Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round

by Ron Faiola

Overview

Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round, a sequel to author/photographer Ron Faiola's wildly popular first book on the topic (now in its sixth printing), gives readers a peek inside 50 additional clubs from across the Badger State.

Traveling from the Northwoods to Beloit, Faiola documents some of the most exceptional and long-lived restaurants that embrace the decades-old supper club tradition. These are largely family-owned establishments that believe in old-fashioned hospitality, slow-paced dining, and good scratch cooking.
In this guide, readers will find interviews with supper club proprietors and customers as well as a bounty of photographs of classic dishes, club interiors, and other scenes from Faiola’s extensive travels.

Despite the chain restaurants that continue to dominate the culinary landscape, supper clubs across the Midwest are thriving today in many of the same ways as they have for the past 80 years. The term "supper club" has even been borrowed recently by the burgeoning underground restaurant scene, which champions an upscale-yet-communal dining experience similar to that offered by traditional supper clubs.

Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round is a new, intimate look at this unique American tradition, one that invites supper club enthusiasts and newcomers alike to enjoy a second helping of everything that made Wisconsin Supper Clubs such a hit.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781572841932
Publisher:	Agate
Publication date:	05/17/2016
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	195,447
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Ron Faiola is an author and filmmaker who has produced and directed numerous critically acclaimed documentaries. He is the president and founder of Push Button Gadget Inc., which has been specializing in audio visual and business theater production for nearly 20 years. He is the author of Wisconsin Supper Clubs and Wisconsin Supper Clubs: Another Round, both published by Agate Midway. He lives in Milwaukee.

Table of Contents

SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
Colony House, Trevor, WI
Dobie’s Steak House, St. Francis, WI
Donny’s Girl Supper Club, Watertown, WI
Edgewater Supper Club, Jefferson, WI
Fitzgerald’s Genoa Junction, Genoa City, WI
Five O’Clock Steakhouse, Milwaukee, WI
Stagecoach Inn, Fort Atkinson, WI
The Village Supper Club, Pleasant Prairie, WI
Walden Supper Club, West Bend, WI

SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN
The 615 Club, Beloit, WI
Arthur’s Supper Club, Spring Green, WI
Casino Supper Club, Fall River, WI
Club Oasis, Sparta, WI
The Del Bar, Wisconsin Dells, WI
Delaney’s, Madison, WI
Elmo Club, Platteville, WI
Green Acres, Sauk City, WI
Helgesen’s Harpos, Janesville, WI
Old Towne Inn, Westby, WI
The Village Bar Supper Club, Kieler, WI

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN
The Boarding House Supper Club, Suring, WI
Club Chalet, Green Bay, WI
Gib’s on the Lake, Kewaunee, WI
Klemme’s Wagon Wheel, Howards Grove, WI
Nightingale Supper Club, Sturgeon Bay, WI
River’s Edge, Marinette, WI
Woodland Creek Supper Club, Campbellsport, WI

NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN
Al-Gen Dinner Club, Rhinelander, WI
The Branding Iron Supper Club, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
Carlson’s Rustic Ridge Supper Club
& Lounge, Friendship, WI
Dirty Oar Supper Club, Nekoosa, WI
El Capitan Supper Club, Florence, WI
Four Seasons Supper Club and Resort, Arbor Vitae, WI
Lake Aire Supper Club, Clintonville, WI
Michael’s Supper Club, Wausau, WI
Pine Tree Supper Club, New London, WI
Silver Birch Supper Club, Tomahawk, WI
Smokey’s, Manitowish Waters, WI
Two Lakes, Almond, WI

NORTHWEST WISCONSIN
5 O’Clock Club, Cumberland, WI
Connell’s Supper Club, Chippewa Falls, WI
Eddie’s World Famous Ribs, Superior, WI
The Fireside, Hayward, WI
Hillside Fish House, Marshland, WI
Jake’s Supper Club, Menomonie, WI
Kimball Inn, Hurley, WI
Kutzee’s Supper Club, Stanley, WI
Northwoods Supper Club, Fifield, WI
Old Abe’s Supper Club, Jim Falls, WI
The Spot Supper Club and Resort, Iron River, WI

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Ron Faiola's WISCONSIN SUPPER CLUBS: AN OLD-FASHIONED EXPERIENCE:

"A glorious look at a Wisconsin tradition, Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience [is] a glossy 225-page book that just might make your mouth water." —William Hagemen, Chicago Tribune

