Restaurant: Impossible *is* coming to San Diego

[DiningDiva]

Remember last December when the U/T reported that the FUD Network was looking for restaurants on the brink to be on Restaurant: Impossible and this board managed to come up with a rather lengthy list of candidates? Here's a refresher of the discussion - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/756344 - the chosen restaurant is so far under the radar that it didn't even register on the list of potential do

Well fast forward 7 months to July...from this morning's U/T -http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/20...

This is a breakfast/lunch place. They tried dinner and failed miserably mostly because of inconsistency and oddball flavor combinations. They had a recent culinary school grad in the kitchen doing dinner and it seemed like he convinced the owner to go with some poorly conceived dishes. He apparently didn't understand that San Carlos isn't the Gaslamp and what might fly there is going to land with a resoundingh thud in San Carlos.

Neither the food nor the decor at The Trails is horrible, and not nearly as bad as some of the restaurants I've seen featured on Restaurant:Impossible. But, I think that's part of the problem. The food is perfectly servicable but certainly not memorable. Serivce is usually harried and inattentive. The one thing I've never understood is why there is a line out the door on Saturday and Sunday at this place. This is a neighborhood eatery that is in an overwhelmingly residential neighborhood, and not on anyone's beaten path. There is no reason to go there unless you live in San Carlos and once you've eaten there a few times, there is no need to go back. The little shopping center in which it's located has been a revolving door of food establishments and currently has at least 2 vacant storefronts. The most successful restaurant in the area is a drive-thru Los Primos because it cheap and it's fast.

[DiningDiva]

So...The Trails has been revamped. Currently the Robert Irvine menu is only available 5 - 9 pm Wednesday and Thursday, but they are planning to expand to 5 days within the next month. Not a bad approach, practice the menu on slower nights and then expand days when everyone is more familiar with the recipes and flow.

I had breakfast there this morning (the breakfast menu is in tact and was not changed). It's always been pretty good, tho' I still think they need better coffee.

The good: the remodel is gorgeous. It really fits the location, is practical, provides a nice ambiance with soothing blues, greens and dark wood. Love the beadboard, the modernized counter and bright red stools. The subway tile in back of the counter looks great head-on, but when viewed from the side, the imperfections in the installation are apparent. The breakfat menu was never the problem at The Trails, there is something for everyone and it's pretty well done.

The not so good: Service is still a little slow. And, the 50-something waitress in short shorts was out of place when all the rest of the front of the house staff was dressed in black pants and T-shirts.

We did get a good, long look at the RI menu and I have to say it looks very appealing. It's small, covers all the bases (chicken, fish, meat) and is just trendy enough not to scare the locals. The most expensive thing on the menu is prime rib at $18. I don't think San Carlos is all that much of an apps place, but the ones of this menu do have some allure, especially for people that are looking for a smaller portion. Really liked a lot of the sandwich choices. I'd go back and try the new menu this week but I'll be in D.F. on Wednesday & Thursday. They also hired 15 new employees to cover the new dinner service.

I am cautiously optimistic. I very much like the remodel, the menu has appeal, it remains to be seen, however, whether or not the locals will embrace it once the Restaurant:Impossible novelty wears off. For the first 45 minutes I was there this morning I was the youngest person in the place. They were packed and many of those waiting were younger, but not by much.

I think Stacy's got a chance of making this go, I certainly hope it works out.

[littlestevie]

So, DD did you casually cruise down Navajo last night and check it out?

[DiningDiva]

Actually, The Trails is on Jackson Dr. (at Navajo) and I pass by it at least twice daily on my way too and from work :-). I was coming home about 9 pm last night after a meeting and drove by. I could see activity and what appeared like a lot of bodies...so I made a U-turn and went back. And, yes, I'm not to proud to admit I did casually drive through the parking lot and went especially slow past The Trails. There were a lot of people milling about both inside and out.

My mom, who lives down the street, wants to go there for breakfast on Sunday.

