Best of the Bay 2012

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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST BOWLING IN THE GUTTER, BUT EATING WITH THE STARS

Andrew Lam
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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST BOWLING IN THE GUTTER, BUT EATING WITH THE STARS

BEST BOWLING IN THE GUTTER, BUT EATING WITH THE STARS

The new Mission Bowling Club is one badass bowling alley. There’s no funky smell or dated dinginess (charming for some, we know) in this open and industrial space, which boasts a large front patio, a bar area, and two dining areas — both downstairs near its six lanes and upstairs overseeing all the striking action. With its retro-fetish crowd and quirky flourishes, you could dismiss the whole thing as Mission hipster — but never has bowling food been taken to such gourmet heights. The menu was designed by none other than that Mission Chinese Food and Mission Street Food wunderkind, Anthony Myint. Cheer on bowlers from comfy couches while sipping a dreamy cocktail, or pick up that spare accompanied by a plate of ratatouille, some crisp pork belly, a beloved Mission burger — or its worthy vegan kale-and-chickpea alternative.

3176 17th St., SF. (415) 863-2695, www.missionbowlingclub.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST SIX-WAY STIMULANT

Andrew Lam
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BEST SIX-WAY STIMULANT

We said it when this hot spot opened in 2010, and we’ll say it again: the coffee preparation at Ma’velous ranks among the best you’ll find anywhere. Coffee geeks are stoked that here you can have your coffee prepared six different ways, via Chemex extraction, Kyoto slow-drip, Siphon machine, French press, Hario V60 drip, or Ma’velous’s own unique espresso machine. Owner Phillip Ma rotates bean selections from around the world: roasters include Verve, Intelligentsia, and Norway’s Tim Wendelboe. Another uniquely Ma’velous feature is the cafe’s artistic eco-design by Adeeni Design Group: retro-modern reclaimed furniture, sophisticated graffiti from street artist Eddie Colla, and pressed tin ceilings. Bonus points for remaining a WiFi-free respite where the menu of supreme espressos — paired with a good book — makes the coffee ritual a luxurious experience rather than a utilitarian necessity.

1408 Market, SF. (415) 626-8884 www.maveloussf.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST BACKROOM CHICKEN

Andrew Lam
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BEST BACKROOM CHICKEN

Win ultimate cool points on a night in North Beach by taking your friends to Chubby Noodle, a wee Asian hideaway in the back of the shabby-classy Amante bar. Order at the back kitchen window — illuminated by a neon sign asking, “Hungry?” — then slide into roomy booths for Korean tacos, house kimchi, spicy garlic noodles, and Hawaiian poke. (Cheeky chef Peter Mrabe, also of hip taqueria Don Pisto’s, tosses steaming bowls of buttery grits into the menu mix, too.) The standouts, however, are heartwarming red miso ramen and — especially — organic buttermilk-brined fried chicken in generous five-piece wings or strips. It’s American fried chicken with Asian attitude, dipped in habit-forming, creamy sambal dipping sauce. And everything is under $13. Skip Italian next time you’re in North Beach and opt for something a bit more adventurous and a bit more, er, chubby.

570 Green St., SF. (415) 361-8850, www.thechubbynoodle.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST FRESH-SQUEEZED FLIGHTS

Andrew Lam
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BEST FRESH-SQUEEZED FLIGHTS


If founders Derek Castro and Luisa Alberto have anything to say about it, the juice bar is the wine bar of the future — and, given Castro and Alberto’s Blue Bottle past, it’s not surprising that they feel a fresh-squeezed swig can have all the body and depth of a finely prepared coffee. Pronounced "so," SÔW is their regular pop-up juice bar inside Pause Wine Bar, at which they hope to prove that juices deserve all the attention to nuance and provenance as their more fussed-over beverage cousins. Tastings are served at room temperature so as to not numb flavors, and in garnished glasses much like artful cocktails. Yes, flights are sometimes available, offering the chance to taste (and see) an entire rainbow of fascinating flavors; a recent one even featured Early Girl tomatoes. Currently only open weekends, the SoWers hope to add weekdays with more tastings, an expanded menu, and an even bigger following of nectar connoisseurs.

