Mark's East Side, Appleton - Saturday April 14, 2018

Winter Storm Evelyn just got upgraded to full-fledged Blizzard status so why not head out to a supper club for dinner?  It looked like there would be a few hour break in the snowfall so we decided to try Mark’s East Side.

In 1967, Bill and Jan Doherty purchased the building that formerly housed the Normandie, a restaurant established in 1948, and opened Chef Bill’s. The Normandie had three different owners and a few fires over its 19 year history before Bill took ownership. Bill and Jan’s son Mark took the business over in 1982 and he changed the name to Mark’s East Side in 1987.  The restaurant has undergone several extensive remodeling projects since 1967 and continues to be one of the best fine dining establishments in the area.     

Mark’s really doesn’t fit the true definition of the traditional supper club as they are open for lunch daily, but since they have been named Best Supper Club in the area numerous times over the years we decided to include them in our list of fifty two anyway.

We arrived around 6:30 and found the comfortable bar about half full, unusual for a Saturday night but not surprising due to the weather.  Our friendly bartender mixed up some old fashioneds for us and I’ll admit it was one of the best I’ve had to date. The hostess said to let her know when we were ready to head to the dining room, no rush, so we decided to stay at the bar for another round of drinks.

The dining room was pretty full when we sat down to order. Ann decided to try the special, salmon with angel hair pasta and mixed vegetables and a side salad. I opted for one of the house specialties, prime rib, with a baked potato, and French onion soup.  A warm loaf of bread was served with dinner. Everything was excellent.

After dinner we wandered back to the bar to share a grasshopper before heading out into the storm. Glad we only ordered one as it was enormous! I understand why Mark’s has been recognized as a top supper club. We will definitely be back.