[strideam]

The boy and I had reservations last night for 9 pm--we were psyched to check it out ( I just loooove Robert Irvine, that old fraudster <hangs head in shame>), but we arrived and were told that they were an hour behind and couldn't guarantee when we'd get food. Robert was just wrapping things up and FN stopped filming and left shortly therafter, as did we (I was starving by 9 pm, no way I was waiting till 10!). It WAS packed but no one coming out looked particularly thrilled--maybe because Robert kept screaming at everyone to STOP MOVING AROUND while he was filming? ha.
I suppose its sorta not the restaurant's fault, but I was still p'd off we drove all the way out there and got no food and only a blurry iPhone pic of Robert. I'm sure we won't return--too far out of the way for us city folk.

[DiningDiva]

"I'm sure we won't return--too far out of the way for us city folk."

Which brings us full circle to the comment I made a week ago in my original post...San Carlos is off the beaten path and no one's going to be beating a path to a neighborhood restaurant, which is probably one of the problems.

[karaethon]

and I agreed that was the main problem :)

[Fake Name]

Ya know, I'm thinking a CH meal here would not only be against the rules, it might be fun.

Reminding everyone, of course, that any group meal of this type about two weeks following the remodel, in the evening, maybe about 7, maybe a Friday,would be in violation of the CH rules and guidelines.

So let's, as a group, not consider such an idea, OK?

[cstr]

CH doesn't have any issue with this type of event as long as CH is not mentioned in the reservation process or while at the restaurant. CH's position is that they want the establishment to treat the group the same as all of their guests and without bias. Also, any special treatment may possibly skew a review in favor of the establiushment which CH will frown upon. Just my .02 cents.

[JRSD]

CH also will not allow mention of such a meal if they even refilled your water faster than usual because that would not have been the same experience as other diners received.

[karaethon]

And CH will at some point remove this post so that the owner doesn't "catch wind" that such a gathering is going to take place. They also remove it because it's no longer relevant to "historical discussions" about the restaurant.

[DiningDiva]

Drove by The Trails this morning about 8 am on my way to work. Brown butcher paper covered all the windows and door. Big meeting in the parking lot going on. Everyone dressed in black T-shirts. They re-open tomorrow night (7/13, wonder if *that's* an omen) at 6:30 pm.

[cstr]

Unfortunately, the statistics of survival after the re-do is dismal. On FN's old restaurant make over show, most establishments went back to their old ways and ultimately failed. It's difficult to change the spots on a leopard.

[Beach Chick]

If the Trail's restaurant added a vegan patty melt to their menu, they would kick some serious ass and would have lines out the door in San Carlos..
; )

[Fake Name]

Oooo. Even better. A vegan patty melt en croute would make the place a mob scene, right?

[Beach Chick]

I like to keep my ' en croute' separate...you know what I'm saying..
and yes, it would create a 'mob' scene!

[RB Hound]

I guess this separation would also apply to my suggestion that Hacienda de Vega add a Mexican themed patty melt.

[Beach Chick]

LOL...it's already in the works at HdV...serrano chile encrusted vegan patty melt with a thousand island chipotle kick to it...followed by a cadillac marg with a Dos XX chaser..served by the most interesting man in the world!

[Island]

Yeah throw a green chile on and I'd be all over that bebé!

[cstr]

That may be worth a try, sounds very flavorful, can we rely on your inside info BC? I'll take my en croute with meat please!

[Beach Chick]

saute some jalapenos and serranos with the onions and meat patty, grass fed or garden veggie variety and it makes for one tasty patty melt..
Try making this..it really is good!

DD..is the guy who does this show, was he shown to be a fraud or am I thinking of someone else?

[DiningDiva]

No, the Dos Equis has not gone to you're head, you've got the right guy.

FTV was quick to distance themselves from him when the story broke, but funny thing, they tried having some of their othe r"stars" take over his Dinner:Impossible show and it didn't work so they brought him back. From what I can tell, he's the real deal when it comes to cheffing. During the recent Chopped All-Stars the episode with he and Anne Burrell was amazing fun and even though Robert Irvine didn't win, he displayed substantial cooking prowess.

[DiningDiva]

I think you're right, it is hard to change ingrained habits. I also think it's pretty hard for restaurant owners to make that leap of faith that's needed to commit to sustaining the "improvements". I've seen 5 or 6 episodes of Restaurant: Impossible and it's not that difficult to get a feel for which owners are willing to keep up with the changes and which ones aren't.

