I have met and talked to many people that were vacationing for the first time up north because their parents or grandparent vacationed in the Northwoods years ago and have asked me about different resorts or supper clubs their relatives frequented. Some of those establishments I remember and are still open, but unfortunately there are old supper clubs that their grandparents went to that are no longer in business. In the Northwoods, going out Friday nights for a fish fry is a tradition, and many years ago, going to a supper club was a must for many people. Why supper clubs and a fish fry on Fridays? Probably because most folks rented or came up to their cabins for a week and Friday was the last night and ended the week going out for dinner, or back in the day the maybe the husbands took their wife out for a nice meal to make up for fishing all day.

My best traditional supper club definition is an upscale restaurant with the atmosphere typically not found in the Northwoods and from the ones I’ve been to have mostly dark wood and red leather covered chairs and booths. These supper clubs served custom hand cut aged steaks before it was popular, prime rib, roasted duck, cold relish trays, homemade salads and bread, all presented on white linen tablecloths with candles. These were places folks dressed up and would have a muddled old fashion, highball, pink squirrel or a martini at the bar before heading to their table. Then, many retuned to the bar and usually ordered a grasshopper or brandy alexander for an after-dinner drink.

I have written before, I fell in love with the Northwoods when I was very young, when we vacationed/visited family and friends in Mercer, so here are some of the supper clubs I remember from the mid 1960s into the 70s. In Mercer, O’LEARY’S CLUB 51 (NOW CRANBERRY INN) north of Mercer on the corner of 51 & FF. As you entered, the dining room was to the right and the bar to the left and the walls and booths were all green. BEAVER LODGE just north/east for Mercer off J. Back then I thought this was more upscale than others because this resort had an inground swimming pool, the bar overlooked Little Martha Lake and was rumored that Ralph Capone was a silent partner. This is no longer open. PINE LAKE LODGE north of Mercer east off 51 and the only thing I can remember was it overlooks the lake, and the dining room was huge, but that could be because I was young.

In Manitowish Waters, there’s the DING-A-LING (STILL OPEN) supper club on the corner of 47 & 51. Never went there until the late mid-70’s but I will say, even today not much has changed and it’s still a pretty cool place. LITTLE BOHEMIA on 51, 8 miles from 47 and on the shores of Little Star Lake and it really hasn’t changed since I walked through that big front door 54 years ago. (IF YOU GO, ASK FOR A TABLE ON THE PORCH) and you will have a great view of the lake. Probably the oldest supper club (OPENED 1908) in the area is VOSS’ BIRCHWOOD LODGE. I remember seeing Spider Lake from our table and a huge fireplace, but to me it has always been and still is more of a restaurant/resort then a supper club.

Even though my parents didn’t venture out to other towns often, I do remember going to Boulder Junction to GUIDES INN which is still open, and I consider this to be an old school supper club with a modern menu. Then there is HEADWATERS that is one of the oldest supper clubs in Boulder that has the old bar and great back bar. Headwaters is also still open and is another older bar with a great back bar. Even though most of the animal mounts are gone, this is still a nice place to have a drink. There is one in Presque Isle on county B passed county M that Monica and I went to many times called ZASTROW’S LYNX LAKE LODGE. When you see the huge NEON MARTINI GLASS on the front of building you found it. This used to be one of the truly last old classic supper clubs in this area and talk about a family business. All the meals were cooked by mom, the daughter cleaned the cabins, waited tables in the dining room and Dad (DAVE) was the bartender. As Zastrow’s is still there, it was sold and the last time we were there, just pizza was being served. If you are in the area, stop in and have a drink.

Moving on to Land O Lakes, there are some great older and remolded supper clubs that are a must to eat at. BEAR TRAP INN located on county B west of Land O Lakes is a very popular and has a long history (opened in1937). The owners Tom and Madi have done a great job of keeping that traditional supper club atmosphere and known for their garlic stuffed tenderloin along with great Old Fashions. TWILIGHT SUPPER CLUB sits on the corner of 45 and county E, used to be the old LOOSE MOOSE. Twilight still has that supper club feel with good food, an old display of fish mounts right of the bar area. Some might call GATEWAY LODGE (corner of 45 and B) that has been open since the late 1930s a supper club and it may have been back in the day, but I have considered it more of a hotel/lodge then a supper club. Gateway does have an awesome but small bar compared to the huge dining room, but then again, it would be hard to find a better bar tender than JOE. If you’re looking for a place with great food prepared by Chef William and have a large amount of people in your party, Gateway is the place to go.

I normally won’t promote one establishment over another, but I will tell you ASANA SUKA meaning (TO SIT IN HAPPINESS) the old RED MAN supper club located on 45 just south of B is our favorite supper club in the Northwoods. The one thing I remember about the old Red Man, was even though the dining rooms were big, the bar was much smaller, but it still had that vintage supper club look. The owners Jake and Emily are incredible people and not only is the food tremendous, but to keep things fresh, Emily will make changes to their menu that other supper clubs don’t do often. The prior owners, that bought the Red Man remolded most of the restaurant but left the old TEEPEE room the way it was. So, if you’re up north and in the area, stop at ASANA SUKA to at least have one of their famous OLD FASHIONS and take a look at the menu. I miss those old supper clubs, but at least we still have a few to carry on the tradition.