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| - Restaurant Magnus is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. After many years with great success focusing on South American fare as its theme, it has undergone a major transformation, with new leadership in the kitchen and a new image as a Scandinavian eatery.
While the dining room remains largely the same, save for the addition of an impressive wood gateway over the entrance to the main room, done in the style of a similar portal on a 12th Century Scandinavian church. The wood is sleek, natural and mostly unadorned, setting the tone for Magnus's new culinary focus, led by Chef Nick Johnson.
Following a trend represented in some of the most successful restaurants in other large cities, Magnus's new menus has moved from rustic and rich of the south to the north's clean flavors of fresh, smoked, pickled and brine. The standouts on the new menu are several, but the one dish I have ordered again and again is the starter of tuna served two ways: a raw tuna tartare dressed with cucumber dill and a cured tuna "ham," topped with a quail egg. The duo is served on a piece of pink Himalayan salt, lending not only a dramatic flair to the presentation, but also the benefit of a wonderful natural salt flavor. The gravlax and salmon caviar and the seafood plate are also standouts on the starters menu.
For mains, the choice is between water and earth. There may be a tendency to overlook the seemingly quotidien salmon at first, but it is a delight - cooked to perfection and complemented with perfect, subtle flavors of dill and fennel.
While the fish dishes are strong, Magnus still truly excels in its preparations of meats, and the choice really becomes one of personal preference. The duck is always a wonderful option, and I tend to have to force myself to order anything else. The wild boar is my dining partner's plate of choice, and is exceptional, every time. Yet the venison, Kobe steak and Farmer's Market steak all provide their own culinary charms and character and are worthy of attention, as well.
The wine selection is excellent, and the knowledgeable, helpful and attentive waitstaff can assist in making an appropriate choice to accompany the meal. Cocktails are also well-matched to the cuisine.
Magnus is one of Madison's finest dining experiences, rounding out an elite team of the best of the best. Its new direction left some dubious, at first, but after a year and a half of fine-tuning, the time is right to experience upscale Scandinavian cuisine as interpreted by Chef Johnson, the Berge Brothers and Laura Jones.
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