It's
supper club food, and
that's why Culver's serve it.
Wisconsin supper clubs are long-established restaurants, typically in rural or remote areas, with straightforward but respectable menu items and good hospitality. While their hey-day was post World War II, you’ll still find more than 260 across the state. Most likely, they are housed in a building that goes back decades, and sometimes the supper club has been operating just as long. Despite having “club” in the name, you don’t actually need to be a member to dine at one — but the hospitality will surely make you feel like you’re getting something special.
The Culver family got their start in food service operating ... a supper club.
Craig Culver and his wife, Lea, did bring some of those same supper club traditions to the very first Culver’s, which opened in Sauk City in 1984. Alongside the now-famous ButterBurger, they served chicken, pot roast, homemade soup, mashed potatoes, and yes, fried fish. Inspired by fish fry Fridays, Culver’s now offers their North Atlantic Cod Dinner and Filet Sandwich daily, served with the Culver’s family recipe for tartar sauce and coleslaw, made the same way George Culver did at the Farm Kitchen.
The
pot roast is still on the
menu, and now I understand why it's George's
chili.
2 comments:
Plenty of supper clubs in north Iowa where I grew up in the 1970s. I was always lead to believe that the 'club' referred to being a 'bottle club' in the days before liquor-by-the-drink, and even private liquor stores, was legal. You bought a 'membership' and then could get drinks from your 'bottle' when you stopped by for dinner. Discovered Culver's in WI in the 1990s, and very happy to have one nearby here south of the Ohio River.
Ron Faiola's Wisconsin Supper Club Story mentions both the speakeasy origin and a tie to London's eating clubs for high-status commoners. The Iowa story makes sense given the state imposing prohibition before that achieved federal status. Culver's have expanded outside their midwestern base, for sure.
Post a Comment