The Steak Pit Part 1

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Had the opportunity to try a Wisconsin supper club tonight. Warren, Gary, Dale, and I are staying on Madeline for the long weekend and we made a special trip to Washburn to try The Steak Pit restaurant.

Upon walking in we found the decor to be very unassuming, but why would it need to be with its incredible view of the lake? Kathy, our server, was a no nonsense albeit pleasant person who provided excellent service. We could tell shortly after she greeted us that we would be in good hands.

We ordered cocktails to start. I, of course, began with a brandy old fashioned. Warren had Myers run, his favorite dark rum. Gary had Dale both had red wine.

We ordered a couple of appetizers, the shrimp basket and the clam basket. Both were deep fried and fabulous.

The Steak Pit Part 2

Saturday, October 17, 2015

In true supper club style they had a Friday night fish fry. I simply HAD to have it. It was a generous portion of trout that was lightly breaded and lightly fried - not greasy at all! It came with the option of French fries or baked potato. I had had fries with lunch so I went with the baked potato. Dale had the broiled Lake Superior trout. He said it was awesome. Warren had the surf and turf. I think they called it a tug and hoof. Hoof, for the steak and tug (as in tugging the tail) for the shrimp. Gary had a steak.

We all had dinner salads to start. Gary asked what the salad dressing options were and Kathy said she would bring all of them out when serving the salads. When the salads appeared, she brought a caddy of three dressings including green goddess, blue cheese, and French. She also produced four bottles of dressings. I can’t remember all of them. One was a cranberry something or other which Dale loved. Another was a Hawaiian poppyseed which sounded divine. I went with the green goddess which is something I’ve never tried before. I loved it. It’s basically ranch dressing blended with avocado.

The dessert tray which Kathy brought over had a lot of different cheesecake options all under Saran Wrap. One was cheesecake wrapped in a flour tortilla. That’s how it was presented on the dessert tray, although if ordered they would deep fry it and then cover it with something like cinnamon and sugar, possibly caramel sauce. The non-cheesecake item was a chocolate hot lava cake which is what Warren ordered to split with Gary.

After going through all the options on the tray Kathy mentioned that they also had ice cream drinks. I wanted to tell her she was a woman after my own heart but thought better of it since she didn’t come across as a warm-fuzzy kind of gal. Instead I simply asked if the pink squirrel was an option. She said that it was along with the grasshopper. Since I had a grasshopper most recently at Jax I decided to go with the pink squirrel. I almost fell out of my seat when she brought it over as it was massive. Absolutely delicious though.

Our server, Kathy, was exceptional. She was not overly familiar with us but courteous and very attentive. I could tell shortly after she greeted us at our table that she would take exceptional care of us which is exactly what she did.

Lots of supper club hallmarks at The Steak Pit: attentive and friendly service, great cocktails, Friday night fish fry, prime rib, ice cream drinks, and of course, cloth napkins (purple ones at that). Didn’t see any evidence of live music but that’s not to say there isn’t. Next time I call ahead I’ll definitely have to ask. We’ll most certainly be back.

I've heard it said that a supper club is always for sale.  Interesting to find this sign outside.

Dinner with Warren and Gary

Warren had Dale and me over for dinner this past Saturday. Gary joined us as well. Drinks outside. Warren made brats and chicken for dinner. We ate inside and watched The Damned Don't Cry with Joan Crawford. We took and then texted the above photos to Warren's friend Apollo who lives in San Jose.

Chili with Stew Meat

We had Warren and Gary over for dinner last night. Dale made chili but we tried it with beef stew meat rather than ground turkey.  The night before he dredged the meat in flour and lightly fried it off. He then assembled the chili, let it cook on low for about an hour, and then refrigerated  it overnight. A couple of hours before our guests arrived we put it back on the stovetop over a low heat. The result was spectacular!

We had some Gorgonzola cheese with sliced pears and crackers planned for an appetizer. It was all set out and ready to go just after our guests arrived. Our mistake was leaving it unattended in the living room while we went to grab our drinks in the kitchen. Athena ate half of the substantially sized wedge of cheese. Naughty girl (although you gotta give her a little credit for knowing to go for the good stuff!).

Pumpkin pie and whipped cream for dessert. Yum.

Holiday Entertaining

Last night we had our friends Warren and Gary over for dinner. Dale and I made lasagna and green beans amandine. For dessert I made a marble cake in my Nordic Ware yule log pan. Warren and Gary are also our neighbors and we found out that they are going to be moving soon. Thankfully not too far away.

