Maiella — Restaurant in New York

Maiella - Part 1 Tegwyth (the Maiella Hostess) Saved the Day! That’s the title I settled on after this remarkable woman took charge of a dismal dining experience. The first choice was “Great Expectations” and the next idea was “The Valet Parking Was the Best Part of the Evening”. We were warmly greeted by the parking valet and introduced to “modern parking”. After providing my cell number I received a text that had a link for requesting my car when we finished dining. That system worked perfectly from start to finish! We walked through the restaurant for a table outside and the good vibe was instantaneous. If alfresco is your desire, dine early. At 7pm a little over half the outdoor tables were occupied, by 8 only larger tables were open and by 9 it was packed. We should have asked to adjust our table position: one side was cramped when people passed behind, but there was room to move the entire table a foot or so to avoid the issue entirely. Remember it isn’t a water view; it’s a city view through the “Pepsi” sign on the east River. After choosing our table outdoors we began looking through the extensive drinks and wine list. The “exotic” cocktail list is pretty impressive, but so is the wine selection. If you haven’t tried a “Falanghina”, you have got to give this delightful white a chance. It is light, unoaked with very light citrus aromas. There is a crisp, dry finish with very subtle fruit and mineral notes. I chose from the “big red” selection for a Chateau St. Jean cabernet. Not the biggest, boldest red, but very satisfying. We ordered one of the special appetizers: melon, prosciutto & burrata and from the main menu the “polpo al carbone” (grilled octopus, chick peas, and taggiasca olives). The prosciutto is sliced per order, you can see it set up as you walk through the restaurant in front of the pizza ovens, and the burrata was perhaps the creamiest we’ve ever tasted. I would have liked more than one tentacle, even as an appetizer. The octopus was just a little over cooked for me but it was wonderfully plated and so delicious I mopped the plate clean of every last bit of the chick pea sauce. Sorry! I was so excited by the presentation I tucked right in without taking a picture to share. We ordered Short Ribs and the Capesante Scottate, seared sea scallops. The scallops were perfectly seared a delicate brown, just as juicy and tender as if they were right out of the sea. The short ribs fell way short on tenderness and flavor. We’ve had diner short ribs that were fall-off-the-bone tender and cooked long and slow to fill every morsel with deep, rich flavor. These just didn’t measure up. As we were departing, the Hostess, Tegwyth, asked if we enjoyed ourselves and our meal. Since no one else asked, we told her everything that went wrong and that we wouldn’t be coming back. She assured us our bad experience would be addressed. She would talk to the manager, the owner, the chef, anyone involved in the evening fiasco and she would find something to do to make it up to us. We thanked her, she was gracious and sincere, but we didn’t think anything would be done. After picking up our car (the valet service being the highlight of the evening thus far) we were on our way home. Before we were halfway, Tegwyth called and said she spoke with the manager and our bill would be adjusted. Shortly thereafter a confirming email arrived and YES, we received a significant discount! So the hero of the night was Tegwyth: she believed in the restaurant, took charge of the problem and resolved it in less than 15 minutes. It is because of her determination that we will return. I can’t wait to taste the pan seared duck and a glass...

I felt compelled to write this review of one of my best dining experiences this year, this life – perfect in every way! Yes, talking about the phenomenal Maiella Restaurant in Queens, New York. Uh wow..blown away by this place. They’ve earned a big thumbs up on every aspect of an ideal dining experience: ambiance, tremendous staff that are so customer-centric you feel like you are with family, outstanding food options with a modern innovative Italian twist menu featuring healthy and fresh ingredients (delicious and magnificent presentation of every single food selection) and melodic music in the background with tunes we all know (that was so soothing). It was a setting straight out of a movie. All in all, it seemed impossible to have done more right than the congenial professionals that welcome you at Maiella did the night I visited with my best friend to celebrate my birthday earlier this month. We were met at the front desk by a lovely woman who showed us the bar area, where we wanted to have a drink or two before dinner. We had the good fortune of meeting bartenders Stephanie and Sandra. Both ladies were delightful and very efficient, starting our Maiella experience off right. Their congenial personalities were contagious and we watched them treat every customer with such kindness and patience. After an hour or so we were seated at the most perfect table with a view of the entire restaurant. Our waiter was a wonderful experienced server who also did an exceptional job (I regret not writing down this name). But he was attentive and came by multiple times to make sure our food and service was top notch – which it was. The appetizers, salads, pasta, entrees and desserts exceeded expectations. During this incredible multi-hour dining extravaganza, we also got to meet the owner Tommy and manager Anthony. Very high-caliber individuals who understand the value of providing premier customer care. They made us feel like VIP’s and stopped by several times to see if we needed anything. What a nice touch. To add to this amazing time, Maiella is nestled in an area that offers a stunning array of scenery with the highlight being the iconic New York skyline glistening on the the picturesque waterfront in Long Island City. When nighttime falls and lights turn on …. magical. Run – don’t walk to Maiella for any meal, special occasion, a truly unforgettable dining experience or just a cocktail at a place that will make you forget the woes outside their door! Maiella restores your faith in fine dining and good people. Could not recommend this place more as it’s what restaurants used to be before good food, value and service was thrown out the door. Congratulations to all the people at Maiella, who have gone above and beyond to ensure those who visit are pampered and spoiled past their imagination. Tommy and Anthony: thanks for being such stand-up good guys and kudos for hiring the right team of dedicated servers and bar staff who make you all shine. Love you guys – coming...

We’re locals in the neighborhood and frequent Maiella for special dinners and holidays. Always been a fan, especially the bar area and the service there after work. Dinners have been pleasant in the past. Never any complaints.

We rented out a space for a wedding lunch. We thought it would be ideal since it’s only half a block away. We had moved our wedding event from a dinner to lunch to secure a specific area in the restaurant. Upon arrival I was disappointed to learn there was a “scheduling error” and my area has been given to another larger party though I had reserved it weeks ahead and moved my Plans because of it. I’m sure it was because of the increased profits from the larger party in comparison to mine, but I at least would’ve appreciate a heads up before the wedding day as opposed to total surprise. The manager apologized and tried making it up with 3 champagne bottles and 1 hour of the unlimited drinks which was appreciated at least, though did not fix the problem, especially since drink service slow.

The first 30 minutes sitting service was extremely slow for drinks and water. We stepped out to do ceremony by the water which was questioned briefly though I had texted the plans to the manager 1 week before and did not receive any reply or restrictions. We took an extra 20 minutes for the ceremony than planned so we expected rushed service which would’ve totally been fine considering. However, For the remainder of the time spent drink service continued to be slow, it was average 20-25 minutes for a cocktail. We served the wine and champagne frequently by ourselves. Food was served promptly though. We ordered coffees at the end and were waiting quite a bit. The manager came to tell us we had to close up since there was a party waiting. I informed him we were still waiting for coffees which is why we were taking longer to finish. 1 coffee was missed and we were rushed out to leave. The servers started picking up the table and linens even while some were still sitting/trying to pick up the decorations. It felt very rude and disrespectful.

As per the contract if time went over the scheduled hours I would pay for every extra 30 minutes. I would’ve preferred to pay than to be ushered and guests ushered out of the table in that manner.

The cake was taken for cutting and the remainder never returned.

Communication would’ve been great maybe 20-30 minutes prior to getting kicked out so we can plan accordingly, know that time cannot be extended and paid for and not actually be treated in that manner. In that case we wouldve started picking up earlier. We just expected more on our wedding day.

Overall if you’re planning a major life event where you want more dedicated attention, service and communication I would...