Ann B.
Yelp
Alright. I don't normally review anything if it's just "good" or "ok", but it only felt right to leave a review here because the team really went above and beyond. Some extra tips will be included, outside of my review of the food.
1. Reservations: if you're planning to go on a Friday or Saturday night, would be a good idea to reserve, especially if you want to dine after 7. There is a refundable fee for reservations which is refunded the day you dine. This was new for me, but I know the place is small so I didn't mind. They have indoor and outdoor options.
2. Parking: The Magpie is in a very popular little strip center, with beer and pizza places right next door (side note, those places are cool too). There's a lot catty cornered that doesn't have a "don't park" sign, so this is where I ended up parking. Even in heels it's still very close. Two handicapped parking spaces about 6 feet from the restaurant are there in case you need.
3. Ambiance: balanced, cute, quaint. Soft jazzy music gives an upscale vibe. Open kitchen, wait staff is very kind and gracious. Lighting slightly dim but not so much that you can't see the menu. My girlfriends and I chose to dress up, but you could get away with jeans and a nice blouse, no one would think twice on it. The place is small, but it gets packed. We ended up staying past the end of our reservation (1.5 hrs) and they kindly located another table for us to move to so we could enjoy finishing the wine and desserts (OH THAT BUTTER CAKE!)
4. Food:
Started with smoke duck. It's not huge portion but it's definitely a flavor bomb. Glad we got it. AT $18, Would rate 9 out of 10.
Between three ladies we decided to share the steak the chicken and linguine. This was plenty of food as the steak was a literal pound of meat.
The chicken was definitely the star of the show for me and the sauce that came with it I put on EVERYTHING on the table. Chicken was perfect. Also, quite a large portion and deboned so it can be cut with knife and fork. The balance of flavors was, in my opinion, perfect. 12/10
The steak was the most expensive, but is HUGE. The simple flavor of salt and pepper and butter in the sear is classic. Typical cook for them is medium rare. It comes with some sort of oil and chili sauce on the plate. It was not over complicated and the chef let the flavor of the meat stay shining through, which I very much appreciate. I would pick the chicken over the steak in the future, but it's still very good. 8.5/10
We then moved on to dessert;
The butter cake reminds me of a cross between crème brûlée and bread pudding, I would come here LITERALLY just for this. It's a petite portion but so wonderful as a sweet finisher to an overall great meal. 100/10
The chocolate- very rich. Another great item if you're a chocolate junkee. It comes in a cream sauce reminiscent of almond and pistachio condensed cream. For me this is more of a craving item. Again, petite, sensible portion. All three of us got about 3 spoonfuls of each dessert. 7/10
5. Drinks: They offer beer and wine, a wonderful, highly curated selection. There are options for any price range (beer starts at $4, wine at $10; but you can certainly indulge in some beautiful wines on the higher end) 10/10
6. Overall, I would 100% recommend this establishment. The experience, kindness, atmosphere, quality of food, quality of flavors for me make it a 9.5 out of 10. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu, but I'll just have to go back a couple more times to try everything.