Charcoal Chef Restaurant

Country dive, or town treasure? You decide.

First Impression: Upon entering this restaurant you'll be thrust into a 1970's country setting, leaving you standing at the entrance gawking in awe at how dated it is. The open kitchen is first thing to greet you, because the staff obviously doesn't care. A real turn-off was watching the extremely immature staff in the kitchen as they joked and pushed each other around, while their long hair swings above the food they were preparing - without a hat or hair net. Or, was I turned off by how the staff (I think they were all family?) stood around a plate of food pecking hungrily like vultures. No one had any identifying marker on them to indicate they worked there, so for all I knew the kid sporting the beard of bees could have been Grizzly Adams's son, or the head chef. To the right is the bar, which immediately reminds me of the one my friends dad had in his den - back in the 70's. The carpet on the floor is so stained and dirty I kept telling myself it must have been bought in Foot-traffic Dirt Brown, because no one can be this filthy - right?

At this point I should have left, but I felt that if I didn't stay and try the food I could be missing out on good cook'n (according to other reviews). Plus, some 'hipster' might come in here and rate this baby 10 out of 5 stars because the wallpaper matched his sweater vest - or something. And we can't have that, now can we?

Menu/Food: The menu is small and to the point, and the prices are reasonable. It's essentially bar food from the 70's, or some stuff you'd see at Denny's or a Waffle House. We ordered the fried chicken basket and ground sirloin steak plate with a side of sautéed mushrooms. These were really the only things we weren't afraid to order out of fear of getting ill on the seafood. The coleslaw and salad came out and were good. The slaw and the blue cheese salad dressing 'seemed' homemade (operative word, 'seemed'). The only thing I ate off of the other plate was a bite of blue cheese dressing, and as of this writing both of our stomachs are doing flips! So, maybe the extra pungent taste wasn't that it was freshly made, but that it was bad. Who the hell makes fresh blue cheese anyway? Uhhg. Moving right along. The waitress asked me how I would like the sirloin cooked, and with a smile I said "medium", which was just an inside joke for myself because I knew it would come out well done. The chef didn't disappoint! It was so well done it was inedible - unless of course you have the stomach for eating hockey pucks. The fried chicken was burned. Yes, burned. Both meals came with a pot of baked beans, but their version of pot-o-beans is a tablespoon of canned baked beans in a paper pill cup. The sautéed mushrooms were nothing but chopped, canned mushrooms, poured into a ramekin and microwaved. The baked potato came out with the foil on it. How lazy are you that you can't take the foil off the potato before you cut it open and add butter and sour cream? Unless of course, you like picking foil pieces out of your food.

So, if you're into people watching, and like witnessing dysfunctional restaurants operate - don't pass it up - just order a cheap beer. Would I eat here again? Not so much.

This place is surprisingly great. The decor is dated, but so are the menu prices. Can you get mixed drinks for $5 anywhere these days? You can here. And they're done right. The food is also great. The fried shrimp was terrific. And so was the steak. Both were well done, with great sides. Overall, great home cooking'. Can't wait to go back!

Don't overvalue the food. You don't go to the Charcoal Chef expecting a dry-aged steak. The food is what it is: diner food. Not great, not terrible, but predictable and reliable. That's pretty much all there is to say about the food.

You go to the Charcoal Chef because 1) you're old (STRONG drinks) and/or 2) you're sentimental (both of which are fine reasons), or 3) you're a child and your parents brought you and grandparents there, and 4) because of its authenticity.

(Oh, and it's not like you have a ton of quality restaurant options in that area, but that's beside the point.)

Places like Cracker Barrel and Piccadilly Pub have been trying to duplicate the Chef's atmosphere for years (and always falling short--they're so fake--maybe getting rid of the TVs would help), much like you see diners trying to replicate the 50's feel, all chrome, polish, and jukeboxes.

But the Chef has hardly changed at all (though within the past year they did--perish the thought--start taking credit cards). Some of the posts I've read here have a common thread: it's where you go when you visit your folks. It's part of your past that you can revisit. I can go there once every year or so, and am always hoping that the Fish and Chips will be the Special that day. And it always is (It never wasn't -- although, sadly, during my last visit home I'd noticed that they actually have reprinted the menus, and the F&C are now listed under Entrees, not Special--can't stop progress, I suppose).

Depending on your age, the Charcoal Chef is a part of your past that was never hurtful, was never uncomfortable, and that (I hope for all who've been there) brings back pleasant memories. The Charcoal Chef actually goes against the conventional wisdom, as if to say:

You CAN go home again.