Every Sat and Sun in Pause Wine Bar, 1666 Market, SF. (415) 637-7343, www.sowsf.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST GENERATIONS OF DISTILLATION

Andrew Lam
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BEST GENERATIONS OF DISTILLATION

It’s a true family affair at Charbay Family Vineyard and Distillery, located in the wilds of Napa’s Spring Mountain district, where father and son Miles and Marko Karakasevic distill together, while wives Susan and Jenni run the business with them. Descended from 13 distilling generations, Grand Master Distiller Miles has a heroic history, having left former Communist Yugoslavia for North America in 1962 and eventually founding Charbay with his family in 1983. Marko has been involved with the business since the ripe-old age of 10, growing up among St. Helena’s vines. Charbray covers distilling, brewing, and winemaking: Miles’ Old World aesthetic and precision partnered with Marko’s forward-thinking vision is apparent in everything from tequila and vodka to rum and port. Cases in point: Miles’ elegant 27-year brandy and Marko’s just-released, one-of-a-kind Bear Republic IPA and stout beer whiskies.

4001 Spring Mountain, St. Helena. (707) 963-9327, www.charbay.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST A LA CART

Andrew Lam
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BEST A LA CART

State Bird Provisions opened in late 2011, honoring Lower Fillmore’s jazz spirit with inventive plates (a bargain at $5-18 a dish) flowing from the kitchen like high-flying jazz riffs — with one major innovative twist. Most are presented dim sum-style, rolled through the pegboard-walled dining room on carts or offered on trays for your pick-and-choose pleasure. Dynamic husband-wife chef duo Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski, formerly of Rubicon, change the menu constantly, transcending now-typical seasonality restraints to take flight with visionary flavor combinations and presentations. A helpful map of the nation’s state birds adorns the restroom, but there’s only one on the menu: the California quail, of course. Fried and crusted with pumpkin seeds; sided with a couple cart picks like eggplant “fries” with pimenton and charred wax beans with pickled-egg salad; and chased down with dreamy shots of peanut muscovado milk; it’s a real plate-licker.

1529 Fillmore, SF. (415) 795-1273, www.statebirdsf.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST SATISFYING READ

Andrew Lam
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BEST SATISFYING READ

Directions for preparing seaweed burger, mouth-watering ramen that doesn’t come from a Styrofoam cup, and monkfish tripe have all found their way into the pages of local publisher McSweeney’s sizzling new food quarterly Lucky Peach. Each volume, available in paper only, is comprised of more than 150 pages and contains recipes and writings that stimulate the intellect and taste buds simultaneously. Yummy examples of contributing foodies and writers: David Chang, Peter Meehan, Anthony Bourdain, Ruth Reichl, John T. Edge, Todd Kliman. The magazine’s issues (there have been four so far) are brimming with personal essays, short stories, taste tests, interviews, and heaps of recipes. In a time when most magazines are scaling back, Lucky Peach offers a conspicuously fulfilling read.

www.mcsweeneys.net

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST TOFU SORCERERS

Andrew Lam
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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST TOFU SORCERERS

BEST TOFU SORCERERS

It’s rare to taste a sliver of tofu fresh from the package that melts in your mouth. Blocks of the standard grocery-store variety are best used in sizzling cooked-up meals, sopping up sauce or marinade to provide any substantial taste. But not so the bricks from Hodo Soy Beanery, crafted in a cheery Oakland factory that offers weekly tours. No, this tofu is good enough to eat raw. Hodo, which opened its doors in 2004, even goes above and beyond its gleaming white cubes of organic, non-GMO protein. The company sells the whole soy cow: soymilk, snack-friendly yuba strips, five-spice tofu nuggets, and lemongrass curry nuggets. Varieties are sold throughout Bay Area specialty food shops and farmers markets, but we highly recommend coming out to Hodo’s factory, where you can couple your shopping with a tour of the factory floor.

2923 Adeline, Oakl. (510) 464-2977, www.hodosoy.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST OLD SCHOOL PANINI

Andrew Lam
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BEST OLD SCHOOL PANINI

There are places in North Beach that are parodies of themselves: fake replicas of what someone from North Dakota might think a San Francisco Italian restaurant would look like. Too often, the meals these pretenders serve are a tepid farce. Not so with the grilled mozzarella and tomato panini from Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe. The sandwich’s authenticity mirrors that of the small, sometimes crowded restaurant and local hangout itself, which hasn’t changed much in the three decades we’ve been going there. The menu is limited, but the food is excellent, featuring fresh ingredients simply prepared. Take the panini in question: eaten alongside a glass of red or Campari on the rocks, it makes a perfect SF lunch. A nice reminder that everything old and cool hasn’t been priced out of town.

