KwikPicks: Business dinner at Ocean Grill, Madison, Wis.

On my annual winter trip to Madison, I hosted a dinner with the folks from the Cooperative Network. We dined at Ocean Grill, part of a local group of creative restaurants.

Food: 4
Service: 3
Ambiance: 3
Value: 3

One of my guests was a student at the University of Wisconsin. His dad works with me at Land O'Lakes. He noted that Ocean Grill is one of his parent’s favorite restaurants in Madison. I’ve eaten there previously as well, and it certainly is great place to eat. The quality of the fresh fish and seafood is exceptional. I had the potato crusted seabass – fantastic (take a look at the photo). A couple people had seafood enchiladas, another regular item on the menu. They all said they really liked it. One guest had scallops, and they looked fantastic. One guest, who has a seafood allergy, even had steak. So you can see it’s a diverse menu.

So for my KwikPick ratings, I rate the food pretty high.

The service for our group was fine, but there wasn’t anything exceptional about it. The ambiance is comfortable for a business dinner, but I wouldn’t describe it as being cozy or romantic (like for an anniversary dinner or birthday). I like the large windows that look out onto MLK Street. And as for the overall value, it’s great food at a fair price. I wouldn’t describe it as a bargain, but it’s well worth the expense.

Recommendation: Definitely worth considering when you’re in Madison, especially if you’re in the mood for fish or seafood.