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| - SERVICE: 3.5 Stars
The two gentlemen behind the counter were friendly, but the steady flow of traffic precluded anything more than just transactional interactions. They delivered our food with a smile and graciously brought over a tray of condiments but never were able to break away from the counter so check in on our food. They did a nice job of explaining all the coffee options, but it was hard to understand everything they said because of the noise level.
VENUE: 3 Stars
From a purely visual perspective, A-OK would garner a 4.5 rating for its transformation of the old Savidusky's Fur retail shop into a stylish space with a post-industrial vibe. As mentioned in other reviews, the vault door from the fur repository is a show stopper. Also visually striking are the blue and gold geometric floor tiles and the shiny white subway tiles utilized around the coffee bar. But functionally, all those hard surfaces amplified the sounds of two very industrious baristas, caffeinated hipsters conversing and energetic preschoolers accompanying their mothers congregating for their morning coffee klatch. Mix in louder than normal background music (90s alt-rock like Weezer, Green Day and REM) and you'll find yourself reaching for your earbuds to filter out some of the din.
Another frustrating aspect of A-OK is the lack of street parking during weekdays. I've aborted two attempts at grabbing a lunch at A-OK simply because I could not locate street parking within three blocks of their facility.
Thumbs up for free Wi-Fi with a strong signal throughout the morning.
FOOD / DRINK: 3 stars
The breakfast food was a mixed bag. I enjoyed my corned beef hash breakfast, but felt it was pricey at $12 considering I could travel several blocks and get Madison Sourdough's perfectly executed breakfast hash with a wonderfully dressed side salad for $2 less. My primary beef with my dish was the complete and utter lack of salt on my meal. While I appreciate that everyone has their personal salt preference, there should to be a base level of seasoning. In addition, there should be salt shakers on the all the tables if salting is to be a DIY affair at A-OK.
My daughter's country breakfast (eggs, hash browns, bacon / sausage and a freshly made buttermilk biscuit) missed the mark. The primary offender was the severely undercooked and under-seasoned hash browns with still crunchy onions, but the slightly dry scrambled eggs also disappointed. The star of her plate was the scrumptious buttermilk biscuit, perfectly crunchy on the exterior and pillowy soft in the center. The menu's biscuits and gravy option may be the correct play for future visits.
While the chai tea latte did not supplant Graze for best in class, my daughter felt the A-OK's rendition was easily in the top quartile for Madison. My Chemex coffee was A-OK, but I needed to consume it rapidly to prevent the first world problem of lukewarm coffee as the contents of the glass carafe cooled quickly.
OVERALL RATING: 3 stars
Given its Johnson Public House bloodlines and its visually appealing venue, I admittedly had elevated expectations for this coffee shop. While there's plenty to like, the lackluster food will keep me on the sidelines for a while. Yelp defines a 3 star rating as "A-OK", so who am I to disagree.
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