Opus Lounge

Update: Opus Lounge is closed.

In a word: Nearly a work of art.

The specs: #0445 
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at the Culinary Adventures of Jahboh and Tossy, Yelp, Decider, 77 Square, official web site,

Latest Opus Lounge news and reviews

JM ate the shrimp skewers with a lemonade.
Jahboh ate the sushi rolls with a Christina's XTC.   
Nichole ate the caprese salad with a cucumber press.
Tossy ate the hummus platter.
We split the caramel fondue.
The bill was about $50, or $12.50/person (with half-price Happy Hour apps).
JM and Tossy gave Opus Lounge a B+; Jahboh and Nichole gave Opus Lounge a B (see our grading rubric).

Opus gave us a wonderful opportunity to nosh with fellow Madison food bloggers Jahboh and Tossy of Culinary Adventures, compare notes, and translate their paw prints to letter grades.

Stylish Opus' drinks and dessert were the best part of the meal. (Not so great after a while were the ottoman-like stools and low, low table and dim light, which, while conducive to flirting, was not so great for food criticism.) Nichole got a refreshing cucumber press, and Jahboh's "Christina's XTC" cocktail was fragrant and fruity with mangos and more. JM's lemonade was nothing too special, though it was a little more sour than he usually likes.

Nichole's caprese salad had a sweet reduced balsamic sauce over decent mozzarella and cucumber, while the tomatoes were large, pink pinwheels.

The pita and hummus plate's most noteworthy and fun feature was the entire bulb of roasted garlic that was so perfectly done none of us ended up with garlic breath.

And while the sushi rolls looked heavy on the rice, they seemed decent enough and did hold together. We'll leave the detials to Jahboh and Tossy.

JM figured his shrimp skewers should have been either more noteworthy or more filling for the value. Six large shrimp, two per skewer, were seasoned simply with with salt and pepper, and a hint of - anise? - flavor, and a side of aioli thick as sour cream.  The overall experience was just a smidge out of balance with shrimp fighting pepper for main main flavor and the rest just filling out their roles.

Dessert was the best part. The caramel fondue was fun; the best pairings were banana, chocolate cake, and, of course, apples. It satisfied any lingering hunger we might have risked.

Opus seems to be more about looks, and doing tapas by rote, not necessarily with passion. That said, the service is gracious and the drinks are beautiful. If we were girls' night out types, we'd put Opus on our happy hour list.