The Trails is not the wreck that most of the restaurants shown in the first season if R:I were. The decor is not worn out, threadbare or downright dirty. It does have an awkward counter in the center of the room taking up space. The menu needs an overhaul and the service needs an upgrade. It'll be interesting to see how The Trails is portrayed on TV and equally interesting to see what happenes after their make over. They definitely fill a niche. I'd hate to see yet another restaurant tank.

[FireFlyFiftyFive]

"why there is a line out the door on Saturday and Sunday at this place"

Aww. Well, it looks like a not terrible little place (I check the Y**p pictures (rhymes with smelt, sorta or better yet, rhymes with help)) and looked at the menu on their website. Seems like a solid little diner with decent enough breakfast and lunch menu all around $8 or so. I don’t imagine just too much is homemade – you know that chicken salad, tuna salad and curry chicken salad from a tub. But maybe…

Usually on these shows they will say trim down the menu – and they probably could/should – but it’s about the menu that thousands of short order cooks handle daily.

Do they do frozen crinkle cut fries? That would be a deal breaker for me.

[karaethon]

I think part of the problem with this one is the location. Looking at where it was on the map, I had to totally agree with the "There is no reason to go there unless you live in San Carlos" statement

[Fake Name]

And I think there are places that exist just to serve their own San Carlos'. What fascinates me is why some are successful and others not.

We've all been to such places- food nothing special, but since it's right around the corner, "we just go there".  
 
So is this one failing because it's mis-managed? Owner taking too much salary? Paying employees too much? Not maintaining a sufficient margin on each plate served? Poor lease choices? Bad parking?
 
 Should be an interesting show.

[DiningDiva]

There are more true statements in your comments than probably even you realize :-)

* There truly is not much around this part of San Carlos and certainly nothing that really fits the "we just go there" model. Unless of course you want to count the Cup & Go behind the dentist office where you don't even have to get out of the car. There are no neighborhood restaurants that you "just stop in" within a 5 mile (or perhaps 10 mile) radius of The Trails. Other than a few burrito joints the location is truly a dining desert. Heck the closest Starbucks is 5 miles away, on the border between SD and El Cajon.

* Is The Trail mismanaged? I don't think so.
* Owner taking too much salary? Don't do the books, so I have no clue
* Paying employees too much? I don't think so, one of the problems may be that they have too many employees, most of whom don't really care what they're serving. When they were doing dinner they had a real chef. He was young, this may have been his frist or second gig out of culinary school and he had delusions of granduer, but the menu was ill-conceived, and not especially well executed. When I look at a menu I'd at least like to find one or two things that sound good enough to order. There just wasn't much on their old dinner menu I ever wanted to order.
* Not enough margin on the plate? Probably. Food costs have gone up substantially over the 12 months. You can't serve their menu at their existing prices and make enough to cover your costs.
* Poor lease choices? Possibly. One leasing company handles the entire complex. There are currently 2 storefronts available, both former food operations. It's probably more a function of a poor location. It is also a very underserved location and one that is desparately in need of a good, local neighborhood joint. The Trails is the wrong concept for the location. If I had to guess, I think there may be a hefty loan payment each month on the build out from the expansion that was done right before The Trails opened.
* Bad parking? To this I can say an unequivocal, resounding NO. There is plenty of FREE parking and at least 2 handicapped places right in front.

The Trails did dinner until Mountain Mikes opened right next door to them and killed their business. Mountain Mikes went gangbusters for 6 months until Nicolosi's moved into the old Fish Merchant location. MM is now pretty dead, but probably saved by their take out and delivery. Nicolosi's was jam packed for the first 6 months too, but you can only eat so much pizza and red gravy, but their business is still strong. The Fish Merchant moved into the old Tivoli location, which is in the same shopping center as The Trails, and lasted about 6 months. They kept their same menu and prices but the ambiance was horrid and, frankly, who wants to eat dinner between the dry cleaner and an empty yogurt store. The salad bar at Keil's is really good, probably one of the better ones in town. For less than $10 I can get a rotisserie chicken and a big salad to take home.

There is one issue that no amount of restaurant make-over is going to fix and that is the demographics of their customer base. The retirement crowd outnumbers the families with children. The seniors are looking for inexpensive food they know and aren't too concerned with calories, fat or carbs. The families are looking for fresh food choices that fit a healthy lifestyle. I actually think a well thought out, pared down version of a farm-to-table restaurant might work; it wouldn't have to have a huge menu, just do a handful of things really well.

