Freeway Rescue: The San Francisco Ferry Building and Farmers Market

An earthquake 60 miles away would set this building free

Little did anyone know that when the devastating Loma Prieta Earthquake struck the Bay Area region in October of 1989, it would free an iconic building from a concrete prison.

Opened in 1898, the San Francisco Ferry Building acted as the gateway to the city for those arriving by train and ferry boat well into the 1930s. However, with the opening of the San Francisco Bay Bridge in 1936 and Golden Gate Bridge in 1937, usage of the building eventually dwindled to a minimum by the 1950s. The construction of Interstate 480 over top of The Embarcadero, the roadway next to the Ferry Building, put a cold, double-decked gray facade across the building's beautiful exterior and seemed to complete its journey into obscurity.

The Loma Prieta Earthquake, which took place before a national audience (it struck minutes before Game 3 of the 1989 World Series was due to start,) damaged the Embarcadero Freeway. This, along with its structural similarity to the section of I-880 across the bay in Oakland which tragically pancaked onto itself, crushing the vehicles below and leading to 42 fatalities, caused city officials to condemn the structure.

By 1991, the freeway had been completely torn down, freeing the Ferry Building from its concrete prison. As the Embarcadero roadway itself began its renovation project, city officials began to re-discover the visual splendor and potential of this historic building. Renovation plans were officially approved in 2000 and the building re-opened with its mix of business tenants, ferry terminal facilities, and retail establishments in March 2003.

Perhaps I myself have regained a new appreciation of what had been seemingly always been there; my work in San Francisco began just a few months before the building's reopening, and my foot travels often took me through the building's expanses. Now that I only get to visit it on an infrequent basis now, I count each visit back as a little special, including this latest trip back to California with my spouse.

Fresh produce was in abundant supply at the Ferry Building Farmers Market
and even brought some truly far away "locals" (the dates were brought
courtesy of a vendor from Southern California's Coachella Valley.)

Held at regular intervals throughout the year, the Ferry Building's Farmers Market, started initially as what was intended to be a one-time event September of 1992, has become an attraction in its own right for locals and visitors to the city, with vendors and booths situated outside of the main Ferry Building structure. Obviously, California's large size and varied climates have their advantages, as numerous fruits and vegetables that would never be found in Ohio's winter farmers markets were at ready for purchase. Other products like cheese, honey and prepared food were also present, many familiar to me (Roli Roti and their rotisserie chicken, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, and the Mission District's pastry purveyor Craftsman and Wolves, for example) and a few new vendors whose wares looked promising.)

The regular Ferry Building vendors have a lot to offer visitors on a daily basis,
very much like Columbus' North Market tenants.

Then there are the regular daily vendors of the Ferry Building Marketplace itself. Like Columbus' own similar enterprise (The North Market), some of the vendors have changed over time, but the vendors as a whole cover pretty much every food-related item, from the tools of the trade (Sur La Table and Heath Ceramics) to the basics (fish, produce, cheese, meats, mushrooms and even heirloom beans), from little noshes (Pepple's vegan organic donuts, or the gluten-free goods of Mariposa Baking) to the more fancy (Hog Island Oyster Company's seafood offerings, or The Slanted Door, Charles Phan's renowned upscale take on Vietnamese standards.)

In thinking of the two markets, it is almost impossible not to compare and contrast related vendors. How does Columbus' long-time stalwart coffee roaster Stauf's rate versus Blue Bottle? Maybe crunch out the best breads from the Bay Area's Acme Baking and Columbus' Omega Artisan Baking? What about meticulously crafted ice creams of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams versus the even more outlandish creations of Jake Godby and Humphry Slocombe? Miette Patisseries sweet creations against the lavish creations of German Village's Pistacia Vera? Everyone will reach their own opinions, of course (I have my own, naturally.) The real fun part is the fact that this comparison matrix exists and can be undertaken by anyone willing to do so.

