Brine — Restaurant in Fair Lawn

My husband and I stopped into Brine because we'd never seen one before. This is apparently one of two locations, with the other being in New York City. Their tag line of "Eat Juicy Chicken" compelled us in. Unfortunately, our first time was a bit of a flop.

First, the positives. Placing your order is a cinch, either with one of many kiosks or with the folks at the counter. We opted for the latter since it was our first visit and we were paying with cash, and we found service at the counter to be warm and friendly. While waiting for our meal, we also took notice of the wide array of pumps by the drink dispenser. They're all free sauces you can get to dress up your meal.

But that was precisely where things kind of went meh. My husband's boneless breast meal was heavily sauced and rendered the whole thing a little too salty. My chicken Caesar salad was just fine, but I craved more texture (some croutons would've killed).

I keep comparing our ho-hum experience to others who've raved about their meals here, and I think our mistake was two-fold:

1. We didn't order a chicken sandwich. I should've known better - when most of the signature items on a menu seem to gravitate toward one type of item, it's a restaurant's way of hinting at their strengths. Opting to order a salad at a fried chicken place was a bad start. Please learn from my mistakes.

2. We paired a saucy chicken with saucy sides. All three items in my husband's order - the chicken, the Brussel sprouts, and the potatoes - were generously drizzled with a sauce. It's no wonder our taste buds breathed a sigh of relief whenever we had a bite of the undressed crinkle cut cries; we were assaulting our mouths with salt and flavor. If you're a saucy person, have at it ; otherwise, I'd recommend creating a more balanced plate and ordering a few things without sauce so you can appreciate the cooking. Because in my heart of hearts, I believe items are well-prepared here; they're just doused in too much covering to be...

Ok I'd like to start by saying this is more than just a "chicken place". I say that because they do so much with the bird that being considered a mere "chicken place" just doesn't do them menu justice. From the bowls to the salads and glorious fried chicken sandwiches (and more so the way they remix each sandwich), is just impressive to say the least. Today I had the spicy chicken salad, which caught me by surprise! I say this because, I welcome spice; to the umpteenth power, but this caught me by surprise. Both the chicken and the spicy fried onions came to play, and in a major way. Yet they weren't just hot but flavorful at the same time. The Cole slaw added a nice texture of crunch and coolness to calm each bite, and the raw kale also acted as a life raft in the sea of heat I found myself in; especially once I added the extra hot sauce that accompanied the dish. Overall it was a pleasant experience. Not only was the staff super friendly, inside of this spot was immaculate; from the touch screen order displays, to the seating area, and even the bathroom (I notice small things like this). I was glad I tried this spot, because there were a lot of eateries in the plaza and I wanted something different. Well boy were they different, and delicious; at the same damn time! Can't wait to return and suggest this...

It was our first time dining here, so we weren’t totally sure how things worked. You place your order through a computer kiosk, which was fine, but when we went to find a seat, every table—except for one—had crumbs on it. To be clear, we were the only guests in the restaurant at the time, so it was a bit surprising that cleanliness wasn’t a priority.

When our food was brought out, we asked for salt and were told they didn’t have any—none at all. Then we were given cups for our sodas, but they didn’t have lids. Unfortunately, I ended up spilling mine. I looked around for napkins, but there weren’t any out, so I asked for some and explained what happened. Instead of being helpful, the staff seemed annoyed and brought out a mop with some serious attitude. I had to ask again just to get a napkin.

Now, to give credit where it’s due—the food was delicious. The chicken tenders with fries were crispy and flavorful, and the NSG sandwich was excellent.

But honestly, no matter how good the food is, poor service and a lack of basic hospitality really take away from the experience. It’s basically a self-serve spot, and even the minimal staff interaction we had...