Idlewile Inn, St. Cloud - Thursday January 10, 2019

The Idlewile is another interesting place located in one of the many small towns in the corridor between Lake Winnebago and Lake Michigan.    This area is well known for excellent supper clubs and the Idlewile did not disappoint.

 

The Idlewile site dates back to 1869 when a hotel called the Northwestern was built.  The hotel and restaurant served businessmen and travelers that came by horse and railroad.   Nick Lansen was the builder of the establishment and there were several long-term owners over the early years.  In 1922 the Enders acquired the hotel and the entire building was rebuilt.  In 1944, the hotel business was given up.   There were many owners between that time and 1990 when the current owners, Brenda and Dave Panko, bought the business.  The Pankos have maintained the buildings historic elements and elegance including the original tile floor, staircase and paned windows, and an old organ in the dining room.

 

We arrived around 6:30 and it was pretty quiet at the Idlewile, even for a week day.  A few patrons were in the dining room and we were the only ones in the barroom until another couple arrived shortly after us.  We ordered our Old Fashioneds, which were very good, and chatted with the bartender.   The owner, Brenda, came by to take our order at the bar.  Paul ordered the nightly special, a flat iron steak with gorgonzola butter and a balsamic reduction, mashed potatoes and grilled broccolini.  I ordered the house special, a pecan crusted chicken over angel hair pasta in a pesto cream sauce.  Dinners came with soup and salad, again guaranteeing a box to go home.  Brenda returned and told us our table was ready.

The Idlewile’s dining rooms are a bit more formal than many supper clubs.  The soup was a tomato basil served with a few croutons and parmesan on top.  It was very good.  They offered homemade dressings for our salads and I had a great combination of a balsamic with crumbly bleu cheese, a combination Brenda suggested.  Paul had his usual French.  The meal also came with good homemade bread, which we never touched until the next day.  Paul’s dinner was very tasty and as expected had enough to take some for lunch the next day.  The pecan crusted chicken was good as well, just not that interesting, so I would try something different next time.

         

We enjoyed the Idlewile’s historic feel, good food and friendly service.  Definitely worth a return trip!