Breakfast this day was Cowgirl Creamery Milk Bar's cheesy creations
and a couple cups of Blue Bottle's java

Our breakfast this day was courtesy of the offshoot of preeminent cheese maker Cowgirl Creamery. Originally based in Marin County at Pt. Reyes Station, this artisan cheesemaker setup the Sidekick Cafe and Milk Bar as a way to branch out from its base business with cheese-oriented preparations and a dairy bar featuring a variety of milk-based beverages (milk is provided by the Straus Family Creamery based in Marshall, CA, which is essentially equivalent to local creamery Snowville out of Pomeroy, OH.)

The Cheese Toasties, essentially an open-faced grilled cheese made with cheddar, caramelized onions & maple mustard and the Baked Egg Sandwich (both items $7.95 and featuring the excellent bread of next door neighbor Acme; I added pancetta to mine for $2 extra) were gloriously gooey and cheesy, and a definite tummy filler. We added a couple of typically well-made java beverages from one of the two Blue Bottle Coffee stands at the Farmers Market (Blue Bottle also has a regular space at the Marketplace; this space is due to be renovated starting January 2015) to add some extra caffeination; this visit was just the start of a big day of touring the city.

Ferry Building Marketplace 
One Ferry Building (Embaracadero/Downtown)
San Francisco, California 94111
(415) 983-8030
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Ferry Building Farmers Farmers Market
Operates Year-Round (except major holidays)
Saturday: 8am–2pm
Tuesday: 10am–2pm
Thursday: 10am–2pm
(415) 291-3276
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Cowgirl Creamery's Sidekick Cafe and Milk Bar
1 Ferry Building # 17
San Francisco, California 94111
(415) 362-9354
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Christmas Day Burmese: Mandalay Restaurant (Richmond District)

The colorful exterior of Richmond District's long-standing Mandalay Restaurant

I always enjoy finding out what restaurants are available whenever traveling to a new region of the country, especially in relation to a style of food or cuisine that is otherwise not readily available where I live. I would advise adventurous food folks coming from San Francisco to Columbus seek out and try a West African restaurant. For those traveling from Columbus to the Bay Area, I'd recommend dropping by one of the Bay Area's Burmese restaurants for a meal.

For those unfamiliar with the cuisine, Burmese food combines the styles and flavorings of Thai, Indian and Chinese cuisines into dishes that may seem familiar visually but do not quite strictly conform palate-wise. A number of purveyors of Burmese cuisine are spread throughout the Bay Area, with perhaps the most well-known being Burma Superstar. If you are a beginner to the cuisine, this mini-chain of restaurants in the Bay Area is actually a decent place to get your culinary tongues familiar with the unique flavor and texture profiles of Burmese cuisine.

If you're ready to explore further, or just want to dive in a little more full-on into Burmese, Mandalay Restaurant in the Richmond District would be a fine choice. Now something of a Christmas Day tradition for us, Mandalay (opened in 1984) bills itself as the first Burmese restaurant in San Francisco; one does get the impression that this is a place that has built up its following by simply doing their thing and doing it both well and at a reasonable price (most dishes are in the $7 to $12 range, with a few outliers on the higher end of the scale.)

Our two visits to Mandalay have been completely contrasting in regards to atmosphere, mainly affected by weather. Our first visit, on a somewhat cold, damp day, saw us enjoying their food in a nearly empty space. On the latest visit on Christmas Day, the beautiful weather had brought everyone out of their houses to enjoy the outdoors; Mandalay was packed despite our arrival at an early afternoon hour.

The brightly appointed interior, plus other random Mandalay sights

You really can't do a Burmese restaurant without at least trying one of the featured salads. The most well-known of these is the tea-leaf salad, which combines a plethora of ingredients (one such example is detailed with this recipe) that eventually ends up to be a unique combination of crunch and chew, salty, tang and fermented notes that is hard to describe appropriately with words but somehow all works on your tastebuds. Many Burmese places I've visited will have your waitperson explain the ingredients in the salad before hand-mixing them on the plate prior to serving.

