52 Supper Clubs in 52 Weeks

Door County is outside of our 52 mile radius, but we are on vacation here and decided to sample the supper clubs of the area.   Mr. G’s has been owned by the Geitner family since 1973, originally owned by Bob and Lorraine and then purchased by Bob Jr. in 1981.   Prior to 1973 the place was known as the Paldora Supper Club and Fernwood Gardens Ballroom. We arrived late, close to 8pm, and the dining room was full, but the barroom had cleared out.   The local Rotary Club was having a dinner in a private room adjacent to the bar. We had our traditional BOFS and BOFP.   They were good.   A small table with crackers, cheese spreads and liver pate was set up between the bar area and dining room. The bartender informed us she was an Oshkosh native, but has lived in Door County a long time and raised her children here.   She gave us menus and regretted to inform us that they were out of the nightly special, prime rib.   We enjoyed our drinks and in a ...

Van Abel’s was opened in 1848 by Martin Van Abel as a resting point for cattle drives headed for Green Bay. The original building featured a saloon and an inn on the second floor. Martin eventually passed the business down to his sons Bill and Albert, who passed the business down to their sons Wilfred and Don. In 2002, Wilfred and Don passed the business on to their 10 children who still run the place today. The business has gone through a lot of changes over the years and today emphasizes banquets, weddings and off site catering but still runs the supper club as well.   We arrived at the bar around 7:00 and ordered the usual old fashioneds, which were very good. There were a couple people at the bar waiting for carry out orders and only two tables occupied in the dining room. A tray of crackers, cheese spreads and liver pate was set up next to the bar. The walls were adorned with blown up black and white photos dating back to I would guess the 60’s and 70’s of patrons having...

Tonight we decided to head down the east side of Lake Winnebago to try Jim and Linda’s Lakeview Supper Club in Pipe.   This year Jim and Linda Koenigs are celebrating 40 years in business. The building has gone through several remodels and expansions since they purchased Harry’s Lakeview in September 1978 when Jim was just 19 years old and Linda Meyer was 20. The result is a thriving dinner business featuring beautiful sunsets close to the shore of Lake Winnebago. We arrived around 6:45 to a half full bar room featuring a large oval shaped bar.   The bartender promptly served up a couple of old fashioneds, strong and very good, and put our name on the list for dinner. We enjoyed the view, catching part of the Brewer game and snacking on the pretzel mix provided with our cocktails. A large stuffed sturgeon was in a display case in the corner of the room, not unusual for a Lake Winnebago watering hole. A waitress soon came and took our order and told us we could head o...

Located in the unincorporated village of Mill Center, northwest of Green Bay, the Kropp’s Supper Club building dates back to 1904 and was originally a tavern, food and lodging establishment for weary travelers in horse-drawn wagons to stop on the way to and from Green Bay.   The Kropp family has owned the supper club since 1947.     They are open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and from 3-8 on Sundays following noon home Packer games. We arrived around 7pm when a large group of senior citizens, quite a bit older than us, was just leaving, all with smiles on their faces and small boxes of leftovers in hand, always a good sign.   The long bar and tables in the barroom were pretty full with what seemed to be a lot of “regulars” and some families with children but we managed to find two seats at the bar.     As soon as we sat down, the bartender, Gillie, who is a Kropp son-in-law, approached us for our drink order. The old fashioned...

This evening we drove north from Appleton to Geno’s Hilltop Steakhouse on Old Highway 47 between Black Creek and Bonduel.   We arrived at about 6:30 and the friendly barroom was fairly busy.    A couple families with small children drinking kiddie cocktails were seated at tables in the barroom, typical in Wisconsin and no place else.   We sat at the L-shaped bar and Paul ordered his usual BOFS, but I went with a short vodka tonic since the weather was so warm.   The bartender noted the specials and provided us with menus.   We talked with the bartender and she informed us that Geno, who purchased the supper club in 1999, sold it to his daughter Nicole a couple of years ago. Now Geno only comes in to work on Wednesdays so we missed him by a night.   She didn’t know much else about the history of the place other than it had been around for a while and was most recently called Kelly’s Steakhouse and before that Steve’s Steakhouse, or vice versa....

