Daaaaannnggg this place is great. The bf and I wandered in Friday night after attending MMoCA nights (courtesy of Yelp! Thanks Yelp!). We were strolling around the square feeling a little uninspired over the usual places. Hamilton's caught my attention out of the corner of my eye-the exposed stone and cool lanterns over the bar made me think "this is a place I want to sit inside of." We walked over and saw a few open tables and assumed there would be a wait-those open tables must be for reservations, we figured. Nope, we were seated right away and were able to score a table at the window. The one seat had a gorgeous view of the Capitol.
I was surprised to see the poor reviews regarding service. Both the host and our server were extremely friendly and prompt. Our server was one of the best and most friendly I've had in awhile. We ordered drinks rather quickly-very nice list of cocktails with a few unusual selections-and our server came back a few minutes later to let us know there would be a small wait because a bunch of people had just sat down at the bar. No problem and thanks for letting us know!
The drinks were great. I had the rum sour which was delightfully refreshing. One of those drinks that tastes like vacation in a glass. The bf had the Manhattan which was quite strong but enjoyable. For dinner I had the ricotta gnudi. And wow, just wow. The gnudi were outstanding and the broth was perfect-not an overwhelming squash flavor at all. The broth was so delicious I would have licked the bowl clean if this was socially acceptable. Alas, it is not. Luckily this dish is served with a spoon so I was able to scrape up as much as possible.
I'm new to Madison but those who aren't would know Hamilton's is in the previous space which was the Blue Marlin. In a nod to the past occupant, the special Saturday night was a shrimp diablo. My dining companion had that and wow, it was also excellent. Five decent sized shrimp along with some crazy delicious sausage crumbles in a cream Sriracha sauce with penne. Yum yum yum. It was exceptional. We were both pleasantly surprised at how amazing our food was. We will be back for sure.
The space is really more of a 4 star space and the food really outshines the ambiance. I loved the exposed stone walls and lanterns (it reminded me a little of Chicago's Violet Hour) but the other wall is a little odd and the music doesn't seem to quite go with the feel of the place. It wasn't loud at all as other reviewers have written.