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Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse

September 27, 2010 By Feisty Foodie 12 Comments

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I’ve never kept it a secret that I do enjoy chain restaurants; I appreciate what their purpose is, and respect when they achieve that purpose fairly well.  Some don’t (Crapplebee’s, I’m looking at you: you served me a bad salad.  Seriously?  How can you make a salad BAD?!  Don’t dry the greens enough and leave them outside or something so they wilt.  Geez.), and some do.  One that I’ve been to a good handful of times in my life now that consistently hit the mark is Charlie Brown’s, a cute “steakhouse” style establishment that boasts inexpensive meals, a location really close to FeistySis’s house and child-friendly atmosphere (which means it’s often a contender in suggestions where to go with the family that she can bring the kids, and often wins due to those two latter qualities).

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On this occasion, Snorlax actually suggested we visit for their seafood feast (limited time, I think it’s over now).  He sent us menus, which boasted… omg… is that… LOBSTER THERMIDOR???  Yes.  Yes it is.  Now, a quick story: I have a list of things I’d like to eat.  Lobster thermidor AND lobster newburg are both on this list (two somewhat similar dishes), but I haven’t been able to find it anywhere – though lobster newburg is still on the menu at Delmonico’s, it’s listed at $49 – so when I saw lobster thermidor on the menu for Charlie Brown’s, I knew exactly what I wanted. 

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One of the nice things about Charlie Brown’s, for those of us who are super fatty inclined, is the fresh farmer’s market salad bar.  Basically, with some meals, or with a small surcharge (around $5, I believe) for other meals or non-meals, you get unlimited servings from the buffet. 

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Tons of options – small marinated grape tomatoes with pearl mozzarella balls, green beans, marinated mushrooms, hearts of palm…

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hummus, a fresh corn salsa style dish,


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dressings, the various toppings for your average salad, breads, butter, and chicken liver pate (!!!)… it’s a very generous salad bar from which to build your salad. 

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I grabbed a bunch of different things, not wanting to fill up too much, and found myself pleased with all of it.  Well, the hummus was only alright, but everything else was fresh, bright-tasting, and a great way to whet my appetite. 

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I even went back for a second plate.  Yum.

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The entrees started to arrive.  FeistySis ordered the whole lobster with corn on the cob and sweet potato fries, which arrived on a separate plate.  I was munching from that for a while, those were tasty.  I know she liked the lobster a lot – she said it was really sweet.  I didn’t try any though, busy with my own dish. 

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FeistyMom and Snorlax both ordered the surf & turf, feeling lazy and uninterested in the work associated with cracking open a lobster to eat.  I know they were both pleased with their choices as well!  FeistyMom commented how full she was afterwards as well. 

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As for my lobster thermidor, well… 

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I was a little surprised; now that I think about it, I’m not sure what I was expecting.  It tasted fine, nothing really extraordinary – though I wasn’t really expecting it to be.  I don’t know.  I know that I was just excited to see this dish on a menu, any menu, and didn’t take into account the place offering it, while good, might not necessarily go to the extreme steps necessary to create the dish “authentically” (the recipe is pretty involved, which might be why I never see it on menus).  So it was tasty… but I still want to have lobster thermidor using the genuine recipe!  ๐Ÿ™‚

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My steak medallions, which I hadn’t wanted in the first place, were a lot smaller than I’d expected as well. 

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But they were cooked to my specification of medium rare.  I thought mine lacked salt, but everyone else said their dishes tasted perfectly salted to them.  I chalked it up to my enjoyment of saltier things. 

Yvo says: Charlie Brown’s is a place that knows who it is and is proud of that: a chain restaurant offering inexpensively priced food for people of all ages – I usually see a lot of seniors enjoying their senior specials (if I’m there earlier in the evening) and lots of families with children enjoying a casual dining establishment with something for everyone.  Will it win a food snob’s heart?  Unlikely.  But you know what?  This girl eats what she wants, and spends time with her family any way possible.  I call this tasty and fun.  You can call it whatever you like… but if you go, also look for coupons in the local paper or online, because this meal was made about $20 cheaper using coupons from the newspaper and online in tandem ๐Ÿ™‚  Very awesome!
recommended inexpensive casual dining option, especially if you have young children in tow

Charlie Brown's Steakhouse on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: American, Americas, Around NYC, By Name, Cuisine, Long Island Eats, Restaurants, Steakhouse Tagged With: chain restaurant, lobster, Steak

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Comments

  1. TT says

    September 27, 2010 at 9:22 am

    i had lobster thermidor once up in Boston when I had an expense account with my old job. meh. it is the kind of dish used to hide bad lobster, not something to try again.

    i haven’t been to charlie browns in years. i used to love it before i knew any better, but i can see your point when you have rugrats in tow.

