Chris Michael's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Woodbridge Township

My review is for the lounge. This is a little lengthy but worth the read

I recently held a surprise get together for my fiancé's birthday on 12/5 and I must say, I am extremely disappointed in the service we received. A few days prior, I called and made a VIP reservation with the manager, Pete, who was very helpful and answered all of my questions. At the time I made the reservation, I was unsure of which bottle package I wanted, which he said was fine and I was able to make my decision the night of. When we arrived, yes, there was mandatory valet parking (I don't care about that or the $5) and it did not take long for them to valet or get our car at the end of the night. When we arrived, we were taken to our area, no waitress was there and she did not show up for another 10 minutes or so. Our waitress' name was Desirae (PRAY YOU DO NOT END UP WITH HER) and she was absolutely terrible, she should be fired immediately. When she came over, I gave her my cc and license and asked her for the food menu since one was not provided to us. I had to ask her 4 TIMES before she finally brought it out to us. In addition, I asked for the Ciroc bottle package which came with 2 bottles of Ciroc, champagne, and red bulls. All was decent until she asked me if I wanted to close my bill. She misplaced my cc and license AND LIED ABOUT IT!! Rule of thumb: When a person gives you their cc and license, you give it back to the person who gave it to you. She lied and said that she gave my cc and license to my brother, then after he denied her doing so, she said that she gave it my the birthday guy, my fiancé, more lies. All the while, she is smiling and not looking for my information. At this point, I'm highly upset because I have no clue where my stuff is. I called over a manager, who called over another manager and the owner. This wasn't the worst part though...she put items on my bill that I never ordered. Instead of giving me the champagne that came with the package, she brought me something completely different and tried to charge me for it. She had an appetizer on there that was not mine, saying that I told her to order it for my fiancé (it was a surf and turf and he doesn't eat seafood), and we never even received the red bulls that came with the package. After being taken away from my guests and my fiancé to sit down with the owner and managers, all was found and settled properly but my fiancé's night was already ruined because of what transpired. This was the worst customer service I have received and she...

We stumbled upon this place after a funeral in Iselin, NJ. We waited for about 15 minutes for someone to come and take our drink orders. To actually get the drinks took another 20-25 minutes. And then we probably waited for 30 minutes to come and take our order. The server did not know what seasonal vegetables were being served today. He said asparagus and spinach. He was specifically told no carrots. The vegetables that were served were zucchini and what? Right, carrots! And then the real wait began. It took about an hour to get food on the table. And oh boy, how many mistakes were made! The food was mediocre, mostly, too salty, and greatly overpriced. Some orders were forgotten. While we were waiting, there was no bread on the table, no butter. By the way, even later the bread was not served, only after a request, 4 or 5 rolls were brought out. Not once the server came to our table and asked if everything was in order or if we enjoyed our food. Even the water was not refilled even once during those 2 to 3 hours that we spent there. And I know the answer: the tip is non-negotiable, and in our case it was 20% ( more than 6 peope). The table next to us got their food only 5 minutes after us, when they were seated about 45 minutes after us. All in all, did not enjoy neither the food, nor the service. To charge what they charge at this place, the food must be spectacular and extraordinary! The service must be impeccable and exceptional! The servers have to be trained not only to please and predict a guest's every desire, they have to know their menu and choices that are available any particular day. But why would the servers need to be trained if they get 20% tip regardless? Most likely, not returning, and not recommending to any one to try this place, either. P.S. A couple of days after the funeral, when emotions were calmer, I checked the receipt for our after-the-funeral luncheon. Sangria by the pitcher were charged $5 more each compared to what the bar tender quoted to me personally. Looking back, trying to have at least one positive association with the place, I realize there is none. All this place cares about is money, and it does not matter if they don't meet the expectations. Successful businesses try to create loyalty amongst their patrons by providing the best possible service and food. This place is just trying to...

After being away from my significant other for 2 months, he wanted to celebrate our get together with a nice steak dinner, somewhere local. We had dined at this restaurant once before, more than 10 years ago, and could only recall us having no problems so we decided to return to the restaurant.

Before going, we called ahead just to be sure that the wait wouldn't be too long. Being that it was a rainy Tuesday night, we were informed that there was no wait. When we arrived, the first thing I noticed was a printed "Dress Code Policy" standing on the host's podium. I had a chance to quickly read through it and next thing I knew, we were following the hostess to the table. As we were walking, I whispered to my partner, "they have a dress code" and just as I finished whispering, the hostess turned to me and TOLD, not asked, but told me to remove my hat. I was a little offended, but I obliged.

Like mentioned earlier, it was a rainy Tuesday night so the place did not look busy at all. There was 2 large parties of five and six guests and 2 tables of a couple. As we walked past the table of a large party, I noticed one of the guest wearing athletic wear; something that was addressed in their Dress Code policy. We were seated at our table and as I looked back, one of the couple was wearing a hoodie; another article of clothing that went against their policy. AND THEN when we were being served water, the server/busboy was wearing a cap!!! I couldn't help but think that I was being targeted for wearing a tweed hat, not a baseball cap like he was wearing, but a hat. Please do better.

As far as the food goes, it was good. The kitchen did their thing. The food was flavorful, aesthetically pleasing, hot and edible. We started with a calamari appetizer and it was really good. I had the 8 oz. filet cooked medium well and was perfect for me. I had the side of fries and risotto and both were really good. My partner had the skirt steak and he seemed to have enjoyed it as well.

All in all, if it weren't for the food, I would've given it a lower rating? The place was beautiful and I can see which direction they're going, but I personally felt they weren't being fair to all (implementing their dress code policy and all.) For the price they were charging for the menu items, they...