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| - The main thing that the Mad has going for it is its hugeness. Especially its huge amounts of patio seating. With the labyrinthine rooms and stairways, including one notable stairway to nowhere, I can't help but be reminded of the Winchester Mystery House (google it if you're unfamiliar, it's a crazy interesting story). Its as though this particular pub/bed and breakfast was given the power of self-replication.
The menu is nearly identical to the Madison's sister pub down the street, Paupers (which I've also reviewed). There is, however, some intangible element which makes me prefer Paupers. You might say that the Madison is the slightly eccentric Victorian sister to Paupers younger, brasher self. And while the menu items are uncannily familiar, I would say that in terms of service and quality, the food is definitely second fiddle to the Madison's bar service.
I've mostly gone to the Madison for work-related birthday lunches and as such have never experienced the hopping nightlife of the Madison, which I'm told is a horse of another color altogether. Its proximity to the University frat houses more than likely has a lot to do with this reputation. Still, I can only suggest such a seedy underbelly, as I've only been in the place on quiet afternoons, dazedly wandering through its endless rooms of brass railings and carpeted stairs.
If you like the sound of the Paupers/Madison menus, go to Paupers. If you're looking for a college bar experience, head over at beer o'clock and report back your findings. And whatever you do, don't get lost in the Madison, because you'll be damned to wandering the halls forevermore....
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