We visited The Ranch Supper Club in 2022 and had a great time so decided to go again, but this time we didn’t have a reservation. Not a good plan for a Saturday night. The wait wasn’t as bad as they thought so it was only a half-hour – time for a martini and a look around the bar area. The bar is a hopping place and they turn out a decent cocktail but their wine list is not too exciting, so we stayed with cocktails for the evening. The bar itself has a beautiful inlay of stones and the wood room is decorated with fishing objects and sporting goods. It’s a good meal with nice service.
Set-Up
Food
With the evening’s special prime rib, comes the relish tray. It has a tasty cheese spread, some pickled fish, bread and butter pickles slices, carrot sticks, celery ribs and radish pieces. A separate dish has packaged crackers. A tray of butter is for the crackers and the dinner rolls. The cheese and pickles were good snacks and went well with the vegetables. I don’t care for the pickled fish but for those who do I bet it’s a good version. The crackers were okay but I’d have preferred all flat crackers rather than mixing in breadsticks. The rolls came a bit later and they were light. A good start overall.
We chose a salad to go with the beef but you could also pick soup or tomato juice. They offer a range of dressings but none seem to come mixed in and rather are presented in a cup on the side. Bleu cheese crumbles are extra. We took the Peppercorn Ranch and it was plenty for the mostly iceberg, cucumber slices tomato wedge and red onions.
With the beef, you chose a side of potato, rice or vegetable. We took the hash browns and the server suggested mixing in onions and cheese (or smothered and covered as it’s called). Good suggestion on her part as it worked well with the potatoes. Some of the onions were a large dice but I love onions, so that’s just fine. A carrot garnish went to the bread plate. The meat was a lovely rare with a peppery rub on the outside. The King Cut is 16 ounces and the Queen is 12. I find that getting the King allows you to have plenty even if you just eat the parts of the slice you like best. The jus had flavor as did the tender meat. It was good.
For dessert, the only house-made item is the creme brulee but our server highly recommended the Triple Layer Carrot Cake made with golden raisins, pineapple, walnuts and cream cheese frosting. She was spot on again – it was a dense flavorful cake with tasty icing. It was further decorated with some caramel sauce and whipped cream flowers. It was plenty for two and a good finish.
Very fun! I love that Frankie poses with so many things here. Seeing the photo of that original menu is fun! I have never been to Hayward but boy does that look like a classic supper club, done right. It has been years since I had prime rib, and now I am drooling. I am a fan of pickled herring, too- so that is a relish tray win for me. I really wish I could travel and eat the way you two do! but I am glad to at least be able to read along and imagine.
Thanks! The best of the supper clubs are further south but this place is close enough to not have to make an overnight trip plus the food is good. I really love their bar surface with all the colored stones and fun decorations. Never get prime rib at home since it’s just 2 of us so it’s a treat and they can keep it rare. If you’re in northern Wisconsin Hayward is a neat little town. They have fun stores and a terrific ice cream shop. It’s a beautiful part of the country so I hope you’ll get up here. Let me know if you plan a trip and I can offer more suggestions! We’ve had a second home up here for 35 years! It’s a perfect contrast to Dallas.
Now that is a classic meal! I did an entire trip themed on those kinds of places in Iowa a few years back. I love seeing places that still have relish trays.
Us too! We used to have a number of supper clubs near us in northern Wisconsin but they gradually go under and the one’s continuing are south of here. Do you know about the 2 books on Wisconsin supper clubs by Ron Faiola? You should check them out. We were at The Spot when he visited and are seated at the bar! Lol, good times!
Thanks. Yes. I have at least one of them.
Should have known!
The classic Saturday night dinner out! We ate at The Ranch a few Julys ago and I’ll wager that my entree was exactly the same as yours, as hash browns and au gratins are my go-tos when it comes to prime rib. But my starters would’ve been a brandy old-fashioned (sweet, the national cocktail of Wisconsin) and baked French onion soup instead of a martini and a salad.
Thanks! We saw lots of brandy old-fashioneds being consumed a couple nights ago too. Did you know that Wisconsin is the largest consumer of Korbel brandy? Next time I’ll ask about onion soup but I’ll have to stick with the martini. Lol! Love a classic supper club meal – especially with a good relish tray. Keep enjoying!