You hear people refer to the “ambiance” of a restaurant, those tangibles and intangibles that keep people coming back for more. These days, supper clubs have an ambiance that straddles the realms of retro hip and classic cool. Lots of warm woods, romantic lighting, crisp table linens, sharply attired wait staff. These are the places you go to see and be seen. Wisconsin Dells has a few of these, and they’re garnering attention on the national dining scene.
Even the name, the Del-Bar, has a certain clubby feel to it. The real story there is that when it was originally built in 1943 as a roadside steakhouse, it was located between Wisconsin Dells and nearby Baraboo, so the name Del-Bar was chosen. Step up to the cocktail lounge -- don’t call it a bar, because it’s more than that -- for a before-dinner drink. The staff is very well trained on the extensive wine list, a list frequently selected for Wine Spectator magazine’s Award of Excellence, so test the servers on their prowess. Then dine on some mouthwatering custom-aged steaks or, a perennial favorite, the pan-fried walleye. This establishment is still owned and operated by the original family – the Wimmer’s -- who understand what it is to be a supper club.
Field’s at the Wilderness, in contrast, has a more modern feel. Tuxedoed wait staff make you feel like a celebrity and, again, the steaks are the stars of this show. They even have something called Steak Enhancers. The Blackening Merlot Sauce Campignon Brie Style is a mouthful, literally and figuratively. This is another spot known for its wine list and its Wine Spectator awards.
For something more eclectic, make a reservation at the House of Embers. There are private rooms themed to classic movies, with the most romantic being the Omar Sharif room, where more than 500 couples have become engaged. There’s also a funky lounge where bartenders are schooled in martini mixology, with 21 different martinis to choose from, and a weekend piano player. The owners/chefs are brothers Michael and Mark Obois, Wisconsin Dells natives who ran away to The Culinary Institute of America in New York, returning with degree in hand, ready to dive into the family business. Popular dinner choices are BBQ ribs, hickory smoked in the restaurant’s specially designed smoke house and basted with a secret BBQ sauce that dad Wally perfected in 1959.
Here’s a tip for something a bit off the beaten path that will make you feel like an insider in-the-know. It’s called Ishnala, meaning “by itself alone” in the language of the Winnebago Indians. Located deep in the woods and perched high above incredibly picturesque Mirror Lake, the land was once used by the Winnebago Indians as a ceremonial ground. In the early 1800s, a log cabin trading post was erected there. The current restaurant structure amazingly still has the original stone fireplace, log walls and staircase from that trading post. With the sun setting, making the surface of the water glisten like a million diamonds, Frank Sinatra music lilting in the background, and lobster and New York Strip being served all around, it is a slice of perfection. They’re open Memorial Day through Labor Day. You should also know they don’t accept reservations. Quirky, yes, but somehow it fits this supper club.
The newest of the bunch is Kaminski Bros. Chop House, located in the Chula Vista Resort. The Kaminski family has been taking care of Dells’ guests for more than 100 years. In their promotional materials they liken steak eating to a religion in Wisconsin, and welcome converts to experience the sublime pleasures of hand-cut dry-aged beef.
You’re salivating, aren’t you?