Crab Dip

Dinner at Warren and Gary's last night. He asked if I could bring over an appetizer and I decided on a recipe I haven't done in a long, long time. I have a crab dip recipe that is from the Paul Newman cookbook that came out in about 1986. Warren made Mexican food and it was delicious. His chicken enchiladas were quite tasty and he made a Mexican style soup that I believe was his own recipe. For dessert we had burnt butterscotch ice cream from Pumphouse Creamery.

Dinner at Warren and Gary's House

Warren and Gary are a couple neighbors that I met last summer while walking Sophie. It's funny we hadn't crossed paths before as we've all been in the neighborhood since 1997. They moved into their house probably a month before we moved into ours. Well, better late than never, huh? They actually looked at the house Dale and I live in now but passed on it. I sometimes joke that we got their sloppy seconds.

They had also invited their friend John over whom we hadn't had the pleasure of meeting before. He was quite a wonderful fellow. We started out with cocktails. Gary made me a Tanquerey martini. He used quite a bit more vermouth than I ever would but I won't hold that against him as it was still quite good. Dale drank red wine, Gary had a vodkatini and Warren had a rum and Coke.

Dale and I brought over a salad with a basic balsamic vinagrette. Warren made lasagna with a side of cauliflower. For dessert Warren made a bread pudding and for the bread he used panettone (pictured above). Here's what James and Kay Salter have to say about panettone in Life Is Meals:

"Panettone, the light, delicious cake emblematic of Christmas throughout Italy, originated in and is a specialty of Milan. The Admirable authority on Italian food, Waverly Root, considered it the world's best accompaniment for breakfast coffee. Made in a high domed shape that is sometimes thought to honor the domes of Lombard churches, it contains butter, milk sugar, eggs, raisins, and bits of candied fruit."

"The name 'panettone' is probably derived from pane, meaning 'bread,' and tone, the suffix for 'big,' although there are competing versions. Panettone should be warmed just slightly before serving to diffuse the buttery flavor, and it is also excellent toasted."

It worked very well in bread pudding.

(Top illustration by Fabrice Moireau)

New Year's Eve 2010

This year we were invited to a progressive dinner for New Year's Eve by our neighbor from across the alley, Mary. Dale and I took the appetizer course and served crackers and brioche with the options of brie with fig jam, basil pesto, or a sun-dried tomato tapanade as spreads. We also served red grapes, honey crisp apple slices, wasabe peas, and cashews. For drinks we offered a 2009 Beaujolais nouveau, champagne, beer, and mixed drinks. I was surprised how many people wanted martinis. Our neighbor Gary wanted his usual vodka martini. I used Shaker's vodka which is made here in Minnesota. Gary likes his with a healthy portion of vermouth. Mary also wanted a vodka martini but with no vermouth. I just passed the bottle of vermouth over the drink a couple times. She said she didn't even need that much! Our neighbor Kevin decided he'd like to try a gin martini. I used Tanquerey and I think he was surprised by how strong it was. He said he liked gin but, sensing his inexperience in regard to martinis, I made him a smaller one than I usually do. He wasn't able to finish it and took it to the next course which was salads at his and Jenny's house. I thought this was funny and have to say I really admire his commitment to finishing it. I put a glass pickle ornament on the tree just for Gary to find. He found it almost immediately and got a special present for his effort which was a small Christmas troll pin. The troll was dressed up like Santa Claus.

Like I said, the next course was salads at Kevin and Jenny's home. The salad was delicious and I think Jenny said it was from the Nordstrom department store menu. I'll have to ask her for the recipe or google it.

Next we went to Warren and Gary's for the main course. Warren made an Indian dish called tiki masala, I think. It was also fantastic and I need to get the recipe. I think he said it was from Cooks Illustrated magazine. They have a fireplace and Gary had a lovely fire going when we got there. Their cat Big Boy laid himself out in front of the fire and seemed to have a fine time lounging there as we ate dinner.

The final course was dessert at Steve and Mary's house. Mary made a delicious goat cheese cheese cake with a pineapple compote and also pot de creme. Merriment ensued with dancing (I particularly remember moving to Hot Sauce by Thomas Dolby) and watching the countdown on ABC with Dick Clark who I think was looking particularly good for his age. Jenny brought out her medicine cards and everyone got a reading for the new year. We stayed until one a.m. It has been quite a while since Dale and I have stayed up until (or past) midnight on New Year's Eve.

What a delightful evening.