I don't normally write reviews on any Big Bear business because I own a business here and I use this account to help others who post on this site with questions about Big Bear, but I just had to write about Madlons. I have lived permanently in Big Bear for a number of years and have never eaten at Madlons before. I had heard good and bad things about them and kept promising myself I would try it some day. Well, some day was yesterday (Sunday).

First of all, from the moment you see the exterior you will be either enchanted or amused. It looks like a storybook house - very charming. We entered and the interior was nearly as charming as the exterior. Just like one of the prior posters, we laughed when the hostess asked if we had a reservation since there appeared to be only one other table occupied, but when we told her we did not have a reservation she was still able to seat us immediately. What the other poster may not have noticed was that, even though the restaurant was nearly empty, several tables had "RESERVED" signs on them.

We were handed impressive menus with a great selection of items. I did notice it said that guests should be prepared to spend as much as 2 hours dining there. We didn't feel like spending quite that much time so we mentioned that to our server who said that 2 hours is a maximum and likely only when they were full and we would be able to dine in less time than that.

I ordered the Filet Mignon extra rare and my friend ordered Fettucine Alfredo with Chicken. We also ordered their Jalapeno soup and the Foie Gras appetizer. They first brought us each a clam on the shell as a complimentary appetizer which was delicious. The Jalapeno soup and the Foie Gras were simply superb. I had never had Foie Gras served with grilled pineapple but the combination was excellent.

After the appetizers we were served a mango sorbet as a palate cleanser. I would love to have had more of that! My steak was perfectly cooked and so tender they didn't even serve a steak knife with it. In fact they even said "we aren't serving you a steak kife because you won't need it, but if you want one, we'll be glad to provide it". I didn't sample my friend's fettucine but she said it was excellent as well.

For dessert I had the Creme Brulee (with cinnamon!) and my friend had Bread Pudding with cherries. Of course we both shared with each other and both desserts were awesome.

The pricing was not at all unreasonable. There are a couple of other fine dining restaurants in Big Bear and the pricing at Madlons was within a dollar or two of the others. My 4oz Filet Mignon was $28 (an 8oz version was $32).

The only complaint I had was about the wine list. They had a very impressive list of wines that you could order by the bottle but the list of wines you could order by the glass was pretty blah.

I would definitely NOT recommend this restaurant to families with children. The interior is fairly small and the relaxed timing would be torture for kids who get impatient easily. I also would not recommend this restaurant to anyone who is in a hurry. But anyone else, particularly anyone wanting a very romantic dining experience along with excellent food, should try this restaurant out.