Grubstake

http://sfgrubstake.com/


Place: Grubstake[1]

Location: 1525 Pine Street
(Bewteen Polk and Van Ness Streets)

Hours:  open for "Brunch" Saturday and Sunday at 8:00am

Meal: Build Your Own Omelet (but, thankfully, not Cook Your Own Omelette) ~ 3 large eggs + your choice of one: cheese, mushrooms, ham, bacon, sour cream, spinach, avocado, or sausage (where my choices were Cheddar and spinach), served with made-to-order home fries & your choice of toast: whole wheat, rye, or San Francisco sourdough; a cuppa (and 
1-1/2 refillas; whatever their house Coffee roast/blend may have been) LavAzza; and then afterward, for a breakfastary dessert[2], a Strawberry Peach Rye Scone at batter bakery

https://www.lavazza.us/en_US.html

http://www.batterbakery.com/

(There is no particular EweToobular juxtaselection for today's video/song. Perhaps both Mick and Joe are/were fans of Strawberry Peach Rye Scones.)


Grubstake has only been open as a diner since 1927 ~ in an old converted railcar that was once used for travel between Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco ~ and this was my first ever visit (for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late-night snack) there. Of course, it may very well also be my last ever visit there. They are soon to be closed/demolished to make way for a new condo-building planned for that neighborhood. So much for San Francisco history...

I sat at one of the two-seater tables in the front of the railcar-diner portion of the restaurant ~ where there are only three two-seater tables, one four-seater table, and nine diner-stools at the bar/counter area. There are several more tables and booths in a second larger dining area right next door. Plus, there are three two-seater tables on the outside/street side elevated porch area. I thought about sitting outside (it was more than nice enough this morning), but I wanted to experience the old-timey railcar dining area (which was kinda my whole point in trekking all the way over to Polk-Gulch on a Sunday morning, anyway).

There really are not a whole lotta things (not to be confused with those "half-lotta" things) from which to choose on their breakfast menu for stupid vegetarian types. Otherwise, I was looking at either the Grubstake Benedict (sourdough toast, guacamole, chopped bacon [which I would have 86-ed, natch'] & Hollandaise sauce – summer perfection!) or Huevos Rancheros for Real (corn tortillas topped with beans, ham [once again, ochenta-y-seis-ciudad] and two fried, runny eggs), both of which are listed on a separate "Get Brunched!" menu.

This was a good omelette/meal. I liked it and it filled me up. I found out that they only offer Cheddar (but it was "real" cheese, at least) as their choice of cheese; I would have gone with Swiss cheese, otherwise. It was also made with lots of fresh, sautéed spinach. I chose sourdough as my toast choice; it came as three half-slices of toast. Three halves of toast?! I have seen this anomaly at other restaurants, too, and I always have to wonder if I am getting someone else's half-slice, or if someone else is enjoying my missing half-slice.

Grubstake truly excels in the condimentary supplement department in that they offer their own homemade (diner-made, whatever) hot sauce: 
Verde Fire Sauce. It is available for use in plastic squeeze bottles on all of the tables. It is made with a jalapeño base (I asked) and is not really that picante (well, I suppose it might be considered estupido gringo espicy), but it has mucho sabor; I ended up using a lot of it on the potatoes. I also used some more (about eight splashes/drops) of my own Hot Licks® Serrano 
Hot Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on the omelette.

After breakfast, because I still had a little more room in my appetite and because it is right next-door, I stopped in to batter bakery to sample some of their wares. I knew I was going to get one of their fresh-baked scones, but there were several other excellent choices from which to decide: Ginger Cranberry, Lemon Currant, Orange Chocolate Chip, or Walnut Fig (buckwheat). I went with the choice that I did because this was their seasonal choice and may only be available for a short time longer ("short time longer"?); plus, I was intrigued by a scone made with rye flour. It was a very good choice, and it was made with lots of large slices (not just small bits and pieces like some places might do) of both peaches and strawberries.

Sadly, I did not see any actual breakfastary dishes that included steaks made from grubs. I may have to get back there for lunch or  dinner to try one of those... if they are still open then, of course. (Apparently, calling yourself "World Famous" just don't count for much these days.)


Glen Bacon Scale Rating:
Build Your Own Omelet ~ 6.4;
Verde Fire Sauce ~ 6.8;
Strawberry Peach Rye Scone ~ 7.0;
cool, historic San Francisco atmosphere ~ 7.8

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1. So, sorry, the name really has nothing to do with either beetle larvae or sliced-up dead, decaying bovine flesh.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grubstake

2. I have still yet to come up with a decent portmanteau for a snack-treat after the early morning meal. If anyone out there wants to give it your best Charles Lutwidge Dodgson try, please let me know.