CharBenay's Wine on the River — Restaurant in Warren

We driving around last week looking for some place that offered outdoor dining, and when we passed CharBenay and their HUGE back patio, we decided to stop! It was really a great experience. Menu was limited, but the food was awesome. Fried green olive appetizer was unique and delicious. The bbq half chicken was FANTASTIC. The meat was very tender, and the bbq sauce was tangy and delicious. Burger was totally fine, too, though more run-of-the-mill than the other options. I don't drink, so I can't speak to the drink options. There was life music on the patio, which was very spacious. Really great atmosphere overall.

I only have 2 complaints. First, some of the waitstaff seemed a little mediocre. For example, the waitress dropped my burger on the ground when she was serving us. Things happen, and I had already enjoyed my appetizer and was planning to share some of my fiance's chicken with him. At the same time, she wasn't all that apologetic, and she didn't offer to comp us in any way for the fact that we now had a burger coming out to our table 15 minutes after the rest of the meal. Also, the owner/manager was very friendly, but when she greeted us when we first entered, she stood REALLY close. I'm not a huge fan of people being up in my space anyhow, but with the whole COVID-19 situation, I really don't want someone 2 feet away from me. She also didn't have her mask on for the first half of her conversation, and then when she put it on, she just lifted it up over her mouth, and it didn't cover her nose at all. I just expect a little more professionalism from someone who runs a business, regardless of how they feel about the whole mandatory-mask situation.

Overall, I would...

Friday night anniversary dinner. We had a rough time getting to the venue with all the road closures. Entering the venue was like walking into a maze. Due to extraordinarily short staffing, the whole evening was kind of chaotic. Everything began in the bar, staffed by one poor bartender/ maitre de/waitress. At one time there were 6 parties of people waiting at the bar for some kind of service. The bartender gave us menus and sent us to a table of our choosing. We were to come back to place our order and pick up drinks. Somehow the food would appear at the table. We would return to the bar to pay our bill. We sat ourselves on the patio. I called the restaurant phone number, the bartender answered and took my order over the phone. The food menu was very small. We ordered a charcuterie plate appetizer and two fish and chips. The appetizer arrived and one minute later the entrees came, which kind of ruined the appetizer and drinks part of the meal. The food was good but they couldn't provide cocktail sauce or malt vinegar. The chips were soggy and way over-salted. The wine was ok, nothing special. We took the entire charcuterie board home to munch during movie night on Sat. It felt like CharBenay was aspiring to be a very special venue. But until they get their staffing and service organized, they will be a weird little wine bar in a small...

I cannot say enough about this restaurant and its owners. We attended the Mother's Day buffet at CharBenay's yesterday. The owners paid attention to every detail. It was absolutely the most beautiful brunch and atmosphere. Food was good, staff was efficient and friendly, the live music was the perfect level of loudness, and beautiful, the restaurant was clean and decorated to perfection. The owners were there and walked around personally wishing the mom's a Happy Mother's Day, and handed out flowers. They also have an absolutely adorable gift shop. The price points are very reasonable and will not break the bank. We could not stop talking about it hours after we left. They even have plant based options here! I cannot wait to go back and enjoy music on the patio that they have every weekend. This place is the best kept secret in town. You will not regret checking this place out. Perfect for a special occasion or just a nice night out. Thanks Char for helping us have a great...