Maryland Mallet Restaurant & Smokehouse Pub — Restaurant in Maryland

First the good! On a previous occasion we ordered Jumbo crabs (one man's jumbo is another man's large). Even though I question them being classified as jumbo, they were quite heavy, seasoned well, and steamy hot. The waitresses are very friendly and attentive although on my most recent visit our food came without any eating utensils. Problem solved after a 5 minutes wait. The parking is ample although quite busy. Now the not so good! Upon sitting down we noticed the table was sticky and spots on the walls from most likely previous crab eaters. Hey it happens! It's a crab house! My only gripe is that it appears the particles has been there for days. I realize this is not a "Fine dining" type of restaurant but it can put you off a little while eating next to food splattered walls. I can still deal with it. But what I can't deal with is ordering a New York strip steak medium rare and it comes out almost well done. I'm truly a steak snob and this didn't cut it! Like not at all! I was also hoping for more varied cuts of steak. They had some chicken option that included a small filet mignon but I wasn't in the mood for chicken so I can't comment on that particular steak option. They did offer to redo it but I don't like to cause a fuss so I dealt with it. Not horrible but also not Umm, umm good! Loaded it down with A1 steak sauce to make it better. A good steak should never need sauce. There was no option of Prime Rib, porterhouse, Delmonico, etc. I mean it is considered a smoke house! The French fries were cooked crispy as I asked and the asparagus was cooked to perfection.

On to my wife's food. To put it bluntly, the chicken strips sucked! Period! No flavor! tasted like processed chicken breast straight out of a deep freezer. We didn't complain about it. She just ordered a crab cake to replace it and took the chicken home. Was even worse when I decided to try it for breakfast. So the crab cake was nothing to write home about. It did have nice big lump crab meat with very little filler but again not much Old Bay flavoring or much of any flavoring for that matter. I can say the crispy Brussel sprouts were good and the mac and cheese was cheesy.

On the positive side the waitress (Rachel) did confirm that the steak was not medium rare and informed the manager (Mark) who in turn took 50% off the meal. Wasn't trying to get something for nothing or complain just to get a discount but it was a very nice gesture and for that alone I will give them another try. It may have just been a bad night. But there is no redemption for those chicken strips. LOL. Overall I still like the place and I suggest try them for yourself and form your own opinion. But definitely try the steam...

This was a return visit. I went here 2 and a half years ago for the first time on my first date with my girlfriend. The food and service are even better now. The Hostesses are very friendly young women. Immediately sat us for our reservation. A few minutes later Caitlyn our server came and recommended a few alcoholic beverages. The mango crush and apple caramel crush. Both were fantastic. She came back minutes later after and recommended several appetizers. We chose the Crab dip and b- more quesadilla. Crab dip was rich and creamy. Loaded with crab chunks and cheese. The quesadilla was very cheesy with shrimp. Caitlyn recommended a few other cocktails and a few featured entrees. We had the Chicken Chesapeake which was amazing. Rich , creamy crab over breaded chicken. Onion rings and macaroni and cheese. My girlfriend had Stuffed Rock fish with crab imperial. Broccoli and cheese with Jasmine rice. Both meals were cooked perfectly. We finished with a upside down pineapple crush and chocolate peanut butter cake. The bartender makes her drinks perfect. Not weak but not over powering. Caitlyn was prompt, friendly, professional. I also wanted to thank Kira the bus person. I watched her help a older woman look for something she lost. Kira was kneeling and searching under the table and in the booth with a flash light. It's rare to see service above and beyond. Both young ladies show the care and commitment your restaurant strives for with their guests. I spent decades working and managing in restaurants. I travel through many states visiting restaurants. Maryland Mallet is hands down one of...

We were very enthusiastic about being able to dine at the Maryland Mallet after reading the reviews and reports from friends. We lived within 5 miles of this establishment for 20 years and were excited to be back, see the renovations to the building and have a good meal. THE GOOD: The renovations, beautiful! THE BAD: A much longer list. 1. The food. Our party ordered crab cakes, scallops, pork ribs, brisket and cream of crab soup. The soup was abysmal and tasted like it came from a can with very little crab meat. The crab cakes were lump meat, but loaded with filler. BTW- When I requested tarter sauce, I was brought a teaspoon in a cup. The ribs were flavored with a bottle of barbeque sauce dumped over them. The scallops and brisket were reportedly “OK…but nothing to write home out”. 2. Policy: Two of our vegetables came with a dollar up charge that we found out about via the waitress. This charge was not listed on the menu and who ever heard of an up charge for asparagus or Brussels sprouts? Not me, for sure, particularly on $25+ entrees. I am still kicking myself for caving to this policy. 3. Atmosphere: No sooner that we ordered our food, a fellow sat down at a loud speaker and announced it was “Trivia Night”. We were not in a bar or a brewery but were in a dining room, forced to have our dinner interrupted by this loudspeaker and participants. Maybe it was fun for them, but not for us. If you have read to this point, I assume you can guess that our visit was very disappointing! We...