    Reply
    • Feisty Foodie says

      September 27, 2010 at 9:25 am

      Aw, so I get a pass on this one? ๐Ÿ˜› Lobster Thermidor, where and when it originated, was a labor intensive dish made with a lot of care. I won’t make it myself for that reason – too labor intensive – but I do still want to try a good version! Lobster Newburg, at $49, at Delmonico’s (where it originated), will eventually be mine, but not right now.

      ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • TT says

        September 27, 2010 at 9:59 am

        just as long as there are no more denny’s reviews. hahahaha

        Reply
        • Feisty Foodie says

          September 27, 2010 at 10:04 am

          Those pancake puppies were too good though

          Reply
  2. tina says

    September 27, 2010 at 9:56 am

    which Charlie Brown’s do you go to? the one near me is, pardon my language, SUPER-ghetto and never has the offerings your salad bar did, although the entrees are generally the same. your portions also looked slightly more presentable/generous than ours have ever been.

    the stark contrast is the reason i stopped going to Charlie Brown’s. but maybe i’ll try it out 1 more time…

    Reply
    • Feisty Foodie says

      September 27, 2010 at 10:05 am

      Hey Tina, the address is up there in the post – Jericho Turnpike, I guess? It’s in Long Island ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  3. BlindBakerNYC says

    September 27, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    I don’t mind chain restaurants because as you say, they serve a purpose and if they do what they do well, then I have no problem with them. But places like Crapplebee’s have no business being in business. Like you, I’ve had really horrible salad there. WHO messes up salad? Granted, they’re not known for their salads, but if it’s on the menu, they should be able to serve an edible one. Plus, their other offerings are consistently bad, so why spend money and time there eating substandard food? Sorry, I have real hate for Crapplebee’s and will totally judge people who eat there and claim the food is awesome.

    *clambers down from soapbox*

    I would eat at Charlie Brown’s though- never been there.

    Reply
  4. skippymom says

    September 27, 2010 at 6:52 pm

    Okay. #1. Marinated mushrooms – you ARE MINE. lol. I wish. I love those things – and your salad plates look great – lots of variety.

    #2. I pick MomFiesty for her meal – that looks wonderful [couldn’t see the turf, I suppose it was under the mess of fries and onion strings?]

    #3. Nice job on cooking the steak for you – I could eat that all day long. Love that temp.

    Is it just me or are we all a little sad that fresh corn on the cob season is over? It felt like it just got here – and now? None. Sigh.

    Reply
    • BlindBakerNYC says

      September 29, 2010 at 2:08 am

      Nope, you’re not the only one, Skippymom. I keep thinking of the corn chowder I never got around to making this summer. ๐Ÿ™

      Reply
  5. T.C. says

    September 27, 2010 at 11:50 pm

    I think I’ve been to that Charlie Brown once. Their steak is ok. Nothing special. I did opt for salad bar so that I could veggie up. Not bad. Average food experience overall.

    Reply
  6. joe shmoe says

    January 9, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    My mom was a waitress for charlie browns back in the 70’s , the food was awesome. After it was bought by some corporation, it went down hill. The cuts of beef are still the same but the sauces and the apps are junky and taste like they are made in a factory.
    My mom would bring home roast duck necks from the kitchen. I wish i had their duck recipe today.

    Reply
    • Feisty Foodie says

      January 20, 2015 at 4:45 pm

      I don’t think I’ve ever seen duck on the menu! Yum. Funny thing, my family used to go to Charlie Brown’s way back in the day (sometime in the 80s) – there was a location very close to where I live now – and we stopped after my father found a fly in his soup (I know, total joke material), and the servers didn’t seem to care. That location has long since closed, but I wonder if that was before the changeover.

      Reply

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