Restaurants in ‘86: Saga of the Good, the Bad, the Great : DAVID NELSON ON RESTAURANTS: ALL OVER SAN DIEGO COUNTY. HOURS AND DAYS VARY. PRICES RANGE FROM MODEST TO VERY EXPENSIVE.

SAN DIEGO —  1986 was a year of magic for the county’s restaurant scene?

Sure it was.

A few restaurateurs took over troubled locations and, apparently with no more effort than that required to mumble “abracadabra” (or spend a few hundred thousand dollars), turned these sows’ ears into nifty silk purses. Two Mission Valley eateries, Borel’s and the Del Rio Bar & Grill, are good examples.

Of course, a few got the spell backward. The Grant Grill, in the gorgeously refurbished U.S. Grant Hotel, should have been the restaurant story of 1986--and perhaps it was, though for all the wrong reasons. This beauty of a restaurant started out with a beastly kitchen that still needs taming.

Then there were restaurateurs who pulled turkeys out of top hats (Horton Plaza’s defunct Third Avenue, for one), and several that laid an egg. The more perspicacious among this last group took the magician’s best way out, and vanished. Just think of La Jolla’s awesomely awful but now long-gone The Stove.

But there was magic even in The Stove, as it was acquired by the small but growing Broken Yolk Cafe chain. This local outfit not only knows how to make a tasty omelet, but also recognizes and has decided to meet the pent-up demand for low-priced, high-quality food.

Pent-up demand. There’s a lot of that going around, and the single most important San Diego restaurant story of last year was the restaurateurs who checked the market and smelled steak. After all the mumbo-jumbo of nouvelle cuisine and the other culinary distractions of recent years, the people who opened Rainwater’s, Vic’s and Milligan’s sensed the desire for simple, hearty, excellent meals built around big portions of meat, and did something about it.

There were exceptional dining moments in 1986, as well as dreadful ones, the extremes that must be expected when dealing with as volatile a substance as food. But good memories are the ones that last, and here are a few of the highlights from among the past year’s crop of new eateries.

HOTEL DINING ROOMS

Often avoided in polite conversation, hotel dining rooms this year became a hot topic of discussion.

Much was expected of the new Grant Grill, and little was delivered, other than a very clubby, very comfortable decor. Improvements have since been made, notably the hiring of Executive Chef Michel R. Marcais by Washington’s Mayflower Hotel, which means that the Grant now has a second chance to find a chef capable of turning out the fine cooking that the Grill ought to be serving. Should the hotel make good use of this opportunity, the Grant Grill could be the restaurant story of 1987. (Grant Grill, U.S. Grant Hotel, 326 Broadway. 239-6806.)

The Sheraton Harbor Island, on the other hand, found the chef of its dreams when it hired the young Alan Huxtable to take over the top spot in the kitchen at the chic and lovely Sheppard’s. Huxtable not only knows sauces, but sautees and roasts (his duck with Calvados is wildly good), and even has an excellent hand with desserts--his pecan souffle with hot caramel sauce could be enshrined as The Dessert of 1986. Although Sheppard’s standing menu could be more interesting, Huxtable has introduced regional and seasonal prix fixe menus that offer three-course glimpses of just how good food can be when someone takes the trouble to cook with imagination and care. Another benefit of these special menus is their price, which when combined with a judicious approach to the wine list, make a visit to this pricey eatery relatively more affordable. (Sheppard’s, Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel, 1380 Harbor Drive. 692-2255.)

The third hotel story is fraught with delightful surprise. The Gaslamp

Quarter’s new (or old, if you accept the management’s point of view) Horton Grand Hotel installed Ernst Wally in the Ida Bailey dining room, and good food appeared all over the place. Wally, the eccentric Austrian who formerly promoted the Sports Arena-area Judson’s to notoriety by loading the menu with exotic game, adapted to the Horton Grand’s Victorian theme with zeal. The result is multi-course meals founded on the best principles of home cooking: fragrant chicken soup packed with fresh, eggy noodles; roast chicken stuffed with hearty dressing; braised pot roast with potato pancakes, and pork chops stuffed with spinach. Colorful salads and freshly baked breads round out these always filling meals. (Ida Bailey dining room, Horton Grand Hotel, 311 Island Ave. 544-1886.)

BUSIEST CORNER

The intersection of Fay Avenue and Silverado Street in La Jolla was, until mid-summer, rather dusty and dull after 5 p.m. Then along came three big new places, with news of more to follow, and this quiet corner suddenly began giving the nearby Prospect Street restaurant row a run for its money.

