We here at SFist are raising the stakes for food porn by infusing our food photos with unadulterated city porn. Gratuitously indulgent food items, photographed (and eaten) in front of iconic San Francisco backdrops. Today's item: A Maple Bacon Breakfast Sausage Sandwich on the Ferry Plaza Embarcadero more ›

While it will star neither Mary Martin nor Cathy Rigby, J M Barrie’s Peter Pan, which will be performed at "the world’s first 360-degree CGI theatre," will make its U.S. premiere on April 27 at the Ferry Plaza. SF Citizen describes it as "something like Cirque du Soleil, except it’ll be cheaper and aimed more at kids." more ›

-- Carmen Jones: Based off of Georges Bizet's famous French opera Carmen, the adaptation was made into a successful Broadway musical, and then a '50s film staring Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, and Pearl Bailey. Now, see it again on stage right here in SF. The curtain goes up tonight at the African-American Art & Culture Complex (762 Fulton); $15. more ›

This Saturday at the San Francisco Embarcadero Hyatt Regency from noon-4 p.m., you can join KGO Radio and the Mendocino Wine Growers Foundation in celebration of the wines and other good stuff from Mendocino County. The event, called "Wine By The Bay 2007,", is $35 if you buy your ticket now; it'll be ten buck more ($45) at the door. What's exciting to us is that Friend of SFist, Destination Dinners' Lisa Diamond, is scheduled to be interviewed by KGO's Gene Burns during the event for his "Dining Around" program. more ›

For many of us with standard 9-5 jobs, a long weekend is coming up. Naturally, our minds turn to libations. Always plenty of booze news around these parts; here's a roundup of some of the ones we found to be interesting. more ›

When we see parsnips at the store or in most markets, they're big, with a tough inner core. We were thrilled, then, to see smaller, in-season parsnips, split down the middle like a serpent's tongue, at the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market. The slimmed-down root vegetables have not yet formed the woody center that we chop from normal versions. That means higher yield and less work for the home cook. more ›

As much as we enjoy planning dinners, sometimes we just want to assemble a quick meal from fresh ingredients at the farmer's market. How often do you get to the many markets here in the Bay Area? If you haven't been in a while, we'd like to urge you visit your neighborhood market and taste the treats on display. Scrumptious stone fruits such as cherries and nectarines are at the peak of their flavor right now, and we've seen the first ears of corn. Even tomatoes have begun to appear, though they're still a little wan. more ›

When SFist Jackson announced, "Hey, I saw your BFF Dede today", we went scarlet (we don't wear green) with envy. When do we get OUR Dede Wilsey sighting? Taunting our jealousy, Jackson sent us this: more ›

Finally! Some cold weather! We've pouted over this winter's heat, which has prevented us from cooking our favorite seasonal dishes. High up on the list of foods we would've made? Beans. Just imagine: Slow-cooked onions, beans, maybe a bit of bay leaf for an aromatic component, maybe a bit of salt pork or bacon for a rich meatiness? Is there anything more soul-filling? (Yes, we know about bean salad, but that's not what we're in the mood for.) more ›

I rely on a number of high-quality producers for the Kitchen column. Some I've written about in depth, some make frequent cameo appearances. Here are the unsung (at least at this site) producers I relied on in 2005. more ›

Holiday shopping and holiday parties leave us little time to cook this season. As we wandered the waterlogged Ferry Plaza market this weekend, we passed by the stalls of produce, knowing any veggies we bought would go bad before we prepared them. We're sure many of you face the same dilemma this week, unless of course you're cooking for a holiday party. But then we saw the Hog Island Oysters stall. Wouldn't it be civilized, we thought, to make a lunch of oysters on the half-shell? It would be our reward for dealing with holiday madness. Plus, we'd argue that luxurious treats wrapped in sealed boxes are the perfect symbol of the season. more ›

When it came time to pick the best place to shop for food, we fretted over the decision. We knew the winner would be a farmer's market, since seasonal produce bought from local farmers beats virtually every store's fruits and vegetables. But which market to choose? The Bay Area probably has more farmer's markets per capita than anywhere else, each with its own personality and devotees. more ›

The SFist test kitchen has come up with a great idea. Sometime in the next week, arrange to see your friends or family at a big meal. Imagine how pleasant it will be to rediscover the quirks and foibles of your kin. You could even take this opportunity to clear up any issues you've let simmer over the last year. You'll thank us for giving you the chance to air out the metaphorical closets. more ›

