The fireworks are coming. So are the s'mores, the beers, and all the patriotism you can muster. Do you know where your sausages are? Here, a guide to help you find the best potato salad, the sweetest pie, and all the Fourth Of July essentials that fall in between.
1) Bi-Rite Market: 18th Street's epicurean destination has filled out the deli case with 4th of July appropriate fare, making it a one stop shop for any picnic. Their deli manager is particularly stoked on the buttermilk-fried free range chicken: "it holds up great for a picnic." They're also doing a spin on "Caprese" with bocconcini and peak-of-the season toybox cherry tomatoes, organic green bean salad with house pickled shallots, and a raw lacinato kale and carrot, cabbage slaw lapped in buttermilk dressing. Take note: Bi-Rite closes at 6 p.m. on July 4th. 3639 18th Street, 415-241-9760
2) Lucca Deli: The Marina's reigning classic Italian deli is known for its housemade baked ham and roast beef sandwiches on Acme rolls, but they've also got stellar potato salad, coleslaw, and macaroni salad to fill out your picnic spread. An added bonus, Lucca stocks uncooked Italian-American-style sausages from Molinari that are grill ready. We recommend the classic Sicilian, laced with fennel seed. 2120 Chestnut Street, 415-921-7873
3) 4505 Meats: Butcher-about-town Ryan Farr has several meat packages at the ready: the "crowd favorite" burger box is stocked with everything you need to make his award-winning cheeseburgers, and his sausage grill pack includes four pounds of assorted, grill-appropriate sausages, hot dogs, and chicharones. Take a look at the options here, all of them available for pickup at the 4505 Meats Ferry Building stand on Tuesday morning from 8 a.m. to noon, or during a special Fourth of July pickup on Tuesday night from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at their Hayes Valley production facility (555 Fulton Street). 415-255-3094.
4) Salumeria: Starting today, chefs Thomas McNaughton and Matthew Sigler are adding fresh, uncooked house-made sausages and pork hot dogs to the list of offerings in anticipation of Fourth of July. When you pick them up, you might want to check out other picnic accoutrement, including whole grain mustard, pepperoni, Landaff cheese, whey pickles and marinated olives—all of it made on the premises. 3000 20th Street, 415-471-2998
5) Three Babes Bakeshop: The women of Three Babes are planning to deliver pies all day on the 4th of July, and they're offering a special discount of just $4 on deliveries to the Mission, Castro and Downtown. Of course, they'll have the signature salty honey walnut pie, made with honey custard and fresh Old Dog Ranch walnuts. Co-owner Lenore Estrada says they're planning to offer the following additional flavors for the holiday: cherry-rhubarb, apricot-raspberry creme fraiche almond streusel, key lime made on gluten-free graham cracker crust, Tcho chocolate-mint chess pie made on gluten-free chocolate graham cracker crust, and Frog Hollow peach "unless it's sold out." 415-742-0484
