Saturdays at the Supper Clubs

10/29/2023

It's been a crazy amount of time since we posted ... but, last night we went to Buckhorn Supper Club and had a lovely time.

03/19/2017

We arrived at the Stagecoach Inn around 6PM, just before dark. The friendly host greeted us and were quickly seated at the bar. The restaurant and bar were busy, but quite pleasant. The whole place had a cozy feel to it. Per usual, Dana ordered a brandy old fashioned. It was a pretty stripped down version of your typical old fashioned. No muddled cherry or orange and not a drop of bitters could be detected. It was not a terrible drink, just not the full treatment when it comes to old fashioneds. The bar staff was very friendly and we even got to see them whip up some hand mixed Grasshopper ice cream drink.

This is the kind of place where they take your order while you're waiting and when your table is ready, your first course is already waiting for you. We love this touch. Dana ordered the broiled cod and french onion soup. Mark ordered the petite prime rib and four jumbo breaded shrimp and the lobster bisque. We both selected a baked potato as our potato option. The other options were fries or potatoes au gratin. The salads were a basic side salad and we both opted for French and Roquefort dressing. Mark's lobster bisque was well executed. It was light for a cream soup and the seafood was easily detectable; it was well balanced and flavorful. Dana's french onion soup was full of french onion flavor and Dana enjoyed it very much. Please note, they do not do the big pile of baked cheese on their version, but it's still quite tasty. The soup and salads were accompanied by a relish tray with three bean salad, creamed pea salad, corn relish and a beet salad. The relish tray was actually more like a relish tower; it was a great presentation. Our server was very enthusiastic about the relish tray and encouraged us to try all the offerings. She explained to us that even people that don't like beets, love the beet salad. We both LOVE beets and it was not our favorite of the four salads (it was good, but I'm definitely not sure how a person that doesn't like beets could find it appealing). The three bean salad and the corn relish were quite tasty, but our favorite salad was the pea salad. How could you not like peas, eggs, and mayonnaise?. It. Was. Delicious.

Mark's medium rare prime rib was tender and flavorful - a very nice cut of meat. The shrimp were a perfect size and fried in a panko-type crust. They were fried perfectly and they were delicious.

Dana's cod was a pretty standard piece of broiled fish. It's hard to do a really good broiled fish and there were some parts that were cooked too much, but a little bit of lemon and tarter sauce fixed that right up.

Our baked potatoes came buttered with sour cream. Dana is particular about her baked potatoes and this was a good one.

The staff shared the serving duties and we observed food moving out of the kitchen very quickly; fresh and hot food! The servers were all incredibly attentive and friendly. We never had to wait for water refills or to have our plates cleared.

Overall, we give Stagecoach Inn an enthusiastic endorsement. We were pleasantly surprised and plan to return again.

02/16/2017

They aren't Supper Clubs, but SATSC has an appreciation for fine dining. Congratulations to Tory Miller for L’Etoile, and Dan Fox of Heritage Tavern for making the James Beard 2017 RESTAURANT AND CHEF AWARD SEMIFINALISTS list. Outstanding Restaurant-L’Etoile. Best Chef: Midwest Dan Fox, Heritage Tavern

Here they are! Below are the semifinalists for the 2017 Restaurant and Chef Awards. Read on for semifinalists in all categories, from Outstanding Restaurant to Rising Star Chef of the Year. We'll announce the final Restaurant and Chef Award nominees, as well as the nominations for our Book, Journali...

09/03/2016

It's unofficially Fall, now that the kids are back in school, so here's: "6 SUPPER CLUBS ALONG BEAUTIFUL FALL DRIVES IN WISCONSIN" from Travel Wisconsin. http://www.travelwisconsin.com/article/supper-clubs/6-supper-clubs-along-beautiful-fall-drives-in-wisconsin

The adage “all who wander are not lost” certainly applies when exploring Wisconsin woodlands and waterfronts in autumn. Enrich your drive with a supper club meal along the way.

