Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco: eye-popping shopping

By now, you've heard about San Francisco's Ferry Building marketplace, an enclosed public market located on the Wharf. It's been the subject of many food blog posts, newspapers articles, and conversation. The market opened after I moved away from the Bay Area, and though I have made several trips to SF and Berkeley since, my free time to wander and do personal fun stuff was limited.

I finally got to see the Ferry Building Marketplace on this last trip, and now you get to see it, too!

Er, at least the stuff that I was able to capture on digi-film.

I stayed the weekend in downtown, and the ride to the Ferry Building was convenient. I simply had to walk less than a block to a Muni stop and hop aboard the F line, which runs along Market Street to the Wharf. The Muni is San Francisco's bus system, and though most of them look like accordion buses, I got to ride on an antique bright orange one.

That's the Ferry Building, from the bus stop.

Just inside the door that we entered is Far West Fungi, specializing in mushrooms. If I knew I would be near a kitchen at some point during my trip to cook, I would have bought a basket of the pretty pink oyster mushrooms.

My friend Jason said I had to stop at Recchiuti for chocolate, but I could only squeeze between two clamoring people to snap a photo. The place was mobbed. Perhaps for Mother's Day?

Stonehouse Vinegars had laid out a few vinegars to sample. A lot of the merchants in the Ferry Building have samples to try.

It's not all food inside the Ferry Building. The Kingom of Herbs had beautiful orchids.

Another small shop further down had fresh cut flowers. Ranunculus (Bless you?), by the way, are one of my favorite flowers.

Tsar Nicolai sells caviar as a retail store, but also has a place for people to sit down, a caviar bar of sorts, for tasting and enjoyment. The entire bar was taken with people sipping Champagne.

Though there is an official Farmers' Market outside on the Plaza on Saturdays, many merchants inside sell fresh produce as well.

If you want fresh-shucked oysters, Hog Island Oyster Company is the place to go. Diners sit right up against eh bar and can watch the shuckers shuck the oysters right in front of them. Saturday afternoon, Hog Island Oysters was packed.

Acme Bread. 'Nuff said.

You can smell Cowgirl Creamery from at least several yards away - stacks and stacks of cheese. The most beautiful cheese I've ever seen was the mimolette, which was a deep, golden orange. It looked like a cantaloupe.

The wine merchant has a store, and like Tsar Nicolai, has a place for people to sit down and enjoy their products. It didn't appear that they serve their own food, but people had brought in whatever food they had purchased from around the market (bread, cheese, etc.) and sat down with a bottle (or two, or three) two enjoy.

There are a few food vendors outside on the plaza during the Saturday Farmers' Market hours. We stopped over at the Hayes Street Grill stand and had a crabcake sandwich. Nine dollars sure sounds expensive for a medium sized crabcake on plain white bread, but...

half that nine dollars is paying for your bay view.

After wolfing down the sandwich, we strolled around the market, even though we wouldn't be buying much. We were staying in a hotel, and there isn't anything you can do with fresh artichokes in a hotel room. If there is, well, I don't think I want to know about it.

They look almost like deep purple tulips, but they're Sicilian artichokes.

The Fatted Calf. The name says it all.

Though Hog Island Oyster Company was too crowded for us to sit down at the bar, we did get a chance to taste a couple from the San Francisco Fish Company, who had set out a small table in front of their store.

I put Tabasco and waaaaay too much horseradish. Sinuses were so clear I thought I could smell LA all the way from SF.

The last stop we made before heading back toward Union Square was Ciao Bella for gelato. I had pistachio, which was delicious, and espresso. It sounds like a strange combination, but come on. It's gelato.

There are so many more places inside the Ferry Building that deserve mention, but we don't want to spoil all the fun. You should see for yourself.