Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Comfort, In Food and Place

Just read a great article about the Supper Clubs up in Wisconsin in the NYT--places whose appeal and quality stand frozen in time from nearly a century ago, aptly captured by the author David McAninch in the following, lovely paragraph:
Imbibed in this north woods sanctum, Tom Kelly’s cocktails are a potent tonic for body and spirit alike. It helps, perhaps, if you’ve spent the day hiking amid the magnificent birches and pines of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, which extends in a vast patchwork across this lake-studded swath of northern Wisconsin. It also helps to know that a thick slice of prime rib is waiting for you at the end of that drink. You know this because the hostess, dressed in a prim black waitress uniform with white piping, has already appeared alongside you at the bar unbidden, pen poised over order pad, asking what you’d like for dinner and informing you that your table will be ready whenever you happen to be — no sooner, no later.
No schemes here, nothing to make you think you're somewhere you're not. It's Wisconsin. It's 2011. But none of that matters, because you are well-fed, well-oiled from the drinks, and you have that pleasant sense of physical exhaustion smoothed over by these things. I think this is something we can all appreciate.

Looking ahead, we've got a couple Salons with some well worn seats and tasty food yet available, and I'd love to see you there! Click on a Salon to purchase tickets:

See you then!