Today turned into a mini culinary-adventure up Highway 1 and through San Francisco. Mostly unplanned, but entirely amazing. I’m so pleased right now, I decided to write it all down. If you’re in the area and haven’t been to these places, go now!

An adventure through Hayes Valley:

• Paulette Macarons – The reason we ended in the area, I found this place online and simply had to see it for myself. And taste for myself. With the two people there who spoke better French than English, I could tell we were in the right place. A few free samples helped make our decisions, but we ended up just filling a box with one of each anyhow. A little taste of Paris.
• Miette Confiserie - A perfectly decorated European sweet shop, this will make you feel like a kid in a candy store. In Paris. Best purchased item there? Absinthe lollypops made by Lollyphile. Next to the Maple Bacon and Wasabi Ginger versions, it was really a no-brainer. Also of note? Two foot long marshmallows and an entire wall of licorice varieties.
  
• Patxi’s Pizza – Chicago deep dish pizza that you could drown in. In a good way. It takes a little while to make (30+ mins), but the end result is a pizza pie that actually deserves the name “pie”.
• True Sake – While this stop was more of a sightseeing adventure than any actual purchase, it was still by far the most beautiful (and only) sake store I’ve ever seen. Amazing displays of sakes ranging from $5 – $100+. From sake juice boxes to bottles as large as small children, I’m sure you can find what you’re looking for here.

On the way, another delight:

• Swanton Berry Farm – Some of the best berries and jams in the world as far as I’m concerned. It’s not quite berry season, so no self-picking was to be had – just a trip into their homely store to peruse the baked goods, drinks, jams, and other merch. It’s all a honor-payment system, and they’re very bike-friendly. Next time I’m there it’ll be by bike, and hopefully with enough room to take some berries home with me.

Next time:

• Absinthe – First off, they actually have the domain absinthe.com? Well done! Looks like a fun place, and has about 800 more Yelp reviews than most bars. That’s usually a good sign.
• Christopher Elbow Chocolates – Also first seen online, we only saw this mod storefront after they closed. Shame. Sounds like it’s definitely worth a stop, if even just to look at the pretty things you can do with chocolate.