The Red Ox, Appleton - Sunday May 13, 2018

For Mother’s Day my siblings and I took my mother to the Red Ox for dinner, kind of an annual tradition. I’ve been to the Red Ox dozens of times over the years for dinner, family gatherings, or just to watch a Packer game on TV in the bar room.  The food and service have always been top notch. While the Red Ox doesn’t advertise itself as a supper club, is open for lunch 7 days a week and has a far more expansive menu than the typical supper club, we decided it has enough supper club characteristics to include it in our list of 52.

Years ago a supper club called Alex’s Crown occupied the building, and Reetz’s Supper Club was just down the street.  Reetz’s closed decades ago, but the Red Ox is a prime example of how supper clubs, particularly in urban areas, have had to adapt over the years to compete with ever expanding dining options by offering larger menus and extended business hours.  The Red Ox opened in 1974 and current owner John Hayes and his longtime staff pride themselves with made from scratch food and excellent service, something they hope sets them apart from the competition.  Based on how busy the place is most any night of the week, they’ve come up with the right formula for success. 

On this particular evening we bypassed the bar room and had cocktails right at our table. My brandy old fashioned sweet was very good. Dinners were served with a choice of soup or salad and freshly baked bread with honey butter. Our group of eight ordered a variety of typical supper club entrees including prime rib, tenderloin and garlic stuffed tenderloin, and haddock, both broiled and deep fried.  I opted to go off the grid and try the Cajun chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya with shrimp, an excellent choice I might add.  

As always, the Red Ox did not disappoint.  I guarantee we will be back.