We stopped in on a rainy Tuesday night to grab a few drinks and were met with a jam packed bar, The RR is not large, it's cozy with seating against the wall and in front and a bar that takes up most of the right hand wall. This is not the place to bring a large group. Visually, it's appealing-dark wood, subway tile backsplash behind the taps, everything gave off a "cool" vibe. Audibly, a whole other story as the acoustics are terrible (as others have noted in past reviews). My girlfriend and I were seated a foot apart from each other and had to shout to be heard.
Our cocktails were well executed and I feel are some of the best in Madison. My better half went with her tried and true favorite-The aviation while I opted for penicillin-a perfect blend of Laphroig, lemon, honey and ginger.
Pro-tip #1: There isn't any table service (or none that night) so belly up to the bar to place your order.
Pro-Tip #2: People watching is an A+ here. Never have I seen a group trying so hard to be different that they actually all look the same. From the guy wearing Jordan's and a fedora worrying about his shoes getting scuffed to the woman wearing high waisted jeans silently lamenting over American Apparel going bankrupt, it was quite the scene. It was hard not to inform them that this isn't Brooklyn but a solid bar on the near east side of a small Midwestern town. Just stop trying so hard and it will all work out, people.