Best Bread

San Francisco is renowned for its fabulous bread, and the Noe Valley Bakery is a contemporary reason why. As a co-conspirator in the relatively recent artisan-bread craze, the shop bakes a fantastic selection of marvelous loaves studded with figs, apricots, walnuts, and other delights, but Noe Valley's good old-fashioned San Francisco sourdough is simple and superb: beautifully textured, crusty, and dense with microorganismic flavor. You can get Noe Valley breadstuffs throughout the Bay Area, but it's fun to drop by the tiny outlet and take in the aromatic selections: apple-cinnamon challah; onion-sesame baguettes; semolina bread sticks; Gorgonzola-topped focaccia; seasonal specialties like hot cross buns, Christmas stollen, and Irish soda bread; and a couple dozen others. Sandwiches are assembled out of the same good bread you came to purchase, and muffins, scones, tarts, cookies, croissants, and pies are available as well.