On Thursday night we headed north to another interesting and historic Supper Club, Wally’s Spot in Green Bay.   Wally’s Spot has been owned by the Adamany family since 1948.     Wally’s Spot was originally located along the Fox River on Washington street and was moved in 1969 to its current Main street location.    We arrived at Wally’s about 6:30 and it was pretty quiet.   They have a large oval bar and a great vintage décor, including our bartender who had a large “bouffant with a flip” hairstyle.    She was very friendly and had been there for 21 years.      According to our bartender, the current owner, Tom, is the son of the originators and is very active in the business   The barroom had a wall of mirrors on one side, a signed Reggie White jersey on display, and free snacks (veggies, dip, cheese, liver, and garlic spreads and crackers).       The BOF’s were good and strong.   D...

Since we have started our quest, we have discovered many interesting historic Supper Clubs in the surrounding area.   The Hotel Seymour Supper Club certainly fit that description.   The building dates back to 1898 and was originally known as the Hotel Falck, a 28 room establishment with a barber shop and showers in the basement for travelers, often salesman, arriving on the Green Bay and Western Railroad.   In 1951 it became the Hotel Seymour.   Two hotel rooms and 4 apartments in the building are still used today.     We arrived at about 7:30 on a Saturday night.   The Hotel Seymour has a large oval bar and a back lounge room with plenty of seating.   It was busy and everyone in the barroom was quite friendly, smiling and saying hello as we worked our way around the bar to find two open seats.   The bartender greeted us and took our standard drink order – BOFP, BOFS.     The drinks were good and strong.   We checked ...

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 c urrent owner John Hayes and his longtime sta...

We decided to venture to the Granary Supper Club located on County M in the small village of Sherwood, near High Cliff State Park.   In the early 1900’s the Granary site was a general store and later transformed into a tavern and barbershop, becoming a supper club sometime around the middle of the century.   It was named for the nearby grain elevators.    It appears to have had a series of owners throughout its history and is currently owned by the Eggert family.   When we arrived we found the last two open seats at the bar.   The bartender was friendly and took our standard BOFP and BOFS orders.   As with every supper club, the drinks taste slightly different.   We both thought these were quite good.    The bartender supplied menus and we sat back and relaxed.   The barroom was comfortable, adorned with the Budweiser Clydesdales and similar working horse and farming pictures.   We told the bartender we were ready to ...

Tonight we decided to try the Prime Steer on the outskirts of the Hawaiian village of Kau-Kau-Na. We arrived around six thirty to a crowded barroom, not unusual for a popular supper club on a Saturday night.   As luck would have it we nabbed the last two seats at the closed polygonal bar and settled in for a couple of old fashioneds.   We checked in with the hostess and were told it would be about a thirty to forty five minute wait. No problem as we were in no hurry and the cocktails and complementary garlic pretzels were very good. The Prime Steer has been in business since 1973 and owned by the Natrop family since 1982.   Members of the Natrop family also own and operate Haase’s Supper Club in Borth (see previous post) and the Wedgewood Supper Club in Omro (see possible future post). The waitress took our order at the bar and returned a few minutes later to tell us that our table was ready and to help ourselves to the salad bar. The salad bar was typical suppe...

On Friday April 20 th we chose a supper club I had not heard of before called the Village Limits, located on the east edge of Little Chute.    When we arrived at about 6:30 on Friday night, the large circular bar was full and the entire barroom had a friendly and lively atmosphere.   We saw some friends I had worked with at Appleton Papers/Appleton Coated and chatted with them while we waited for a spot at the bar to open.   Soon some spots opened up and we ordered cocktails.   Our friends happened to be regulars at The Village Limits, as it appeared were most of the other people in the place.   We learned that back in the late 60’s/ early 70’s the place was a “beer bar” called the Log Cabin.   For anyone young who might be reading this, there was a period of time when the drinking age was 18 for beer and 21 for liquor, so beer bars became popular for the 18-20 year old crowd.   Brothers Skin and Bruce Hartjes have owned the Village Lim...

