The Grubstake is a little diner on 1525 Pine (Pine & Polk) in San Francisco, that's open until 4 am daily, and serves a mix of American and Portugese food.

Step up the short flight of wooden steps from the street, and walk in the door. The right half of the restaurant is located in an old streetcar, with the more conventional left half having been added later. The street car side is dominated by a bar that runs along the wall. Large murals adorn the walls on the other side. It's perpetually warm and cosy inside, and never seems to be more than half-full. The menu is mostly American food, but there's a small Portugese selection on the back cover that's worth trying.

It's not art noveau cuisine, just big, solid portions of fries, burgers, and shakes (which are highly recommended... since they're nice enough to give you the aluminum flask that they were mixed in).

In the past, I've had their pork chops and mashed potatoes. The chops were lightly seasoned with pepper and spices, and the mashed potatoes were fluffy, and drizzled with butter. I washed it down with a Portugese beer recommended by the waitress, which turned out to be an excellent accompaniment to the meal.

For those of you wishing to stay on this side of the border, the burgers are all excellent choices (especially the blue cheese burger), and the fries that accompany them always seem to be hot and fresh.

When Strick and I visited in early August, 2000, they had the following specials on the menu:

• Halibut Chowder ($3.50)
• Mozarella Cheese Sticks ($5.00)
• Roast pepper with tomato salad and balsamic vinagrette ($4.25)
• Linguini - Cheese Sauce (?)
• Zucchini and Chicken sausages ($8.50)
• Fresh Halibut ($11.50)
• Roast leg of lamb w/ mashed potatoes ($9.50)
• 16 oz. T-Bone steak with potatoes and vegetables ($14.00)
• Blackberry cheese cake ($4.50)
• Rice custard pudding ($3.25) Really good!

See also FQA 169: Where does the Yak like to eat?

Other places I'm going to get around to reviewing:

WhizWit (sandwiches and fries, Mission District)
Café Bastille (french, Financial district)
Tu Lanh (vietnamese, peri-Mission, between Market and Mission on 6th St.)
Little Orphan Andy's (diner, Castro)
India Garden (lunch buffet, Mission)
Calzone's (tourist italian, North Beach)
Shalomar (sp?), (indian, Tenderloin)
The Pinecrest (diner, Union sq. area)