Destination: San Francisco's Ferry Market

The opportunity to get away is limited for a small business owner, so when a commitment to prepare a dinner in Napa came up, we added an extra day for San Francisco and were joined by friends Lisa and Richard Chamberlain. Arriving in time for lunch, we set out for the Ferry Market in the Embarcardero, under the Bay Bridge. Not only was the exterior surrounded by 10' x 10' white tents operated by produce merchants, the inside was a bustling thriving mercado of specialty items.

It was obvious we were about to enter Oz, the samples of fruits on the sidewalks gave a warning that this was not going to be just another gourmet market. And opening the door led us right down the main hall to culinary heaven. Standing there, right across, was Acme Bread Company, selling crunchy-crusted, still warm sourdough loaves. I purchased 4 or 5 different types of bread and rolls. Next to them, an outlet for Cowgirl Creamery cheeses, their Mt. Tam is my favorite Triple Cream (yes, it does make a difference!) Brie. While the line was long inside the store, outside they were selling sampler bags for a flat $20, so we grabbed one of those. Next shop, delicious-looking cured meats, too many to choose from, luckily they also had a cone-filled assortment of various shaved proscuitto and salamis, a flat $8. Carrying our purchases, we came to store #4, Ferry Plaza Wine Bar, merchant of fine wines, and their house brand was pretty good too. So we ordered some wine flights and sat eating our bread, cheese and meats, and toasted our first two hours in San Francisco.

Once sated, we continued our walk of the market: mushroom stores, pasta stores, I purchased two cookbooks to bring home. We were shopping and waiting for friend Casey Thompson to meet us for a quick catch-up on what's going on with her post-Dallas chef life. Which led us to the back, where more tents were set up for sellers of produce and cooked delicacies. While killing time, Richard and Sevy shared a crab sandwich while Lisa and I split a chicken empanada

topped with a red mole.

This is the market template that everyone in Dallas would love to see downtown, local produce, local food production companies, thriving businesses and a tourist attraction. Yummy.