Greenwood Supper Club, Fish Creek - Wednesday June 27, 2018

Located between Baileys Harbor and Fish Creek, the Greenwood Supper Club has been owned and operated by the same family since 1929.  Arnold and Walter Ohnesorge started the business, originally called the Slipper Inn.  It was a saloon with a stage and dance floor and also sold gas and ice cream.  One claim to fame is that the most-wanted bank robber, John Dillinger, once stopped to gas up at the Slipper Inn.   Arnold left the business early on, but Walter and his wife Eva became the long term owners and turned it into the Greenwood Supper Club with Eva as the head chef.

 

Susi Kwaterski, Walter and Eva’s daughter, along with her husband Rick bought the business from her parents in 1980.  Rick was the head chef and they ran the Greenwood together for nearly 30 years until Rick passed away in 2009. 

When we arrived at the Greenwood around 7:30 or so, the rustic knotty pine barroom was quiet.  We sat at the long bar and had our standard BOFs, which were good, and chatted with the bartender.  We requested menus and after perusing them for a minute, I asked him about the broiled whitefish.  He indicated that they served it very simply, but suggested I ask for it with pesto to spice it up a bit and he would instruct the kitchen how to make it.     He was, apparently, a chef at one time.  So when the waitress came to the bar to take out order, I did order the whitefish with pesto and a baked potato.  Paul ordered the prime rib and garlic mashed.   We sat at the bar for a while and the waitress returned indicating we could move to our table whenever we were ready.

 

We were seated at a table near the window which looked out on a garden area that provided a very nice view.  All of our food was very good.  I do think that the whitefish would have been a bit bland without some sauce or spice added.  Paul said the prime rib was excellent.  Salads and potatoes were also very good.  

As we finished our dinner, Susi came over to see how our dinner was and we chatted a while.  She told us how it is becoming more and more difficult to find reliable employees, especially for just seasonal work (the Greenwood is only open May-October).  It was clear from our discussion that the Supper Club business was becoming more difficult for many of these long-time establishments. Susi has one child, a son, who has no interest in taking over the business so the long term future of the Greenwood is uncertain. Hopefully a buyer comes forward as it would be a shame to lose this piece of Door County history.