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.

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.