The Wisco Supper Club, Leroy - Saturday November 10, 2018

Located in Leroy in Dodge County at the intersection of Highways Y and YY, the Wisco, like so many of the supper clubs we’ve visited, has a long and interesting history dating back to the late 1800’s when it was built by Louis Lehner.  It became known as Lehner’s Corner and was a stopping place for stage coaches and travelers.  Over the years it was a main gathering place and business site housing a butcher shop, dance hall, general store, blacksmith shop, and eventually in 1973, when it was home to a tavern and small restaurant, it was bought by Dick and Jeanne Kollmann.  The Kollmanns expanded the dining room and made it into a supper club, serving guests and the people of the community as a gathering place for all sorts of events and special occasions for the next 44 years.  In 2017, Teresa and Mike Amerling bought the business. Teresa is the hostess and Mike is the bartender.

 

We arrived about 5pm, to meet our friends Jim and Rose, who live in Germantown.  The cozy barroom was comfortably full and Jim and Rose had secured a table next to the U shaped bar.  The barroom was adorned with historic pictures and artifacts from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s time period.  Mike took our drink orders, Paul’s usual BOFS, Rose ordered a rye whiskey old-fashioned press (WOFP), Jim went with seltzer, and I had a vodka tonic.    We relaxed and visited and after a while Teresa brought us menus informing us that Hannah, whose family members are regulars at the Wisco, would be our waitress.

 

The Wisco offered a full supper club menu including the traditional Saturday prime rib.  Rose and I went with the prime rib, Jim tried the fisherman’s platter, and Paul went with the evening's special, a sirloin topped with a peppercorn sauce and onions.  Paul and Jim both ordered the French onion soup as well.  They offered a wide variety of potato sides, with garlic mashed being the top choice all around.  Hannah returned some time later to let us know our table was ready whenever we were, no rush.

     

When we arrived at our table in the cozy dining room we found a relish tray with carrots, radishes, peppers, crackers and two spreads (a ham and a light cheese).  There was also a dish of pickled beets and a dish of kidney bean salad.  Soon the French onion soup and salads arrived.  The salad had a particularly good mix of leaf lettuce, and I ordered the bleu cheese crumbles which were excellent as well.   The French onion soup rated highly too.

Our dinners arrived shortly after we had finished the soups, salads, and relish tray.    Paul said his steak was very good and Jim seemed to enjoy the fisherman’s platter, which included perch, haddock, cod, shrimp and scallops.  The prime rib was good, but not quite as tender as some I’ve had and Rose felt hers was a bit rare for a “medium” request.  The garlic mashed were tasty.

      

For a change, we had saved room for an after dinner drink planning to try one of the seasonal pumpkin flavored offerings, but when we approached the bar, Mike informed us that on Saturday nights they have $1 grasshoppers.  We couldn’t resist.  They’re small, so we each had two.  We chatted a bit more with the owners Mike and Teresa and some of the regular patrons.   The Wisco is somewhat out of the way, but it’s a friendly place with a lot of character.  It’s likely we’ll be back sometime.