566 Columbus, SF. (415) 362-0536

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST CURD CRUSADER

Andrew Lam
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BEST CURD CRUSADER

Cheesemaking: the process sounds intimidating, but no matter how you slice it, it’s all about caring for curds. You, the non-dairy-farming urban-dweller, can learn the mores involved in this delicate relationship via the Milk Maid, a.k.a. Louella Hill. Hill will let you taste some of the mind-blowing blue cheese she concocts in her home kitchen. But she doesn’t really want to make cheese for you, though she could. Instead, she wants to empower you to make your own wedges and wheels. She imparts lessons in classrooms, at farmers markets, even at alt-hip bachelorette party tutorials. Having studied cheese-making from the Hudson Valley to Northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, the woman oozes sharp, smelly, and semi-soft expertise — you could do a lot worse than let her teach you to baby a blue.

www.sfmilkmaid.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS

Andrew Lam
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BEST IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS

Christine Doerr, the chocoholic force behind Neo Cocoa, makes truffles sans the outer hard chocolate shell. Why bother with an extra layer when you can go straight to the gooey ganache inside, capable of melting perfectly in your mouth? After all, isn’t their filling the reason why we eat truffles in the first place? That was Doerr’s thought, anyway, when she enrolled in La Cocina’s food vendor incubator program. Now she has her own personal chocolate kitchen and her amazing, ridiculously decadent chocolates can be found all over the Bay Area. Warning to all Neo newbies: these truffles are dangerously addictive!

www.neococoa.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST GEMÜTLICHKEIT

Andrew Lam
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BEST GEMÜTLICHKEIT

Mention Speisekammer Restaurant to islanders who know, and you’ll get an instant flash of that gemütlichkeit, or cheery coziness, the spot is renown for. They’ll bend your earbone raving about the dishes served up under the ownership of former Cafe du Nord honcho Cindy Johnson-Kohl: the succulent sauerbraten served with a side of red cabbage and spätzle, the cabbage rolls, the potato pancakes with house-made apple compote — or for the unrepentant carnivores in the fam, the Gegrillte Fleischplatte, a family-style grilled meat platter spilling over with sausages. It’s the lip-smacking stuff of liebling’s dreams — and it’s all begging to be washed down with a selection from the expansive drink list, and accompanied by live music from locals like the Frisky Frolics jazz cats, and Cali country outfit Kit and the Branded Men.

2424 Lincoln, Alameda. (510) 522-1300, www.speisekammer.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST ALL-AMERICAN CONFECTIONARY OVERLOAD

Andrew Lam
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BEST ALL-AMERICAN CONFECTIONARY OVERLOAD

What’s more American than apple pie? We’re of the informal opinion that it’s milkshakes, and no, we’re not being paid by the American Dairy Association to say that. Imagine our glee, then, when the quietly unassuming Chile Pies opened up and — in addition to tasty treats such as empanada-like tamale hand pies and green chile pot pies with cheddar cheese crusts — an extravagant decadence known as Chile Pies’ pie milkshake also made it onto the menu. That’s right. It’s pie. And milkshake. Any pie you want and any flavor of Three Twin’s truly superior ice cream, served in a generous glass mug and topped with a billowing drift of whipped cream. Share it with a loved one to prevent instant coronary arrest, or live dangerously and gobble down a whole one yourself. You’ll never look at pie à la mode with quite the same dotage, guaranteed.

601 Baker, SF. (415) 614-9411; 314 Church, SF. (415) 431-9411, www.chilepies.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST SEASONAL SUDS

Andrew Lam
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BEST SEASONAL SUDS

Don’t scoff at fruit beer — at least not until you’ve tried a bottle from Almanac Beer Co. Jesse Friedman and Damian Fagan make but one kind of small-batch beer a season, testing and re-tasting until they’ve hit upon the perfect produce with which to pair their bottlings. But we’re not talking coupling suggestions here. Almanac chooses an agricultural partner for each of its releases, adding to that beer’s standard mash bright harvest flavors from places like Kingsburg’s Hamada Farms, source of enviable citrus fruits, and Heirloom Organic Gardens, whose springtime fennel graces this year’s earthy Bière de Mars. Each release is limited, stamped with an eye-catching label, and let to ferment a third time in the bottle itself, lending each sip a sprightly, effervescent fizz.

www.almanacbeer.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST SPICY CRACKER

Andrew Lam
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BEST SPICY CRACKER

Noe Valley’s new destination sushi bar Saru does an excellent job of revamping its closet-sized space, making it feel roomier, sleeker, and, thanks to large front windows and an elegant brown color scheme, altogether different from the previous two sushi spots occupying the same space. Any sushi bar serving “the lobster of prawns” — pristine, raw spot amaebi — is already savvy. In addition to the usual salmon and tuna offerings, adventurous eaters can try plenty of playful, unique bites prepared with care, including the wonderful “spicy cracker” — a crispy sheet of seaweed fried in tempura and topped with spicy tuna and avocado. Sushi nachos? Yes, please! Also neat: tasting spoons filled with vivid, raw fish, drizzled in elegant dressings like truffle oil. Snappy rolls satisfy while cheery service welcomes you back.

