It’s hard to believe that a hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop could jump-start a neighborhood food renaissance, but that seems to have happened in the Castro. When Ike’s Place opened in 2007, word got around about its super-stuffed artisan sandwiches, and the lines started forming. Since then, the neighborhood that used to get by mostly on generic cafés and bars has been filling up on food from one culinary haven after another, from a place that sells fabulous homestyle Indian fare (Kasa) to a cozy French bistro (L’ardoise), to—gasp!—an upscale restaurant (Frances) run by one of the city’s top chefs. Every Wednesday afternoon from April through October, a farmers’ market sets up shop on Noe Street at Market, and locals are about to get not one but two grocery meccas, as final plans for a Trader Joe’s and a Whole Foods are starting to come together.

Strangely enough, the bad economy may actually be fueling all this growth, says Steve Adams, president of the neighborhood’s merchants’ association. Landlords have been forced to lower rents in what has historically been one of the most expensive places in San Francisco for commercial renters. “They’re getting nervous,” Adams says. “They’d rather get something than nothing.” But the residents—and those who now travel to the Castro just to eat—are making out like bandits.

GRUB
All 200 sandwiches at Ike’s Place  are made with Ike Shehadeh’s signature dirty sauce: a garlic aioli with spices, herbs, and some super-secret ingredients. This soon-to-be-patented condiment, along with the hefty girth of each hoagie, has some diehard fanatics waiting up to three hours for their sammie fix. Riding on the heels of its success, Ike’s has opened another outpost in Redwood City, and one more is coming soon, on the Stanford campus. 3506 16th St.

The brainchild of a Kraft Foods brand exec and a British-born lawyer with one hell of a stash of family recipes, Kasa offers simple Calcutta food that’s become a staple for the neighborhood. But its delicious kati rolls—think Indian burritos—lure diners all the way up from the Peninsula. In fact, demand is so high that the team opened its second space, in the Marina, this past December. 4001 18th St.

Thierry Clement, former chef at SoMa’s Fringale, has transformed the old Los Flamingos location into a neighborhood restaurant, L’ardoise, which serves bistro-style French cuisine out of a tiny galley kitchen. The cozy corner eatery has been packed ever since it opened, in March 2008. 151 Noe St.

Last December, Melissa Perello, of Charles Nob Hill and Fifth Floor fame, swung open the doors to her first solo venture: the long-awaited Frances. In this 46-seat nook, Perello serves up a menu of rustic cuisine paired with the restaurant’s own blended house wines. (For a full review, see Critic’s Table.) Paul Einbund, the beverage master, hopes Frances’s “market shots”—its signature mini-cocktails of whatever they find at, well, the market—will bring in locals and visitors alike. 3870 17th St.

The owners who got cocktails and Italian appetizers so right at Beretta are at it again, in a neighborhood joint across from late-night diner Bagdad Café. Starbelly is quickly getting a reputation for California-style comfort food (mini-corndogs with housemade ketchup), thin-crust pizzas, and small plates. Although they don’t have a liquor license, they serve some interesting cocktails using beer and wine. 3583 16th St.

HANGOUTS
The corner of 17th and Castro, once a clusterf*** of an intersection, now boasts tables, chairs, and planters, as well as dozens of lounging locals and tourists. Modeled after a similar effort in New York City, the Castro Commons is a Pavement to Parks initiative—one that reclaims unused, unnecessary street space. Two other such projects have just been completed in the Mission and Potrero Hill.

Greg Bronstein, who instituted the popular brunch at Lime, offers something different at his new “industrial-glam” club, Trigger. Regulars of this NYC-style venue, which boasts exposed cement walls and a glass balcony, enjoy go-go dancers, scantily clad acrobats descending from the ceiling, and bottle service on the mezzanine. 2344 Market St.

THE TALK
Trader Joe’s just inked a deal to take over the former home of Tower Records on Market Street. Some owners of nearby stores worry it will steal business, and some residents are freaked out about the inevitable traffic snarls. (A plan for another TJ’s at Sanchez and 15th was already nixed because of neighborhood protests.) But supervisor Bevan Dufty claims that parking concerns will be addressed during the planning stages. 2284 Market St.

ON THIS SPOT
Castro Camera, of course, is the holy shrine of the district. But Harvey Milk isn’t the only one who mixed things up around these parts. In the early 1900s, famous anarchist Alexander Berkman (a long­time asso­ciate—and some­time lover—of Emma Goldman) pumped out 29 issues of his bimonthly radical rag, The Blast, from his home at 18th and Dolores, a few blocks away. 575 Castro St. 

WHAT IT COSTS
…to rent: $2,700 gets you a two-BR, two-bath Victorian at the top of 17th St., at Uranus Terr.
…to buy: A two-BR condo with a view of Twin Peaks goes for $899,000 at 189 Collingwood St.