel on Madison

renovated 1890s-era Nabisco factory
between Ninth and Tenth avenues (Chel-
sea Market is also home to the Food
Network).

Avenue, 88 Madison Ave. ( & 212/532-
4100; www.carltonhotelny.com). $$ Wash-
ington Square Hotel, 103 Waverly Place
( & 800/222-0418 or 212/777-9515; www.
washingtonsquarehotel.com).

1435 Lexington Ave. ( & 212/876-
5550; www.kitchenartsandletters.com).

Cookbooks & Kitchenware

51

Cookin'
From Hard-to-Find to One-of-a-Kind
San Francisco, California

It's definitely got the kind of character you
won't find at a mall franchise. Owner Judith
Kaminsky's secondhand cookware shop
goes way beyond cluttered, and at first
glance, it may not seem all that impres-
sive. But for quality vintage pots and pans,
uniquely shaped baking pans, and one-of-
a-kind cooking gadgets, Cookin' has no
rival. Hard-core cooks can easily get lost
here, hunting for that culinary Holy Grail
amid the small shop's constantly changing
selection. Though the staff occasionally
can be cranky, there are real gems to be
found among the merchandise if you're
patient, from old-fashioned food mills to
original Osterizer blenders, from garlic
presses to cookie guns, from shiny copper
sauté pans to cast-iron enameled Dutch
ovens, all in perfect working order. (It's
definitely a store for working cooks, not an
antiques shop for culinary kitsch.) There's
also a small cookbook section at the back.
Despite the thrift-store look of the place,
don't expect thrift-store prices—Kaminsky
sells only top-grade items, and she knows
their value indeed. Closed Mondays.

For brand-new luxury kitchenware, your
best stop may be just off Union Square at
this two-story outlet of glossy Sur La
Table , at 77 Maiden Lane ( & 415/732-
7900 ). For a little more San Francisco local
color, head up Grant Avenue toward Chi-
natown to find a delightfully esoteric array
of equipment specifically for Asian cook-
ing—everything from sashimi knives to a
yin yang pot to a Thai rice steamer—at the
bustling Wok Shop, at 718 Grant St.
( & 415/989-3797 ).

339 Divisadero (btw. Oak and Page
sts.; & 415/861-1854 ).
( San Francisco International (14 miles/

23km).
L $$$ Hotel Adagio, 550 Geary St.
( & 800/228-8830 or 415/775-5000; www.
thehoteladagion.com). $ Hotel des Arts,
447 Bush St. ( & 800/956-4322 or 415/956-
3232; www.sfhoteldesarts.com).