Skechcrawl—North Beach

 

My sketchcrawl would begin with a vanilla latte and a cornetto at Caffe Roma (1.) I then stopped for lunch at Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store (2.) After eating, I rounded the corner on Union and sketched a hat from Gorin Brothers Hat Shop (3.) Next I walked down to Grant Street and stopped at Cafe Trieste to paint the sign on the corner of Grant/Vallejo (4.) Finally, I headed back to Columbus and stopped for a second lunch at L'Osteria del forno, (5.) thus concluding my sketch/binge crawl. Would you believe I had dinner later?

1. Caffe Roma

2. Marios Bohemian Cigar Store

3. Gorin Brothers Hat Shop

4. Grant and Vallejo

5. L'Osteria del forno

Honolulu Half Marathon Weekend

Sketchcrawl in The Mission

Lunch @ Starbelly

Chicken Pot Pie @ Ella's

Chicken pot pie cooking on the stove at Ella's. Is it ready yet? I'm hungry.

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There we go! And piping hot, too. I had to let it cool off a bit. Perfect on a cold day!

Anatomy of a Bánh mì

Ingredients of a pork bánh mì From the NomNom Truck.

Lunch @ Rumble

Looks like In 'N Out to me.

Captain Submarine

Offering a wide selection of sandwiches and gyros, Captain Submarine is a great option for a delicious and inexpensive lunch in Pacific Heights. The super friendly family owned shop is just off the hustle and bustle of Fillmore street on Sacramento, and you may just walk right past it if you're not paying attention. Its price point, considering the neighborhood, is incredibly reasonable—a crab sandwich, soda, and a bag of chips set me back only $8. And the great thing is you don't need permission to come aboard this vessel. Anchors aweigh!

Captain Submarine • 2486 Sacramento St (at Fillmore St) San Francisco, CA 94115

Fremont Diner

The best thing about The Fremont Diner is that you don't have to go to Fremont to get there. Instead, you'll find it in Sonoma—if you don't drive right past it, that is. This unassuming Highway 121 retreat maintains a low profile. But when you pass it, turn around and go back; you won't be disappointed.

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Sitting outside on the green-blue picnic benches, with the official start of Summer a couple weeks away, I was compelled to have their hot dog, which was grilled to perfection and the bun was nicely toasted, too. Other items my friends ordered looked really tasty, like the mini fried chicken sandwich. I may have to get that one next time.

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Great crumbly cornbread, Batman! Oh, that's supposed to be a dollop of honey next to the butter.

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Came back later for a milkshake. Yum!

.The Fremont Diner - 2660 Fremont Dr - Sonoma, CA 95476

Sancho's Taco Truck

Sancho's Taco Truck pulls up to our parking lot at work every now and then, and yesterday, I finally got in line with everyone else and tried it out. For $5, you can get a pretty hefty burrito (pollo  pictured above) that makes me wonder how devastatingly full the deluxe burrito would make me feel.

Bun Mee

Meet the Sloppy Bun. This is a Vietnamese sandwich brought to you by Denise Tran of the new Bun Mee on Fillmore street. Ms. Tran also has good taste in art—this drawing will soon be gracing the wall of her establishment. Expect long lines here. Call your order in ahead of time.

Acme Burgerhaus

The Acme Burgerhaus isn't exactly dining at its fanciest, but if you want an excellent burger, a BLT or something other than a BurgerHouse, than look no further. On top of that, the draft beers are $1.95. Yes, you read that right. Acme Burgerhaus 559 Divisadero St (between Fell St & Hayes St)

Delarosa

Delarosa is owned by the same people who brought you Starbelly. The pizza is exactly the same. Whereas Starbelly is strictly beer and wine, Delarosa offers amazing cocktails, mostly of the gin variety. And you know I'm not into gin. But these concoctions... (Cocktail depictions coming soon!) The staff here is super friendly. They serve dinner late, too. I think until 1:00AM.

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Bam!  I do, in fact, like the crust. It's just that I need to economize stomach space  to finish the whole thing.

Roam Artisan Burgers

Roam is a welcome addition to the cupcake shops and designer pastry boutiques that line Union Street. You can get a grass feed beef burger, turkey, veggie, bison, sometimes venison. They serve tasty seasonal vegetables from the Farmer's Market, and have amazing bruléed milkshakes as well. (I'll have to do one of those later.)

Chicago Bagel Authority

The Chicago Bagel Authority's  jurisdiction lies in the heart of Lincoln Park, Chicago. I'll either get the sandwich described above, or a Tob-E-Que (turkey, green bell peppers and BBQ sauce.) Either way, it's always accompanied by a rice crispy treat--a genuine one--not one of those factory made hunks of glue.

Tacolicious

Tacolicious is well named. No need for me to ramble on about it, you don't look any further than the description of the queso to comprehend the goodness:

"Local? No. Sustainable? No. Delicious? You bet!"

Guac!

Yeah, ate it before I could sketch it. But I'll be back.

Woodhouse Fish Co.

With a friendly staff, great food, and great atmosphere, Woodhouse is one of those places I can show up and have a great lunch or dinner.

There's a lot to choose from on the menu, and they have an exhaustive list of specials. Featured here is the toasted buttered Dungeness roll.

And cup of clam chowder, New England style.

"What's this 'bite radius' crap?"

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Lunch @ The Vin Club

Perfect on a cold, rainy day.

The owners of Luella and Tomasso's have launched a lunch project called Eat Me Lunch at The Vin Club on 515 Broadway. This was a delicious grilled cheese and tomato soup which hit the spot on a cold rainy Friday. Menu changes weekly.

Blue Barn Gourmet

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If you can negotiate the convoy of Maclaren strollers and typical Chestnut Street lunch crowds, you'll be treated to some great sandwiches and salads at Blue Barn. That tuna sandwich is quite tasty, and their salads are generously portioned. The staff is quite friendly as well. Best to call ahead and place your order in advance.

2105 Chestnut St (between Mallorca Way & Pierce St) (415) 441-3232

Grilled Cheese