From a purely selfish standpoint I would love for The Trails to be successful so that I don't have to leave the neighborhood just to find a decent meal. I think I'll stop by on Sunday and snope around and see what I can find out. Not too proud to admit I'm curious.

[Fake Name]

"There are more true statements in your comments than probably even you realize :-)"

Let's just say after almost 30 years of self-employment, and several years of non-profit work, I've see a few financial statements. Oh, and there was that college degree ; )

Nicolosi's used to have the greatest torpedo sandwiches when they were on ECB- I worked a block away, and when I got a new job in Kearny Mesa,I'd drive like hell to pick up and eat lunch before my break was over. But we're digressing.

Fish Merchant is a great example- there was nothing special about it except it was simple fare at reasonable prices. THe location was not terrific either, except for maybe the Golden Eagle Insurance years. But locals would flock there, and supported the place for years. Maybe they had a sweet lease deal.

[DiningDiva]

You're right, the Fish Merchant was a great little local spot. Not the best location but easy enough to get in and out of and the food fell pretty consistently into the good but not great category. Rumor on the street was that when the economy tanked so did their business and they could not longer afford the lease and were looking for a way out. Unfortunately, their way out proved to not be viable. I really liked their clam chowder, not "authentic" (whatever that means) by any stretch but still a very nice soup

-----
Fish Merchant
7005 Navajo Rd, San Diego, CA 92119

[meadandale]

Not to be too pedantic but there are at least 3 starbucks within ~2 miles of the place:

http://local.yahoo.com/results;_ylt=A...

[Cathy]

I live in Santee and have been innundated with BOGO coupons for The Trails since probably November. It got us to go there, but if I were to pay the regular prices, I'd rather go to Gus's (also in San Carlos, on Baltimore at Lake Murray) which has a similar price point, a good variety of breakfast items done well and good coffee.

-----
Lake Murray Cafe
5465 Lake Murray Blvd, La Mesa, CA 91942

[JRSD]

I agree with this, but isn't Gus's technically in La Mesa?

[Cathy]

Ah. Yes. Somewhere on Lake Murray (around Jackson?) must be the city dividing line. I guess that does make Coco's the only other breakfast place in the San Carlos area. How sad.

Each restaurant is almost exactly six miles from my home. Straight down Mission Gorge to Jackson or down 52/125 to Navajo then Lake Murray.

[JRSD]

I live SD where it is about a 2 minute walk in 2 different directions to be over the border in La Mesa, so I see those signs constantly!

I think the Coco's and Lake Murray Cafe are also in La Mesa and DZ Akins is back in SD, but being south of the 8 makes it College Area. I think that its only The Trails or Einstein Bagels that are in San Carlos proper for breakfast unless you went to McCarters on the weekend.

Wow, this sounds like the great "Cafe Chloe and Cowboy Star are not in the gaslamp" debate. I feel so hip and relevant.

-----
Lake Murray Cafe
5465 Lake Murray Blvd, La Mesa, CA 91942

[DiningDiva]

Go figure...I'm literally a block down the street from The Trails and we haven't gotten a single BOGO from them. Not that we would have used it, but you'd think they'd blanket their own neighborhood rather than an adjoining one.

If the old man is cooking at Gus's, breakfast can't be beat. If it's some of the other cooks, it tends to get a little heavy/greasy. Their coffee is definitely better. I think customers probably do leave Gus's feeling like they've gotten a better value for their dollar; they are slightly less expensive than The Trails and I think you get more food on the plate. My mother loves Gus's for breakfast because they have a couple of Senior Specials and will modify some of the existing menu items for her (along with modifying the price). She's less enthralled with The Trails but I think that's a carry-over from when it was Megan's Cafe, which she disliked pretty intensely.

[Cathy]

I did only use the BOGO coupon once, even though could have many more times. I just don't think it is the right thing to do. Maybe a lot of people were doing that also and cutting into profits. (Santee is up and coming- we are getting an In-N-Out, Chick-Fil-A and Fresh and Easy. I guess some business promo programs consider our Zip Code to be hoity toity)

I didn't think it was horrible, but nothing was there to draw me back except coupons.