This absolutely priceless picture is courtesy of Thomas Hawk, who managed a few snaps of His Royal Choadness during today's visit to the Ferry Plaza to speak about the environment (after taking a Coast Guard cutter instead of a public ferry). We hope Frank got at least a moment to impress upon Chas the importance of protecting the planet from the threat posed by the 12 Galaxies, since sustainable agriculture and artisan cheeses won't save us when they go all kryxocryogenical on our asses. We thought about using the picture with GavvyGav and KimKim, but this one works on so many more levels -- check out the entire set. more ›

The hands on Nature's clock have just ticked past fall and hard squash have appeared in abundance at the markets. The always good-natured staff at Eatwell decorated their pile o' squash at the Ferry Plaza market with Sharpies and a sense of humor, while SFist reader Brett spotted a honker of a pumpkin outside the Market Bar. Winter squash is to autumn as tomatoes are to summer. "But, um," you're thinking, "shouldn't that read 'winter squash is to , tells several a tale of a winter squash's longevity: Months, even a year in one case, go by before the squash meet their fate on a dinner plate, nary the worse for wear. For best results, choose your squash wisely. Occasional Seattlest Kate offers a handy online guide to selecting squash if you can't get to the similar list in the Schneider book. more ›

We have been eagerly tasting apricots on our farmer's market forays, waiting for them to go from tart and unpleasant to juicy and sweet. Someday soon, we knew. Saturday wasn't promising until we stopped by the Frog Hollow booth. Emissaries from the stand were offering samples to the throngs of tourists at the Ferry Plaza. One bite of the heavenly apricots, and we dived into the palace of produce to get more. We these compact golden orbs, whose ancestors travelled from China to the Middle East to Spain to California. The exception is the prince, or perhaps duke, of apricots, the Blenheim, which first appeared in the Duke of Marlborough's palace in 1830. We could never give an elegy for this variety that would surpass the love letter written by kick-ass chef, eloquent blogger, and SFist reader Shuna Lydon. Go, read it. We'll be here when you get back. Engage the Expand-o-Tron for more. more ›

We loves us a good piece of meat, but we can't stand buying the factory-farmed animal products we find in most stores. An American obsession with cheap meat has left us with powerful producers who use their government-approved anonymity to wreak all sorts of travesties. (Have you read yet? You should.) We try not to contribute to this karmic sinkhole, and so we were happy to see Marin Sun Farms at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. more ›

We were over the moon when we saw cardoons at Tairwa' Knoll's stall last Saturday at the Ferry Plaza Market. Restaurateurs and avid cardoon eaters usually buy all these tall, light green stalks long before they get to market. Maybe farmers are growing more because they see demand for the husky, peppery flavor of this Mediterranean vegetable. Cardoons may look like steroid-riddled celery, but the name comes from the word for thistle and they're actually close relatives of the artichoke. Tairwa' Knoll said they'll probably have them for another few weeks, but away from California's warm weather and fertile soil, growers pluck cardoons from the ground in the winter, not the spring. more ›

When we shop at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, we almost always swing by Achadinha's stall to taste some Capricious, the company's popular aged goat cheese. We've long been fans of the nutty, buttery taste and smooth, firm texture of this cheese, and we're not the only ones. The first time Ginger Olsen and Diane Livingston brought Capricious to the American Cheese Society's annual competition, the cheese won Best in Show and Best Aged Goat Cheese. Olsen and Livingston parted ways a couple years back, but Livingston brought the cheese's recipe—and its name—to a partnership with dairy farmers Jim and Donna Pacheco. more ›

When we asked about asparagus season, the bustling woman with farmers' hands working the Zuckerman's stand gave us a quick answer, "We're three weeks in with 12 to go." The thin, long wands are still just at one or two stalls in the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, but we're sure they'll be everywhere soon enough. That's fine with us; we love the distinctive green stalks with their grassy taste, and we're happy to pretend that spring's come a little early by cooking this vernal icon. Chop them up, blanch them, and serve them in an omelette, or leave them whole and take advantage of the visual flair they add to any dish. We'll happily eat them, no matter what the ramifications. more ›

Organic satsuma oranges made for a nice snack as we shopped at Tuesday's Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, but we thought we'd mention the mandarins at Everything Under the Sun's [PDF] stall. These brittle, bitter wheels aren't exactly an accessible snack on their own, but a moment in our spice grinder turned them into a flavorful powder with a multitude of uses. more ›

Alaina Browne moves west, and NYCeats becomes A Full Belly. more ›