Tempest Oyster Bar — Restaurant in Madison

I'm in Madison Wisconsin. I met a man who works at a restaurant and tells me I should try it. The thing that makes it interesting is that it has Massachusetts oysters on the menu. To be specific Wellfleet. After chatting I looked up the menu. I have to admit that the menu got me a little excited. Here I am, a Bay Stator, or Masshole, in a Midwestern state. Not an ocean in sight wondering how good could it possibly be if it's not near the Atlantic Ocean. We New englanders are a little arrogant about our seafood, claiming it to be the best anywhere. And, we will tell you we don't eat oysters unless there's an r in the month. Well Monday night I GPS myself to the Tempest Oyster Bar. Driving to the oyster bar you see the Capitol building in Madison, it is unbelievably breathtaking You can almost forget what you're doing or where you're going. So back to the bar, I arrived and went to the host station and was greeted by one of the loveliest young women. Not just the fact that she was pretty to look at she was very welcoming and not in that sugary sweet way, just plain nice. I actually felt welcome. I explained to her why I was there and that I had been invited and she showed me to a table where I would not feel conspicuous. I never care about sitting by myself in a restaurant. I've been doing it for years and I don't really ever feel uncomfortable. But then there's not many places I would feel uncomfortable. Upon sitting down at a high top table next to a speed boat, I was greeted by a young lady who brought me bread. Now I haven't had bread since June and here it is nearly the end of August and I just wanted to put as much bread in my mouth as I could. There were three slices of the slightest tangy sourdough that made me want to eat through 20 loaves of it. There is the smallest mattering of salt on the top crust that just made one slice after another jump into my mouth. Probably because I hadn't had bread in so long it was extra delicious, I'm not sure I just think it was really good bread. Don't think I'm making too much of the bread, but I couldn't help think if having it toasted on a cold winter morning with butter and a drizzle of honey and a cup of tea would not have just made everything in life worthwhile. My server came over and she was delightful. Lovely young woman very upbeat but not in that roll your eyes way. I had already made up my mind when I looked at the menu online. A glass of Riesling and it began. I ordered oysters, three from Duxbury and three from Wellfleet Mass. Both have this very distinctive flavor and characteristics. But for my money Wellfleet has the best briny toothsome oysters and I was not disappointed. For a few moments I was transported home and having dinner with a friend of mine where we always got oysters on Fridays. I decided to forgo a formal meal and try a couple of different things. The first thing was the conch fritters with a spicy aioli. The last time I had Conch fritters was in the Cayman Islands more than 10 years ago, so this was a a treat. Crispy on the outside pillowy on the inside and juicy little bits of conch. Now if you've never had a conch fritter, the frying process can make the pieces of conch hard and less enjoyable. These were perfect. The conch was tender and the fritter itself was fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside. I also enjoyed the mussels. I love muscles and these came with a delightful broth and a grilled hunk of the bread for dipping in the juices. Mussels were tender, The broth was flavorful and oh that bread. It was the perfect threesome that brought me back to New England once again. Finally, for my gluttonous greedy self I enjoyed the fruits de mer. By this time I was getting full but I had to attempt a platter full of delight; fried scallops shrimp oysters calamari and cod. I tried one of each with the dipping sauces. I was done. Another glass of Riesling and I was carrying home the last vestiges of a meal that I will remember for a very long time. It has to be up in...

I had the opportunity to visit this restaurant for a couple friends' birthdays yesterday. I had heard so much talk about it and was not disappointed at all for the experience I received. We had made reservations ahead of time (coming in with a group of 13) and were seated quickly in a more secluded dining room. The host was fast at filling our waters as more of our group arrived. I asked for the vegan options because a couple of our party were vegans and they had a seaweed salad and a pasta for entrees or there are sides as well. (The seaweed salad is amazing) Our server (Nicole) came over, introduced herself and grabbed our drink orders. She was very knowledgeable about the menu and the restaurant. (I asked a couple questions about the history) Our courses arrived in a timely fashion and let's just say that was some of the best seafood I've had in my life. The oysters were fresh and full of flavor. The lobster of course was amazing. But it was amazing how fast Nicole worked. Clearing our plates and checking in around the time we needed anything. It was superb! I had the fish and chips for my entrée and it was how I dreamed fish and chips should be made. A light, salty breading with fish that melts in your mouth. (Hard to believe but true). The chips were served with a nice sweeter sauce that paired/rounded the dish out. Preventing the palate from becoming too salty. It was a work of art. For dessert we had a cheesecake (which I did not partake but heard was amazing) and a sweet moist cake which we are still talking about. Honestly it was one of the best evenings I've had the opportunity to experience at a restaurant. Thank you Nicole and crew for the amazing night. I hope to be back. And I strongly urge anyone, if you truly love food, you have to experience Tempest. You will not be...

I had a dinner with colleagues. I arrived 10min early and the table was ready, which was a nice surprise. The staff was nice and helpful. I had the seaweed salad as a starter, which was delicious. I also like the fact that they have real bread, unlike Tornado. As a main dish, I ordered the NY strip, rare. To my great disappointment it overcooked (medium) and dry. I tried a slice but it wasn't enjoyable at all, so I asked the waitress to confirm I ordered rare. She apologized, confirmed that she asked the kitchen to cook it rare, and said that they will replace it right away. This already is sad because I hate thinking meat is wasted. Getting the second steak took a long time (rare steak should be pretty fast to do). I got the second steak, my colleagues had nearly finished their plates, and the steak was... overcooked again! (See picture, it's medium at best). The poor waitress apologized again and told me it wouldn't be charged, which is nice, but the office was paying anyway so it made no difference for me. I told her that I would still eat it, but in the end I could not eat more than a third. It was just not good. I left feeling very bad that 2 large pieces of steak got wasted like that, and that I watched my colleagues eating while waiting, just to have them wait while I eat. I just don't understand how a reputable restaurant like this can mess up the same thing twice like that.

It's always disappointing to go out to have a nice time for a special occasion, and to leave with a bitter feeling because of...