Is The Refuge going downhill? [San Carlos]

[spigot]

I used to really love The Refuge in San Carlos, but I'm worried it might be going downhill.

I drive down from San Francisco to The Refuge about once a month, because I have really loved the food. I like it because it's so high-contrast --- soft versus crisp, warm versus cold, fat versus acid. I normally order a sandwich (often the Toasted Slaw) plus goofy fries and a glass of sparking wine.

But lately I have started to worry that the food is sliding, and I wonder if the restaurant is not handling its success well -- like, maybe the bosses are getting tired or complacent, or are focused on expanding the business rather than maintaining quality?

I say this because on my last two visits, the food has come out from the kitchen in less than five minutes, and has been pretty mediocre. I think the basic ingredients and techniques are the same as they always were, but the attention to detail has slid. The fries were limp, which takes the goofy fries from epically, beautifully high-contrast to just being a bowl of mush. And the sandwich seemed like it might have been preassembled -- it was room temperature throughout, and the toast was soggy on the bottom side.

This breaks my heart, because I have really loved The Refuge. And so, I'm curious to know what other people's recent experiences have been like..

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The Refuge
963 Laurel St, San Carlos, CA 94070

[Melanie Wong]

Actually, nearly 3 years ago we were discussing the decline of the pastrami at The Refuge.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6875...
I've not been back after a bad take-out order.

If you've been a regular, don't be shy about voicing your complaints to management if things don't improve. Restaurants do make staff changes in response to customer complaints.

[DavidT]

Have you expressed your concerns to the staff and/or management there?

[spigot]

No, why? Do you think I have an obligation to do that?

I assume they read message boards like this one, so I figure my opinion will reach them through this. But like I said in my comment, I am mostly interested to figure out whether indeed they are slipping. That's not something management can tell me: it's something I'll learn from e.g. people here.

[Ruth Lafler]

I wouldn't assume any such thing. You don't *ask* them if they're slipping, you *tell* them that you're a long-term customer, in your experience they're slipping, and that they are in danger of losing you as a customer. Really, what does it matter what other people's experiences are if your experiences are bad?

[spigot]

Both of you are actually responding to a different question, rather than the one I asked. My question here isn't "what should I do about The Refuge seeming to be slipping" or "when is it appropriate to speak with restaurant management." My question is "what are people's recent experiences at The Refuge." I would love to hear other people's recent experiences -- it'll help me figure out whether my last two were an aberration, or part of a general slide.

[mdg]

I had an excellent pastrami reuben here a month ago, but it was my first visit so I can't judge relative to the past. I didn't have the fries but lots of other tables did and there seemed to be much merriment. The food didn't come out suspiciously fast either. This was pretty soon after they opened for lunch on Saturday; are you going later in the day?

Michael

[spigot]

Hm. No, I don't think I was there late -- this weekend it was a late lunch (around 4) and I believe my earlier visit was around 7PM.

But thank you: this is helpful anyway. I do think it's possible that two visits could be anomalies, so if other people are reporting it's still excellent, I won't give up just yet :-)

Thanks.