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Chart House Malibu Beach California

Chart House Malibu California - Oceanfront restaurant experience at the Chart House in Malibu California was the worst upscale restaurant experience we have ever had. Don't waste your time or money as this place is just another overpriced, poorly run, badly staffed, and mediocre chain restaurant. This is based on the fact that we have had over 20 meals at the first class Chart House in Melbourne, Florida with never even so much as a bad piece of bread. My opinions about this restaurant in Malibu are based on spending over $75 on each of over 400 meals in the past 4 years. I love to eat high quality meals in great restaurants.

It all started with the porter banging on our car window the second we pulled into the parking lot yelling "this is a mandatory $4 valet parking if you are eating here". I forked over the money as I parked my own car 30 feet from where the local bums and fisherman were parked for free on the street. Inside we discovered one of the biggest disappointments of the evening. NO salad bar. When you dine in Chart House Melbourne you will be treated to one of the finest salad bars you have ever eaten. Freshly made, while-you-wait, Caesar salad with your choice of added ingredients and spring mix salad greens, spinach or romaine lettuce with many fresh salad toppings.

A caviar section includes water crackers, sour cream, capers, and diced onions. There is also marinated artichokes, hearts of palm, marinated mushrooms, potato salad, and pasta salad. Then you can go overboard with the fresh whipped cream, extra large strawberries, grapes, and other fruit. And you still have dinner and dessert coming. Cost only $4.99 plus your entrée.

The single biggest reason the Chart House is better than most seafood restaurants is the salad bar. Since these geniuses decided to remove the salad bar, Kelly ordered the "Chart House Salad" ala carte. When they brought out the "chopped" salad we both almost choked. Pathetic wilted pieces of lettuce mixed with the tiniest pieces of old soggy artichokes that surely came from a can, and we knew we were in trouble. The whole Chart House Salad thing looked like they just dumped it out of a bag and drowned it in dressing.

We were told if we came early we could have ocean side seating in the window. We got there at 6pm, 30 minutes ahead of our already early dinner and got offered NOTHING. We sat 20 feet from the window literally against the server stand. Ironically, I heard another couple snickering about the "crack" showing on the fishermen 20 feet outside the window on the rocks out front. Later that night the waiter managed to dump water over the counter and on to Kelly's back and seat, that's how close they were to the "anti-romantic" seating they gave us.

Our fish entrees were supposed to come with coconut ginger rice. Instead we got Rice-a-Roni standard fare carrots and mushy yellow rice treat. We complained and they brought us more of the junk. We never got the coconut rice. I tipped the waiter $10 for the $70 meal because he was good and started looking for the manager. My halibut was supposed to be covered in fresh crab. It literally had 2 pieces the size of acorns. Later that night I had severe chest pains from what I figured were the "nitrates" used in canned crab. I have had this happen before when a restaurant did not use fresh crab, and once when we bought premade crab cakes from the grocery store. Kelly's macadamia nut crusted Mahi Mahi had so few macadamias on it you could hardly call it crusted. She was livid by this point.

The general manager, Michael C. Wildey was off that night so I went to the manager on duty, a Mark Mcloud, and explained the ENTIRE story described above. He stared at me. Nodded twice. Then said, "I can understand what you are saying". I stared back. I waited for 3-4 seconds. I realized that was it. That was his canned answer from the "how to treat your customers 101 college course" he probably took online. I actually didn't expect much really. It was obvious this Chart House restaurant in Malibu California was poorly run from the beginning. It was a huge disappointment, a big waste of money and I would not dream of taking any one special to this place again.

Travel Info - Chart House in Malibu is on the Pacific Coast Highway just east of State Highway 27 (Topanga Canyon Boulevard). Chart House, 18412 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu California 90265.

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