Restaurant Review: Mad Marys

This is my last review for the small South Dakota town of Flandreau. I spent a total of 2 weeks there and even though there is not a lot of restaurant choices there seems to be quality. I saw a few signs around town and in the hotel information binder about a Mad Marys Steakhouse. So one evening I decided to head over and check it out.

As I pulled up to the parking lot I was quite surprised. The parking lot was packed, but with only large trucks. Not just any truck, John Deere trucks. So I entered and saw it was quite busy. One gal met me at the door right away and she sat me in a nice corner away from the large group. I later found out John Deere was having thier Christmas Dinner Party that night.

The waitress came right over and told me the evening specials and the beers on tap. I ordered a beer and looked over the menu. The menu offered a little bit of everything but not too much. Some menus offer everything from Italian, Chinese to all day breakfasts. This menu was a classic steak house menu. A few different cuts of steak, some chicken, pork chop and a couple seafood items.

When she returned with my beer I had narrowed the decision to 2 items: Ribeye steak or the Prime Rib. I inquired if the Prime Ribs looked fatty. She told me that the Prime Rib looked great and that they hand pick the Rib Roasts that they cook in order to have high quality Prime Rib. That was all I needed to hear. I went for it. It was supposed to be a 12 oz cut with garlic mashed and a dinner salad.

She brought out my salad right away and warned me that the large group was ordering also so my order my get caught in the middle of theirs and be delayed. I was okay with it because the entire restaurant was non smoking and the atmosphere was clean and relaxing. The lighting was turned down just a little bit and there was very soft music in the backround. I dont even know what type of music it was because it was just loud enough to know it was there but not so loud to inhibit a conversation. My salad was a nice mixture of lettuce, sliced onions, cherry tomato and cucumber. Nothing too fancy but very crisp and fresh. She also brought out a selection of homemade dressings. I tried each one and the thousand island was awesome. It had chunks of tomatoes in it and was so good.

I was just finishing my salad when my waitress came out with my prime rib. It looked perfect. She apologized for it coming out too fast. I told her it was perfect timing and I could not wait to cut into that bad boy. Remember I told you I ordered a 12 oz prime rib? Well if this was 12 oz then I am 7'2" and my name is Shaquille! WOW! What a nice lean cut of meat. If it tastes as good as it looks I will be in heaven...and heaven bound I went. It was cooked to my exact order (medium) and was tender, juicy and oh so ever delicious. Each bite melted in my mouth as I took my time and just savored every single bite. The garlic mashed potatoes were excellent also. Mashed with tiny bits of the peel mixed in and not too powerful on the garlic. A real good balance. I barely finished my meal, there was no way I was not going to finish the prime rib. The waitress came over every once and a while to make sure I was doing fine. She was very attentive but not hovering. Again a good balance.

I was fortunate enough to return to Mad Marys again the following week while treating the CT staff at the hospital to a meal. I thought I might try something different but when I got there the prime rib angels were calling out to me again. I gave in and endulged in prime rib heaven. The wait staff again was superb. They were very busy again but were very knowlegdable about the menu and very efficient.

If I do get back to this area of South Dakota I will definitely set aside at least one evening to go to Mad Marys.

Here are my grades.

Food Quality-------------5 out of 5

The food quality was awesome. The food was prepared fresh and looked great . I found no faults in the food or how it was prepared.

Service Quality----------5 out of 5

Perfect. The staff was friendly and courteous. They were attentive but not smothering.

Value--------------------4 out of 5

The prices for the food were comparable for the same items in other areas but well worth the price for the freshness and overall quality.

Overall------------------ 4.7 out of 5

Mad Marys Steakhouse has a great atmosphere, awesome service and wonderful food. Probably the best prime rib I have had since I can remember. Loved it and would recommend it to anyone out in the area.