My spouse didn't quite know what to make of her first sampling of such at Burma Superstar the first time out, but Mandalay's version provided that bridge for her to truly appreciate its unique character (I was already a fan from previous samplings.) If nothing else, Mandalay's version is a much more pungent version than other restaurant versions: it is devoid of filler ingredients such as lettuce and cabbage and goes strictly with the fermented tea leaves. This brings that fermented and fishy qualities much more to the forefront, something I appreciated compared to others I have tried. Another fine option is a Rainbow Salad, which combines a different set of ingredients (see this link to Burma Superstar's version) to create a unique calvacade of flavors.

On a previous visits, the appetizers have treated us well - the balada, a fried pancake served with a thick curry dipping sauce, was a definite winner; their samusas also are tasty, with a curry-laden mix of beef and potatoes inside a crispy fried pastry shell. Their Moo Hin Nga (Fish Chowder) soup more than holds its own, with its combo of noodles, ground catfish, onions, and cilantro in a flavorful broth.

Clockwise (from top): Nan Gyi Dok, Mandalay Chicken, and
their Tea Leaf Salad in preparation mode

Burmese-oriented noodle dishes are also worth exploring: on a previous visit, their Mandalay Special Noodle and the Nan Gyi Dok hold very similar unique taste profiles with hints of coconut, pea, lime and onion along with a tamarind dressing, the main difference between the two being the noodle type. For a slightly different flavor combo, try the Kaw Soi Dok, which offers toasted egg noodles with fried onion and garlic chips, cucumber slices, split beans and the chef's special dressing.

The Mandalay Chicken dish I ordered on the last visit reminded me of a standard sweet and sour meat Chinese dish, but done in a way that made it not quite so (in a good way, mind you.) In general, this dish and Mandalay's other Chinese-styled dishes on their menu (Singapore Style Noodles and Mu Shu Pork, for example) can provide an avenue for restaurant goers who aren't enamored of Burmese flavor profiles to enjoy Mandalay's cuisine.

With that said, my spouse and I have no such qualms about the unique flavor profiles of Burmese cuisine, and Mandalay is as close to a regular visit for us when we're on the West Coast as any other place.

Mandalay Restaurant
4348 California St (Inner Richmond)
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 386-3895 - or- (415) 386-3896
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A Tale of Two Meaderies: Brothers Drake and The San Francisco Mead Company

Reunited and they taste so good: Meads from the Scioto to San Francisco Bay

Mead may be the oldest-known fermented drink known to man, but it is currently perhaps one of the least-consumed. However, this beverage has seen recent exponential growth here in the United States: according to the American Mead Makers Association, while only 150 meaderies were in business in the United States in 2013, the number of cases of mead sold per meadery doubled from 404 to 823 and average gross sales jumped by 130 percent during this year.

I myself had heard of but never tasted mead until I started regularly traveling to Ohio. On one visit, I happened to stop by The Andersons General Store in Northwest Columbus, where I came across a mead sampling hosted by locally-based meadery Brothers Drake. My then girlfriend had tasted their offerings on a previous shopping visit to The Andersons and encouraged me to give it a whirl if they were in house.

Mead, especially the varietals offered this day, was nothing like I had had before, and these tastings kept me on alert for future offerings. Interestingly enough, my Northern California roots came up during my conversation with my host, who informed me that a sister mead enterprise into that vast but very much untapped San Francisco Bay Area market was in the works. I made a mental note to myself to keep track of any future developments.

Forward to Christmas season 2014, where my spouse fulfilled what had become one of our increasing list of "must-do's" as a couple: make the trip out to The San Francisco Mead Company to taste and add their meads to our stash of Brothers Drakes' offerings.

