52 Supper Clubs in 52 Weeks

Although getting there for most of you will require a bit of a drive on some twisty, turny roads, Haase’s (pronounced with a hard “A”) is a must for any supper club lover.   It’s located in the town of Borth, near the southwest corner of Lake Poygan between Poy Sippi and Winneconne.     We arrived on Saturday shortly after 6pm. The barroom was crowded but everyone was nice and friendly.   We were able to find two seats at the bar that had just been vacated by diners called to their table.   The bar itself is a small oval and everyone around it seemed to be enjoying the evening.   I observed something that is common to most supper clubs, but seemed more obvious at Haase’s.   There is no dress code and diners seem to wear whatever makes them happy, whether that is a sport coat or a Carhart jacket and a baseball cap.    We checked in with the bartender who estimated a 45 minute wait.   She didn’t take our names, but had an interesting...

Hahn-a-Lula’s story began in 1961 when newlywed dairy farmers Cliff and Judy Hahn and Cliff’s brother Ken and his wife Barb purchased the Orihula Ballroom, originally built in the early 1900’s, as a part-time venture. According to their website, “It was a large hall with no insulation and two coal furnaces for heat. The only running water was in the bathrooms and one line to the ‘bar.’ The ‘bar’ was plywood on a frame painted pink. The ‘kitchen’ consisted of a counter, a refrigerator, a very small grill and a pop tank. No water! The floors were rough cement.” In 1966 Cliff and Judy sold their farm and bought out Ken and Barb to run the place fulltime. Over the years the Hahns have transformed the old wooden ballroom into a banquet hall, restaurant and resort. The original wooden dance floor remains but the pink plywood bar is long gone. We arrived around 6:00 and found a couple of seats at the bar.   It was pretty quiet for a Friday night, but not unusual for this time of...

Mer and Jackie’s is in 5 Corners, just north of Appleton on Ballard Road (Hwy EE).   I truly do not know if 5 Corners encompasses any other area, but my entire 5 Corners experience exists within a radius of about 300 hundred yards from the exact point where the 5 roads come together.   Mer and Jackie’s is located there, as well as the 5 Corners Bar across the street, another interesting place to visit if you are in the area.      We arrived at Mer and Jackie’s about 7:15 on a Saturday night.   The barroom was busy, but we were able to find a spot at the bar.   The oval shaped bar at Mer and Jackie’s is well worn.   The decor includes large framed photos of Mer and Jackie who opened the Supper Club in 1955.   Joe, Mer and Jackie’s son and the owner since 1992, greeted us and took our drink order right away.   We commented that it was a busy night and Joe said, “You give women the right to vote and they don’t want to cook anymore....

The start of our 2018 quest to dine at 52 supper clubs in 52 weeks was delayed due to the bad flu season.  It was awful and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.  Don’t worry, we have plenty of time to catch up.  Enough said. Our first choice was a supper club in Little Chute called the Heiting Place.  I had driven by this establishment hundreds of times, but to my recollection had never eaten there before.   We decided to go on a Friday night so we expected it to be busy and it was.  The Heiting Place seems to fit the supper club description perfectly.   We arrived shortly after 6pm and the barroom was full and felt very inviting.   The bartender took our name and he immediately gave us menus.  We found the last table available in the bar area and each ordered a Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet with olives.  I am not an Old Fashioned connoisseur, but I found this one to be just right for me, not too strong or too weak or too s...