Beacon Lounge - Madison

Spending a weekend in Madison, Bonfyre was probably the best food experience I had all weekend. Going in for a rather late dinner, I chose only to get an appetizer, drink, and dessert, though the rest of the table went to have full dinners. My appetizer was the carpaccio, thinly sliced, raw beef with herbs and spices. A lot of the time, I get this and the seasoning is really unevenly applied here it was fairly well seasoned throughout. I also tried the cheese curds because... cheese curds. Theirs were the atypical, orange y cheddar variety, which I honestly didn't think much of. They tasted a bit like artificial nacho cheese in a breading, and I could do without those again. The waiter was very friendly and outgoing. It also seems to be a fairly upscale, relaxing vibe.

For drinks, we had the mango martini and the Bonfyre Old Fashioned—both were flavorful and not watered down at all. We decided to share a tomahawk steak, accompanied by asparagus and a twice-baked potato, which was delightful. We ordered our steak medium-rare, but I’m giving this a 4 out of 5 because it wasn't consistently medium-rare; some parts were on the rare side. Nonetheless, the steak was still very good. We definitely plan to return!

Folks were visiting from Jersey. It was a perfect night to be sitting on the patio. The semi sheer blinds helped cut down on the wind and Sun, the patio a nice location for our dinner. Our server was attentive and congenial. The meals were, as per usual, very good. The dumplings had just the right amount of heat in the oil. I loved the ahi tuna app. Tasty tender strips of tuna complemented by a crunchy salad with sweet-hot sauce. The Wedge salad and steak was a favorite of my wife. The steak was packed with flavor and cooked to a perfect t med-rare. My salmon was tender, flaky and moist. Bonfyre did not disappoint. This is why it is one of our favorite restaurants around 'Madison.

Keep in mind that dinners don't come with soup or salad; you'll need to order those separately, which can add an extra $10 to $14 to your bill. The soups are quite good, and I highly recommend the grilled Caesar salad—it's large enough to be shared. As for the main courses, the ribs are available as either a half rack or a full rack. They're so tender that the meat practically falls off the bone, and they come with an Asian salad and mashed potatoes. The herb rotisserie chicken was just average, served with mashed potatoes and excellent green beans. I really enjoyed the wood-fired seafood trio, which features salmon, shrimp, and scallops in a lemon caper sauce alongside risotto—it was very tasty. Overall, Bonfyre is a popular spot that offers great service and delicious food.

Went for first time-and only time. We ordered a steak, mushroom risotto BBQ ribs. The rib sauce was awful...caused severe heartburn to both who ordered it. Steak was fine, said baked potato was better. Risotto was good.