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Review content:
The Maddox Bar & Grill is in Lynnwood on the Edmonds side, in a strip-mall area. The outside suggests a Sambos or Sharri's - a family place with large windows everywhere and lots of booths. But don't pre-judge it based on location or appearance.
Inside, the walls are deep red, the lighting more subdued, and although sports are on a few hanging televisions, they are always muted. This is, in a nut-shell, a "recovering sports-bar", heading upscale and fast. The bar is well stocked including a good selection of top-shelf items seldom found in Lynnwood. Service is very good, and the owners are usually around and involved.
The two draws of a restaurant are the food and the ambience. Maddox has decent ambience considering it's still trying to determine a personality. One corner has board games (backgammon, chess, chinese checkers) on a wall. Another corner has an oriental-style water garden. The entrance has a wine rack and knick-knacks. Another corner has a large public-house sign (very British). The bar and an actual wine bar are prominent. And when live music is played, it's on the center main floor. The live music I experienced there was "jazz", instrumental standards. Fun to watch and listen to, and not obtrusive. So the ambience is a bit confused, but mostly works. Nothing annoying and, despite the contrasting influences, pretty peaceful for Lynnwood.
The food can also be mixed. Some of the specialty dishes are fascinating, and the meat - e.g. the tenderloin - are really really good. But don't expect much from the garlic-mash potatos, and on the night I went there the veggies were fresh-but-flat, an interesting combination.
So we have a mixed bag, mostly good but some caveats. This is a great place for meeting friends, having drinks, having great steak (etc) while listening to live music that won't make anyone's ears bleed. But if you don't care about the ambience, music or service, you can spend the same amount at The Outback and get a better whole meal even though your meat won't be as good.
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