Magnolia Steak & Seafood

05/21/2007 Posted by mamabee

I've been visiting Magnolia since it opened a few years ago. It has become a weekly staple of mine when the kids are at their dads house. I usually sit at the bar with Chuck and order a burger or crab cakes depending on my mood. I'll tell ya I don't know what the complaining is about the crab cakes because I come back specifically for them!! They aren't pre-made like most restaurants serve but made in house with lumps of fresh crab meat. The menu has definitely changed up a little bit since it first opened with alot more casual offerings so us regulars can just grab a quick bite with out having a bite taken out of our wallet! I'm not a pasta fan so I don't order any of the pasta dishes but its great to see some $13 entrees It is so nice to have a casual place to dine whre I know the food will be solid and the service always comes with a smile.

Pros: service with a smile

05/21/2007 Posted by granny007

Having just moved to the area I was so excited to see this restaurant right along side a sushi restaurant. We've been visiting both at least once a week. We like to sit in the dining room during the weekend for a little bit of a more formal feel and the bar during the week for a more casual experience. The menu works really well for our family with offerings from burgers to pasta to full on entrees. The kids can't get enough of the Coleman burgers with the crispy fries while I always choose one of the various steak offerings. The croquettes and oysters have always been great appetizers for us. The service has always been friendly and to the point. The one time we did have some issues with the service, our waitress disappeard on us and our dessert took a while to arrive, the problem was quickly corrected and the management making sure to visit our table to ensure that our concerns had been addressed.

Pros: Great Neighborhood Restaurant

Cons: Dining room can be noisy

05/17/2007 Posted by multitenor

I'm a little suspicious of the great reviews that this place is receiving. We ordered the Maryland crabcake and got one small piece for $9, a previous reviewer had equated it to the size of a hockey puck, it is much smaller than that. Our entrees weren't much better. You can find much better steak for a much better price at a local Outback Steakhouse. Service was slow, we saw our waitress maybe 3 times the entire night. Overall, it was expensive and the quality was not that good.

Cons: Expensive

12/31/2006 Posted by snowe

My wife and I took our family to Magnolia just before Christmas. We had read the Citysearch reviews and were thinking that we would be eating at a great restaurant. Instead, we entered a poorly decorated, if not downright tacky, restaurant. The tables were brushed stainless steel - not warm at all. The paintings were strangely modern and the walls were painted different shades of way-to-bright colors. It was a modern scheme that didn't really fit in with Colorado decor. We all ordered appetizers. Stay away from the fried oysters. The waitress was nice enough to take it off our bill, but they tasted really bad, like they were old and undercooked. My salad special had almost no toppings. On to dinner. Our entrees came and we continued to be unimpressed. My wife's raviolis were sitting in puddles of grease. The waiter dumped the flavored oil of my otherwise tasty elk dish all over the table and did not replace my dish or the oil. All-in-all, our waitress was the highlight of our visit to Magnolia and she only showed her face three times during the meal. We probably won't be going back to Magnolia any time soon, especially with our families. There are many, many, many better restaurants in this area. Finally, I am suspicious of the high number of positive reviews because our experience was far from positive.

Pros: Professional Waitress

Cons: Food, Ambience, Value

11/14/2006 Posted by rodzinak

Love the food! Love the wine! The waitstaff is always very prompt and courteous and when the owners come around to visit, you know this is a well-run establishment. Fridays and Saturdays are busy as this is a very popular place and a well-kept secret of Lafayette. My advice, go on a slow night and treat yourself to the "taster's menu". Peter Soutiere, will come out and amaze you with his wine knowledge as he guides you through an evening of flavors and descriptions in a very interactive and thought-provoking style. You really feel like you are a guest in their house as you learn more about wine and food than you ever thought you could. This is a great place to bring a date!