3856 24th St., SF. (415) 400-4510, www.akaisarusf.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST SPLASH OF GREEN

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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST SPLASH OF GREEN

Need a bit of gentle encouragement before you open your home to an exquisite orchid? Will it take a little nudge before carnivorous pitcher plants share space with your beloved ironic porcelain figurines? Maybe a delicate hand is called for when it comes to developing a chic terrarium habit. Michelle Reed, the owner of indoor plant paradise Roots, has no problem with all that — her gorgeous little boutique is there to help green up your apartment and let the sunshine in. Besides delectable, mood-brightening plants for your inner sanctum, the store also stocks a healthy selection of local art to elevate your interior design aesthetic, as well as a neat array of planters and supplies (we’re in love with the heart-shaped wall planters that look like little light sconces). Let your tight, high-rent space breathe a little easier with help from Roots’ little friends.

425 S. Van Ness, SF. (415) 817-1592

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST VALUE-ADDED WAFFLE

Andrew Lam
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BEST VALUE-ADDED WAFFLE

Despite regulations handed down by the city’s Medical Cannabis Task Force, which have eschewed food that can’t be stored at room temperature and have made mandatory stringent labeling guidelines to prevent kiddos from getting caught up in too-cute pot food, Bay Area medicated food producers continue to innovate. See: various trail mixes, hard ginger and cinnamon-flavored candies, and high-class chocolate. But our favorite non-traditional cannabis food item isn’t all that non-traditional … in Amsterdam. Canna Organics’ Stroop Waffle packs a punch at four doses per pair of flat waffle cones, stuck together by a chewy, sticky layer of caramel. It’s like carnival food, but meant to take you on a journey to alleviate your aches and pains, neuroses, and various other maladies.

Available at various Bay Area dispensaries

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST BREW-NOS AIRES

Andrew Lam
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BEST BREW-NOS AIRES

If you’re looking for the perfect brew to pop into your Dolores Park-prepped picnic basket, look no further than the new-ish Ceveceria de Mateveza, where Mateveza’s signature ales, lagers, and IPAs brewed with that stimulating Argentinean beverage yerba mate await in a park-side brewpub location. There are ready-to-go bottles for the sunshine-inclined, but also perfect blends of stimulating mate and smooth-tasting hops on tap if you prefer to snag a pint — plus one of the joint’s sweet or savory emapanadas — and hang indoors. Just don’t let the décor fool you; the picturesque shelves of Buenos Aires paraphernalia belie the fact that real porteños would never befoul their beloved tea with beer. Thanks goodness we’re in San Francisco, where alternative couplings are a point of pride.

3801 18th St., SF. (415) 273-9295, www.ceveceriasf.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST STYLE FOR APOCALYPSE SURVIVAL

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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST STYLE FOR APOCALYPSE SURVIVAL

Triple Aught Designs fills a post-North Face niche almost too perfectly: the outdoor apparel company is locally based (it’s headquartered in the Dogpatch) and personable (the recently opened outlet in Hayes Valley offers a friendly, intimate shopping experience). It is also light-years ahead in terms of tech and design: hyper-strong micro-thin jackets and hoodies in futuristic battleground colors so styley we’d seriously consider sporting them on the dance floor, plus elbow armor and space pens that zip right past wilderness campouts and into Prometheus territory. We’re particularly enamored of the Triple Aught backpacks — these strappy beauts could have been nabbed from a boutique on Tatooine, a perfect look for riding out the coming apocalypse.

