Review: Maggie McFly’s – Brookfield, CT

The flying lady who came out of nowhere, scouring the local countryside for the best foods and airdropping them into your mouth. I’m guessing she’s a tribute to Amelia Earhart, maybe Dale? The concept is simple: create a menu with as many meal and drink choices as possible, overwhelm your patrons with options, which then slows down every aspect of the dining experience, but somehow it works.

I’ve been a regular at Maggie’s for a long time, ever since the first one opened in Middlebury. My go-to was always Southbury since it was closest to my office and easy to reach.

The Brookfield spot is one of their nicest, right on Federal Road. We are in the area more often now with family and our son playing baseball at Allstars up the road. They clearly invested in making it a beautiful space, even if the outside view is the shadow of the forever-busy Costco façade. We came on a perfect 80-degree Saturday, looking for something outside or at least close to the summer fresh air.

We arrived at 3:30 PM. It was not crowded. Eating earlier avoids the dinner rush and gives my food time to settle. We walked past the front desk and found a booth in the bar that let the warm breeze from outside reach us as we watched the end of the Yankee game on the big screen TVs. The rest of our party joined shortly after.

Anyone who has been here knows the menu is massive. My mother-in-law joked to the waiter, “Has anyone ever said this menu is too big?” He replied that someone must have, because it used to be 46 pages and is now down to 25.

Having been here so many times, I was almost sure I would get the Farmer’s Grain Bowl. Grilled chicken, quinoa and brown rice, carrots, sunflower seeds, pistachio, cucumbers, apples, feta, scallions, maple-roasted sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, and lime cilantro dressing. I love healthier options like this, and it is hard to find a place that offers them and does it well.

I started flipping through the menu and saw other contenders. Fresh Roasted Turkey Dinner. Chicken Burrito. Tuna Poke Bowl. I kept going back and forth, then hearing what other people were ordering, until I completely glitched out and went with the Cajun Jambalaya. It’s a wonder, with such a vast range of choices, if the kitchen could really get it right.

For appetizers we ordered the Giant Pretzel, Fried Pickles, and my wife’s seasonal lobster bisque in a bread bowl. I didn’t set my expectations high and my only hope was that the pretzel came out hot. To my surprise, it was perfect. Warm and textured on the outside, buttery soft and chewy inside. One of the best I have ever had. The beer-flavored cheese sauce was outstanding. The fried pickles were also excellent, and the lobster bisque was rich and flavorful. Even the bread from the bowl was worth eating, not just a throwaway vessel like most places.

Entrée expectations were high. My Cajun Jambalaya delivered. The seafood was tasty, well-seasoned, and cooked properly. A big win after coming up short on seafood at the Jersey Shore. My wife’s lemon chicken was grilled perfectly and full of flavor. My son went with the turkey dinner, a classic comfort food choice.

Normally we would have left after that, but the first two rounds were so good we decided on dessert. We went with an Oreo milkshake and a round of sundaes. We asked for a small sundae, but our waitress Casey, who was fantastic, told us it was a big one with multiple scoops and offered to split it into two cups. I told her I would just share my wife’s, but when the desserts came, she gave me my own cup anyway. That small gesture made me feel like a little big man filled with glee.

We paired dessert with decaf cappuccinos, which arrived wrong. A food runner tried to convince us they were small-quantity cappuccinos served in large cups. After too many cappuccinos and too many bad Al Pacino movies, we were not buying it. Casey came back and returned with visually stunning, properly sized coffees.

Maggie’s is improving in both food quality and overall dining experience. The bathrooms were very clean and orderly, which always says a lot about the whole establishment. This visit felt like a smooth flight from start to finish. We will be back to see where Maggie lands next.

Final Verdict: 8.75/10