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Did you ever have a moment in a restaurant so terrible, you actually had to write about it or talk about it to others? Yep. Today is that day, so I might as well do it. As a food critic, I try to give venues the benefit of a doubt---especially if I've been to them before.

For the sake of other consumers and restaurant owners, I decided to talk about a day when the current state of food affairs hit harder than others. I'll be comparing two venues in Red Bank that are famous for their beer.

Dublin House

Let's start with Dublin House. The Dublin House is hard to miss. Locals all know the Irish restaurant-bar hybrid is a massive Victorian-style house that sits on Monmouth Street.

It's a place that is always packed with people, even at noon on a Wednesday. At night, you'll have a hard time moving around because everyone and their grandma goes there.

As a former drinker, I understand the appeal. The drinks are affordable, the service is fast, and it's a place where everyone is welcome. The food is casual but decent, and it's a great go-to.

The Dublin House has been open for decades. I've never heard of a person who had a bad time at this place.

Bar X*

The other bar, which we're going to call Bar X*, is a trendy venue known for its in-house brews and gastropub fare. It's one of several venues with this name. I've had good experiences at this one and elsewhere, but today, it really was outrageously bad.

Bar X never seems to be filled when I go there for lunch, even on weekends. They might be lucky if they have 10 or so tables full. Knowing that, you would expect the service to be fast, right?

Last time I went, I ate a fried oyster and got a pearl in it. It seemed like a lucky thing for me, so I went again. To their credit, their fried oysters are great and melt-in-your-mouth good.

So, my husband and I sat down. I forgot the drink menu here, so I asked the hostess, "Do you have a non-alcoholic beer here?"

She said "I don't know. I'm just 18," and left without a word after pouring water in our glasses. We began to wait so that we could get drinks. After 10 minutes, my husband and I exchanged glances.

No one came to our table to answer our question.

We started to make eye contact with the waiters. They continued to walk past us, stopping to chat at the front. We waited another five minutes. I looked at the menu, looked at a waiter, casually tapped my watch, and smiled to look hopeful.

Five minutes after that, nothing happened. My husband and I decided to leave, since it was insane that we couldn't even get a question answered after 30 minutes or so. We never even found out if they have sober beer.

As we left, I explained to the hostess, "We decided to leave. We got tired of waiting just for our drink orders to be taken."

She smiled cheerfully, "OK!" and waved us out.

My husband was livid by the time we got out of there. I ended up going to Whole Foods to get some seafood, which we will use for a taste test of a cookbook recipe set I'm developing. That ended up being our date night.

I ended up calling Bar X to talk to a manager and explained the situation. The manager was very apologetic but could offer no explanation as to why her coworkers behaved that way.

To her credit, she tried to ameliorate the situation as best she could. Out of respect for her effort, I changed the name of the bar. After all, I know that she has a job she relies on. She doesn't deserve to take a financial hit for the rudeness of her coworkers.

The Difference Between Bar X And Dublin House Is Palpable

I'll let you in on a little secret: our economy is not lacking restaurants. There's literally one on every corner. You cannot kick a can without it hitting a restaurant. And restaurants can come and go with the seasons.

The food industry is one of the most demanding industries in the world. It's high-pressure, low profit margins and highly competitive. If you want to have staying power, you need to be on your "A" game all the time.

The Dublin House is one of those restaurants that became a cornerstone of a city's culture. In that sense, it's no different than Avenue Le Club in Long Branch, Tommy Fox's in Bergenfield, or Sofia in Englewood. They are local legends always packed with folks.

When you are good, you're good.

And part of being good in the hospitality industry is treating clients well and not turning your nose up at the people at your door. If you get a reputation for being snooty (or worse, racist), you will not last long.

People will not always remember your food or your drinks, but they will always remember if your venue made them feel unwelcome. I don't know whether Bar X's location will stay open. It might, if things turn around.

As for me? Well, I think I'd rather work on my pan-seared rosemary scallop game at home. At least there, I don't have to worry about whether or not I get zero-proof beer.