"Ron Faiola is passionate about food. He is the author of Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience, a coffee table book chronicling the unique Wisconsin tradition of the supper club.... Faiola put 5,000 miles on his car traveling to every corner of the state to capture the timeless charm of the supper club." —BizTimes Milwaukee

“Prime rib, Friday night fish frys, and relish trays are the stuff of legend in Wisconsin. . . . But the supper club is a relic, so [author Ron Faiola] is hoping to bring them back into fashion. . . [Wisconsin Supper Clubs] documents 50 of the states most enduring time capsules.” —Steve Dolinsky, ABC 7 News, Chicago

"Different than other travel guides, Wisconsin Supper Clubs doesn't offer star ratings or dollar signs indicating how much a meal costs, but it does serve up a travel diary, which will be heartwarming to those who appreciate the nostalgia and comfort evoked by these establishments. The book. . . invites Wisconsin travelers to thumb though to see what supper club might be hiding in the next town, ready to welcome you with a smile and delicious food." —The Christian Science Monitor

“A beautiful book. . . you read this book and not only does your mouth start watering, but you start thinking kind of expansively [about] weekend getaway opportunities. . . . I heartily endorse it.” —Bill Moller, WGN Radio

"State foodies appear to have found a holy grail in Ron Faiola's Wisconsin Supper Clubs. . . . They tote their dining bible into the restaurants, asking staff to sign their copies and snapping pictures with the owners." —Marcia Nelesen, The Gazette (Janesville, WI)

"Faiola went to [great lengths to] get the right shots for his coffee-table book, Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience. He spent 10 weeks on the road last year, traversing the state to visit dozens upon dozens of the state's emblematic restaurants." —Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

"Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience is a mouthwatering tour of rarefied restaurants from another era that has me thinking of excursions northward." —Peter Exley, Chicago Reader

"Wisconsin-native Ron Faiola recently released a book—Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience—which showcases some of the finest supper clubs in the state and shows why supper clubs are such a big part of Wisconsin's food culture." —State Senator Tom Tiffany, Wisconsin’s 12th Senate District

"Faiola’s book goes behind the scenes at 50 Dairy State restaurants, offering photos, stories, and his take on each of the clubs." —Wisconsin State Journal

"[Faiola] traveled across Wisconsin and profiled 50 Supper Clubs. . . hallmarks include brandy Old Fashioneds, Friday night fish fry, prime rib, relish trays, lake views, taxidermy, glowing vintage beer lights, Packers paraphernalia, and more." —Paula Forbes, Eater.com, National page

"Milwaukee filmmaker Ron Faiola has made an homage to the throwback restaurants to our north that are very much alive and well." —Joanne Trestrail, Crain’s Chicago Business

"The book treats each club, about fifty in all, to a few pages of text about the experience, complimented with a generous serving of pictures that are equal parts Americana and food porn. . . . It's easy to see how people get inspired to take eating tours of Wisconsin. —Dave Robson, Daily XY

"Warm and folksy, much like the restaurants themselves, Wisconsin Supper Clubs will have you packing your bag and heading north." —ChicagoNow


Praise for Ron Faiola, his documentary, and Wisconsin's supper club tradition:

"[A] compelling, delightful and—not to make too much of it—important documentary.... Ron Faiola [is] a genius filmmaker." —Rick Kogan

"I fell in love with these restaurants long before I’d ordered my first cocktail, and for good reason: the food was always tasty—supper clubs were doing custom-cut dry-aged steaks long before the practice became an urban fetish—and the vibe was always pure Wisconsin gemütlichkeit, leavened by a lively mix of locals and vacationing families." —David McAninch, New York Times

"Ron Faiola has become Wisconsin's legacy filmmaker." —David Luhrssen, Express Milwaukee

"Supper clubs are a classic Wisconsin summer experience and I try to find a few new ones each year. I associate them with lake country, brandy old fashioneds, relish trays, baked potatoes and prime rib." —Duane Dudek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Fortunately though, a few of Wisconsin’s supper clubs remain, and many restaurateurs have kept the traditions alive.... The common denominator in today’s notion of a supper club is simple American cuisine.... For the most part, gone are the days when a supper club meant an entire night out: a lounge with high-backed booths, highballs at low-ball prices, a piano bar, an orchestra, and a dance floor. It’s still possible, however, to listen to jazz piano or fox trot to Sinatra at some of Wisconsin’s ritzier supper clubs. And the one thing that’s never gone out of style, of course, is simply prepared great food." —Brenda K. Bredahl, TravelWisconsin.com

From the Publisher