Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Old-Fashioned Food and Fun
At these legendary social gathering spots, expect an enormous evening meal, cocktails your grandparents drank, and ice cream drinks spiked with liquor.
Old-school dining
The small-town (and North Woods) clubs became popular in the Midwest after Prohibition, when roadhouses could get a liquor license if more than half their business consisted of food sales. In Beloit, these family-owned spots continue to thrive, with individual spins on the concept.
The dark wood paneling and old-school menus at Benedetti's Supper Club convey a homey, 1960s restaurant feel. The 615 Club operates out of an early-20th-century house, with just 11 tables and leather club chairs on wheels. And The Liberty Inn balances supper club favorites with a few upscale dishes, such as broiled Honduran shrimp, in its golf-themed dining area. At The Butterfly Club, lounge singer Mike Williamson belts out Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody" and stops to kiss ladies' hands between verses.
Even if you are so full you can't eat another bite, don't leave without indulging in a Grasshopper (creme de menthe and vanilla ice cream) or Pink Squirrel (creme de almond and creme de cacao with ice cream). Booze mixed with ice cream--after a steak dinner. We love ya, Wisconsin.
Pictured: Onion rings and sauteed mushrooms top a ribeye steak (served with a maraschino-topped old-fashioned) at Benedetti's Supper Club.
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