By Kristine Hansen | Photo by The Del Bar
Every October, to celebrate our wedding anniversary, my husband and I slide into a booth at HOBNOB in Racine. It’s always in the back room (our favorite) and always on Saturday night, when piano music fills the space. We time it right so we arrive a half hour before our reservation, so we can order Brandy Old Fashioneds at the bar.
This is the kind of routine and bittersweet familiarity that fans of classic supper clubs crave, perhaps more than they do a good cut of steak. Because most Wisconsin supper clubs haven’t changed since they debuted 50 or so years ago, the timeless décor and a menu of time-honored staples fits right in.
In Southern Wisconsin, whether it’s in bustling Milwaukee or a quiet resort town like Lake Geneva or Lake Delton, there are plenty of supper clubs. These are unique to Wisconsin and have been the subject of coffee-table books, including Supper Club Cookbook: Iconic Fare and Nostalgia from Landmark Eateries by Mary Bergin and Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience by Ron Faiola. If you’re wondering, ‘What’s a supper club?’ the easiest answer is that this is a fine-dining restaurant typically owned by the same family for decades, open for dinner, and serving classic cocktails and ice-cream drinks along with surf and turf. These are restaurants where lingering and dressing up is encouraged. There’s also not a lot of nickeling and diming: dinner orders come with bread service, salad, soup and sides.
THE BUTTERFLY CLUB, BELOIT
Since 1999, Aeneas Sala has owned this supper club-which first opened in 1924 and has been owned by four families- with his family. “The restaurant actually burned down twice,” says Sala. “We have a lady who currently works for us who worked for the two previous owners and watched it burn down once.”
Along those lines, the same musician (Mike Williamson) has performed Brat Pack-like music here for 20 years, on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Locals come in often for specials, such as fried chicken (Tuesday and Thursday) and fish fry (Wednesday and Friday). A very popular order is the Broiled White Honduran Shrimp, where the shrimp are similar in size to prawns.
Other than exterior remodeling and expanding the parking lot, says Sala, “the ambiance has not changed. That’s one thing we always get complimented on. People say the place feels very old school, like they’re sitting in a restaurant in an old mob movie.” That includes ordering an Old Fashioned. “The amount of Old Fashioneds we make on a Friday or a Saturday is ridiculous,”says Salas.“We could make anywhere from 500 to 800 on each night.” Other popular drinks are martinis, Grasshoppers and Brandy Alexanders.
FIVE O’CLOCK STEAKHOUSE, MILWAUKEE
Fifteen years ago, the Kalkounos family took over this near West Side supper club that wasn’t always a supper club. “It started as a neighborhood bar (in 1946),” explains general manager Hegel Terron. “They served sandwiches, soups and finger foods, and at some point, it became more upscale, more like a steakhouse. They decided to go with a supper club.”
“Most of the décor and the menu has been the same over the 78 years we’ve been open. We try to maintain the vibes from the ‘40s and the ‘50s,” says Terron, adding that some customers have been visiting for multiple generations.
Gilbert Duarte is the chef. “We actually have a secret sauce that we baste our steaks with. It gives it a special char, to preserve the moisture. That’s what makes us different from everyone else,” says Duarte. Other popular items are creamed spinach as a side dish and Thai Buffalo Shrimp, added to the menu about five years ago.
Most customers order a supper-club staple for a drink – a traditional Wisconsin Old Fashioned – and kick off the meal with a relish tray, included with all dinner orders. That relish tray is another staple for supper clubs.
Maintaining a timeless vibe is important at this supper club – and about more than the decor.“We keep the tradition of live music here during the week. We also keep the tradition of service taken at the bar and then we move you to your table,” says Terron.
THE PACKING HOUSE, MILWAUKEE
Chris Wiken co-owns this supper club near Mitchell International Airport with his mother, Margaret Wiken, who opened its doors in 1974 with her late husband. Chris credits long-time staff and hired musicians as the reason the restaurant has been so successful. About Jeff Stoll, a pianist who performs Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, he says, “he’s been with us for 44 years. He’s got the longest running gig in the city of Milwaukee. He started with us in 1980, which is the same year our chef started, when he was 15 years old.” Similarly, some of the servers have worked at The Packing House for 40 years and hosts and hostesses for 30 years.
The same is true for diners. “We’ve had generations of customers,” says Chris. “We’ve watched their kids grow up and now their grandkids.” It’s not uncommon, he says, for some customers who had their first date here to book a table at The Packing House for their 25th anniversary dinner.
Popular menu items include the Beef Wellington, fish fry (on Fridays) and prime rib (served three nights a week). One unique aspect is the drive-thru window for Friday fish fries, for those diners who prefer take-out but still want their fish-fry fix.
THE DEL BAR, LAKE DELTON
“Our grandparents, Jim and Alice, started (what was then known as) Jimmie’s Del Bar in 1943,” explains Anne Stoken, co-owner with her sister, Amy Wimmer. “They purchased it from two gentlemen who had started it two years prior. Our dad and his wife Jane ran the restaurant from the mid-70s until 2018.”
Like many supper clubs, the staff is tightly knit and are long-time employees. “Our head chef has been here for 35 years, and some servers have been here for 30 years, and cooks for 10 to 20 years,” says Stoken. Menu items that trace back to the beginning are baked French onion soup, pork schnitzel, walleye, steaks and prime rib. Chicken cordon bleu is a perennial favorite and frequent customers rave about the prime-grade steaks.
Architectural fans swoon over the restaurant’s interior, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protégé James Dresser. While largely unchanged, they did recently expand an additional 1,000 square feet, creating a second bar for pre- dinner drinks. “Our bar was getting too crowded and filling up too fast,” says Stoken. “Customers weren’t able to get that pre-dinner drink and enjoy happy hour. We added an additional 50 seats.”
Speaking of drinks, “our most popular drinks are Old Fashioneds, like many supper clubs. We’ve got a couple of different varieties. We feature J. Henry bourbon and Drink Wisconsinbly brandies. We try to feature Wisconsin companies as much as we can,” says Stoken. “Martinis are definitely a favorite. Right now, the espresso martini is really popular.”
To celebrate their 80th anniversary, The Jubilee martini was created, using fresh, muddled raspberries; vodka; elderflower liqueur; tart-cherry and lime juices; and club soda. It’s still on the menu, as an homage to the restaurant’s earlier days. “It’s very refreshing,” says Stoken.
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