Best Restaurants with a Fireplace in Duarte

The loveliest and kindest restaurant staff! Excellent food, wonderfully relaxed atmosphere, elegant decor, and they were very willing to accommodate the menu for kids. Great drinks, too. Giant pasta portions, so we didn’t make it to dessert, but we’ll plan better for next time!

Our first Thanksgiving at The Derby and it is official, it is going to be our new Thanksgiving tradition. We lost our mother last year on 12/31/23 and we spent the last 22 years going to pick her up, 80miles away, and going out to eat. She hated cooking but loved good food and dinning out. This was our first Thanksgiving in 22 years that we stayed close to home and without our mom. First words out of our mouths, when we tasted the food was, “mom would have loved The Derby”, we, three grabbed our delicious cocktails and toasted to our mom’s honor. From the ease of making reservations to the prompt seating when we arrived, we enjoyed every minute. The meal was both traditional and they also offered the usual prime rib and steaks. We opted for the Turkey Thanksgiving meal. It was a generous plate of succulent turkey and the best stuffing I’ve ever tasted. Included sweet potatoes , perfectly al dente green beans, a tangy home made cranberry sauce , mashed potatoes and decadent gravy. It was all so divine. We ordered a side of Marsala mushrooms (I almost sipped the juices from the bowl because it was THAT good). The pumpkin pie Made with love and you could taste every spice. The nightcap was The Derby’s version of a spiked eggnog… oh my… I could have had three of these as my dessert…amazing. Our favorite part of our evening by far was Marta our server. She was cheerful, attentive, personable, and made us feel like we were her only table…and it was obvious she had many..yikes, the place was busy, but she made our dining experience memorable as did the rest of the staff, clearing plates, filling waters, etc. We’ve been to Ruth’s Chris, Maestros , and others for Thangsving over the 22 years we went out wit mom. Not one came close to TheDerby. Mom, would definitely be proud we found The Derby for Thanksgiving.

Service was great and the food was excellent. The music was very loud (no doubt left over from the opening staff), but the server was happy to turn it down upon request. They have no decaf coffee--no drip, no Americano... Highly recommended for breakfast or brunch.

Our party of 4 had afternoon tea on 9/1/24 and it was our first time at Madeline. Everything was wonderful! The main dining room was elegant. The harpist was very talented and played beautifully. All of us really enjoyed our teas (lavender black & lychee oolong). We ordered the European and Madeline high tea. There was plenty of food and we all left very full. The French onion soup and salad were really good. And the scones - omg! The scones were so delicious and some of the best that we’ve ever had. Service was great and attentive. 10/10 experience! We will be coming back.