Directly following my trip to Peru, I left on a research trip to the West Coast for two weeks. What was I researching? Glad you asked: a book on Stadium Eats! Um, yeah, without a deal in sight currently (hint, hint, anyone reading this who is interested!), I went to preemptively scout out the 6 West Coast stadiums and eat my way up and down the West Coast at the same time, starting in San Francisco, working my way down to Los Angeles, then San Diego, back up to San Francisco and then to Seattle! Phew! Tune in at 4:15 EST (or 1:15 PST, lunchtime on the West Coast) for the next 6 weeks to see what I ate and where I ate it⦠and how I gained 10 lbs in two weeks!
The day I was to leave for Los Angeles, I headed over to the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. Why? Well, you see, I’d had Roli Roti the day before, but I wanted more. So more I should have, and they were at the Ferry Building. See the line? This is at 11:30am. Back in November, when I’d walked by, they’d sold out pretty early (like 1pm), so I made sure I went early…
and waited on line, not very patiently, drooling slightly.
The menu was mostly the same as in Oakland…
with one major exception. THE SANDWICH OF MY DREAMS.
The full description of the sandwich, ie, heaven in my mouth. I’m getting really hungry and a bit upset I can’t have one right now, actually π
There’s also an express line for those who want basically stuff that’s ready to go. They were making the sandwiches as they went, as fast as they could, as I leaned over the partition, practically drooling.
FINALLY YOU ARE MINE MUHAHAHAHA
Look at that – a bit of greens, crisp crackly skin, onion marmalade, and chunks of succulent meat. Completely amazing.
The requisite picture of myself from this trip: me biting into something yummy. It was really sunny outside. BUT DAMN WAS THAT AMAZING.
I even stopped to take another picture for you. Oh my word. I want them to come to New York. Roli Roti… will you marry me?
Then I walked around the market (and grabbed the panna cotta) and ogled the other stands.
I stupidly took pictures of the menus but not necessarily what stand was what. Oops.
4505 Meats, where I wound up getting
lime mint iced tea, which was very refreshing and not too sweet on the hot day. It was also gone way too quickly, hehe!
Namu, which appeared to be a Korean-slant food stand, with some Japanese influence and others.
The menu, which lists “the real Korean tacos” among other things.
I tried to take a picture of their display food, but there was a huge line of people who thought I was trying to cut them (well, maybe that’s only in New York where people push you if you walk in front of them, even if just to take a picture). Soba salad, kimchi fried rice, okonomiyaki…
Hog Island Oyster Co.!
This place probably doesn’t want me to point this out, but chocolate macaroons? Where? I don’t see any. I see some chocolate macarons though π
Fresh blueberries by the container!
I bought plums from this place and they were so damn good, juicy and perfect and lovely. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the name. I hope the stands mostly stay in the same place, so my next trip out, I can frequent the same stand, because I remember where it was (as you face the building, on the right side of the entrance, close to the Blue Bottle stand that’s outside… I think).
I still can’t figure out how to open a honey straw without getting it on yourself.
Frog Hollow Farms!
Cherries galore.
I actually bought Golden Rainiers from Frog Hollow, but I’m not sure these are they. In fact,
I’m pretty sure they aren’t. I’d purchased Golden Rainiers from a random grocery store a few days earlier that were 68c/lb.; the ones at Frog Hollow were $6/lb. I believe. I bought to compare and it turned out… um, there’s a reason why you pay so much. Not because it’s organic, not because it’s local. Because they’re hands and fists and eons above the rest. (Actually, aside from that first grocery store – which, admittedly, was the only grocery store I walked into on this trip – most places had Golden Rainiers in this average range of $5-7/lb… a bit interesting since in NYC, I usually get them for around $4/lb, and I thought they were local to Washington state… but I just Google’d it and they’re grown in NY as well. Okay! The more I know, right? :))
So the above are pictures of the 68c/lb ones, I think, but the flavor of the 68c/lb cherries was watery, thin, not very sweet. The meat on them was slightly soft. The Frog Hollow cherries were tight, with a burst of that light sweetness that I adore, and an amazing texture to the flesh. LOVE these cherries. I need a steady supply… I’m always sad when the season ends, though my wallet probably doesn’t mind at all.
