The Crest Cafe

Neighborhood: Hillcrest

425 Robinson Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 295-2510
  • Cuisine Type: Cafes
  • Restaurant Style: Cafes

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Buzz about The Crest Cafe

  • eh
  • don't like it

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aunderscorek wrote about The Crest Cafe

I want to blame myself for my less-than-stellar experience. I want to blame myself for not ordering off the breakfast menu. But at the same time, when you offer something as decadent as a butter burger — made with butter in basically all prep-stages of the beef — I am compelled to order it. As is my wife.

We started with the jalapeno poppers. They weren't the best poppers I've ever had, but I definitely like knowing that they weren't microwave; the fact that the insides weren't 300 degrees hotter than the outside was a testament to this. Very pleased by that. They could have used a bit more heat, but in freshness, I was happy.

The burgers arrived and I was so excited, the butter dripping off the bun as I lifted it. I left the fixin's on the plate, not wanting to spoil such an intensely prepared burger with produce. But after the first bite? Well, it certainly was... heavy. The butter didn't really have anything to work with though, which is to say, the beef itself was pretty sad, flavorless, even manufactured in flavor. And maybe I'm getting a little too big for my britches, but I seriously think that, if you have a great burger concept, you need to execute that concept with quality beef. A burger made with poor quality beef is like the nipples on a bull.

However, once I added the fixin's (as it seemed to demand something more to cut the heavy butter), the burger came a bit more to life. But not by much. And it shouldn't have required lettuce, tomato, and onion.

We then ordered dessert, which was a nice butterscotch pecan apple crisp, topped with Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream. Nice. Maple and brown sugar flavor, thin apples, and most importantly, ice cream. It was a nice end to the meal.

And I return to why I want to blame myself: there were things on the breakfast menu that sounded so good that didn't involve beef (note: for such a large menu, veggie options are very limited here). But at the same time, why give me the chance to order something I might not like? Hundreds of options on this menu; can they all be winners? Or am I being given the chance to make a bad choice? Don't give me that chance; I don't want it. Take a little bit of creative fascism in hand, and eliminate anything that isn't your best work. Otherwise, you customers will not blame themselves; they'll blame you. And maybe you're a great restaurant, but you gave them the opportunity to say you're not.

posted on January 6, 2012
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crestcafesd posted a photo of The Crest Cafe

Jw052710_crestcafe_019
posted on June 10, 2010
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crestcafesd posted a photo of The Crest Cafe

Jw052710_crestcafe_001
posted on June 10, 2010
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crestcafesd posted a photo of The Crest Cafe

117966_photo_3
posted on June 10, 2010
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crestcafesd posted a photo of The Crest Cafe

Crest_characters
posted on June 10, 2010

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  • Crest_characters

    staff

  • 117966_photo_3

    exterior

  • Jw052710_crestcafe_001

    dessert

  • Jw052710_crestcafe_019

    mac and cheese

The Buzz Snapshot

  • eh

    What exactly is 'eh?'

    Eh. I don’t feel strongly about it either way. I don’t hate it or love it, I wouldn’t recommend it or dismiss it, it just is.

  • don't like it
  • 1
  • 0