Reviews
PRAISE FOR RON FAIOLA AND HIS DOCUMENTARY WISCONSIN SUPPER CLUBS : "[A] compelling, delightful and--not to make too much of it--important documentary.... Ron Faiola [is] a genius filmmaker." -- Rick Kogan, WGN Radio "A couple years ago, we jaunted up to Milwaukee's Times Cinema to see the premiere of filmmaker Ron Faiola's Fish Fry Night Milwaukee .... Faiola's latest offering is even tastier; Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience is a mouthwatering tour of rarefied restaurants from another era that has me thinking of excursions northward." --Asher Klein, Chicago Reader "Ron Faiola has become Wisconsin's legacy filmmaker." --David Luhrssen, Express Milwaukee "In his terrific documentary, Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience , [Ron] Faiola profiled 14 restaurants that have held on, even against the tide of changing tastes, aging clientele and struggling economy." --Kevin Pang, Chicago Tribune PRAISE FOR THE WISCONSIN SUPPER CLUB TRADITION : "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 McAnnich, New York Times "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, Chef Michael White is opening a "Wisconsin-style supper club" in New York called the Butterfly in honor of the Butterfly Club in his hometown, Beloit. The Butterfly Club is one of 50 such places in the Badger State featured in a colorful new coffee table book, Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience (Agate Publishing)., Supper club culture, barely changed since the Mad Men days, remains a vital part of the Wisconsin dining scene, an essential social center for distant communities and a place of connection between the generations. (New York chef Michael White, a Wisconsin native, will open a supper-club-themed restaurant in Manhattan next month.) Author-filmmaker Ron Faiola first explored the subculture in his 2011 documentary Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience, which played on PBS stations nationwide; now he has a new book of the same name looking at 50 still-thriving supper clubs across the state., Talk about a great gig. Last year, Ron Faiola crisscrossed Wisconsin, putting 5,000 miles on h is car in about three months. The result is a glorious look at a Wisconsin tradition: "Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience" (Midway), a glossy 225-page book that just might make your mouth water.", PRAISE FOR RON FAIOLA AND HIS DOCUMENTARY WISCONSIN SUPPER CLUBS : "[A] compelling, delightful and--not to make too much of it--important documentary.... Ron Faiola [is] a genius filmmaker." -- Rick Kogan, WGN Radio "A couple years ago, we jaunted up to Milwaukee's Times Cinema to see the premiere of filmmaker Ron Faiola's Fish Fry Night Milwaukee .... Faiola's latest offering is even tastier; 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 "Ron Faiola has become Wisconsin's legacy filmmaker." --David Luhrssen, Express Milwaukee "In his terrific documentary, Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old Fashioned Experience , [Ron] Faiola profiled 14 restaurants that have held on, even against the tide of changing tastes, aging clientele and struggling economy." --Kevin Pang, Chicago Tribune PRAISE FOR THE WISCONSIN SUPPER CLUB TRADITION : "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 "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, ...the book is well done and includes supper clubs from all over the state and each of them have that warm cozy feeling, often with a lot of glass to see the outdoors, and many with natural fireplaces blazing away. The interior photos are all inviting, and the commentaries on each are fun to read.
Synopsis
An in-depth guide to Wisconsin's popular supper club tradition, this book showcases these unique eating establishments through interviews, photographs, and more., Wisconsin Supper Clubs is a resource for and about supper clubs throughout Wisconsin that includes beautiful photographs of the unique supper club interiors, proprietors, and customers, as well as fascinating archival materials. Also recorded in this book are the regional specialties served at these clubs, ranging from popovers and fried pickles in the northern part of the state to Shrimp de Jonghe in the south. One Northwoods supper club even features fry bread, a traditional Native American dish uncommon to most any restaurant. The "supper club experience" is a tradition embodied by many long-standing restaurants scattered throughout the small towns of Wisconsin. It is based around a bygone idea that going out to dinner is an experience that lasts an entire evening. The clubs emphasizing food made from scratch, slow-paced dining, and family-run businesses. Combine this with stately dark-panel decor, complimentary relish trays, and the best brandy Old Fashioned sweet you'll ever have, and you have barely scratched the surface of the Wisconsin supper club's appeal. Author Ron Faiola is the critically acclaimed director and producer of the documentary by the same name. Supper clubs are hugely popular with Wisconsin locals and regularly frequented by all Midwestern foodies "in the know." With Wisconsin Supper Clubs as a guide, these establishments are primed to be choice summer road trip destinations for anyone looking for low-cost vacations this summer. After the successful debut of Faiola's documentary, this book is sure to be a hit throughout the region and beyond., Wisconsin Supper Clubs is a resource for and about supper clubs throughout Wisconsin that includes beautiful photographs of the unique supper club interiors, proprietors, and customers, as well as fascinating archival materials. Also recorded in this book are the regional specialties served at these clubs, ranging from popovers and fried pickles in the northern part of the state to Shrimp de Jonghe in the south. One Northwoods supper club even features fry bread, a traditional Native American dish uncommon to most any restaurant. The supper club experience is a tradition embodied by many long-standing restaurants scattered throughout the small towns of Wisconsin. It is based around a bygone idea that going out to dinner is an experience that lasts an entire evening. The clubs emphasizing food made from scratch, slow-paced dining, and family-run businesses. Combine this with stately dark-panel decor, complimentary relish trays, and the best brandy Old Fashioned sweet you'll ever have, and you have barely scratched the surface of the Wisconsin supper club's appeal. Author Ron Faiola is the critically acclaimed director and producer of the documentary by the same name. Supper clubs are hugely popular with Wisconsin locals and regularly frequented by all Midwestern foodies in the know. With Wisconsin Supper Clubs as a guide, these establishments are primed to be choice summer road trip destinations for anyone looking for low-cost vacations this summer. After the successful debut of Faiola's documentary, this book is sure to be a hit throughout the region and beyond.
