announcer: a kqed television production. larriva: it's like holy mother of comfort food. kastner: throw it down. it's noodle crack. patel: you have to be ready for the heart attack on a platter. crowell: okay, i'm the bacon guy, right? hoofe: oh, i just did a jig every time i dipped into it. man: it just completely blew my mind. woman: it felt like i had a mouthful of raw vegetables and dry dough. sbrocco: oh, please. i want the dessert first! [ laughs ] i told him he had to wait.

sbrocco: hi. i'm leslie sbrocco. welcome to "check, please! bay area," the show where regular bay area residents review and talk about their favorite restaurants. now, we have three guests, and each one recommends one of their favorite spots, and the other two go to check 'em out to see what they think. this week, on another special show, we're gonna celebrate the food

of three of the mom-and-pop places we've visited over the years. they're all still going strong. first, let's visit the grubstake. it's a place for serious night owls and early birds and i've been there at both times. [ laughs ] it's where stu smith finds all of the homey portuguese food he craves along with classic diner dishes. owner fernando santos met and married his wife here, and now they work together every day on pine street in san francisco at the grubstake. linda: so, the grubstake it's an old streetcar, and it originated on mason. [ bell rings ] when it was on mason street, there was a movie that was shot there with humphrey bogart in it so that was pretty interesting. then it was moved onto pine street and it's been here for 40 years now. fernando: we serve portuguese and american cuisine all types of food from breakfast, lunch, dinner snacks, appetizers.

then the most popular plate -- a lot of people have steak and eggs, pork chops burgers, and a lot of breakfast. woman: ooh-la-la! fernando: the grubstake has a wide range of customers here from taxi drivers to people that work in the restaurants and people from clubs all over the city. a lot of people, they've been coming for over 10 years, over and over. they know exactly what they want when they walk into the door. everyone who meets here at the grubstake -- this is like a family sometimes. and we open every day until 4:00 in the morning, so you can come anytime you want. we serve you portuguese and american food. ciao! bye! [ chuckles ] sbrocco: all right this is a diner, stu but it's -- it's really an historic place, isn't it? smith: yes, it is. it's an old streetcar, and it was a 24-hour diner that served breakfast 24 hours a day and a lot of other stuff and then about 18 or 20 years ago a portuguese couple bought it, and they put on a portuguese menu on one side

and american standards on the other, and -- sbrocco: so you got breakfast, and you got linguica. smith: you got breakfast all the time until 4:00 a.m. every day and linguica, yeah, big. they sell a lot of linguica. they sell it with pasta. they sell it on sandwiches. they sell it in soup. they sell it any way they can. sbrocco: that's right. and, right, the streetcar dates back to 1927, i think. -smith: yes, yeah, yeah. -sbrocco: the railcar. all right, what was your experience at the grubstake? i'll start with you, mark. rhoades: well, my experience was pretty good. we actually went there on a tuesday night and at 7:00 and left around 9:00 and it was packed. i mean, it was -- so that was really impressive. but a really diverse crowd. i mean, there was more of kind of, like, a hot, sexy senior citizen kind of crowd going on there which was nice. [ laughter ] smith: a reflection on me. i don't like that. -rhoades: oh, no, no. -sbrocco: oh! rhoades: you're, what, two years older than i am, right? no, no, no, no. sbrocco: just hold on to the hot and sexy. -soo hoo: ooh! [ laughs ] -rhoades: but then -- but they are laughing. it just kind of reminded me of like, your grandparents when everybody's just out having fun and just laughing and talking,

and so, you know, that was -- i think it's definitely a place to people-watch. sbrocco: yeah. rhoades: especially at 2:00 a.m. i'm so glad you guys didn't make us go then 'cause i was like, "that's probably the key." sbrocco: because that's what it is. rhoades: i'm too old for that. smith: they're there all the time. sbrocco: right, when you're out drinking and then you want a -- you want a burger, a cheeseburger that's the spot to go, right? rhoades: definitely. definitely. sbrocco: because it is open actually, i think, till 4:00 a.m. smith: till 4:00 a.m., seven days a week. -sbrocco: mm-hmm. -rhoades: i mean, i liked it. i just was afraid, and i don't know how to say this. i want to say this in a very complimentary way, but i said to a friend of mine -- i said, "you know, at 2:00 a.m., this food's good." so, but i mean that in a very good way. you know, i don't mean it like uh, are you saying you got to get drunk first? no, i'm not saying that. [ laughter ] but it must have been something to see in the '70s and the '80s and, you know, when everybody was out around that area it must have been something really special, so... sbrocco: what did you have to eat? rhoades: okay, i'm a big fan of linguica. i just love linguica and when i saw that, i was like, "oh, okay, this is great." and -- but what was so great about it is that they gave it on a french roll and butter. so, two things i don't eat is,

