Gastronome

If you head to the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Market on Sunday, you miss out on all kinds of good stuff - Fatted Calf, my very favorite lettuces, the green garlic or fresh berries or perfect pears, the Blue Bottle guys pulling and pouring awesome coffee, the Tierra pepper people, and any number of other treats. But on Sunday? On Sunday, Boulette’s Larder serves beignets - and you must eat them.

Welcome to day two of the Second Independent Food Festival Awards! We’re so pleased to be participating again; this year the awards are being announced throughout the week. Gastronome is pleased to present Boulette’s Larder with the “Best Reason to Go to the Farmers Market on Sunday Instead of Saturday”, for their Sunday beignets.
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That would be the Oysters on the Half Shell with Tabasco Sorbet at Blue Plate in San Francisco. Blue Plate is simply marvellous. They manage to be clever without pretension and inventive without being precious. Their food is tasty, comforting, satisfying, and interesting. It’s one of my very favorite local joints. Through partnerships with local farms and producers, they garner and serve top-notch ingredients; their menu changes daily. The room is crazy and cozy - my favorite place to eat is at the bar that wraps around the kitchen.

The staff is friendly, and happy to answer questions. I can always find an interesting and reasonably-priced wine on the menu - if I’m feeling like drinking one of my own, the corkage is fairly-priced, as well. (And there’s always a dollar can on the beer list for your favorite anti-snob. Right now, it’s Oly.) And the food. Did I mention the food?

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