We decided to head north to Black Creek to try Brick’s Club 47, a place neither of us had been for a long time.    Years ago, Brick’s was a favorite for a group of guys I worked with at Appleton Papers.   They called themselves the “Men of Bricks” and challenged each other to eat mega steaks, which caused them to suffer from severe meat “hang-overs” the following day.   Paul recalled going there for all you can eat crab legs with his dad in the late seventies. It was surprisingly quiet.   To be fair, it was a Wednesday night and we didn’t get there until after seven and several people were leaving as we arrived, but there were only two other couples in the place.   It appeared to us that Brick’s had not been updated in many years, inside or out.   Let’s just say the place looked well worn.   We sat at the bar in the quaint but dark barroom.   The bartender greeted us and took our drink order, BOFS for Paul and BOFP for me.   Th...

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 decid...

We’ve stopped in Freedom many times over the years on the way home from Lambeau Field, at the Home Tavern, Leap Inn and/or Beaver’s Hut but always passed by the Colonial House.   Tonight we thought we’d give it a try. Eugene and Ethel Vande Hey opened The Colonial Lanes and Supper Club in 1968 with a small dining room and 6 lane bowling alley. In 1978 they expanded the building with a 9000 square foot addition and changed the name to its current Colonial House Supper Club and Banquet Center. Gene and Ethel’s son Mike and his wife Lynn bought the place in 1994 and they continue to run the family business today. We arrived around 6:30 to a fairly full parking lot. After checking in with the hostess we headed to the bar and ordered the usual, brandy old fashioneds.   They were just right.   The Colonial House features a huge but comfortable bar and barroom with ample seating as well as two large dining rooms. It would definitely be a good place to go with a large g...

We decided to try Marty’s in Kimberly on a Wednesday night.  It had been many years since we had been there.   Marty’s has been around forever.  The current owners have owned the place since January 2017 and kept the menu pretty much the same as we remembered.     The small bar was busy, but as others moved to their tables we were able to get some seats.   We ordered a BOFS and my new choice, a BOFP (p for press – half seltzer, half sweet).   The drinks were good and strong.   There was a nice friendly atmosphere in the bar.   As with many supper club bars, I could have sat there for several hours and enjoyed the atmosphere and conversation.     In true supper club fashion, our waitress came to the bar and took our food order.    She returned when our table was ready.   The salad bar was good, and they had crumbly bleu cheese which I love.   They had a superior method for serving the salad dressing...

It’s Pi Day, so what better way to celebrate than to head out to a supper club! Tonight we decided to try Dick and Joan’s Supper Club. Located on Lynndale Avenue and opened in 1966, I believe the restaurant was actually on the edge of town back then, long before the development of East College Avenue out to and beyond the Fox River Mall. Pat Williams and a business partner, Dale Lesselyoung, purchased the restaurant in 2003 from Pat’s parents, Dick and Joan. They considered changing the name but since Dale’s parents were also named Dick and Joan it seemed like a good idea to keep it. We arrived around 6:30 and found the large u-shaped bar full. We ordered a couple brandy old fashioneds, one press and one sweet, and took a seat at one of the side tables.   When two stools opened up at the bar we moved in and found ourselves sitting next to someone Ann used to work with, so they had a chance to catch up.   The dining room was only about a quarter full and the bart...

