I'm a fan of the Magnus, and I've been itching to try it again since switching over to their "new Scandinavian" menu. My husband and I went for dinner last weekend, and we were not disappointed. We arrived relatively early for a Friday night, so we decided to sit at the bar and have a cocktail before moving on to dinner. We both had speciality cocktails - The Finn's #7 Cup (gin, vermouth, Lillet, and St. Germain garnished with sliced cucumbers and green apples) for me, and the New Style Old Fashioned (Jack Daniels, SoCo, ginger, and gingerale) for the husband. Both were delicious. The addition of ginger to the old fashioned gave it a zip that it doesn't normally have. The Finn's #7 Cup was light and refreshing, and made me wish that it was July instead of November because it was a drink that I think would be best enjoyed out on the patio on a beautiful summer evening. While our bartender was a little slow, the drinks made up for the misstep in service.
We ordered the house special appetizer of the night, which was a home cured pastrami made of grassfed beef ribeye prepared as a carpaccio topped with shaved truffles served with homemade crackers, sweet grainy mustard, and I think saurkraut. The curing of the pastrami was just right - light enough to retain the texture of a carpaccio yet still tasting like pastrami.
We had the caraway seared venison with venison carpaccio and the cocoa nib cured wild boar tenderloin for our entrees. When we ordered, I asked the waitress how the venison tenderloin would be prepared, and she replied that the chef sears it to medium rare. I usually like my red meat very rare, but I went with medium rare based on her recommendation. And, while it was medium rare, it was still more well done than I would have liked. Next time I won't second guess myself. But the venison carpaccio made up for it. It was melt in your mouth smooth, and the ligonberry syrup added a nice tartness to balance out all the meat. However, the smoked gouda-egg flan was cold and gelatinous (in a bad way), and I could have done without it.
The wild boar was also cooked medium rare, and the cut of meat was perfection. Perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, and perfectly delicious. I would definitely order it again.
For dessert we went with the Magnus chocolates and a cheese plate. The chocolates were your basic restaurant chocolate - absolutely fine, but nothing spectacular. Same for the cheese plate, although the selection of Carr Valley's Cocoa Cardona to the plate was a nice complement to the rest of the meal. We also enjoyed a delightful bottle of a bonarda/malbec blend with dinner.
Based on this experience, I'm very happy with Magnus's new menu, and I would recommed the Magnus as a great fine dining option in Madison.