San Francisco Walking Tour Part 2: Little City Selected Meats Market

So on we go, and what do we see, but a man unloading his A6 Black Audi on the boxwood hedge in front of his restaurant (North Beach Restaurant). Grace Ann eagerly dips her hands into the arugula and pushes it ravenously into her mouth. Clearly, they were acquaintences. She chatted with him as though we were not with her. Did not introduce him to us (but told us who he was afterward) as she continued to exuberantly taste everything that came out of his car, except the eggs and raw chicken livers. I asked them for a photo, and in the middle of her chewing, and him chatting, they obliged. No, I am over here!

Beautiful produce, isn’t it? I was a bit more than a little concerned when I saw the chicken livers come out of the car and sit on the hedge without any cover over them. Clearly, fresh from the farm. Is this legal? He wasn’t being too discrete, but, then again, when I went to take a photo of the livers, he grabbed them and covered them with his arm as he whisked them into his restaurant. Sometimes these little unexpected happenings can be a definite point of interest while on a tour.

And here we are, at The Official North Beach Museum. Apparently hardly any of the NB residents are aware that there is a museum here, but I was glad we stopped by. The photos and very small collection revealed a part of the the city’s past that I hadn’t understood before.

Then to Little City Selected Meat Market for our promised sample of house made sausage. It really is a fantastic meat store. The recipes lining the outside windows look worthy of testing. The cuts and quality of the meat inside was clearly visible, and the owner was a very passionate man. I asked him how his veal was fed, and I don’t even recall his answer. He was speaking so fast and so enraged by the question that he completely caught me off guard. I didn’t want the answer that badly. If I was living there, yes, I would have insisted I understood what he was saying. But, I am on holidays, and just wanted an escape from what felt to me like a confrontation, not an answer. But, I had to appreciate his passion. Yes, I did. I would love to see a meat market like this in Edmonton. We do have really good meat markets here, but his was such a combination of a family history,  the Italian culture, and the opportunity he has to secure such a vast variety of meats.

Here is the passionate man, himself. We did not get the sausage samples. Grace Ann gave us each a crumb of Parmasan cheese like we had never had it or heard of it before. That was funny. “I guess I didn’t give him enough notice to prepare our sausages for today, but we have a very special delicacy for you to sample: Parmesan Reggiano. Isn’t it to die for?” Well, yes. It is. But, I have had it accessible to me most of my life. I think, by the eye contact, everyone had. However, who cared. No one. The shop was fantastic. We purchased two of each of the specialty house made sausages and had them a couple of nights later at Lauren’s. They were very special. I would definitely be a regular customer of this market if I lived in the city, or even near the city. It still leaves me wanting!

Little City Market Selected Meats
1400 Stockton @Vellejo
The Spinalis offer handmade Sicilian sausage, eggs, chicken, meatloaf ready to cook at home or they’ll grind a meatloaf blend to your specifications.

Now, onto a little ceramics store on the way to Tony’s for lunch. Ta-ta!