4 /5 Rob Lindsey: Overall, we had an enjoyable evening. The ambiance, history, decor, and atmosphere of the restaurant were nice and felt like stepping back in time to a more upscale fine dining place.
Even though we had grown up here and known about Maldaners since we were kids, we never had the opportunity to dine there. We were also surprised that while being from Springfield, our parents and grandparents had also never been the Maldaners. So, we decided to do something new for NYE and make a reservation to give Maldaners a try.
Our reservation was for 8pm for our group of 8. We arrived about 7:45pm and ckecked in. For New Years Eve it was fairly busy. We were told that our table probably wouldnt be ready until around 8pm and to hang out in the coat area. At about 8:10 the nice lady at the check-in station said there were 3 table groups checking out and one of those tables would be ours as soon as they checked out and tables cleaned.
One table group of about 8 in the main dining room left about 8:25, and while staff was cleaning up, another reservation came in for 6 people and were seated at the table we thought we would be getting. Instead, we waited for a table in the bar area where 2 were dining, so that their table could be added to another to make room for 8 of us. Once those 2 had left, it took about 10 minutes to clean the table and get us seated (now after 8:30pm for an 8pm reservation).
After being seated, our server greeted us, told us the evening specials, and said that water and bread would be right out. A little over 10 minutes later the water and bread arrived. Once we ordered, the food came out fairly quickly. Those in our party ordered the Wellington, Ribeye, Filet, and Pork Chop. All were hot and fresh, and my Wellington was very good and cooked perfectly. The others in our party said their meals were very good, as well, except one of the Ribeye orders said it was tough and not to their liking (the other Ribeye order said hers was delicious).
It was about 945 pm when we finished and were offered dessert, and probably would have had dessert, if we hadnt waited so long to be seated and didnt have somewhere else to be at 10pm.
One thing we noticed while waiting and talking with the greeter was that several table groups had been seated for a couple of hours and taking up tables that were reserved for later times. As a server years ago, it was part of our job to keep the meal moving, so that patrons would have time to enjoy their meal in a timely fashion, but the server was responsible for moving them along so the table was free for the next reservation. With it being NYE, this was even more important to free up tables and not have groups occupying tables for extended hours.
All in all, the food was very good, came out fresh and quickly. The atmosphere was great and we enjoyed our first visit to Maldaners. The only issue was the over 30 minute wait for our reservation, another group reservation coming in after ours and getting seated before us, and the turn around for table prep and drinks. We understand it was NYE and things are always kind of chaotic during events such as that, but enjoyed having dinner with you!