Brothers Drake has made their Weinland Park location a prime local gathering place

Brothers Drake: Firstly, we must say something about Brothers Drake itself. Founded in 2004, business founders Eric and Woody Drake have always infused their meadery business with a local community focus, and the community has responded in kind. Their current sleek warehouse space in an area bordering both the Short North and Weinland Park (they had previously occupied a much smaller space in the Polaris/Crosswoods starting in the late 2000s) houses their production facilities, as well as their bar and performance space. The latter has become a central community gathering point for many through Brothers Drake's live music and community-oriented events, featuring of local artists' work within their facility, and the presence of the burgeoning local food truck scene in the form of Tokyo Go Go and Vegan Baba. Even their mead releases in and of themselves have become reasons for locals to gather together and celebrate.

Brothers Drakes' meads, whether in their pure form or mixed in with cocktails, reach flavor profiles far beyond what ancient brewers of this beverage could have even dreamed about. Last year's National Mead Day festivities showed this in full effect, where we and other visitors that day had the chance to sample meads such as PB&J (roasted peanuts and lingonberry jam) and Brioso (a mead with coffee from local roaster Cafe Brioso, cacao, vanilla and caraway.) But even their "standard" mead varieties such as their Summer Solstice, Wild Ohio, and signature PawPaw offer their drinkers intriguing taste profiles that reach well beyond what one might think a mead might taste like.

Brothers Drake meads go above and beyond the traditional taste profiles

Brothers Drake's story is ten years in the making and running stronger than ever. Needless to say, we have been pleased by our visits there as well as their creative mead varietals; even better, it looks like the Ohio community will be the recipient of this company's fine products and community presence for many more years to come.

Brothers Drake Meadery
26 E. 5th Ave (Short North/Weinland Park - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 388-8765
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San Francisco Mead Company's unassuming location in the Bayview District

The San Francisco Mead Company: In terms of locations, The San Francisco Mead Company is following in the footsteps of its sibling in Columbus. Originally founded in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco in 2012, owners Oron Benary (who was involved with Brothers Drake early in its development and still retains part-owner status) and his wife Sarah Jones moved their facility to a much larger space in the southern reaches of San Francisco's Bayview neighborhood summer of 2014.

However, this space does not, nor is meant to duplicate its sibling in Columbus in terms of acting as a community gathering place, as we found out during our visit. A simple setup of a large, round white table plus a gathering area of couches off to the side greeted us as we walked in the door. At this table, a very enthusiastic group of newfound mead fans was holding a conversation with Cory, our host for this day. An informal tap system of San Francisco Mead's offerings was setup along the wall, plus something that warmed our Columbus-area hearts greatly: a couple bottles of Brothers Drake's fine meads stood on the table.

Cory proved to be a wonderful host filling in for Oron and Sarah, who were away for the holidays. In fact, everyone there seemed to be quite interested that we were from Columbus and we were more than happy to relate our experiences with Brothers Drake (we may have even convinced the guests, who were from the northern reaches of California's Central Valley, to pay a visit to drop by Brothers Drake one of these days.)

San Francisco Mead is currently geared for production, but that doesn't stop
visitors from enjoying their delicious products

Other than the sister relationship, our excitement for trying San Francisco Mead Company's offerings related to the honey found in the Bay Area and the flavor profiles of the mead produced from them. In a fortunate turn for the company, their current landlord is a beekeeper himself and assisted the owners in further learning the terroir of the area and the design of their current facility.

It turned out all three of their offerings were incredibly tasty, from their solid Orange Blossom to the uniquely complex California Gold and their pie-in-a-glass decadence that is the Apple Pie (we took home bottles of the latter two with us back to Ohio, and we admit we're both quite excited to have the opportunity to do an Apple Pie Mead comparison side-by-side tasting.)

While output is currently on the low end (per this blogpost by local PBS station KQED, their output is roughly 1,000 cases per year; in contrast, Brothers Drake's production is closer to 5,000 cases), Cory mentioned that San Francisco Mead does have plans to increase their output; indeed, they had just received newly obtained equipment and, with their existing space, could possibly out-produce their Ohio-based sibling in the future. We were informed there are already plans in the works for a proper tasting room closer to more foot traffic near downtown San Francisco (currently, the meadery is only open for tastings on Saturday unless a special appointment has been made.)