I learn something new every day, and Sunday at the Out-O-Town Club was no exception.   For a change, we decided to try a supper club on a Sunday evening.   To my surprise, the parking lot was packed when we arrived shortly before 6 pm.   Perhaps the Sunday special contributed to the large crowd. The Out-o-Town club has a nice large oval bar with the floor dropped in the middle, which allows patrons to sit in normal height comfy chairs at the bar instead of getting up on a barstool.   I don’t need it yet, but I guess when I’m older it’ll be nice not to have to get up on the barstool.    Everyone at the busy bar seemed to be having a good time.   A couple of friendly folks quickly volunteered to move down a seat at the bar to make room for us.    The woman next to me ordered a BOF Press.   What was that?   I learned that the BOF Press substitutes half of the sweet soda with seltzer.   Coincidentally, I had been ...

This evening we ventured to the village of Stockbridge, about 20 or 25 miles from Appleton on the east side of Lake Winnebago, to the Gobbler’s Knob Supper Club.    We found Gobbler’s Knob on what I assume to be the main street in this small town.   There happened to be exactly two seats open at the small and comfortably busy bar when we arrived.      We were greeted by a friendly bartender and ordered the usual, two BOFS.   They were good and strong.   Everyone at the Gobbler’s Knob bar was drinking a version of the old fashioned - whiskey or brandy, sweet or sour.   Gobbler’s Knob was established in 1949 and has been owned by the Levknecht Family for over 30 years.   The bartender informed us that one of the women sitting at the other end of the bar had been the owner, and that she had passed the business down to her son, who was vacationing in Mexico.    Menus arrived and we were told to let the bartender know w...

WOW – What a great experience.      On two previous visits the Lox Club was so busy we decided not to stay, but on this particular Saturday night there was a space or two open in the parking lot.   We arrived about 6pm and the cozy barroom was buzzing.   We found two seats at the circular (or maybe oblong) bar, so typical of Supper Clubs.     We were greeted by the bartender and ordered two brandy old-fashioned sweets.   They were excellent, and a bit stronger than most.   Crackers, cheese spread, and liver pate’ were available in the barroom and did not disappoint.   I tried all of them.   The atmosphere was fun and the clientele spanned all generations.    If we weren’t hungry, we might have sat there for hours.   One of the owner’s, Cindy, was the hostess and she stopped by to see how we were enjoying our drinks.  Cindy is the daughter of the original owners, “Butter” and Betty Vander Wyst.  B...

Our son Chris joined us for dinner at the Viking, located on Highway II near Larsen.   We arrived around 6:00 and settled in at the half full bar for a round of Old Fashioneds. The gentleman that prepared our drinks was just helping out as the scheduled bartender failed to show for work. The drinks, however, were excellent. They weren’t too busy so he gave us the choice of heading into the dining room to order or having the waitress take our order at the bar. We chose Option B. After reviewing the menu we told the bartender we were ready to order and our waitress promptly appeared. She was friendly and efficient, but appeared to be a bit nervous as I think she was relatively new on the job. We decided to split a half order of smelt at the bar before heading into the dining room. The smelt were small, lightly breaded and deep fried served with a side of tartar sauce.   The appetizer was excellent and the half order was just the right amount for the three of us to share. ...

This particular Friday we had plans to meet our good friends, Judy and Gabe, for dinner and chose the Legacy on the north side of Appleton.     We went early to avoid the typical Friday night wait and arrived about 5:15.   We put our name in with the hostess, received a number and menus and secured a table in the barroom.   The bar was lively and pleasant, although it lacked some of the unique décor of several of the more rural supper clubs.   No animals or fish adorned the walls.    The veteran bar-tender wore a tie and would have fit perfectly behind any Supper Club bar in the 70’s.    He was friendly and efficient.   We ordered what is now becoming the “usual”, 2 brandy old fashioned sweets with olives.   Our friends joined us in the barroom for a cocktail and good conversation.     Our drinks were fine, but not anything special.    The barroom was quickly becoming busy and the hostess said we c...