I hope this TV show and the improvements will stick. It would be good to be within walking distance.

[DiningDiva]

The Trails isn't horrible, it's just not memorable. I think the owner is sincere in wanting to fix whatever the problems are that she's facing. I certainly hope they're successful as the area desparately needs a decent restaurant.

I still can't figure out why The Lake Murray Cafe is busier than The Trails and Gus's combined and has the vilest food.

[JRSD]

I couldn't agree with you more on all of those points, but particularly about Lake Murray Cafe. It is right in between Gus' and DZ Akins both of which are much better options for breakfast.

It is nice that Terra is open for breakfast as well, but I thought that dinner was better than breakfast.

[DiningDiva]

"It is nice that Terra is open for breakfast as well, but I thought that dinner was better than breakfast."

Me too. I also thought the dinner menu was more interesting. Although if you go to Terra for breakfast you can also stop by PubCakes for a couple of cupcakes on your way home

[JRSD]

Yes, and cold brewed iced coffee if you time the batches right.

[ilovebreakfast]

Chicken Curry salad - made from scratch. Tuna salad - made from solid packed albacore, from scratch. Desserts (with the exception of the apple pie) all made from scratch. Scrambled egg mix made with shelled eggs daily. Muffins made from scratch. Ranch, Blue Cheese and Poppy Seed Dressing from scratch. BBQ sauce from scratch. Very few things are pre-made.

[DiningDiva]

I actually agree with you that The Trails (your restaurant by any chance) makes more of their items than not. The problem for me has been that everything is just average, ho-hum, but most importantly not better than what I could make at home. If I can make it as well - and often better - than a restaurant why do I need to go to a restaurant?

Why even attempt BBQ when... 1) West Coast BBQ is only 3 or 4 miles away and they've been doing BBQ for 50+ years and doing it well... and 2) most residents of San Carlos wouldn't know good BBQ if it jumped out of Lake Murray and landed on their plate?

[4wino]

DD, San Carlos is a wasteland for fine dining. Even the recent openings that gave me some hope, are letting me down. I eat out lunch and dinner and I find it easier to get some drive thru food and save some dough.

If you want to open up a restaurant in San Carlos it should be a Coco's.

[DiningDiva]

Yes, San Carlos is a fine dining wasteland, but that's not what the The Trails is trying to be and if it was it would be totally inappropriate for the neighborhood (which you well know <gg>). We already have a Coco's (Baltimore & Lake Murray) and, IMNSHO it's way worse than The Trails. The more we stereotype the neighborhood with that menu format and level of food, the less likely we are to ever see change.

I'd love to see a variant of Urban Solace or Alchemy, but that probably wouldn't ever happen in my lifetime ;-).

I've coveted the old gas station across from Patrick Henry for years to convert into an espresso/bakery. But the site is literally toxic and I don't have the captial to do that kind of conversion. Hopefully, I'd last longer than 6 months, but in that neighborhood, who knows

[JRSD]

I promise I would come for coffee and pastries if you opened!

[honkman]

I think it will be interesting to see how Terra at its new location will do over the next 1-2 years. It might help others (investors etc.) to understand if a restaurant with a certain farm-to-table (or similar) concept can survive in an area not now for such concepts.

[DiningDiva]

Terra has been packed in spite of a terrible location on a busy street, horrible acoustics and minimal decor. You're right, once the lookie-lous are gone it'll be interesting to see if it survives.

I think a farm-to-table concept can survive in the East County. Maybe not in it's fully blown glory, but I think there is a small but growing market for it. I had the opportunity to meet with parents from Green Elementary School (which is within walking distance of The Trails, btw) and the lack of a nice, family dining spot offering healthier, organic, farm-to-table options - maybe not an entire menu, but several options - was big on the wish list of what they'd like to see. Had to say I agreed with them :-)

[karaethon]

I assume you're affiliated with the restaurant in some way, but as a potential customer looking at your internet menu, here are the questions that jump out at me and perhaps why I wouldn't go there:
1) Is the hollandaise on the benedict freshly made and does it taste good?
2) the menu seems way too large, especially the "south of the border" section
2a) Soyrizo - that sounds totally unappetizing
3) There's some level of accommodation to vegetarians and the californian "light" eating the breakfast menu, but there isn't any reciprocation on the lunch menu. This should either be carried all the way through left off the breakfast side
4) I at least feel the prices are about $1 too high if I'm not getting some sort of quality ingredients. Am I getting something organic or something local? What type of beef is in the burgers?

