Jax Cafe With Friends

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Cindi made reservations at Jax Cafe for tonight and invited me and Dale, Wyn and James K., and, of course, Maggie. Dale and I arrived first. I ordered a martini at the bar while we waited. Wyn and James were next to arrive. When Wyn saw me she said, "Joe you are my spirit animal!" I asked her why but honestly I was so stunned to find out I'm someone's spirit animal that now I can't even remember what she said although I believe it had something to do with my affinity for gin martinis. She ordered one for herself while James ordered a beer.

We were seated when Cindi and Maggie arrived. Cindi ordered a gin martini as well. It really is amazing how much influence I have. 

Wyn was so excited to be at Jax. She told me she's known about it for 20 years and has always wanted to go. The experience eluded her until now. She wasn't sure what to order so I heartily endorsed the steak because, well, it is Jax after all. We each got the slow roasted prime rib which was 14 ounces of heaven on a plate. We both loved it. 

Our server was named Sandy which was auspicious as I've been texting Cindi pictures of pink squirrels all week to get her psyched for dessert and one of the pictures I sent was of Sandy Squirrel from the Sponge Bob television show. It HAD to be a sign that our waitress ended up being named Sandy. She took really good care of us providing awesome service the entire evening. 

Wyn, Cindi, and I each ordered a pink squirrel for dessert. 

Cindi even had matchbooks made for the event.

Anniversary at Red Stag

Recently Dale and I celebrated our anniversary at The Red Stag Supper Club. 

The service there is always friendly and our server, Claudia, was no exception to the rule. I started with an Old Fashioned cocktail. The Red Stag's default way of preparing it is the Wisconsin way with brandy as opposed to bourbon. Having spent as much time as I have in Wisconsin during the last however many summers I'm partial  to mine with brandy. 

We're both fans of the Red Stag's relish tray so when dining there we usually start with that. It includes vegetables pickled in house which can vary from visit to visit. This time it featured pickled carrots, green beans, olives, and what looked to be a lighter version of beets. The vegetables were crunchy, tangy, and delicious.

For dinner, Dale ordered one of the specials, a risotto with shrimp which looked delicious. I went with the roasted half chicken which came with a swiss chard souffle, ratatouille, and chicken jus. It was perfectly done. 

Dessert was their awesome carrot cake. Dale doesn't usually go for sweet but carrot cake is something he can't resist, especially The Red Stag's.

The decor of the Red Stag is charming and not (as many supper clubs are) overly kitschy. I've heard that many of the materials used for the restaurant were salvaged by hand including the bar top which is made of marble, tabletops made from doors, and upholstery for the booths made of recycled cassette tapes.* The atmosphere always adds to the experience.

I believe the Red Stag Supper Club will be celebrating it's 10 year anniversary of opening this coming November.  We may have to stop in to help them celebrate.

*See page 243 of Dave Hoekstra's awesome The  Supper Club Book: A Celebration of a Midwest Tradition.