The Tempest in Madison, Wisconsin: A Restaurant Review

The Tempest Oyster Bar is one of the newest restaurants in downtown Madison , taking the place of the former Magnus on Wilson Street and standing not too far away from places like the Great Dane Brewery and Pub and Johnny Delmonico's Steakhouse. What makes Tempest stand out, even from the minute you walk through its doors, is its dedication to getting down to the business end of its culinary expertise, which is seafood. And just in case you miss that point, right after entering Tempest you see a huge gleaming Chris-Craft boat surrounded by dining tables.

The menu at Tempest makes a few concessions to those who might want t order venison or tenderloin but centers mostly on seafood, especially its oysters and clams. At least four types each of different East and West Coast oysters and clams are offered on the menu. For those who can't decide which specific oyster/clam to order, there are towers that can be ordered and which provide a milieu of shelled critters, shrimp, crab cocktail, mussels, and even lobster.

Dinner selections can be Blue Marlin, Trout, Sturgeon, Halibut, Live Maine Lobster or King Crab. The prices are not small: the Blue Marlin sets you back $23, and a 1.5 lb portion of King Crab is $42. The cheapest item on the dinner menu at Tempest is the Lobster Roll, which at $15 comes piled on a large bun with lettuce and tomato and accompanying matchstick fries.

I dined with a work group at Tempest last evening and, because my workplace was covering my meal, all of us could afford to order generously. Thus, our long evening meal started out with several $40 seafood towers containing oysters, jumbo shrimp, clams, mussels and crab cocktail. The towers arrived as two stacked silver platters, with the top platter containing the shrimp, cocktail and mussels, and the bottom platter containing the oysters and clams. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of oysters and their ilk, but I did partake of the crab cocktail and shrimp. Both the crab cocktail pieces and shrimp were big and moist and delicate in their taste, making for a great appetizer before the main course.

And speaking of the main course, we selected several different types. I ordered the broiled Live Maine Lobster, while my coworkers selected Blue Marlin, the Lobster Roll and Sturgeon. Another two coworkers selected the King Crab. We waited patiently for our food, which did take some time to arrive (I estimated about half an hour). But when it did, the wait had been worthwhile. Oddly, some of our party's tables were served way in advance of others, sometimes by as much as 20 minutes.

My lobster, a picture of which I've included in this article, was cut in half and dressed in greens. A kind of pesto green "paste" had been made from the lobster's internal organs. I tried the paste and found it quite buttery and good, even if I did not usually partake of crustacean internal organs. The lobster meat was perfect, not overbaked or rubbery in the least. I savored every bite.

My coworkers who ordered the Blue Marlin (picture included) and other vittles also cleaned their plates. All the fish were noted to be succulent and firm. Likewise, while every fish was "dressed" up with fried leeks or an egg or bread crumbs, no fish was overdone. I also noticed that Tempest served only the "business end" of the meal for the majority of our meals; in essence, if you ordered fish or lobster or crab, then it was only fish or lobster or crab that you received. No side dishes were really provided, aside from a batch of braised chard that was to be shared amongst all of us. The only dish that came with its own side was the Lobster Roll, which was piled high with the matchstick fries (not to mention a mountain of lettuce).

I wisely saved half of my lobster so that I wouldn't be too stuffed to enjoy dessert. There were many available choices, including Peach Blackberry Crisp, Chocolate Bundt Cake with Mt. Rainier cherries and whiskey reduction sauce, Crème Caramel, and Pear Upside Down Cake. I went with the Peach Blackberry Crisp, which was supposed to be served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream.

A few minutes after I ordered my dessert, the waiter returned and stated that the kitchen was out of ice cream. I negotiated that my dessert be topped by the kitchen's homemade whipped cream instead. Agreement was reached and I quickly received my dessert.

I made the mistake of biting into my Crisp too fast and was burned by a very hot blackberry. This dessert had not just been warmed; it had been cooked! I made do with the whipped cream topping until the fruit cooled off and found it to be quite rich and flavored with real vanilla beans. I grew envious; my own homemade whipped cream, though good, was not this good. Finally, after the fruit had cooled off, I methodically ate through the Peach Blackberry Crisp. I appreciated how this Crisp was not buried in sugar and flour like many other fruit crisps I've eaten over the years. Instead, this Crisp focused on the main purpose for the dessert- the fruit.

I nearly forgot to mention the wonderful red wine that was served at the meal: a 2009 Malbec from Argentina that went by the name of Decero. This wine was smooth and fragrant, yet also dry enough for my palette. I am definitely going to be on the lookout for more of this wine. Paired with the bread basket that contained huge pieces of bread from Madison Sourdough Co., the wine made for a great libation with this winning dinner.