Midwesterners (Wisconsin in particular)

[Deleted]

For the second time in a week, I am seeing the words "Wisconsin supper club-style" being used in a blog entry about restaurants.

What is this?

[Deleted]

A supper club is sort of the down home version of a steakhouse. There will be cocktails (old fashioneds, usually sweet, made with brandy), a salad bar (that will probably have crudite and maybe homemade croutons), basic steak and potato kind of entrees, a Friday night fish fry and, if you're lucky, ice cream drinks for dessert!

This is one of my favorites (from near my ILs' hometown): www.roepkesvillageinn.com/

Here's a nicer restaurant groups throwback version that opened recently near Milwaukee: www.joeygerards.com/

[rikki]

Oh, supper clubs are great. We used to go to one with my grandparents every other weekend. They tend to be places where older folks hang out on Friday and Saturday nights. You would usually start with a cocktail in the bar area and then move to the dining room. The menus tend to be pretty basic American food such as prime rib and chicken. On Friday nights there is almost always a fish fry, which is basically a meal of some sort of fried fish that is usually served with cole slaw, some sort of potato, etc. Many of them will have live entertainment. They tend to be thought of as "fancy" by WI standards, but they're not at all.

ETA: Yes, the salad bar is a big part of the experience.  Usually (at least in my experience) the salad bar will have a few different soups, too.

[cjeanette]

I have only been to a supper club once since we don't have them here. It was in rural KS. They closed at 8 on a Saturday.

[rikki]

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:09 GMT -5 cjeanette said:

I have only been to a supper club once since we don't have them here. It was in rural KS. They closed at 8 on a Saturday.

People in WI like to drink.  They don't close at 8. 

[Deleted]

That all sounds fantastic to me. Apparently Michael White (a pretty renowned chef here -- he's from Wisconsin and opened a Wisconsin-style pizzeria here in 2012) is opening one in Tribeca (that was the first thing I read about). But Paul Bartolotta has opened two recently. So I guess they're sort of a trend right now?

[cjeanette]

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:38 GMT -5 rikki said:

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:09 GMT -5 cjeanette said:

I have only been to a supper club once since we don't have them here. It was in rural KS. They closed at 8 on a Saturday.

People in WI like to drink.  They don't close at 8. 

I guess in rural KS you head to the Country Club to drink if you are that sort of person..lol.  Which we were.

[rikki]

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:44 GMT -5 v said:

That all sounds fantastic to me. Apparently Michael White (a pretty renowned chef here -- he's from Wisconsin and opened a Wisconsin-style pizzeria here in 2012) is opening one in Tribeca (that was the first thing I read about). But Paul Bartolotta has opened two recently. So I guess they're sort of a trend right now?

I had no idea that they were trendy or that Bartolotta was opening restaurants outside of the Milwaukee area.  I used to go to one of his places, Mr. B's, for my birthday most years. 

[Deleted]

Jan 18, 2013 16:54:54 GMT -5 rikki said:

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:44 GMT -5 v said:

That all sounds fantastic to me. Apparently Michael White (a pretty renowned chef here -- he's from Wisconsin and opened a Wisconsin-style pizzeria here in 2012) is opening one in Tribeca (that was the first thing I read about). But Paul Bartolotta has opened two recently. So I guess they're sort of a trend right now?

I had no idea that they were trendy or that Bartolotta was opening restaurants outside of the Milwaukee area.  I used to go to one of his places, Mr. B's, for my birthday most years. 

I actually didn't know until today that Bartolotta was a Wisconsinite -- I knew of him from his restaurant at the Wynn Las Vegas!

[Deleted]

Who knew WI would be trendy?

Paul Bartalotta is related to the family that owns the restaurant group that just opened Joey Gerard's.

rikki, Mr. B's is still kickin'! They moved out of Stone House Village just slightly down Capitol Dr. They now have an amazing patio and a great happy hour!

[Deleted]

v, since you like food and cocktails, I am confident you'd love a supper club (even an old school one in a small town in WI)!

[rikki]

Jan 18, 2013 16:57:46 GMT -5 @totsintosa said:

Who knew WI would be trendy?

Paul Bartalotta is related to the family that owns the restaurant group that just opened Joey Gerard's.

rikki, Mr. B's is still kickin'! They moved out of Stone House Village just slightly down Capitol Dr. They now have an amazing patio and a great happy hour!

I'm meeting my cousins for a weekend in Milwaukee next month.  We'll have to check it out! 

and.... I always knew WI would make it big one day! 

