My wife and I dined here last night. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal.
We really enjoyed the ambiance. The modern warehouse / butchershop atmosphere appealed to us. It was upscale casual. It reminds me of Sardine - maybe same owners - not sure.
Some reviews have mentioned the noise level. It was loud, but in a good way. It was loud enough that we didn't feel like everyone was listening to our conversation or that we needed to wisper. However, not loud enough to prevent us from having a conversation.
I had beer, while my wife sampled some of their cocktails. She had a whiskey sour and some sort of punch (the special for the evening). Their drink menu was substantial. Excellent selection of cocktails, beer, and wine.
The food was very, very good. We started with two of their toasts. One had truffled white beans and prosciutto, the other was lardon and radish. We thought the bean and prosciutto was excellent. The lardon and radish was just ok. Perhaps we don't enjoy lardon as much as we thought.
My wife enjoyed two small plates - beet & hazelnut salad and pork belly & lentils. The salad was good, but the pork belly was outstanding. I ordered the BBQ pheasant. It was divine. They made a sausage from one of the thighs and leg. It was wrapped in a cabbage leaf. It was used as a pillow for the rest of the dish. The rest of the pheasant was nicely roasted and served with a southern style (mustard based) bbq sauce.
I know this review is long, but I would be negligent not to mention the service. It was fantastic. Sadly, I do not remember the gentleman's name would served us. He was great - especially by Madison standards. He was extremely knowledgeable about the menu. He also took the time to explain various aspects of the menu without us having to ask - small plates, large plates, toasts, etc. He made some great recomendations and followed up later to see if we enjoyed what he suggested.
This was one of the best meals we have had in Madison in a long time. Granted, we don't get out much anymore thanks to two little boys under the age of two. Regardless, the combination of atmosphere, drinks, food, and outstanding service makes this a place we will definitely return to.