i try to stay away from white bread and butter, so i just felt like, "oh, this is a treat." "i mean, they're making me" -- you know what i mean? i have to do my research, right? sbrocco: oh, twist your arm. rhoades: so, i was just like -- so, i kind of had this look like "oh, god, this is like heaven, so i can do this," so, yeah. sbrocco: yeah, you eat linguica, but you avoid bread and butter. i love that. [ laughter ] all right, karen what about you? what did you have to eat? soo hoo: i had a delicious kale and potato soup. it was very good. only one thing about it -- it was just a tad salty, but other than that, it was really good. the fog was just rolling in. it was a saturday night, and it was just very fitting. and i had a dish with bacalhau -- the salt cod and potatoes -- was really hearty. had these beautiful terra-cotta plates and the bowl. i was just -- i was loving it. sbrocco: and bacalhau is a traditional portuguese dish, yeah. smith: she ate from the portuguese menu on the back, and it's very authentic. soo hoo: admittedly, i wanted to eat breakfast, and one of the gals who -- i like breakfast at dinner, too, but i resisted and -- and i think i'm gonna go back for breakfast and the homemade pies they had selected on there. but it was fun.

sbrocco: and what are your favorites when you go eat there, some of the dishes that you enjoy? smith: i love almost everything they serve and it's such a diverse menu. i mean, i -- you know, i never get tired of it. we probably go about three or four times a week and eight times -- sbrocco: three or four times a week to this place?! smith: a week. oh, a week, yeah. sbrocco: oh, my g-- do you have your own booth? [ laughter ] smith: i should. yeah, yeah i do know them very well. but i don't think they treat me any differently than anybody else, and the food just remains, for such a broad menu, consistently great in my opinion. i love the food. rhoades: the service there was amazing. they were so kind and friendly and i felt like the owners were there... soo hoo: they are, yeah. rhoades: ...which is really important. and people love that san francisco charm of knowing the owners, and they come out, and they talk to you and they greet you and, you know, they were just wonderful to us. sbrocco: as you said a local spot where -- and it sounds like you got the same treatment that you did. smith: yeah, and i think everybody does. i think it's probably the friendliest, most authentic diner in san francisco if not all over.

i travel a lot and i go to restaurants all over and we have some great diners here. but i can't think of a place that is that friendly, that is that diverse in its clientele that cooks such good, authentic food. it's a family-run joint with a family that loves its audience and cares about them. sbrocco: all right. mark? rhoades: i would definitely go back to that. i thought it was -- it was a lot of fun, it had a lot of positive energy to it and i think that, you know it's definitely a place where you could see taking your friends and just having a great time and enjoying it because, like i say, i mean, it's probably better to, you know watch reality there than watch reality tv at home, right? soo hoo: [ laughs ] rhoades: you know? and that's what san francisco's famous for is the diversity and, you know, and just watching just a mixed group of people so... sbrocco: and those sexy senior citizens. rhoades: hey, they were very friendly. they were polite. i just, you know -- sbrocco: all right, karen? soo hoo: i will definitely return to the grubstake. i thought it was a friendly joint. i met the owner there. it was very friendly, welcoming.