[Deleted]

rikki - Paul isn't involved in the Bartalotta business in Milwaukee.

[Deleted]

Let me know if you want some recommendations, depending on where you're staying and what kind of transportation you'll have (though I guess your cousins will have a DD).

[rt2008]

I've only been to one supper club here, but it is SO good that I don't want to try others. It's about an hour north of the Milwaukee area. It's pretty much a steak house. But you can get other stuff there too. I'm not sure if this is true of all supper clubs, since this is the only one I've been to, but there's a big bar-like area with little tables or you can sit at the bar. And you order your food in that area. And then you hang out and drink, eat appetizers if you want, and you are called back to your table when your food is ready. You get a salad, bread, and then your steak and potato at dinner then. A lot of people come in big groups and drink a lot before dinner at the bar.

[Deleted]

... and Food & Wine named Minneapolis its "New Favorite Food City" in 2012. The Upper Midwest is having a moment!

[rikki]

Jan 18, 2013 16:59:41 GMT -5 @totsintosa said:

rikki - Paul isn't involved in the Bartalotta business in Milwaukee.

Interesting.... I am looking at their website and they make it sound as though he still is. 

[rikki]

Jan 18, 2013 17:00:27 GMT -5 @totsintosa said:

Let me know if you want some recommendations, depending on where you're staying and what kind of transportation you'll have (though I guess your cousins will have a DD).

Thanks!  I will PM you as it gets closer.  Some of the cousins live in Mequon, but they're pretty boring, so the more fun cousins (who no longer live in the area) will have to plan the meals.

[Deleted]

I see that now. Weird. It was always my impression the he was separate. Maybe it's just his Vegas and other stuff that is separate from these, though I can't imagine he's too hands on in Wisconsin with everything else going on.

[Deleted]

harpy was here.

Confession: I have actually never been to a supper club, and I have always wanted to go.

[Deleted]

Shame, harpy, shame. In your defense, Milwaukee is not a supper club hotbed. It's really the rest of the state.

[Deleted]

True. And while I have been elsewhere in the state, my exposure has been pretty limited.

I feel like I should go on one of my trips back, but I will miss out on part of the experience with the whole not drinking thing. WOMP WOMP.

[Deleted]

I had never heard of these before but it sounds fun.

First I wanted the steak mentioned. Then when Minneapolis was mentioned, it made me want the delicious, delicious lamb I had there.

Sadly dinner tonight is just going to be Trader Joe's orange chicken, ha!

[dulcedeleche]

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:38 GMT -5 rikki said:

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:09 GMT -5 cjeanette said:

I have only been to a supper club once since we don't have them here. It was in rural KS. They closed at 8 on a Saturday.

People in WI like to drink.  They don't close at 8. 

This seriously made me laugh.  This thread is making me want to go to a supper club tonight.  Yum!!

[jene]

Jan 18, 2013 17:01:16 GMT -5 v said:

I am so happy that we moved here!

[moandjo]

I grew up near green bay, in supper club heaven. They are often in the country a bit on county roads. We have a supper club revival restaurant in the capital square in Madison called the old fashioned. Best fried cheese curds ever!

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[rikki]

Jan 18, 2013 19:54:58 GMT -5 moandjo said:

Where are you from moandjo? I grew up about 20 minutes outside of GB. You can PM me if you're more comfortable doing that.

[Deleted]

I would love to go to a supper club tonight, particularly because I just got home and realized I forgot to plug the crock pot in.

That's what I get for using the non-digital one.

Moandjo, I'm from that area too!  Ygpm

[whiskeytails]

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:38 GMT -5 rikki said:

Jan 18, 2013 16:52:09 GMT -5 cjeanette said:

I have only been to a supper club once since we don't have them here. It was in rural KS. They closed at 8 on a Saturday.

People in WI like to drink.  They don't close at 8. 

This times 100. I am born and raised in Wisconsin. We are talking 2-3 drinks before dinner. Then 2 drinks during dinner and probably a drink after dinner. Brandy is usually the liquor of choice; otherwise it is beer. There is even more drinking if a Packer game is on.

Supper clubs are usually only open on Friday night, Saturday all-day and Sunday morning brunch. Bloody Mary's are a requirement of brunch. Most supper clubs are located in rural areas, have fire places and deer heads on the walls. The food choices are limited to meat, fish, potatoes, salad bar and soup. If it doesn't have a separate, large bar, it isn't a supper club.

[moandjo]

Now I'm really hungry for a fish fry, unhealthy salad bar and a brandy old fashion sweet.

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