Joyeux: Days of Wine & Roses: Part 1, The Ferry Plaza Market

This weekend we traded in beautiful warm, sunny Southern California for a rainy and cold 3 days in Wine Country. Just the two of us, no kids!!!!! Yay!!!! This is the weekend that we have our house on the market for Open House. We are also on the second phase of celebration for Paul's 40th and went to Healdsburg to have dinner at the famed Cyrus Restaurant, more on that divine experience later. The French Laundry was our first pick but the two months wait didn't fit into our wacky-doodle schedule. We famously fly by the seat of our pants. This time we flew into Oakland and headed to the Ferry Plaza Market in San Francisco for lunch and to load up on all our favorite gourmet staples. We never, ever miss an opportunity to visit the Ferry Plaza Market. In fact, it's a twice yearly pilgrimage for our family. The market is located in the Ferry Crossing building along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. There is an amazing Farmer's Market on Saturdays and Tuesdays along the outside perimeter of the building. The local growers bring in a vast selection of fruits and vegetables. This weekend it was the citrus' turn to shine. Oranges, tangerines, pomelos, grapefruits were all at the height of the season. We tasted some incredible citrus that just stunned us with their delicious nectar like juice. There were green garlic stalks that can be grilled or chopped up in a fine, pungent dip. The tulips were king this weekend as all the farmers were bringing in their organically grown flowers. The colors of the market were just so brilliant that I wished for an artist's canvas and brush.

Serenated by this sweet musician while lunching at Il Cane Rosso

Our lunch stop was at Il Cane Rosso inside the Ferry Plaza building where we had delicious roast pork and grilled beef sandwiches. We were looking forward to the Roti-Roti stall from Hayward, but their line was 80-100 people deep and we just couldn't wait, no matter how mind-blowing their porchetta sandwich is. Even if we did anticipate that sandwich all week before the trip and talk about it the entire way from the airport to the market. Their porchetta sandwich is really a thing of wonder. Freshly roasted pig in fennel with crackling skin and au juice over crispy ciabatta bun. The kind of legendary pig roast that people who go to Italy never recover from and incessantly dream about. After lunch it was time to part with our hard earned money. Sophie specifically asked us to bring back McEvoy's Olive Oil, a family indulgence. It's freshly pressed every fall and taste exactly like the oils we had in Tuscany. We save it for dipping our fresh baked ciabatta or drizzling over grilled foods and yummy salad dressings. The girls can't get enough of it. Their stall at the Ferry Plaza Market is a beautiful homage to aspirational living. Hell, the entire Ferry Plaza is an aspirational living catalog. If you are ever in the Bay Area, please do yourself a favor and stop by the market. It's a food lover's paradise with everything delicious and delectable gathered together exclusively for your epicurean pleasures. They also have a Heath Pottery stall full of beautiful housewares. We had such an amazing and fabulous weekend that I don't have time to go into it all . Here are some pictures of our favorite places at the Ferry Plaza Market for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!