06/04/2016

06/04/2016

I returned to the Butterfly Club for my first visit in about 10 years. Apparently there was some "fresh paint" in March, however, it was the keeping it fresh, rather than updating the color scheme. This place is stuck in time and I say that as a compliment. The green decor speaks to another time, but it is done tastefully and stirs up feelings of nostalgia rather than feelings of "this place needs an update." The house band was playing a lot of Sinatra (by a patrons' request) and they allowed a gentleman to join them shortly after we arrived.

We arrived about 7:30 p.m. and were told there was a 20 minutes wait for a table, even though there were a few tables available and that was a good thing. I would have wanted to visit the lounge prior to eating, had their been no wait, it's part of the Butterfly Club's charm.

While waiting for our shrimp cocktail appetizer we received our bread basket, which had cinnamon rolls, pumpernickel rolls and breadsticks.
As you can see we received 6 large shrimp on ice, accompanied by lemon and cocktail sauce in a nice presentation. We enjoyed the shrimp cocktail it was firm and flavorful.

We both elected for the salad with our meal, rather than soup. The salad was a typical side salad, with romaine lettuce, shredded cheese and tomato wedges. Dana ordered French dressing and Mark elected for his standard supper club request: French and Blue Cheese. The salad was enjoyable, and the dressing was served on the side, so we shared the the blue cheese dressing that had large chunks of blue cheese in it.

Mark had a medium rare, rib eye and Dana had the ribs. The ribeye was served rare, rather than medium rare, but was warm enough that it wasn't sent back. The black angus steak was seasoned nicely and was very flavorful. It wasn't the best steak I've had, but it was enjoyable and was a good value for $19.95 (it was the 14 oz ribeye, which was more than enough, I should have ordered the $15.95 10 oz ribeye).

Dana's ribs were decent enough for a supper club, but not great. The potatoes were well cooked. They were cooked all of the way through, but they were still firm. The sour cream was served on the side and had chives in it.

We did not save room for dessert, but perhaps we will explore the dessert menu in the future. It was Dana's first trip to the Butterfly Club, but it was a great Supper Club experience and we both our looking forward to our next visit to the Butterfly Club (Mark promises to make sure 10 years doesn't pass before his next meal at the Butterfly Club). We've already penciled in a visit when it is warmer and the large deck is open.

04/04/2016

We had corned beef and cabbage at the Lake House Inn for our Saint Patrick's day dinner. This really wasn't the best evening to evaluate their menu, corned beef isn't too tough to pull off well (put the spice packet in and boil until tender). That being said, we did receive a relish tray with our soup and salad, which is always a plus if you appreciate Supper Club Nostalgia. Additionally, we enjoyed the cabbage and baby carrots. Particularly the cabbage. The cabbage was pulled off quite well (it was cooked, but still had some crunch left in it and was well seasoned, not sloppily with butter). Mark had the mushroom soup. It wasn't particularly impressive, it seemed to be condensed soup with mushrooms added (we were a few of the last diners, so perhaps this was a quick substitute for the house soup). Dana chose the side salad.

Corned beef and cabbage aside, we enjoyed our visit to the Lake House Inn. The dining room was fairly empty, but we were not ignored or offered "too much service." The dining room is a bit dated, but is well lit and it has a nice fireplace. We both enjoyed a well-made Brandy Old Fashioned Sweet. We figured out that they were made by the owner Skip, while we were finishing them at the bar after our meal The bar is darker than the dining room (dimly lit and lots of dark wood). We liked the atmosphere and it seemed like we were "among regulars." St. Patrick's day wasn't the best choice to evaluate/write about a dining experience, but it was reasonably priced and good enough that we plan to return on another evening to explore a little deeper into the menu. Lastly, we experienced Aperitif's rather than apparitions, but the Lake House Inn is rumored to be haunted, which for us, adds to the intrigue of an old hotel turned supper club.

03/17/2016

Billboards and trucks traveling throughout the Midwest will also tout supper clubs.

01/11/2016

Maybe Saturday's at the Supper Clubs will have to check out Feil's in Randolph

https://www.groupon.com/deals/feil-s-supper-club

Blend of German and American dishes headlined by Feil’s homemade white and onion rye bread

12/31/2015

Have a Happy and Safe New Year! If you have any Supper Club plans tonight or tomorrow where are you going?