even though i'm not a san francisco native or do i reside in san francisco -- i'm down in the peninsula -- but they made me feel like a local right when i walked in there. and good food, great value so...i'm a customer. sbrocco: if you would like to try the grubstake it's on pine at polk in san francisco. the telephone number is 415-673-8268. it's open every day from 5:00 p.m. until 4:00 a.m. reservations are recommended and the average dinner tab per person without drinks is around $20. next, denise coleman visits the turk and larkin deli regularly. owners mike and jean rise early -- very early -- to make everything fresh and now their daughters help out. you won't miss the location at turk and larkin in san francisco as it's all in the name -- the turk

and larkin deli. mike: my name is mike aburahma. i'm the owner of turk and larkin deli. we started in april 1979 with three kinds of salads and five kinds of sandwiches. [ indistinct chatter ] my wife and i, we start at 5:00 a.m. every morning start making fresh salads, and we bake barbecue chicken every morning. we make falafel from scratch. we make hummus and the rest of all of the salads every day, five days a week. jean: have a nice day! mike: my wife, jean, and me, we spend together 24 hours a day but when we're in the store, we treat each other as a professional. we work together as a team. i ask her do this, she ask me do that. i'll do it. our customer mostly regular.

they come every day, and we have judges from the courthouse. we have homeless from the street. they all come in every day. and we all treat them just like friends, and every day, customers they keep coming back and back and that's why we're in business 31 years. sbrocco: now, denise the owners, mike and jean, have had this place, the turk and larkin deli -for 30 years. -coleman: 30 years. sbrocco: and this is an institution in that neighborhood, isn't it? coleman: it is. sbrocco: have you been going for -- 10 years, darling, 10 years. [ laughter ] coleman: and it literally has been 10 years. and i have loved every minute of it. i love their fresh salads, their incredibly tasty lean meats. it's just awesome, and the service, the incredible service. that mike, he's at, you know at the counter constantly, serving up the salads and the sandwiches and he keeps everybody and everything moving.

and jean she's at that cash register, just ringing everything up. [ laughter ] hirsch: cracking jokes. coleman: cracking jokes. right! sbrocco: everybody knows them by name, right? coleman: yes, everybody! it's absolutely -- it's incredible. love it. eat there as often as i can. sbrocco: and they get there at 5:30 in the morning to make those salads every day right? coleman: they're freshly made every day. sbrocco: right, now, evan, when you went, because you sort of shook your head with jean, was she -- was she cracking jokes behind the counter? hirsch: oh, yeah. oh, mike and jean are adorable. she's a lot of fun, and i love the way she pitches in, too. he'll be doing things. he's got a system. he's on a roll. she has a way of homing in on exactly what he's doing and where he left off with the last customer and is able to jump in and go, "oh, one more salad" or whatever it is, and boom, ring 'em up. sbrocco: because the lines can get long at that place at lunchtime yeah. hirsch: but they fly. [ snaps fingers ] they really -- they are a well-oiled machine. sbrocco: right. right, and when you went, what did you have? hirsch: i had the meat-loaf sandwich. i actually had a half a meat-loaf sandwich, and it was a chunk of meat loaf on a half a roll and two salads. sbrocco: that's all right, honey. you need a little fattening up. it's okay.

we need to fill you up a little bit. hirsch: i can afford to eat, right? so, and i had the nice combination. for $6.25, you get half a sandwich and two salads. sbrocco: and they offer all those combinations? hirsch: yeah, they have interesting combinations you can choose from. so, i got the caesar and the greek salad. sbrocco: they make 20 different salads every day fresh. coleman: every day. hirsch: at least, even more than that. coleman: and each one of them has their own distinct flavor. you know if you get an avocado salad, you're gonna have plenty of avocados in there, and you're gonna know it's an avocado salad. the same thing with the ambrosia or the fruit salads. sbrocco: i mean, who makes ambrosia anymore? come on, let's face it. it's great. hirsch: it's not that easy to find. sbrocco: that's right. that's right, yeah. and you don't even work in the neighborhood anymore, right, but you still come back. coleman: i still come back absolutely. it's my best and favorite lunch place to go. demordaunt: i went several times, actually. i approached it from two different locations each time and had a rather harrowing trip through the neighborhood. [ laughter ] hirsch: oh. coleman: it's a very colorful neighborhood. demordaunt: yeah.