Although getting there for most of you will require a bit of a drive on some twisty, turny roads, Haase’s (pronounced with a hard “A”) is a must for any supper club lover.   It’s located in the town of Borth, near the southwest corner of Lake Poygan between Poy Sippi and Winneconne.     We arrived on Saturday shortly after 6pm. The barroom was crowded but everyone was nice and friendly.   We were able to find two seats at the bar that had just been vacated by diners called to their table.   The bar itself is a small oval and everyone around it seemed to be enjoying the evening.   I observed something that is common to most supper clubs, but seemed more obvious at Haase’s.   There is no dress code and diners seem to wear whatever makes them happy, whether that is a sport coat or a Carhart jacket and a baseball cap.    We checked in with the bartender who estimated a 45 minute wait.   She didn’t take our names, but had an interesting...

Hahn-a-Lula’s story began in 1961 when newlywed dairy farmers Cliff and Judy Hahn and Cliff’s brother Ken and his wife Barb purchased the Orihula Ballroom, originally built in the early 1900’s, as a part-time venture. According to their website, “It was a large hall with no insulation and two coal furnaces for heat. The only running water was in the bathrooms and one line to the ‘bar.’ The ‘bar’ was plywood on a frame painted pink. The ‘kitchen’ consisted of a counter, a refrigerator, a very small grill and a pop tank. No water! The floors were rough cement.” In 1966 Cliff and Judy sold their farm and bought out Ken and Barb to run the place fulltime. Over the years the Hahns have transformed the old wooden ballroom into a banquet hall, restaurant and resort. The original wooden dance floor remains but the pink plywood bar is long gone. We arrived around 6:00 and found a couple of seats at the bar.   It was pretty quiet for a Friday night, but not unusual for this time of...

Mer and Jackie’s is in 5 Corners, just north of Appleton on Ballard Road (Hwy EE).   I truly do not know if 5 Corners encompasses any other area, but my entire 5 Corners experience exists within a radius of about 300 hundred yards from the exact point where the 5 roads come together.   Mer and Jackie’s is located there, as well as the 5 Corners Bar across the street, another interesting place to visit if you are in the area.      We arrived at Mer and Jackie’s about 7:15 on a Saturday night.   The barroom was busy, but we were able to find a spot at the bar.   The oval shaped bar at Mer and Jackie’s is well worn.   The decor includes large framed photos of Mer and Jackie who opened the Supper Club in 1955.   Joe, Mer and Jackie’s son and the owner since 1992, greeted us and took our drink order right away.   We commented that it was a busy night and Joe said, “You give women the right to vote and they don’t want to cook anymore....

The start of our 2018 quest to dine at 52 supper clubs in 52 weeks was delayed due to the bad flu season.  It was awful and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.  Don’t worry, we have plenty of time to catch up.  Enough said. Our first choice was a supper club in Little Chute called the Heiting Place.  I had driven by this establishment hundreds of times, but to my recollection had never eaten there before.   We decided to go on a Friday night so we expected it to be busy and it was.  The Heiting Place seems to fit the supper club description perfectly.   We arrived shortly after 6pm and the barroom was full and felt very inviting.   The bartender took our name and he immediately gave us menus.  We found the last table available in the bar area and each ordered a Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet with olives.  I am not an Old Fashioned connoisseur, but I found this one to be just right for me, not too strong or too weak or too s...

  So what exactly is a supper club? After countless hours of research we determined that there is no clear cut definition, but there are a number of characteristics that supper clubs share in common.     A supper club is an independently owned fine dining establishment. It is often located on the outskirts of town or out in the country, sometimes with a lake or woods view. It is typically family run, passed down from generation to generation. It's not unusual for the owners to live on the premises.  While similar in menu offerings, what makes each supper club unique are the people that run it. As there is usually a family member or owner on site expect a high quality level of service.      In the past, as the name implies, supper clubs were only open for supper and possibly Sunday brunch. To compete with today's ever growing number of dining options many are now open for lunch as well.      In Wisconsin, supp...