150 Grand's owner plans new menu, more hours

By: ANN PERRY - Staff Writer | Wednesday, October 11, 2006 8:28 PM PDT ∞

ESCONDIDO ---- The restaurant 150 Grand Cafe, the first to bring upscale dining to a then-dormant downtown in 1993, has been sold to a manager who specializes in boosting restaurant revenues.

Mark Missler, who purchased the 130-seat restaurant from executive chef Carlton Greenawalt and his wife, Stephanie Greenawalt, said he plans to expand the dining hours and the menu by adding weekend brunches; lower-priced, 60-minute lunches; and happy hour. Most of the changes go into effect in early November.

"I really feel we can make this a successful restaurant for the community," he said during an interview Wednesday. "It's a beautiful restaurant. I think it's a growing economy and atmosphere."

The restaurant was founded by Cyril and Vicki Lucas, who saw an opportunity to draw theatergoers to the newly opened California Center for the Arts, Escondido. The Greenawalts bought 150 Grand in 2004 for about $340,000. Missler said he paid about the same amount for the restaurant on Sept. 25.

Carlton Greenawalt is joining the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens on Citracado Parkway in Escondido as chef for the bistro, set to open later this year.

Scott Clark, a graduate of the Western Culinary Institute in Portland and formerly 150 Grand's sous chef, is now the restaurant's executive chef.

Missler, 43, who has served as restaurant consultant for Marriott, Sheraton and Hilton, has lived in San Diego for the last four years, working for one year as manager of Tutto Mare in San Diego's Golden Triangle. A St. Louis native, he has a degree in restaurant management from Hawaii Pacific University and an MBA from St. Louis-based Webster University.

Starting in November, the restaurant will be open for Sunday dinners from 5 to 9 p.m. and a "New Orleans Jazz" brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The brunch will feature eggs hussard, andouille gumbo, Creole sauces and beignets, along with traditional scrambled eggs, eggs Benedict and pancakes.

In an effort to appeal to more people who work downtown, the restaurant will offer more moderately priced lunches at $10 to $15 per person, compared with the current $19 to $26. Menu items will include a caprisse sandwich on focaccia bread and an upscale burger with cheddar cheese, apple-smoked bacon and caramelized onions.

Missler said the menu would remain continental style, but with new additions such as Maryland crab cakes and penne with smoked salmon in vodka tomato-cream sauce. "A lot of them are classic dishes that people love," he said.

He also plans to redecorate the restaurant's banquet room and offer it at no extra charge to customers.

Missler's wife, Faith, will assist with daily operations and hosting. The couple live in the Sorrento Valley area.

-- Contact staff writer Ann Perry at (760) 740-5444 or aperry@nctimes.com.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.