Next time that summer fog's got you feeling blue, cheer up with a trip to Boudin at the Wharf, the new flagship outpost of the San Francisco original. More Broadway than bread shop, the showy new addition to Fisherman's Wharf has bakers kneading, throwing, and shaping hundreds of loaves of sourdough bread in front of tall picture windows that allow one and all to watch.
Five dollars buys you a tour of the 5,000-square-foot demonstration bakery and a visit to a museum of San Francisco history, where bakers will explain how the city's foggy weather has kept the sourdough starter alive and well since 1849. Spend more at the retail shop, the heated cafe, or the upstairs bistro, which looks out at Alcatraz and the bay.
Or, for free, stand outside and chat with the bakers, who are wired for sound. They'll tell you the fog's not such a bad thing―especially for loaves of sourdough. ―A.W.
INFO: Bistro Boudin ($$$$; lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sat-Sun); Boudin Café ($; 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily); museum and tasting (10-7 daily; $5). 160 Jefferson St., Pier 43 1⁄2, San Francisco; 415/928-1849.