We felt special when Cory gave us a sampling of some of the other mead products within their building at the time, including a sneak peek of their Blackberry mead. Due for release in mid-2015, this still young mead has fruit notes even now that promise something spectacular once it is bottled. In addition, we got to taste two of Brothers Drake's mead products that they had on hand. The Brioso mead, which we found to be a bit harsh on the coffee taste when we first sampled it on National Mead Day in 2014, had obtained a more balanced flavor profile that we enjoyed immensely. On the other hand, their Pawpaw had gained a more-pronounced crispness to its overall sour/tart profile and proved to be another palate-pleaser.

Based on our experience here, The San Francisco Mead Company appears well on its way to being successful in its own right. Both San Francisco Bay Area and Columbus residents have a lot to be proud of in terms of the people behind these businesses. Even better, anyone, regardless of residency, can gain immense enjoyment from either of these companies' finely crafted products.

The San Francisco Mead Company
1180 Shafter Avenue (Bayview/Hunters Point - Google Maps)
San Francisco, CA 94124
(415) 819-4941
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Just Like Clockwork: Starliner Diner

The Bay Area has its share of diner-style places fitting many vibes, from the classic 50s (Lori's in San Francisco and Bette's Oceanview in Berkeley) to 80s new wave/rock (Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe in Emeryville), to country homestyle rustic (the Fremont Diner in Sonoma) to city historic (Grubstake Diner in San Francisco is fashioned out of an old streetcar.) However, nothing I've encountered yet in my old home area quite matches the combo of unique kitsch and brunch deliciousness that Starliner Diner in Hilliard brings to its diners.

Visual kitsch abounds at Starliner Diner, giving the diner a lot to see

Open for roughly 20 years, Starliner Diner gives the visitor a lot of kitsch to look at, from the colorful murals to sports-related memorabilia (some of the waiting area chairs appear to be old stadium seats) to the numerous retro clocks that dominate the one wall and randomly appear at various other places in the interior. While no one decor or era totally dominates, the cumulative effect lends an overall cool and kitschy feel that is welcoming and seemingly familiar.

The dishes come flying out at a fast rate during the busy weekends

During the busy weekends, the waiting diner (even at its busiest, Starliner seems to get people seated in relatively quick fashion) can add the numerous delicious dishes awaiting pickup to their visual distractions. One of my fun tasks on my first visits was trying to figure out what dishes were what, and trying to figure out what I was truly hungry for on that particular visit.

On our last visit, my spouse went with an favorite for both us, their Chilaquiles, a hearty combo of scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, black beans, and cheese with tortilla chips; meanwhile I went with the Mexican Chorizo Omelette with chorizo, peppers, onion, garlic, cheese & cilantro with a side of Cuban Toast.

These dishes, along with most of the other Starliner's breakfast items, have rarely disappointed. From the Cuban French Toast (their Cuban Bread cubed up and prepared) and Cuban Breakfast, Huevos Rancheros, and various usual specials (Blueberry Pancakes and Azteca Breakfast Enchiladas, to name a couple) provide hearty and delicious early morning fare at reasonable prices (basically less than $10 per dish) with leftovers to spare on most days.

Oh, did I mention they serve lunch and dinner as well? Frankly we're still having too much fun with breakfast at Starliner, but one of these days, I swear we will sample those wares as well.

Starliner Diner
5240 Cemetery Road
Hilliard, OH 43026
(614)529-1198
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December Travelogue: Seven Months after the EF-5

We wish all you readers the most wonderful of Christmas holidays and safe travels during your journeys this holiday season. This is a continuing series of monthly travelogues, where I document some of my past journeys through this world of ours:

A Route 66 info panel found at Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Route 66, known as "The Mother Road" still holds a mythos and nostalgic pull for many people in love road travel. Many are familiar with the catchy pop standard "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66", composed by writer Bobby Troup and first popularized by legendary singer Nat King Cole, and numerous organizations and groups are dedicated to preserving the legacy of this roadway which traversed from Chicago to Los Angeles.

