The supper club book A celebration of a Midwest tradition

Mention a supper club and people outside Wisconsin and its immediate vicinity probably think of some fancy nightclub where the well-heeled dance and drink till the wee hours. But for midwesterners, the supper club is an epicenter for social eating, a locally owned roadhouse where families repair for an evening to treat themselves to a hearty meal with friends and neighbors. As Hoekstra points out, every supper club is unique, but they almost certainly host Friday-night fish fries and serve prime rib on Saturday, defining elegant enjoyment for small-town and rural midwesterners. Hoekstra relates the stories of a number of these institutions, their owners, and the people who have frequented them over the past half-century. He holds out hope for their future, noting how some are evolving in new directions, safeguarding local traditions in the face of competition from national chains. Photographs of both restaurateurs and their clientele preserve a sense of a passing era.--Knoblauch, Mark Copyright 2010 Booklist

This delightful book offers an excellent slice of American life as it once was and still exists in remaining supper clubs. Garrison Keillor offers a charming Lake Wobegon-like foreword that gets readers off to the perfect start in this combination oral history-guidebook. Colorful chapter titles include "Supper Clubs with Shtick," "Wacky-Named Supper Clubs," and a postscript, "Tribute to Supper Clubs Gone By." Each of the 24 club entries includes name, address, phone number, and even some web addresses. The images are a highlight: there's at least one exterior and interior shot, as well as photos of the owner(s), customers (some go back many years), and club staff. A favorite photo is of the Friday night kitchen staff at the Ced-Rel that includes a striking wall clock and vats of ingredients. Linen napkins and relish trays are still essential components of these clubs, examples of what used to be. Verdict Well-written details about the clubs, their history, owners, customers, and many other points of interest round out this visually rich book. American history buffs, tourists, and foodies of all sorts should thoroughly enjoy.-Susan G. Baird, formerly with Oak Lawn P.L., IL (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.