Supper club

A supper club, traditionally, refers to a dining establishment that also functions as a social club. The term may describe different establishments depending on the region, but in general, supper clubs tend to present themselves as having a high-class image, even if the price is affordable to all.

A newer usage of the term supper club has emerged, referring to underground restaurants.

Supper clubs in the United States

In the U.S., a supper club is a dining establishment generally found in the Upper Midwestern states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Iowa. These establishments typically are located on the edge of town in rural areas.[1]

History

The first supper club in the United States was established in Beverly Hills, California, by Milwaukee, Wisconsin native Lawrence Frank.[1] Supper clubs became popular during the 1930s and 1940s, although some establishments that later became supper clubs had previously gained notoriety as prohibition roadhouses.[2]

Traditionally supper clubs were considered a "destination" where patrons would spend the whole evening, from cocktail hour to nightclub-style entertainment after dinner.[3] Featuring a casual and relaxed atmosphere,[3] they are now usually just restaurants rather than the all-night entertainment destinations of the past.[4]

Calumet County, Wisconsin recently trademarked itself as "The Supper Club Capital of the Midwest." The county and its immediate borders are home to over 30 supper clubs and over 70 places that serve fish on Friday nights--a spinoff of the supper club.

Typical menu

Supper clubs generally feature "simple" menus with somewhat limited offerings featuring "American" cuisine.[3] Menus include dishes such as prime rib, steaks, chicken, and fish. An all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fry is particularly common at Wisconsin supper clubs.[4]

Relish trays with items such as crackers, carrots, pickles, radishes, and celery are typically served at the table on Lazy Susans.[3]

Supper clubs in the United Kingdom

Supper clubs in the UK take the cabaret concept of the American 1930s and 1940s and aimed to bring the ambiance of the underground New York jazz club to the UK entertainment scene, where people could enjoy a dinner without the formality of a ball, whilst enjoying live music. These clubs were often the centre of social networks such as the blogging community.[5] in both rural communities and cities. Traditional supper club menus consisted of standard American fare, and in the UK there was a concerted drive to give the food and wine a British twist.[6]

Some supper clubs were purely informal dining societies whilst others incorporated musical acts to complement the atmosphere. There was also a form of supper club which acted as an informal dating platform. Both have largely been replaced by modern nightclubs.

The term "Supper club" is enjoying a revival with slightly different meaning - generally a small underground club (often with roving premises which are only revealed to the guests when they buy a ticket), where guests eat from a restricted or set menu[7] and are expected to fraternise with other guests who they may not know.[8]

In the UK 'Underground Restaurants' and 'Supper Clubs' have started to blossom, with reviews in leading newspapers such as The Times and The Guardian.[9] They range across the UK but are mainly concentrated in London. These are advertised by word of mouth and on social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook. There are a number of ways to find out about supper clubs including social media and also the website Eat My World which lists events all over the UK.

Supper clubs in Latin America

In Latin America, a supper club is typically an underground restaurant known as either a paladar or a restaurante de puertas cerradas (locked door restaurant). Although technically illegal, this type of restaurant is built into the culture, often with higher standards than many licensed establishments.[10] They are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S.[11]

The attraction of the underground restaurant for the customer is the ability to sample new food at low prices outside the traditional restaurant experience. For the host, benefits are making some money and experimenting with cooking without having to invest in a restaurant proper. As one host told the San Francisco Chronicle, "It's literally like playing restaurant... You can create the event, and then it's over."[12]

Other names

Supper clubs, when used in the newer context of underground restaurants, are also known as home bistros, guerrilla diners, secret restaurants, paladares, puertas cerradas, pop-up restaurants, guestaurants, speakeasies, and anti-restaurants.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Supper Clubs: Buildings with Taste", Wisconsin State Historical Society
  2. ↑ Brenda K. Bredahl, "The state of the supper club scene", Chicago Tribune, August 26, 2007.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Dennis Getto, "Supper clubs that are a cut above prime time", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Savoring the Past: Supper Clubs"
  5. ↑ Blogging community shows support for Fernandez and Leluu here
  6. ↑ Fernandez and Leluu's Game On Menu
  7. ↑ the Basement Galley Menus
  8. ↑ Diners Guide Simon Dogget
  9. ↑ http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/29/best-london-supper-clubs Five top London supper clubs, 29 September 2010
  10. ↑ Perlman, Dan (2008-04-17). Mi casa, su cuenta. The Guardian, 17 April 2008. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/apr/17/undergroundrestaurants.
  11. ↑ Smillie, Susan (2009-05-29). Going underground. The Guardian, 29 May 2009. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/may/29/underground-restaurants-msmarmitelover-hardeep.
  12. ↑ DeFao, Janine (2006-01-22). Guerrilla Gourmet. San Francisco Chronicle, January 22, 2006. Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/01/22/MNGOOGRA241.DTL.

External links

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/20/wis-county-relishes-its-classic-supper-clubs/?page=2