sbrocco: colorful -- there we go. that's the way to go. demordaunt: well, i was kind of concerned for my safety, to be honest with you, and although that shouldn't define the dining experience, it -- it gave me pause as i was eating, thinking about how i was gonna get back to my car. hirsch: there's almost always uniformed officers in there. demordaunt: [ chuckles ] really. demordaunt: that's true. i did see some uniformed officers in thsoe. but to answer your question, i had -- the first time i went, i asked what they recommended. they recommended a roast chicken... sbrocco: mm-hmm. demordaunt: ...which seemed to have kind of a paprika seasoning and was still fresh from the oven and was actually very delicious. i got a ravioli salad on the side, which was fine, but i... you say that they're all made fresh every morning. i wonder if the ravioli is made fresh every morning, but it was fine. and i went back with a friend. we tried a pastrami sandwich which is listed as a specialty on the menu, and a bacon sandwich which is also listed as a specialty. both were just fine. i was a little disappointed that they were made warm via microwave as opposed to some other

method. -sbrocco: mm-hmm. -demordaunt: but they were fine. -sbrocco: mm-hmm, mm-hmm. -coleman: mm-hmm. sbrocco: they were fine. okay, he's saying, "fine, fine, fine." hirsch: speaking of the microwave, too i was a little disappointed that they don't grill any sandwiches. but i understand it's a deli they're moving people along, but it would've been nice to have, like, a reuben, or a hot pastrami -- make it grilled. sbrocco: but, you know when you think about the decor i mean, these guys have been there 30 years and, you know, the decor is still sort of a throwback to the '70s, and, you know, they still use the board that you stick little letters in, you know, so it definitely has that retro feel to it. and pricing -- i mean, you know, you're spending -- you're not spending more than $10, right, for -- -hirsch: no. -demordaunt: very reasonable. coleman: did you guys sit and have lunch? -demordaunt: yes. -coleman: because i -- yeah. hirsch: there's no tables for four. the tables are small. i brought three friends with me, and we had to pull a chair over from another table. fortunately, it was not very crowded. this was peak period it was a long line but not many people sit and eat. so there were plenty of tables available, we pulled a chair. now, we crammed into a table that was so small, we definitely all needed to ditch our red plastic trays

and just have our plates but it worked okay for four of us at the table. i was -- i got to say, i hate to say anything negative, really, but i do have to say i was disappointed that they used regular, old ripe olives and not kalamata or some type of greek olive in their greek salad. that was, for sure a disappointment for me. sbrocco: all right, denise turk and larkin deli is your spot so wrap it up for us. coleman: absolutely my favorite lunch spot ever. it's inexpensive the meals are fresh, and it's very filling. sbrocco: all right and, david, your thoughts. demordaunt: i agree. it's very filling and a good value but it's a very scary neighborhood so just be aware of that in advance. sbrocco: all right, evan would you go back? hirsch: i would go back. mike and jean are adorable. this is their lifeblood. it's like a member of their family, and i admire that. it's not necessarily a destination i would go to, but if i was in the neighborhood, certainly and next time i'm on jury duty i'm sure i'll go see mike and jean for a sandwich. sbrocco: all right if you would like to try turk and larkin deli it's on turk at larkin street in san

francisco. the telephone number is 415-771-6889. it's open for lunch monday through friday. no reservations are needed and the average tab per person without drinks is around $10 and that's cash only. and lastly, jeff kramer explored fisherman's wharf to find argentinean food served up from a stationary truck called tanguito. the husband-and-wife team of steven and betina work hard to make their dream of sharing the tastes and flavors of argentina come true. on jones street, don't miss tanguito argentinean grill & empanadas. [ indistinct chatter ]

mares: i am steven alexander rodriguez mares. lewin: and i am his wife, betina lewin. we are the owners of tanguito argentinean grill & empanadas, but he is really the mind and the heart behind tanguito. mares: i don't know the mind but my heart. lewin: we love to cook we love to meet new people we like to make some friends and we love the reaction from the people who has our food for the first time or even the second time or even after the third time. they are like, "wow, i can't believe that burger or that steak!" mares: i always work on the grills in argentina. you go out on the freeway from buenos aires [sniffs] you have men, you know on the grill. and that's why i like it. and here, where everybody sells seafood, we sell steak.ll we sell empanadas, and they're the best empanadas in the bay area. we love it. lewin: our specialties are empanadas. but is very popular the hamburger

