Classic dining elegance or casual and comfortable bar scene, you choose. Extensive variety of specialty food & drinks. Restaurant hours:
Mon-Wed: 5pm-11pm (last call at 1:30am)
Thursday: 5pm-12am, (last call at 1:30am)
Friday: 5pm-12am, (last call at 2:30am)
Saturday: 11am-12am (last call at 2:30am)
Sunday: 11am-10pm (last call at 2:30am)Reviewed by Sarah Nelson
   The temporarily vacant space at the corner of 14th and Washington streets — which was previously home to a sports bar — has got a fresh coat of blue paint on the outside, a makeover on the interior, and a menu that is sure to please the masses. In fact, the food is so diverse that I had to dine at The Madison Bar & Grill a couple times, then get input from a few friends who had eaten there as well, before I felt I could deliver an accurate appraisal.     As you walk inside, eyes are drawn to the shiny hard-wood floors and the spaciousness of the area surrounding the bar. Candles light up the white linen-covered tables, which I assumed were for those intending to order dinner. Not so. Customers who want to relax with a drink are more than welcome to join a table, and the waitstaff is as impressively attentive in the bar area as in the dining room. Separated from the bar and surrounded by russet-colored walls decorated with black and white pictures, is the dining area. The bar crowd is mostly populated by young professionals and an occasional local, but many families congregated in the dining room, which offers the same inviting appeal.      Among other specialties, The Madison features a wide range of tempting fish. The appetizers, for example, are predominately seafood and range in price from $5 to10. You can choose fried calamari served one of three ways, or grilled to perfection and served over arugula drizzled with champagne vinaigrette. Mussels, scallops, shrimp, and crab cakes also serve as starters, or you can opt for Mississippi Delta wings or a traditional stuffed artichoke.     A unique medley of salads are offered, ranging in price from $5 to13 (grilled chicken or shrimp costs extra) along with your choice of dressing. Two of my salad-loving friends stopped by one night and ordered the Madison house salad (mixed field greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, chicken, $10) and the baby spinach salad (spinach, roasted red peppers, grilled red onion, mushrooms, homemade mozzarella, $9). They report that both were quite fresh and large, and the vinaigrette dressings served with each were extremely tasty.     The menu includes six different pasta dishes, as well as an ever-changing chef’s special ($13-16). My date was anxious to try The Madison’s version of his favorite pasta dish, rigatoni and vodka sauce ($13). I sampled it as well, and we both agreed that it couldn’t have been better. As the menu notes, the sauce was the chef’s original recipe, and to judge from the finished product, he includes precisely the right ingredients. Another friend ordered the wonton lobster ravioli ($16) with a wild-mushroom and asparagus-tip ragout in lobster broth, and claims it is simply without comparison.     The entrees range in price from $14 to 20, including a few seafood dishes, a veal dinner, a couple of poultry choices, two steak dinners, and a vegetarian meal. I ordered the chile-rubbed rib eye steak entree ($16), and was served a huge, savory portion accompanied by a Jack Daniel’s mushroom sauce, sauteed spinach, and smashed potatoes (yes, I mean smashed—like mashed potatoes except chunkier, with more flavor, and bits of potato skin throughout). The steak was cooked to my specifications, but almost as impressive were the smashed potatoes, which made a meal in themselves.      For the more price-conscious diner, The Madison offers six different kinds of pizza and plenty of sandwiches that will set you back no more than $8 apiece. For those of you who aren’t hungry at all, try something from the martini menu (like an Orange Crush or the Yummy Gummy Bear), one of their aged single malt scotches, a pint of hard cider, your favorite beer, or any cocktail of your choice. The shiny marble-top bar is handsome, and the friendly bartenders make you feel like you’re part of the neighborhood.