660 22nd St.; 551 Hayes, SF (415) 318-8252, www.tripleaughtdesign.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST ILLUMINATI

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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST ILLUMINATI

Situation: You’ve just moved into a new place, only to look up and discover that the previous owner somehow Frankensteined three different desk lamps from the more aesthetically challenged end of the 1990s into a living room light fixture. It must die. Worse: Your aunt just gifted you the most generic Walmart wall sconces ever for your housewarming present, and she is coming to stay next month. Perhaps worst of all: You’ve just discovered a gorgeous 1930s pendant lamp in the basement, but it’s banged up terribly and who the heck knows if it works? Solution to everything: the wizards at Dogfork Lamp Arts, headed by owner Michael Donnelly. Services include restoring and rewiring antique lamps and light fixtures, and even reinventing ugly ones — making glowing swans of your awkward mass-market ducklings. (We discovered Dogfork’s magic at the new Local’s Corner restaurant in the Mission, where a pair of Pottery Barn lamps were transformed into wonderfully intriguing, post-steampunk sconces.) Rip out that gross track lighting and put up something unique.

199 Potrero, SF. (415) 431-6727, www.dogfork.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST RIBS IN THE ROUGH

Andrew Lam
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BEST RIBS IN THE ROUGH

One need only scope the location of Double D BBQ next to the decidedly unlovely International Avenue to grok that the storefront incarnation of this former food truck is as unpretentious as it is under-hyped. Credit this food-first attitude to owner Duane Orr’s blunt (but friendly) personality. Screw décor — his art is barbeque. Our favorite is his brisket sandwich: greasy, fatty, saucy chunks of meat falling out of a soft roll. Double D’s Texas-style red sauce, sold by the bottle, is sweet and tangy with a mild spice. Other menu highlights? Ribs and chicken grilled with a perfect hint of char, and creamy, peppery macaroni and cheese. Fair warning: we’ve begun to have severe Double D brisket cravings. A similar yen might lead you to cavalier disregard for aesthetic niceties.

1240 First Ave., Oakl. (510) 228-7000, www.doubledbbq.net

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST POLKA PURVEYOR

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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST POLKA PURVEYOR

Though Skylar Fell fell in love with the squeezebox via a happy exposure to the punks of the East Bay’s Accordion Plague back in the 1990s, she knows to pay homage to the masters. Fell apprenticed with master repairman Vincent J. Cirelli at his workshop in Brisbane (in business since 1946!) and at Berkeley’s now-defunct Boaz Accordions before opening Accordion Apocalypse in SoMa. The shop, which both sells and repairs, also stocks new and antique instruments in well-known brands (to accordionists, that is) Scandalli, Horner, Roland, and Gabanelli. Fell will fix you up if you bust a button on your beloved accordion, and she has made her store into a hub for lovers of the bellows — check out the website for accordion events coming up in or out of the city.

255 10th St., SF. (415) 596-5952, www.accordianapocalypse.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST BABKA, BUBBELEH

Andrew Lam
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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST BABKA, BUBBELEH

BEST BABKA, BUBBELEH

Have you ever fantasized about eating a chocolate bar for breakfast and totally getting away with it? (Be honest now.) No need to slip a Snickers in your Corn Flakes — or even worry about dessert for a couple weeks — when you’ve got a huge, heavy, delicious babka from Wise Sons in your breadbox. Evan Bloom and Leo Beckerman’s canny tribute to traditional Jewish food made the transition from popular pop-up brunch and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market stand to perhaps too-popular brick-and-mortar deli this year. The charming old-school atmosphere and menu filled with dishes like the mouth-watering chopped liver, the addictive pastrami cheese fries, and the vibrant pickle plate are certainly worth the often considerable wait. But it’s the formidable chocolate babka, made of scrumptious dark chocolate ribboned through dense, cinnamon-flavored, brioche-like dough, that really has us missing Grandma (although perhaps she wouldn’t approve of such indulgence).

3150 24th St., SF. (415) 787-3354, www.wisesonsdeli.com

Best of the Bay 2012: BEST HOGWARTS GREENHOUSE FOR MUGGLES

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Best of the Bay 2012: BEST HOGWARTS GREENHOUSE FOR MUGGLES

They may not scream when you uproot them or ensnare you with insidious vineage, but the exceptional succulents, epiphytes, and bromeliads at Crimson Horticultural Rarities will certainly tickle your fancy — in a perfectly harmless way. Find everything necessary to cook up an enchanted garden or adorn your dorm room (four-poster bed not included) in singular style. Proprietresses Leigh Oakies and Allison Futeral indulge your desires with oddities ranging from the elegant to the spectacular to the slightly creepy, and will even apply their botanical wherewithal to help you create a whimsical wedding. Or, if your potions kit needs restocking, Crimson can supply sufficient dried butterflies and taxidermied bird wings to oblige you. (Collected, cruelty-free, from California Academy of Sciences.)

470 49th St., Oakl. (510) 992-3519, www.crimsonhort.com

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