Halfway through our dinner, we looked at each other and said, \"Really? This? In Madison, Wisconsin?!\"\n\nOh yes.\n\nWe began by sharing the carpaccio; served with a shaved radish and pea shoot salad, smoked potato chips, and marrow vinaigrette, it was divine.\n\nWe then received a sample from the kitchen: cold strawberry soup, seasoned simply with pepper, tarragon, and Moscato, garnished with a creamy blue cheese and a few lavender flowers. Beautiful, and a delicious palate cleanser.\n\nFor an entree, I chose the whole roasted branzino. It was exactly how I like my fish: perfectly done, simply prepared, and seasoned with a light hand, so you can actually taste the fish. The accompanying dill new potatoes were fresh, lightly buttery and delicious.\n\nMy boyfriend chose the hot paprika crusted halibut, which was really just superb. The fish - pan-seared, crusted, then finished to perfection in the oven - was presented on a small pile of shredded smoked ribs, all of this nestled on a chickpea puree and drizzled with a demi glaze. The flavors harmonized perfectly, and the presentation was beautiful.\n\nI'm not exactly sure how either one of us had room for dessert, but I'm glad that we did. I ordered a goat-cheese creme brulee, accompanied by chocolate biscotti, a candied olive madeleine, and raspberries - so good. My boyfriend chose the cheese platter, which paired three phenomenal local cheeses with sliced apples, quince jelly, and addictive smoked-candied Brazil nuts. When we told our server that the nuts were, basically, crazy-good, she brought us a box of them to take home.\n\nOur check arrived with a little dish of sweets from the kitchen: decadent chocolate mint truffles, strawberry jellies, and a handful of caramel corn.\n\nAll in all, it was a wonderful dining experience. The food was of a caliber that we sometimes don't even see in New York City, and therefore weren't expecting to find in comparatively-little Madison. The service was impeccable: attentive but not overbearing, informative when we needed it to be. The attention to detail was excellent from start to finish. The wine list was nothing short of fantastic. The room itself is beautiful, modern yet still romantic. Yes, this restaurant is a splurge, but it's worth every penny.\n\nI will make one recommendation: if you can, dine early. Our reservation for 8:45 on a Friday night ultimately got us seated around 9:15, and the bar was so incredibly busy (the bartender was awesome, but he had no assistance) that we didn't get a drink until mere moments before we were seated. Fortunately, the rest of the dining experience was so good that it made up for that slight glitch.
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