'cause we put a little bit of chimichurri in the ground beef. we've been here for the past three years now. mares: three years, working... in the day here, in the night, driving a taxi. just to make possible this, no? sbrocco: okay, jeff, now, i know, you know we can talk about tango. i'm a big argentine fan, argentina fan. kramer: we can dance on the tabletop if you'd like. sbrocco: well, don't get me started 'cause i would. kramer: [ chuckles ] sbrocco: how did you discover this spot? it isn't a moving-around food truck. kramer: no, totally by accident. i don't even like going to fisherman's wharf most of the time. you know, living here, there's no reason, but i was actually on a job, working at one of the hotels near there. and i was on my way to in-n-out burger to get some lunch and i passed by. and i was intrigued because i realized i didn't really know what argentinean food was, and they had empanadas.

sbrocco: meat. meat. kramer: yes, well, it is all about meat, true. but in addition, they had these empanadas and they had, like a spinach quiche. so, i went to in-n-out burger anyway. but on the way back, i stopped at this truck. i was like "i have to at least experiment," and then the first thing i had was their spinach quiche and then i went back the next day and started exploring their menu and realized just how good it really is. sbrocco: right, and what is your go-to dish when you get there? kramer: you know, i [sighs] i love -- it sounds trite, but i love everything they do. i mean, the empanadas, without a doubt, are -- i mean, if you're gonna make me pick one thing you have to try the empanadas. there's the ham and cheese which is really great, and i went with my friend ray, and he loves that. there's a chicken. there's a beef. there's vegetarian options. so there's usually like three or four different empanadas on any given day. wyatt: this is better steak than steak houses serve. -sbrocco: really? -wyatt: i am not kidding you. i'm not necessarily just talking about quality. i'm talking about flavor. i ordered the tanguito burger, which is humongous and i was like, "okay, i don't know

if i'm gonna finish this," and they said, "okay have this while you wait," and they brought me a little tray of beef that was perfectly grilled... sbrocco: while you're waiting for your meat, there's more meat. wyatt: ...with the chimichurri sauce, which is known in latin america, and theirs is outrageous! i'm, like, sitting and going "wait a second. this is a truck?" i had a friend say "i'm not coming with you because it's a food truck." and so i ended up going alone, and i said "okay, you know what? i'm gonna do it latin style." you know what we do? we take things to go 'cause that's also a telltale sign of good latin food. -so i ordered the paella to go. -sbrocco: mmm. wyatt: and i ordered two empanadas to go, but i had the chicken there because the chicken, to me -- i know everybody's go-to is the beef. the chicken is a real sign of a good empanada. that's a little inside latino saying. and let me tell you, that chicken empanada... sbrocco: girl, that'll make you dance.

wyatt: i was like, okay, well, let me roll back for a minute. -sbrocco: [ laughs ] -wyatt: the french fries -- he had the nerve to come out and ask me "would you like garlic? i'm like, "dracula likes garlic on his fries!" [ laughter ] i'm like, "yeah!" and then i sat there and ate these fries and go, "how am i gonna finish this tanguito burger?" and the burger is outstanding. sbrocco: now, what did you have, ccke, when you went? steffan: well, i went, and it was a saturday morning, and so i thought fisherman's wharf -- there's gonna be this huge line. and so my friend and i we decided to split three dishes. -we had the paella... -sbrocco: mm-hmm. steffan: ...and the mahimahi and saffron rice and we split a dessert of the dulce de leche crepe but i'll say that service was -- was the one thing that i said needed to be kind of improved. it took 20 minutes for the paella to come out. sbrocco: it is a food truck. steffan: no, but it took 20 minutes for the paella to come out. wyatt: but it was fresh. and they didn't know that we were splitting. and so, the other entrée didn't come out for another 25 minutes, so it was 45 minutes for one of the entrées. so, for a food truck or any restaurant, i want it to come a little sooner.

