Mecca III The Empire Strikes the Sith while Returning the Clones

OK, Even I'm tired of talking about this great journey that I had taken upon, on my way to becoming this all-knowing food guru. All I wanted was to write a simple little travelogue on one of my favorite places. This wasn't supposed to be some grand confessional on my life, and for that, I apologize. Maybe some day, when I'm all grown up, I'll be more "to the point" and less, well, not on point, and... (uh-oh, I can feel it coming on again...this urge to mention some bit of minutiae about my past....STOP!!!!)

Right, let's get on with it, shall we? It's your typical Saturday morning, you wake up ready to take on the day...

(oh, and click away on the links for some real information, straight from the vendors)

The SF Ferry Plaza and Farmer's Market are actually 2 seperate entities. The market is on Tuesday, Thursday eve, Saturday, and Sunday (though smaller on this day) while the Ferry Building Marketplace is open Sun-Sat, during regular business hours.

I usually go to the market on Saturday mornings, about 10ish, not too early, but before most of the lookie-loos arrive. The vendors are spread out along the front of the building and in the ferry landing area in the back. I like to start in the front, look around and see what's fresh and new this week, make my way to the back, and then walk through the interior of the building, picking up anything else that we might need.

Along the front we have various fruit vendors, my favorite being the apple guys, who supply me with my apples from August through May. Their Pink Ladies are the best. Crisp, sweet and tart. They always have some sliced for you to try.
Also, look for Sukhis Indian Foods. If you're hungry, this is a great stall to check out. If you're not careful, and the crowd is small, you can stuff yourself silly with the samples of curries, naan, chutneys, and samosas. Good stuff, plus they sell spice mixes, curry powders and pastes, and condiments so you can make your own food at home. From here, I'll head to one of the citrus farmers for an orange wedge, to cleanse the palate, of course. During winter, I might grab a pomelo or some grapefruit from these guys.

If you're a cheese fan, you'll be in heaven here. Some of the world's best artisan cheeses are produced in the Bay Area and most of them are sold by the cheese makers themselves at the Saturday market.

Let's assume that you bought some goat cheese. You'll probably want some good fresh bread and some local olive oil to accompany your purchases.

Work your way to the back of the building, but first stop here to sample the many dried fruits and nuts. My favorite are the dark chocolate covered toffee almonds.
Not quite the healthiest snack, but at least they're not deep fried.

Walk by the Marketbar Restaurant along the south end and make your way past the ferry docks to the back end of the building. You'll see the Rose Pistola stand, an outpost of the more famous sibling in North Beach. You might want to stop at the Blue Bottle Coffee kiosk for a cup of their outstanding filter drip coffee. It takes a bit longer, but it's worth the wait.
The scents in the air will change, from the fresh roasted smells of coffee, to the aroma of rosemary and roasting chicken. The Roli Roti "truck" will take you back to those small rotisseries in France with the rows of roasting chickens, their fat dripping down on to the potatoes, braising them in the flavors of all the herbs.
You'll get a glimpse of sunflowers, standing in buckets looking out, like puppies in kennels, waiting to be taken home to a good family. You turn the corner to see the rest of the market. It's larger in the back. There are more prepared food vendors out here, and there are tables along the bay to sit and relax on while you eat your oysters (try the sweetwaters),
or your tamales (from Primavera...I just love their black bean tortillas), or even a sausage sandwich.

There are plenty of fresh produce vendors out back too. In the spring, the English peas arrive, bags for 5 or 15 dollars, with the onion guy selling his red spring onions, still on the stalk, right next door. A bowl of peas, diced sweet onion, with a little butter or olive oil is so nice and easy to whip up when you get home.
Another spring treat is the asparagus. Not only do you get it straight from the farm, but they also sell and serve deep fried asparagus...it's like a tempura batter, with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top. It would make a great fair/carnival food.

Another thing, I guess I've got to give a "shout out" to my mom (hi mom!!) by including her favorite place at the market. Cap'n Mike's Holy Smoke. If you ever want to spend almost $40 for some of the best Lox you'll ever try, you'll be happy here.
Every time mom's in town, we have to go visit the Cap'n and stock up on his smoked fish. Since my parents are ex-New Yorkers, I've got to respect their opinion on all things deli.
For you non-smoked fish fans, you'll be happy to know that your needs will be met as well. During Salmon season (may-oct) Shogun Fish sells their self-caught salmon, right out of a cooler. It's just one guy, with one boat, in the water for 3 days at a time and he catches enough to sell at the market.
During the non-salmon months, Ports Seafood has a booth set up right next door, where they feature all seasonal seafoods, caught locally, resting on banks of crushed ice.

Browse among the many produce vendors for fresh (in season)chiles, fruit, and any other impulsive purchases before heading inside the Ferry Building for even more shopping.