Inside the Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco is a market where many locally produced items are sold. Within its walls there are shops to purchase high quality cheese, ice cream, seafood, coffee chocolate, and meat. Long before I walked the halls of the Ferry Building, I knew the one shop that I had to visit. The shop beckoned me from thousands of miles away.
Chris Cosentino is the chef at San Francisco's Incanto restaurant and has been featured on TV numerous times. Cosentino was also on the Food Network show Chefs vs. City. Aside from becoming a bit of a celebrity in the restaurant world, Cosentino has become a master at the art of salumi. 'What is salumi,' you ask? Well, it is the Italian word for cured meats. Whether cooked, cured or fresh, salumi is an orgy of meat. And that's one kind of orgy I can get into.
So when the opportunity came to travel to San Francisco, I knew that Boccalone would have to be worked into my schedule. Walking up to the shop, my mouth was already watering. Just looking at all of the options in the shop was overwhelming. I scanned all of the meats over and over again. The staff there was very helpful and while I was trying to select some sausages to bring back home with me, I decided to purchase one of their signature meat cones. It is a paper cone you can get pre-filled with a mixed selection of their meat or you can get 6 slices of meat from your own choice. I opted to get their pre-filled meat cone and a cucumber soda.
The meat cone had pancetta, mortadella, and prosciutto in it when I was there. Two heavenly slices of each. The mortadella was so silky smooth with all the right bits mixed in. The prosciutto literally melted in your mouth with each bite. So full of fatty flavor. Each bite was wonderful and before I knew it my paper cone was empty, leaving me with the feelings of a four-year old who just ate the last bite of a sno-cone (I have a four-year old so I am qualified to make this assumption).
The cucumber soda was a cool, refreshing companion to the meat cone. The Dry Soda Co., makes the soda out of their Seattle, Washington, office. The soda had just the right amount of sweetness, but the overwhelming flavor of cucumber was in every sip. Boccalone carries several of the Dry Soda drinks and I can imagine that all of them are tasty based on the delicious taste of the cucumber soda I selected.
So after taking a respite for my meat cone and soda, I was back on the hunt for my meats. I decided to get a pound of their cappocola and a pound of their Ossabow prosciutto. The Ossabow is expensive to say the least, but it is made using pigs from the Ossabow island in Georgia and it is widely considered the best prosciutto made in the United States. I got a taste of one slice while I was standing there and I nearly fainted. Words here can't really describe how delicious the Ossabow is. It is so buttery and salty. It melts in your mouth and has such an old world feel to it.
I also opted to get the Salami Sampler. The sampler is four 6-8 ounce chubs of uncut salami, each with their own distinctive taste. My sampler had Orange & Wild Fennel salami, Brown Sugar & Fennel salami, Soppressata, and Salame Pepato. I couldn't wait to get back home and try each of these meats. I made them last as long as I could and I truly enjoyed every last bite. My favorites were the Brown Sugar salami and the Soppressata, but each had their own unique flavor profile.
And now for the best part. If you want to partake in some of Boccalone's best salumi offerings, you don't have to plan an emergency trip to San Francisco. While going there in person is certainly a unique experience that is unmatched, you can get Boccalone delivered right to your door since most of their products can be shipped. The aforementioned Salami Sampler is one of those products. You can check out all of the options on their web site at www.boccalone.com. You can even get your own Tasty Salted Pig Parts t-shirt. I wear mine proudly at all of my barbecue contests.
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