Shawano Lake, Wisconsin
Just north of the Illinois border, you will find yourself entering the fascinating microculture that is Wisconsin. You might immediately think of cheese, beer, brats and the Green Bay Packers. While it wouldn't be Wisconsin without cheese and beer, the rural towns and the people that live there are the beating heart of the state. This past week I spent six days at my friend's parent's lake house in Cecil, Wisconsin (about 30 minutes north of Green Bay). Each year, the Hills open up their home to our rowdy crew of friends (they are saints) and each year the memories of my childhood and my ties to the area come flooding back, filling me with nostalgia of family tradition and that distinct Wisconsin culture.
My mother grew up in Appleton before moving to the Upper Peninsula. When I was growing up, my grandparents owned a Whirlpool appliance showroom in Suring, about two and a half hours from my hometown in Michigan and not far from the lake house in Cecil. Suring is primarily one main drag, a blip on the radar with under a thousand residents. At one time, the Evenflo factory brought work. After my grandparents divorce in the 1970s, my mother moved with my grandfather to Ishpeming, but two of my aunts are graduates of Suring High School. We visited often, for Easter or on Thanksgiving day to get to the Black Friday shopping in Green Bay. Each summer my parents would send my sister and I for a week to visit and we would play in the refrigerators in the showroom.
The drive from Green Bay to Cecil, on Shawano Lake, is not necessarily a quaint country road and more like a freeway. The short drive takes you up US 29-- the route one would take to get to the Twin Cities-- passing corn fields, signs for cheese and meats. Exiting 29 at Bondeul, you continue your drive until the road ends at the lake.
Cecil caters to both the summer lake crowd and the year round residents. It has your dive bars, like the Elbow Room, the Cecil Diner, and the Wisconsin staple, the supper club.
Wisconsin supper clubs are familiar to many midwesterners and I have yet to encounter a similar dining experience in other states or cities. Supper clubs are not particularly clustered in any part of the state, and often times are found on rural country roads or in small towns like Suring or Cecil. My grandparents lived down the street from The Boarding House, but we often frequented The Holiday Inn in Kelly Lake. Being so close to my grandparents, Tushar and I met them for dinner at Cecil's main supper club, The Washington Inn.
Supper clubs vary in decor, but there are aways a few distinct features. First, There is always a large main bar, usually filled with patrons waiting for their table. The bar is dark, usually covered in wood paneling or even shag carpet. a low hum of chatter and laughter fills the room. Large wooden barstools, sometimes with leather seat covers round the bar. We walked in to the Washington Inn and immediately my grandma saw someone she knew. This is where family and friends gather.
If you have never been to a supper club, your first stop is always one of the open bar stools. Bellying up to the bar, make friends with your bar tender, I guarantee they know everyone in the town and a few more in the 30 mile radius from the restaurant. The cocktail of choice is always a Wisconsin Old Fashion(ed). Your Old Fashion is made to order: whiskey (usually a blended Canadian variety) or brandy; a few dashes of Angostura bitters; sweet (lemon and lime soda) or Sour (grapefruit soda); cherry juice (sometimes muddle cherries and oranges); and a garnish. For me, the garnish makes the drink. The garnish can range from a simple cherry to green olives, cocktail onions, pickled Brussels sprouts, green beans, or mushrooms. I take my Old Fashions: Whiskey, sweet, with two green olives. This is also the cocktail of choice for any holiday or family gathering. My dad argues that my grandmother makes the best, her secret ingredient being that she uses her finger to stir the drink.
The Washington Inn on an early Sunday evening was packed. Having no room at the bar, we opted to order or cocktail course at the table. I order the same as my grandmother, taking my cues from the expert: Whiskey, sweet, garnished with pickled mushrooms. Everyday from 4-7 PM the restaurant's happy hour is a "double bubble" special, meaning you get two drinks for the price of one. I was pleasantly surprised when the waitress brought over both bubbles at once.
Supper clubs are known for their steaks, fish, and chicken. My grandfather and I each ordered a tenderloin and my grandmother and Tushar got the broasted chicken. Each order includes a trip to the soup and salad bar. You know you're in Wisconsin when you hear the table next to you scold their kids for not finishing their liverwurst.
It feels strangely comforting to walk into a place unmarked by time. It's a dependability knowing that each time you enter a small northern Wisconsin or Michigan town, it can still feel the same. Living in the city, I try not to take it for granted that these small little towns made me the adventurous person I am today.