As a clarification, I'd certainly be willing to pay more if I knew the ingredients were quality ingredients, but where the price point is and the uncertain ingredients, it seems to be in some weird middle zone as far as a pricing (especially on breakfast)

[stevuchan]

"Soyrizo - that sounds totally unappetizing"

I have had versions that are really good, and I love the swine version.

Never been to this resto, and thought San Carlos was out the 78 past San Marcos. Learn something new everyday.

[shouzen]

Funny you mention that. Trader Joe's used to (still does?) sell some very passable Soyrizo.

[DiningDiva]

Actually, I think their prices are about right for what you get.

The 2 issues for me are the spotty service and the fact that the food is just average and ordinary with no wow factor that would make you want to come back for it. Oh, and for a breakfast place they need better coffee.

The inside is neat and tidy and everyone is really friendly.

[littlestevie]

I actually enjoyed the series. The one place that was truly disgusting was the crab place in Delaware (?). Most of the others were just old and tired and needed new life. I am curious as to how they are doing now, like every body has stated, there is a 6 month window of grace. Irvine is going to have to wow them, to get people to go to SC for a meal. With all of the chains out in east county he is going have to do something different or the Grey Panthers will just head over to Soup Plantation with their coupons. I really will be interested to see what he comes up with. This is going to be tough.

[daantaat]

Coffee Cup Cafe in La Jolla does some tasty stuff w/ soyrizo.

-----
Coffee Cup
1109 Wall St, La Jolla, CA 92037

[Fake Name]

"and once you've eaten there a few times, there is no need to go back."
 

I respectfully, humbly and thoughfully sorta disagree. Somehow, there are places that do extremely well simply because they're homey for some people. Look at Mission, for example. There's nothing there that's great- the food is fine- nothing special. But people line up for what seems like days just to get some pancakes with fruity jam on the edges.
 
I've not been to the Happy Trails (ok, whatever) establishment, so my gentle disagreement is a general one. There is some black art to the business that I believe is mostly a lottery, that allows some businesses to thrive. What might seem boring to a Chowhound is comfort food to someone else.
 
My point (yes, there is one) is that 'hounds might not have a reason to go back, others might.

<rethinking the "nothing special" Mission line. It is special they can overcook scrambled eggs with 100% consistency- every scrambled egg dish has been cooked way beyond what any egg deserves, unless deviled.>

[JRSD]

The Mission offers items that are either done differently than other places or are not available at many places like some of the beverages or some of the items that are billed as healthful.

The Trails offered the same run of the mill breakfast/lunch items that several other places in the nearby vicinity offered at roughly the same prices. There really was no reason I could find to go back after my one meal there.

[Fake Name]

It's true- if their coffee drinks are special, I wouldn't know. I'd prefer to drink gasoline, or even worse, eat a grapefruit.

But- many places exist quite well on run-of-the-mill food. Look at Clayton's in Coronado. Absolutely nothing special, but often full with a waiting line.

[JRSD]

I would definitely agree that many places with run of the mill food do quite well. I would guess that it is due to some combo of offering very large portions, very low prices, an excellent location (no other options, only place that offers parking, etc.) or something other than food like nostalgia, or something for kids, etc. None of those applied to the Trails.

[jmtreg]

The Mission is popular because of location and because it has a hook. You may not like their food, Fake Name, but other people might. And as important, it has a brand that people recognize when they think of the Mission. In San Diego, having run of the mill food only works if the place has a long history in the neighborhood.

[stevewag23]

"In San Diego, having run of the mill food only works if the place has a long history in the neighborhood."

Agreed on a lot of levels. This covers most of san diego's "historical" places.

But what about the Olive Garden?

[Tripeler]

First of all, olives come from orchards, not gardens. So this outfit is just wrong from the beginning. The only thing amusing they seem to do is make up fake Italian names for their food experiments.

[karaethon]

That certainly does sound like impossible restaurant to salvage