Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Old-Fashioned Food and Fun

As our waitress approaches, we set down our brandy old-fashioneds and push aside our relish tray. The plates she brings celebrate old-school big eating: a porterhouse that hangs over the rim, a casserole-size dish of potatoes topped with bubbling cheddar, a tower of crispy fried fish and enough iceberg lettuce salad to feed a small wedding party.

Our first thought, of course, is whoa. Who eats like this anymore? Um--we do, every time we go to a supper club, and Beloit, Wisconsin (50 miles southeast of Madison), has a bevy of them. The hearty portions, paper menus and friendly owners make these throwback, dinner-only restaurants legendary.

Pictured:  The 615 Club in Beloit.

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. At The Butterfly Club, a lounge singer belts out Dean Martin's "Everybody Loves Somebody."

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.

You know you're in one of these Wisconsin faves if:

1 The owner greets you warmly when you come in and immediately asks how your family is.

2 A relish tray is the first thing the waitress sets down on the table, and it sports celery.

3 Everyone's drinking whiskey or brandy old-fashioneds.

4 The server brings warm cinnamon rolls or sticky buns to eat with your salad.

5 Your nonsteak dinner options include liver and onions. (Or, on Friday nights, a fish fry.)

6 The waitress tells you the most popular dessert is a liquor-spiked ice cream drink.

7 You can't order lunch or breakfast, but the bar may very well open during Green Bay Packers play-off games.

8 They let you order dinner at the bar and then go to your table when your meal is ready.

9 Most likely, the building, and the business, have been there for more than 50 years.

10 The bar has TVs, but they are rarely turned on--unless the Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers or Packers are on.

Pictured: The 615 Club relish tray.