Provisions en route to Monterey from SFO?

originally posted by Nicolas Mestre:
Provisions en route to Monterey from SFO?Anyone know of any good places to load up on cheese, bread, charcuterie, etc on the way?

Your input is much appreciated.

What route are planning to take? 101 to Salinas and over? 101 to 17 to Sta Cruz, then down? or 82 to Hwy 1, then down the coast?

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Nicolas Mestre:
Provisions en route to Monterey from SFO?Anyone know of any good places to load up on cheese, bread, charcuterie, etc on the way?

Your input is much appreciated.

What route are planning to take? 101 to Salinas and over? 101 to 17 to Sta Cruz, then down? or 82 to Hwy 1, then down the coast?

Mark Lipton

Do any of those bring me into close proximity of what I am looking for?

(I won't be in a hurry and don't care which route I take.)
 
The Coralitos Market makes a nice stop, but thats pretty close to Monterey.
You looking for something in Santa Cruz or further up, say in HMB?
 
Why would you take 101 when you could go 380 to 280 to 85? Much prettier, faster, etc. Down the coast is prettiest and slowest, and you should check the marine layer, because it might just be socked in with fog even this late in the year.

(I assume you literally mean the airport, not the city, since why would you not shop in SF if you were there..?)

You could stop at Roberts Market in Woodside, very close to the highway. You could run in to the Stanford Mall down Sand Hill Rd. and get some stuff at Schaub's, though I think the Oakville Grocery is closed, yes? That used to be a good cheese stop.
 
originally posted by Nicolas Mestre:
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Nicolas Mestre:
Provisions en route to Monterey from SFO?Anyone know of any good places to load up on cheese, bread, charcuterie, etc on the way?

Your input is much appreciated.

What route are planning to take? 101 to Salinas and over? 101 to 17 to Sta Cruz, then down? or 82 to Hwy 1, then down the coast?

Mark Lipton

Do any of those bring me into close proximity of what I am looking for?

(I won't be in a hurry and don't care which route I take.)

You'll almost certainly have better foraging the longer you stay on 101, as it takes you through the heart of Silicon Valley (i.e. the South Bay Area) where there are plenty of good food sources.

Some options:

1. If you go the 101-to-17 route, it'll take you very close to the Cosentino's Market in San Jose. They're a high end grocery store with good cheeses and a decent salume selection, but far from artisanal.

2. Some of the best charcuterie in the Bay Area is made by Fabriques Delices, but they don't sell directly to the public. Fortunately, they do sell at various farmers' markets in the Bay Area, a list of which can be found here. At those same farmers' markets you can usually find a good assortment of breads and, with increasing frequency, locally made cheeses, too. It's more catch as catch can, though, and will depend on which day you're planning on buying your provisions. Just to give you an idea, on Wed. you could hit the San Mateo market, then continue over 92 to the coast and then down. On a Thursday, you'd have to hit the Daly City one, backtracking a bit, but then meander down the coast on 1. On Sat. you could either do the San Mateo as before, or the Sunnyvale, then following 101 down to either 17 or Salinas. On Sunday, you could do Los Gatos, Campbell or Mountain View, all of which are en route for you. M, T and F you would be SOL.

There are probably more options in Santa Cruz and/or Half Moon Bay, but someone like SKraft will have to weigh in on them.

Mark Lipton
 
I would take 380->280->92->1 to get there and enjoy the drive. Even socked in, driving the coast beats the shit out of driving through silicon valley.

Half Moon Bay has a New Leaf Market, much like an independent Whole Foods, that is excellent, as well as a wine/cheese shop (good selection of cheeses, less so of wines) down town. There are options in Santa Cruz as well. Personally I'd rather get out to the coast quicker and there are plenty of options for stops that way.
 
Josh's suggestion about maximum coast depends on just how your priorities sort out. If it is a priority to have a wide and deep selection of these foods, both local and international, then I have to say, to my knowledge the best one stop shop I'm aware of (among your route choices) is the Whole Foods on Stevens Creek Blvd in Cupertino. It is the largest WF in the western US. It's pretty fuckin' big. If you are talking cheese, charcuterie and breads, nowhere else in the area offers anywhere near the selection for those items. It's very likely you'd find some Fabriques Delices products there, for instance. The beer selection is
excellent, the wines not so much. That means going south on either 101 to 85 or 380 to 280 to 85. Then to 17.

I've never been to the HMB New Leaf but I been going to the Santa Cruz stores for 20+ years. Their distinctive standout offerings are high quality organic local fruits and vegetables from some of the best area farms. Cheese and charcuterie there are just OK. The west side SC New Leaf shares it's parking lot with the Bonny Doon winery. This past month one could see Bonny Doon in full swing when going shopping.
I happened to sample a few carignan grapes in bins as they were being cooled with dry ice on one occasion. Randall's "Cellar Door" restaurant is there.

The BEST cheese/gourmet food/wine shop in the Monterey Bay Area is in Carmel. This place is old school, it's been there for 37 years (which counts as long time around here) and has that old timey CA atmosphere. Unfortunately it is not on the way, it's even just a bit south of Monterey in downtown Carmel. Definitely worth checking out if your visit permits.

The best source for Disorderist wines is Soif in downtown Santa Cruz. South of SF on the Peninsula, the best wine source is K&L in Redwood City.
 
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