I have personally traveled the existing westernmost sections on my own in Arizona, and as it turned out, this route would be within a quick turnoff and detour for my spouse and I for much of the journey from California to Ohio when I finally made my move to the Buckeye State.

One of the cities along this famed route, specifically mentioned in the famed pop standard, is Joplin, Missouri. Approximately seven months prior to our travels to Ohio, Joplin was struck with the deadliest tornado since modern record-keeping began. This EF-5 rated tornado tragically killed 158 people and injured more than 1,000 people, and caused an estimated $2.8 billion in total damage. On the trip, we figured out on the fly that our travels would take us by this stricken town and we decided, if the timing worked out, we would stop into town to give a little business.

Indeed, we had wandered into the Joplin area right around lunch, and we turned off Interstate 44 onto State Route 43. We did not know the exact path that the tornado had taken through town, nor did we have any recent information about the rebuilding efforts, so as we wended our way toward downtown, we did not quite know what to expect.

Then, as the streets started dipping from the 40s into the 30s, the devastation emerged. The images of mangled trees, denuded of their higher branches, and barren property plots took our breath away at first, but we also spotted the signs of rebirth in the form of new construction. The instinct was to document what we were viewing, but we felt uncomfortable with this notion; this wasn't a tourist attraction, after all. Our cameras stayed shuttered as we drove into town, and on the way out when we mirrored the tornado's path along the historic Route 66.

Downtown Joplin lay north of the tornado's path of destruction. The lazy bustle we found here seemed like any other weekday that typify the days that lie between Christmas and New Year's Day, save for the fact that the whole city was trying to find its collective feet again.

Outside of the Red Onion Cafe in Downtown Joplin

We scouted out The Red Onion, established in 1995 at 4th and Virginia Streets in downtown Joplin. The restaurant interior was comfortable, playing off their residence inside a 100-year-old building in a homey kind of way. Likewise, their American-styled menu contained some comfort food decadence in the form of their coconut-breaded and Arkansas smokehouse chicken dishes and what looked to be some decadent sweets. But since we had had a surplus of both richer dishes and various snacky items the prior days of this road trip, we went for a couple of their healthier-sounding salads in the form of their Harvest Spinach Apple and Mandarin Orange Salads. Both dishes were tasty and provided the break in the prevailing eating routine we had developed.

The waitstaff were very gracious and friendly, and quite appreciative that we had stopped by to give them some business. We asked about how the restaurant and the town were doing: they said customers were slowly starting to come back to dine, and overall the town was making progress in terms of rebuilding and returning back to a normal routine. While they acknowledged there was still plenty left to do, they remained hopeful it would get done.

Nowadays, Joplin is nearly all the way back; at the mark of the three year anniversary, a report by KYTV in Springfield, MO, reported that 90 percent of all the homes had been rebuilt, and that 450 of the 500 businesses that had been affected by the tornado had returned. St. John's Hospital (now known as Mercy), which was basically destroyed by the twister, has a new campus under construction that is slated for opening for 2015. And the Red Onion Cafe continues to serve food at its main location in Joplin and three Espressoria locations.

However, as noted in the KYTV report, the final steps are often the hardest, as donor dollars dry up (the Joplin Recovery Fund is still active and taking donations) and other disasters reach the national conscience, including Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the Moore, OK tornado of 2013. But even though those steps may be the toughest, it won't be for the lack of resolve and trying by the residents of Joplin and other communities who are struck by the unthinkable.

Joplin Recovery Fund
c/o Community Foundation of the Ozarks
P.O. Box 8960
Springfield, MO 65801
(888) 266-6815
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Red Onion Cafe
203 East 4th Street
Joplin, MO 64801
(417) 623-1004
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