If you are planning to put together a beautiful cheese plate, check out The Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley. Their selection of local and international cheeses cannot be beat, and their prices are by far the best I have found.

The Cheese Board has been in business for almost 39 years. They are a collective with about 30 members. Everyone who works there is a member and has equal decision-making power. They are so friendly and knowledgeable and….they have an amazing selection of international and domestic cheeses, as well as a bakery that produces interesting and delicious breads. I find that their prices are substantially less on their cheeses and breads than I find at high-end grocery stores or specialty shops. I love the casual atmosphere, too – the place is really charming.

While you are there, check out Cheese Board Pizza, which is a couple of doors down the block. Cheese Board Pizza opened about 20 years ago and is located just a few doors down the street from the original Cheese Board. They make only one kind of pizza made each day, and it is vegetarian. We are not vegetarians, but we absolutely love their pizzas. We buy them half-baked and finish the baking at home. We have found that they freeze well – just wrap them tightly in foil and freeze for up to a couple of months. Then take them out of the freezer and pop them (still frozen) into a very hot oven (about 450^oF). Let them bake for about 10 minutes until bubbly. (If you can re-heat them on a hot pizza stone, that is even better.)

The Cheese Board
1504 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley
(510) 549-3183

www.cheeseboardcollective.coop

Cheese Board Pizza
1512 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley
(510) 549-3055

Bacchus & Venus
769 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA 94965
415-331-2001
www.bacchusandvenus.com

This wine shop is one of my favorite stops because the owner, Marcy Roth, and her staff are so knowledgeable. The shop itself is very inviting with a beautiful mahogany bar, an area that has gift items and an art gallery upstairs. I am always confident that if Marcy recommends a particular wine, it is good. I have discovered that not only does she have an excellent palette for wines, but she knows my taste very well. She also makes great recommendations on pairings, Recent discoveries at Bacchus & Venus include Rosenblum Rockpile Road Zinfandel, Robert Foley Charbono, Eric Ross Pinot Noir and Jackson-Triggs Icewine.

So, have you tried the salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery yet?  OMG!!!!  It has such a deep caramel flavor, with that touch of salt – exquisite!  It is made using organic Straus family milk.  They have a number of other great flavors, too, including ginger and chocolate.  They also make a sundae with olive oil drizzled over the top and a number of ice cream sandwiches, including one with coconut cookies and chocolate ice cream inside. 

Note:  If you take the ice cream home, eat it in a demi-tasse cup so that you don’t devour the whole carton at once!

 Bi-Rite Creamery

3692 18th Street

San Francisco

One Ferry Building Plaza, #30
San Francisco, CA
415-834-9494
www.recchiuticonfections.com

I simply love the chocolate confections made by chocolatier, Michael Recchiuti. The flavors are intense and interesting. My favorite is the fleur de sel – caramel with sea salt covered in dark chocolate. It is exquisite. Their burnt caramel sauce and their homemade marshmallows are favorites, too.

One Ferry Building Plaza, #29
San Francisco, CA
415-989-9200
www.villagemarketsf.com

This shop inside the San Francisco Ferry Building offers a broad selection of gourmet food products from around the world. I shop there for sea salts, red rice, honeycomb, chocolate, Umbrian lentils and vinegars. And I grab a few of their fig caramels to eat on the way home!