When it comes to Christmas gifts, I like to give my parents experiences. My mom always insists we save our money and not bother getting them anything, but that doesn’t feel right! Besides, if I don’t get them a gift my brother will, and then I look like a cheap bastard. I don’t need that kind of stress in my life.
Fort Atkinson is home to the Fireside Theater, a premier Midwest dinner theater built in 1964 that attracts local, regional, and Broadway touring companies. My parents are super into plays, so last Christmas, our gift was dinner and a show of their choice. “Fiddler on the Roof” is wrapping up a run today, and that’s one of their faves, so they decided to come out for a visit last week and cash in their gift. The only issue? My parents fly standby, and so they never know in advance if they’ll be able to make flights. By the time they settled on this visit, “Fiddler on the Roof” tickets were sold out, with the exception of a few scattered single seats. The Fireside is so popular, in fact, that tickets for the rest of their shows this year – including “Nunsense,” “Matilda,” and “Rocky” – are also going fast or already sold out on specific dates.
Instead of navigating the challenges of trying to book nonrefundable tickets for popular shows days in advance, we decided to offer them an alternative gift: an authentic Wisconsin supper club experience. They were down, so I booked reservations at the HOBNOB in Racine. We’d been there last year for Tara’s birthday and had a great time. The price of the dinner was equivalent to theater tickets, so this was a solid Plan B.
People are always asking, so I should explain about Wisconsin supper clubs. Contrary to the name, they aren’t something you have to “join.” Supper clubs are like upscale, more intimate restaurants, and are a longstanding tradition in the Dairy State dating back at least a century, but can be tricky to define. Each supper club is unique, but they typically share the following key elements:
- Dark and cozy retro ambience. Think dim lighting, plush booths, wood paneling, and velvet. The Rat Pack is likely to be playing over the sound system.
- Classic cocktails. The supper club experience begins with cocktails, and Sconnies are partial to their brandy Old Fashioneds. I can attest to their deliciousness. Instead of simply bourbon, bitters, and sugar, our version is made with brandy, muddled orange slices, cherries, sometimes an olive, and a splash of soda. You order it sweet (7-Up), sour (Squirt), or press (half 7-Up, half club soda to cut the sweetness – this is my go-to). There are plenty of other drink options, of course.
- Elaborate meals. Food is the centerpiece of the supper club experience, of course, and you will never walk away hungry. Many meals begin with a relish tray (cheese, crackers, pickled veggies), followed by appetizers, a main course – steak and seafood are most common – and dessert, which is often an ice cream-based cocktail like a Grasshopper or Brandy Alexander.
As of February 2024, there are approximately 250 supper clubs throughout the state. Regardless of where you are, you’ll never have to travel far to find one.
We had a reservation for 5 p.m. and the HOBNOB is 90 minutes away, so we left Casa MarTar at 3:00 on the dot. Arrived exactly at 4:30, checked in, and made our way to the plush velvet bar with a large picture window looking out over Lake Michigan. After a round of cocktails, we were escorted to our table, and spent the next two hours working our way through one incredible course after another. Tender calamari, stuffed mushrooms, the best French onion soup any of us had ever had, salad, and then our entrees. I chose duckling with sage dressing and orange sauce, Tara got crab cakes, my dad ordered veal Wiener Schnitzel, and my mom opted for fried scallops. We were much too full for dessert, but they have this handy invention called “to-go containers,” so slices of key lime cheesecake, tiramisu, and chocolate truffle cake accompanied us home.
As fun as “Fiddler on the Roof” would have been, I don’t think any of us walked away disappointed that we’d been stuck with HOBNOB as a backup.
Mark My Words 
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