First came Fisherman’s Grill in the new Merrill Lynch building, a big, noisy, cheerful place specializing in old-fashioned American seafood dishes served at moderate prices. The menu, in fact, was written like a dream, but the kitchen’s execution wavered from the stunning quality of Grand Central oyster chowder to the rather dismal deep-fried shrimp. By and large dishes came off well, especially specials like salmon dressed with caramelized onions, and a chilled pasta salad topped with bites of hot, sauteed shark. (Fisherman’s Grill, 7825 Fay Ave., La Jolla. 456-3733.)

Next to arrive was Manhattan, an upscale Italian place on the opposite corner in the just-refurbished Empress Hotel. Manhattan’s greatest strength at opening time was its service, followed by decor and menu, in that order. Many dishes were excellent, especially the calamari appetizer and the baked oysters Francois. Seafood in general was pleasing, including a dish of vermicelli in a shrimp and scallop sauce, and scallops baked in cream sauce. The long menu also lists all the standard veal preparations. (Manhattan, Empress Hotel, 7766 Fay Ave., La Jolla. 454-1182.

Even more business was brought to this intersection by Vic’s, a very sophisticated steakhouse for people with very sophisticated wallets. This sibling to Fisherman’s Grill puts some excellent food on the plate, and in quantity; one occasional patron calls the place “Feed the Nation.” Winners on the strictly a la carte menu include a wonderful sweet potato soup, a terrific side dish of fried onion rings and sweet potato chips, and heavy cuts of prime meat moistened with simple pan sauces. Anyone who has room for the chocolate mousse would be a fool to miss it. (Vic’s, 7825 Fay Ave., La Jolla. 456-3789.)

OFF THE HOOF

1986 also was the year in which San Diego restaurateurs put their grazing menus out to pasture, in response to a cattle call that led to a stampede of new steakhouse openings. The operative words for all these places are price and quantity; none are cheap, but all will serve you more than seems necessary.

Rainwater’s hit town first, settling into handsome second-floor digs in McClintock Plaza, on Kettner Boulevard. The food is simple, the emphasis resting solely on high-quality raw ingredients and preparation. Hot corn sticks always open the meal, which can travel along comfortably through a cup of racy black bean soup to a thick filet mignon, T-bone or Porterhouse, any of them sided by a cascade of crisp shoestring potatoes. Thick veal chops and pork chops, and slabs of prime rib in a variety of sizes round out the menu. Especially likable: the late-hours policy, which guarantees seating until midnight weekdays, and 1 a.m. weekends. (Rainwater’s, 1202 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. 233-5757.)

La Jolla’s Milligan’s also serves well-aged steaks and prime rib cut in generous portions, but what already is making the place famous is the pan-fried chicken served with real mashed potatoes, real gravy, real country biscuits and real care. There’s a wonderful culture clash here between the old-style food (dinners begin with iced relish plates) and organ music, and the bordello-style decor that features nudes on the wall and a revealing mirrored ceiling. It’s all in fun, though, and really very good. (Milligan’s, 5786 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. 459-7311.)

MISSION VALLEY

Borel’s and the Del Rio Bar & Grill signal a return to grace for this former gastronomic wasteland. Borel’s--upscale and dignified--sometimes tries too hard, but its pan-ethnic menu of Oriental, French, Italian and Cajun specialties usually succeeds. The gumbo is crammed with seafood, the chicken pate is wonderfully suave and the sauteed, breaded lamb chops made a fine change of pace. (Borel’s, 5323 Mission Center Road. 295-6600.)

Del Rio Bar & Grill also tries too hard at times, but usually pleases with an imaginative, daily-changing menu of light dishes, salads and hefty main courses. The pizzas make perfect appetizers when shared, or meals when kept to oneself. Home-smoked mixed sausages, sided with baked beans and several salads, make a hearty entree plate, and the duck, when chef Gail Covner decides to add it to the menu, is juicy and perfectly flavored. Try rice pudding or pecan tarts for dessert. (Del Rio Bar & Grill, 911 Camino del Rio South. 692-0094.

TIP-TOP TAPAS

There were no new Mexican restaurants of note in 1986, but downtown restaurateur Paul Dobson did introduce the town to Spanish cuisine via the medium of the savory Spanish appetizers known as tapas. Dobson’s La Gran Tapa serves them in abundance and changes the menu daily, although such favorites as tortilla (potato omelet, served cold) and spiced lamb brochettes are always available, as is the magnificent black bean soup. Seafood tapas choices run on endlessly; the fried squid, marinated octopus and Greek-style shrimp all are excellent. Also, look for the empanada (stuffed savory pie) of the day, which sometimes is filled with pork and spiced olives. (La Gran Tapa, 611 B St. 234-8272.)