11/07/2006 Posted by 363839

Pleasantly surprised when we drove out to the edge of Boulder at 95th & Arapahoe to enjoy dinner with the family. Normally we would go to downtown Boulder, but am just sick of the parking hassles, even on a weeknight. We had heard these guys in Lafayette do a great job with upscale cuisine, probably because they all used to run restaurants in Boulder. We arrived at 5:30 on a Tuesday, just in time to take advantage of this great Happy Hour in the bar area, which is very cozy, and it was even appropriate for our 4 & 7 year olds with us. We munched on a bunch of half price appetizers like house made sausages, quesadillas, butternut squash soup, french fries, and even california rolls from the adjoining Sushi Bar. The Happy Hour drink specials were great, too. Two bucks off any martini on the list (I could only have one due to the drive back) and my wife enjoyed Sangria for only $2.50. We were then ready to move to the main dining room for dinner, but after surveying the main dining room's booths we wanted to sit at, we realized we were already in one in the comfortable bar area, so we stayed put and ordered entrees. I had this very tasty roasted beef (similar to a tenderloin) dish with spatzle and it was perfectly cooked medium-rare and very juicy as well. It was half the price of a tenderloin and almost as good. My wife had this very succulent cod dish with lentils and a cabbage roll filled with mushrooms. The kids split a cheeseburger with mashed potatoes and of course, more fries. We then finished off with a turtle sundae for the kids to share which was made with homemade marshmallow and homemade vanilla ice cream. My wife & I split a couple scoops of homemade passionfruit sorbet. All in all, a great night at a really nice place that we were not expecting out in the burbs.

Pros: Happy Hour deals, great tasting food with imagination

Cons: 7 miles from Boulder, but worth it

11/05/2006 Posted by rls242

My husband and I decided to get two appetizers, split our main course and have dessert. We ordered the potstickers, the Maryland crab cakes, and the 10 oz sirloin with shrimp. We figured this would be plenty of food for the two of us. Our appetizers came out and our jaws dropped. We paid $8.95 for ONE crab cake that was about the size of a hockey puck and $6.50 for THREE small potstickers. The appetizers were pretty good, but they were not anything extraordinary and I for sure did not feel like I got my moneys worth. The main course was wonderful and plenty of food. The steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned and the shrimp was zesty and tangy. I thought the side of pinto beans was a bit dry and bland, but the overall dish was very palatable. Had we skipped the pint-sized appetizers and just stuck with main courses I think we would have had a better meal experience. We looked at the dessert menu and nothing stood out as exceptionally exciting so we decided to go elsewhere for our dessert. Our waiter was a bit on the slow side. I had to ask him twice for a drink refill and he seemed a bit nervous and inexperienced. We received our food at a very reasonable amount of time and our food came out nice and hot. Overall it was an average dining experience. I wouldnt say it was horrible, but I dont think Ill be going back either. The steak and the shrimp were good, but nothing that stood out as extraordinary. I could have gotten the equivalent at Outback steakhouse. The appetizers were a huge disappointment. They were delectable, but the portions were laughable. I dont know why these yuppie-artsy-hotspots who serve just average food feel compelled to charge you incredible amounts for miniscule portions.

04/01/2006 Posted by hyaz33

Dined at Magnolia Saturday March 25 with out of town guests. We all enjoyed our experience very much. We started with a couple of appetizers, the potstickers and the crab cakes, both were excellent. I enjoyed the Halibut special, and for dessert I had the chocolate mousse crepes. THe service was exceptional along with the food. I can't wait to go back...

12/14/2005 Posted by simpsjo

Was fortunate enough to dine here while visiting relatives. Excellent wines and well prepared, interesting food. Gracious service even with the kids in tow, They sure know how to make the whole family feel welcome!

Pros: Kid Friendly, Service, Quality of Food

Cons: Driving in Colorado

11/30/2005 Posted by cocoavin

The chef is very innovative! We had excellent service. I suggest ordering a good wine and asking for the tasting menu. We went back to try Sushi Mara-also good. We enjoyed the banter we had with our waitress at Sushi Mara. She was great! Don't be afraid of the drive-you'll miss out!