"0"^^ . . "0"^^ . "4"^^ . "2"^^ . . . "Graduate Madison Review-\nLocated in the heart of Madison (601 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53703), Graduate Madison has a rooftop bar on the 7th floor that is a perfect place for a night out with friends, family or a significant other. The private elevator to the 7th floor is a unique feature that only goes from the ground to the 7th floor. Once you arrive at the rooftop bar you are greeted by the friendly staff. They have a full bar that is indoors with additional indoor seating with fairly large windows that give you a lovely view of Madison. As you walk through the indoor seating you have the option of sitting outside. Seating is limited and they don't take reservations for parties less than 5 people. So if you are thinking about having a few drinks for the sunset, it may be a good idea to come a little bit early. If all the outdoor seats are taken they will seat you indoor for the time being but they will inform you when an outdoor seat is available for your party. The outdoor seating area is worth the wait considering it provides you with an astonishing view of the capital and Lake Mendota to your left and the Moon during sunset to your right.\n\nGraduate Madison offers a wide range of drinks from cocktails to draught beers, bottle beers, sparkling champagne, white and red wines. My party and I decided to go for a couple cocktails, the drinks came out relatively fast along with a couple glasses of water. Here is what I found after the drinks:\n\nThe Madison Mule ($9) is made up of mint and ginger infused death's door vodka, canton ginger liqueur, mint leaves, and ginger beer. Served in a medium to small glass this drink is its own version of a classic Moscow Mule. Fairly decent drink to start off the night but a little over-priced for the quantity and quality of the drink itself. With all said and done I would give an overall rating of 5.7 out of 10.\n\nThe Studebaker ($9) is made up of old sugar distillery brandy station, fresh lemon juice, triple sec, and house made blood syrup. This unique drink could be compared to an old fashioned. The lemon juice used was a little too much, giving the drink a tart after taste. Overall, the drink was sub-par to my expectation and I would give a rating of 6.2 out of 10.\n\nGraduate Madison offers a variety of different food all prepared by a wonderful chef. The food they provide includes snacks/shares, smaller and larger plates, along with sides and a menu of desserts. We decided to go with a couple items from the snacks/shares section. Within 10-15 minutes of ordering we received our snacks and here is what I found:\n\nThe Fish Tacos ($9) is made up of ceviche, shrimp, mango, avocado and a taro shell. The ceviche was an excellent addition of raw seafood mixed with lime juice. The shrimp pieces were small but just the right size considering the tacos were fairly small. The taro shell which is similar to the taste of potatoes was cooked perfectly and had a nice golden brown tone on the outside of the shell. The avocado listed was lacking quantity but the mango still brought a little kick of flavor to the tacos. With a final squeeze of the lemon over the tacos, they were ready to eat and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I only wish they were a little bigger considering the price but overall I would rate them 8.7 out of 10.\n\nThe Cheese Curds ($8) served in a medium to small bowl with a side of chipotle sauce were some of the best cheese curds I've had. These crispy curds were deep fried in an almost perfect batter. It was mouthwatering taking a cheese curd and dipping it ever so slightly in the chipotle sauce. As we finished the dish, we felt a bit sad because we wanted more. Overall the quantity matched the quality of the cheese curds and I recommend at least one order to whoever attends Graduate Madison, with an overall rating of 9.3 out of 10.\n\nAll in all, Graduate Madison was a humbling experience. The staff was very friendly and willing to assist all customers in a timely and respectable manner. The food and drinks overall were made with care and tasted excellent. A perfect time to go is during sunset because some nights they play a song as the sun sets and all rails are $1 during the song. If they don't play the song just be sure to ask the staff and I'm sure they will offer the deal. Overall I would give the Graduate Madison 4.5 out of 5 stars"^^ . "2016-07-21T00:00:00"^^ .