After meeting with some clients one recent Monday afternoon, a coworker and I decided to have lunch at one of the more popular local eateries located in downtown Toms River.

The Office Restaurant & Lounge is located on the southwest corner of Routes 166 and 37. It is immensely popular for lunch, with an eclectic crowd consisting of the legal professionals working the offices in the downtown business district and courthouse and County Municipal buildings, local blue-collar workers who pass by on busy Route 37, many of the senior citizens from the numerous adult communities in the area and the local students from the high school.

Some of the draw is the easy access location, wide assortment of menu items, including a full sushi bar and the free buffet Monday thru Friday from 5 p.m. – to 7pm. The buffet is available in the Bar Room only. If you visit enough times, this could become the bar "where everyone knows your name". There are plenty of regulars, so you will most likely see someone you know if you are from the area.

The atmosphere is friendly, with quick, responsive service in the dining room. The setting is sort of overcast, with the only light provided by faint recessed lighting and a huge skylight in the center of the restaurant. There is an assortment of tables and booths. They always provide a list of that day's lunch and dinner specials. On this occasion, I decided to have a crock of French onion soup ($3.25) and an appetizer of fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper, and grilled eggplant slices with a side of balsamic dressing ($5.75). My coworker decided on a mushroom cheddar burger with a side of fries ($5.50). Other than the soup needing a pinch more salt, everything was delicious. I did not even use the salad dressing, as the mozzarella, peppers, and eggplant were juicy enough as they were. Even the breadbasket provided excellent rolls. Warm, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfect...

The menu consists of very reasonable priced items. Appetizers are no more than $7.50 for an order of 12 steamed littleneck clams. Sandwiches range from $3.75 for a jumbo grilled "Shickhaus" hot dog with a side of zesty chili to $6.75 for a double order of the open faced corned beef or turkey reuben. Burgers are available at less than $6.00. Salads are numerous at less than $7 per. Dinners range from Italian pasta to steak to lobster. The most expensive item on the dinner menu was the Surf & Turf at $19.95 consisting of a 5-oz. Filet Mignon and twin 3-oz. lobster tails. There is also the huge sushi bar menu. I do not know much about sushi, but a couple of people I know have raved about the selection and quality.