Charlie Brown's Steakhouse

First time here.  Had the buffalo chicken wrap, not too bad but lacked flavor, not much hot sauce, wrap itself didn't hold its shape and started to fall apart after 2 bites.  Service was good, kept my diet coke constantly filled without ever asking which was nice.  As a work lunch place I would stop by again of on the area, maybe.

It was good. Service was good.

I had a real love affair going with the Charlie Brown's in Brielle. The salad bar was spectacular. The burgers were indescribably delicious and the staff extraordinarily hospitable. Then out of nowhere it closed and has since reopened under a different name.

I've since been to three different Charlie Brown's locations in the general vicinity and none lives up to how great Brielle was. The ultimate worst is this one in Lakewood. I've been there twice.

Yes, the salad bar is fine. It doesn't seem to have has many selections as were offered in Brielle. For me that's fine. I really just want classic vegetables and these are fresh and taste good.

The first time I visited there was a wait for a table in the dining room. To avoid that, my friend and I sat at a booth in the bar where a female bartender "served" us. I put that in quotes because as the night went on, it became clear this woman had no interest in providing any service whatsoever. Initially I chalked this up to her being busy which I really get after having waited tables for years myself.

It was very difficult to get her attention. Only one time did she coame to our table without our actively trying to get her attention. She never asked if we wanted more drinks. To get those we had to stand up and fetch them from the bar. As the night progressed she became louder and louder, laughing in the most curious way, that my friend speculated she'd been doing a few laps in the cocktails herself.

Again, I've worked in many restaurants and know this is not that unusual. What is odd is that she wasn't able to conceal her partying by being a little more subtle. What also surprised me is that the burger I ordered medium was nearly raw inside. I like beef tartare as much as the next girl, but I wanted a juicy flame-grilled burger. So for the first time in my long life, I sent it back and asked her to have it cooked more.

She was nice about it. But there is something odd about the way she "serves" guests. When I first ordered it, she told me it was going to take "a loooooong time" to prepare because the kitchen was backed up. I am not sure I would say that to someone. Still I didn't really care. I had lots of time. But then after waiting maybe 30 minutes for it, to have it come out nearly raw seemed odd.

She took it back to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later and it was basically still raw though I could see it was cooked a bit more. At this point, I had a feeling that she didn't hear that I said "medium." After all she was busy and it was kind of loud in there. So I asked her if she heard that I said "medium." She said she did. And added, "hey I asked them to heat it up. I don't know why this happened.  I'm getting the manager." Now keep in mind I wasn't rude. I wasn't even remotely angry or disappointed. I just wanted the burger medium. I cannot imagine why she had to get the manager to help me.

The manager came over, took the burger, agreeing it was nearly raw and returned later with a well done burger which honestly was fine with me. Truth is I like well done burgers, despite that not being the most chic way to order them.

I returned there again about a week later because I love salads. This time I was sat in the dining room. The waitress more or less ignored my table which I really don't care about. Just give me what I want and I'm fine. I don't need to be entertained. Again the salad bar was fine. And again the burger came out nearly raw but this time didn't even have the cheddar cheese on it that I ordered. Plus it was obviously made from inferior meat that had hard bits in it. I took a few bites, asked for my check, tipped the woman 20% because as a former waiter I am incapable of leaving less.

I would NEVER return here again. And I am sure they won't miss me. The place seemed very busy during both of my visits. The crowd fascinates me. It's a combination of senior citizens (undoubtedly from the considerable number of nearby retirement communities) and super laid back Ocean County types in their flips flops and t-shirts.

I may sound like I am making fun of them. Trust me I am not. I grew up in that general area and I find it comforting to see the same faces I remember from my childhood.

Still I will never return and I would NEVER recommend this place to anyone.