Colts Neck Inn Steak & Chop House

I would give it 2 stars.  The worst part of the experience were the severs and hostess.  The servers - no personality whatsoever, not very friendly at all.  The hostess didn't even look up as we walked out after dinner and I know she had to have seen us walking by her - no thank you, no good bye, no nothing.  If you want diners to return you had better acknowledge them when they leave!  It's certain I will never return until the staff learns how to interact with the customers. As far as the food is concerned - it's a meh.
My wife had the shrimp with angel hair pasta, it was ok was not bad bug thought the pasta and sauce was a little bland.  I had the 20 ounce New York strip medium rare.  I question whether it was really 20 ounces.  Is it the best steak in New Jersey? I highly doubt it.  I've only been to 2 "real steakhouses" in jersey and it compares to those - which is mediocre.  I've been to most of the high end steakhouses in the New York area and none of the jersey ones compare.  I have had better at the chain steakhouses.

Seeing the poor reviews, I proactively reached out to the manager for her perspective on why the reviews were so bad. Fay said "Reviews are 1 persons opinion.  The real review is when you try our restaurant for yourself." So having tried it myself, I can honestly say that the reviews are not wrong and the awards are a marketing exaggeration.

The steaks are not even close to the best in the region or the state. My porterhouse was the "cheap mans" version of the steak, as it had no filet. To make it worse, it was way over cooked. I sent it back and had to wait over 20 minutes for another one while my friend ate his meal. Although the 2nd steak was cooked perfectly, it still lacked the filet portion of the porterhouse. To make it even worse, nether my server, nor Lou, the owner who was also the manager that night, cared. No one bothered to come to the table and I had to track down my 2nd steak.

Finally, to make it even worse yet, I shared my feedback with Lou, the owner, at the end of the night and he just questioned why I sent back my steak. That conversation made me realize the reality of this restaurant -- they just don't care about their food and service.

I wonder if Gordon Ramsey could save this place? The decor looked promising when I walked in for lunch. The regulars at the bar gave me the once over when I walked into their turf. My Coke tasted funky so I asked if they gave me a diet by mistake. The bartender took offense and said something under her breath to the senior citizen regulars that I mentioned earlier. Very off putting vibe.

I had a crab cake lunch special. The crab cakes had a THICK breading and a lot of filler in the cake itself. For a $16 lunch special I was disappointed. The veggies were obviously frozen rather than fresh.

If I would have read the other reviews before going I would have gone someplace nice like WaWa or Burger King. Ok, that was snarky. If you have a choice, go somewhere else.