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Richmond District is “spiciest city scene” in AAA’s Via Magazine

In AAA’s recent issue of Via Magazine, they have a nice writeup on the Richmond District and why it’s a destination of choice. They called me a few months back to verify some facts and get some advice on what to check out. So I’m thrilled to see it was finally published. A few excerpts below; read the whole article here.

By the way, the woman in the photo looks SO familiar but I can’t place which Clement Street store I’ve seen her at. Anyone recognize her?

Sarah B.

VIA MAGAZINE | July 2010
Spiciest city scene: San Francisco’s Richmond District
In the city’s northwest corner, lively ethnic eateries lure culinary day-trippers
By Nino Padova

Spices,” Carlos Ayala beams. “You’ve got to check out these spices.” The 34-year-old Guatemalan American clerk skitters out from behind the counter and heads toward the back of Haig’s Delicacies, a dimly lit specialty food and sandwich shop on Clement Street in San Francisco’s Richmond District. He stops at a large rack stuffed with dozens of packaged powders and seasonings: Hungarian paprika, Ethiopian bird’s-eye chiles, Indonesian squash seeds, dried Persian lemons. The array is intoxicating—flavors from around the world, in a store owned by an Armenian immigrant … next door to a Hawaiian barbecue joint and across the street from a Thai noodle house sandwiched between a Vietnamese deli and a Chinese fish market. Up and down the street, dozens of ethnic shops and restaurants sit together, forming if not the heart of the city, then at least its hungry belly.

But it’s salt, of course, that most people think of when they first visit the Richmond. Specifically the salty, frigid air that blows on the shoulders of coastal winds and spitting fog through this long neighborhood. The flavor of the district—north of Golden Gate Park and south of the Presidio, west of Arguello Boulevard and east of Ocean Beach—is multicultural bouillabaisse: Irish pubs, Russian bakeries, Chinese dim sum parlors, and more.

“This isn’t the Mission or the Financial District,” says Mourad Lahlou, chef and owner of Aziza, a sophisticated Moroccan restaurant committed to local, farm-fresh ingredients. “A lot of people come to this neighborhood just to eat, so your food better be good. You don’t see too many gimmicks out here.”

The Richmond’s oldest, best-known attractions—the Cliff House, Lands End, and the Legion of Honor—are clustered at its beachy end. But to get a taste of the area’s ethnic eclecticism you’ll need to venture further inland, to the lively blocks of Clement Street and Geary Boulevard between Arguello and 25th Avenue…

Read the full article at viamagazine.com

Sarah B.

4 Comments

  1. It is not Mei Hua (May Wah), it’s the New May Cheung Co. market on the corner of Clement and 8th (the one with the yellow wraparound awning on Google Maps).

    1) The black car in the background is parked at an angle so it’s the southern sidewalk of Clement St (cars are parked parallel on the opposite sidewalk). Angled parking also rules all Chinatown markets.
    2) No cars or meters immediately behind her so it’s very likely a corner with a bus stop.
    3) The produce is in small bins so it’s likely a smaller market and not one of the big ones like New May Wah or Lien Hing 3 supermarkets.
    4) Black sign in upper-left corner matches the Radio Shack store horizontal sign that is across the street. White lettering and blurred shapes roughly matches “RadioShack”
    5) Long vertical red shape behind the black Radio Shack sign matches the long red awning of New May Wah supermarket farther down Clement St past Radio Shack.

    http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&q=new+may+cheung+co,+san+francisco,+ca&fb=1&gl=us&hq=new+may+cheung+co,&hnear=San+Francisco,+California&ei=JMQoTKLYMoegnQej5uCoAQ&ved=0CBwQtgMwAA&ll=37.782676,-122.466551&spn=0,0.158443&z=13&layer=c&cbll=37.782849,-122.466563&panoid=AdhBXMj9sHliRqz3_ilyzw&cbp=12,126.36,,0,10.78

    Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

  2. I stand corrected, Patrick, you’re right. Part of the shop’s awning covers the Radio Shack sign. It is the second shop from the corner, near the bus station! Well observed…

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