but i'm gonna understand that it's a food truck. but the paella, i thought, had this, you know these beautiful colors these autumnal colors of gold and green and orange and it had the squid and the crabmeat and the chicken and the sausage, and i thought that was so good. and then when the mahimahi came out with the saffron rice the saffron rice was used in the paella, but this time it was bitter, and it was over-seasoned. it was over-salty, and the actual mahimahi was overcooked and dried out at that point. sbrocco: that's because they waited 45 minutes. steffan: probably, yeah, they forgot about it maybe but they redeemed themselves with that dulce de leche crepe because the friend that came with me was a pastry chef -- an executive pastry chef in berkeley -- and he loved it. he loved the batter. it really melts in your mouth. sbrocco: this sounds like something that you would like. wyatt: well, i was surprised 'cause, actually, there were other people there and i asked them because i went alone. so i had to ask other people "how do you like your food?" "how do you like your food?" and then it was like [mumbling] like, you couldn't hear them

because they were so busy enjoying their food. steffan: there were some people having some food orgasms next to me. "oh, oh, i can't even have more than that." like, the people were so excited to eat this food that i was so excited that maybe i was a little skewed by the time i got the mahimahi -because... -sbrocco: [ laughs ] steffan: ...it definitely wasn't what they were eating. sbrocco: the food-gasm was over. kramer: they also do something called a choripan sandwich which is a sausage kind of split in half just on bread with the chimichurri. i mean, the chimichurri sauce is some kind of, like, magical ingredient. it just makes everything it's on taste better, whether it's chicken, fish beef, rice, or bread. wyatt: it's like a latin-american sausage and pepper sandwich. kramer: it's great. yeah, the choripan is like that, exactly. wyatt: yeah, the argentineans have the sausage and pepper. they have the -- choripan it's called? kramer: choripan, yeah. wyatt: it's incredible. kramer: and, yeah, there's quite a number of dishes where you just bite into it and it's like, "whoa." there's no denying that it's -- the food's great. the price is dirt-cheap for san francisco. yeah, it's a little slow. i mean, it's slow. it's not even a little slow. it's

slow, i agree. sbrocco: i mean, come on you can walk around. wyatt: well, bang for your buck to me. if i don't have to get on a plane to go to south america, yeah! because that's how good the food is. sbrocco: and if you get latin men bringing you free steak... wyatt: well...that's okay. kramer: i would say go and relax. steffan: i didn't get any little free things beforehand. sbrocco: i don't know. all right, jeff, this is your spot. -give us a quick summary. -kramer: sure. so, the food is made with love. you can tell that from the chefs. the prices can't be beat and just when you're there be patient. sbrocco: [ laughs ] okay, and mike? steffan: it's a good bang for your buck. it's definitely good argentinean food, and definitely try their dulce de leche crepe because you will not go wrong. sbrocco: okay, and carol? wyatt: i'm just going back. [ laughter ] that's all i'm saying! i'll be back -- probably tomorrow! -sbrocco: [ laughs ] -kramer: good to hear. sbrocco: if you would like to try tanguito argentinean grill & empanadas, it's on jones at beach in san francisco. the telephone number is 415-577-4223. it's open for lunch and dinner till 7:00 p.m.

every day except monday. reservations are not accepted, and the average meal price per person without drinks is around $14. cash only, by the way. ah, remembering these spots make me hungry, but that's okay. it's so good to know we can go visit again and again and again. jeff kramer and the spicy south american flavors at tanguito argentinean grill & empanadas, stu smith and the eclectic dishes from the historic san francisco spot, the grubstake, and finally, denise coleman and the delectable delicatessen of turk and larkin deli. we really want to hear your thoughts about today's show and your experiences at any of the restaurants we've been talking about. so go to our website at kqed.org/checkplease where you'll find a lot more information and details on all the restaurants featured. you can watch a segment or download a whole show. you can also read my notes on the wines we're drinking today and don't forget you can stay in touch with us via facebook and twitter. so join us next time when three new guests will recommend their favorite spots

right here on "check, please! bay area." i'm leslie sbrocco and i'll see you then. cheers! announcer: this show is available on demand and online. to watch an episode, find restaurant information, or to apply to be on the show, go to our website at... you'll also find us on facebook and twitter.

announcer: a kqed television production.

announcer: a kqed television production. man: it's like holy mother of comfort food. kastner: throw it down. it's noodle crack. patel: you have to be ready for the heart attack on a platter. crowell: okay, i'm the bacon guy, right? man: oh, i just did a jig every time i dipped into it. man #2: it just completely blew my mind. woman: it felt like i had a mouthful of raw vegetables and dry dough. sbrocco: oh, please. i want the dessert first! [ laughs ] i told him he had to wait.