What’s this? Well, after I was done in the southern part of California, I returned to San Francisco for a day to fly to Seattle and continue the stadium tour. I made certain to set aside some time to hit up the Roli Roti truck one last time this trip. And while I was drooling over the partition, the very cute guy making sandwiches (assembly-line-style… they had a system going here; it was very busy with a long line despite it being a Thursday) laughed at the excitement in my eyes and handed me some pork cracklin’ to tide me over till I could get my sandwich. Hey, it pays to be excited over whatever you’re waiting for.
This time, since the stand was in the front of the building and not on the side as it was on Saturday, I walked back into the area under the eaves and took a seat at one of the tables (with a really weird tablecloth). My sandwich.
It makes me happy. Look again at the glorious meat, the greens, THE MEAT, the onion marmalade, the cracklin’… everything working together to make your mouth the happiest one in the world. Mine was… and right now, it wants to know why it can’t be again. How do you explain to a body part why it can’t have what it wants? It doesn’t have ears to listen and it doesn’t have a brain to understand! Poor mouth. I will feed you something else yummy.
After I’d finished crying tears of joy into my sandwich, I walked around looking at other food stands in the front, debating getting more food.
Unfortunately, Pizza Politana was already sold out when I walked over.
It was way too hot, in my opinion, for ramen.
Tacos wasn’t a bad idea, but after my taco truck tour, I didn’t want to pay whatever they were charging. (They’re good though, I was able to try them last time I was in San Francisco.)
Fermented, real kraut!
Along with juice shots – supposedly very healthy, very delicious. I didn’t, mostly because if it didn’t sit well with my stomach, I’d be really upset on the flight to Seattle, so I opted out. Perhaps next time!
The last image I share with you from the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market is of these giant fave beans I saw inside at the mushroom purveyor. HOLY.CANNOLI. Those are HUGE!!!
Yvo says: How many times do I have to tell you to GO TO THE ROLI ROTI TRUCK? I can’t emphasize enough how this sandwich will change your life. Just do it. You won’t regret it. Remember to check the schedule, since they do change their location daily. But damn. Also, the market is a lot of fun too, walk around and grab fresh fruits or just sample – there are a ton of things to sample, because they all have amazing produce and stand behind their product – completely amazing. LOVE. I will make time to return here – not just for the sandwich, but for the excellent produce everywhere.
highly recommended
TT says
you know it’s rude not to bring enough to share!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lizz says
I loved the Ferry Building market! Unfortunately I never had a Roli Roti sandwich.. sigh!
BlindBakerNYC says
I haven’t finished reading this entry- only got as far as the second picture because I nearly fell over when I read that you waited on line. YOU waited in a line for food. *faints*
Hungry says
Bring one back on the plane ride home. Better meal than airplane food. Yay! And bring one for me too!
Feisty Foodie says
Haha the line moved very quickly actually, even though it wasn’t short. It wasn’t a Shake Shack line at all, those burgers are made when you order them, these sandwiches were being made constantly to keep up with demand (but also, ingredient-wise, the sandwiches are more conducive to that sort of treatment). π
Hungry says
Makes me want to make porchetta at home again just to make this sandwich.
T.C. says
Now that’s a farmer’s market!
What, no kraut shots? Boo. Haha. I wonder if it tastes good…
Nice pork sammy of course.
SkippyMom says
If nothing else those sandwiches caused the 10 lbs – and I have to say WELL WORTH IT! Now where’s mine? What no cracklin’ at least? π
Tampopo says
why don’t you get a book together at http://www.blurb.com/ . You make your book, and then get a profit out of each one sold. They are printed to order as people want them. I would buy one!
Sara says
That is my dream sandwich as well. I drooled on my desk while reading about it.
As for honey straws… there is only one way to open them. Put the end perpendicular in your mouth between your two front teeth then pull on the straw so it opens and honey gushes in. Works like a charm 90% of the time (the other 10% you crush the straw between your teeth, flip it over, and try again).