Taking Dale and Mom to Creekside

Mom, Dale and I went out recently to celebrate our birthdays at Creekside Lounge and Supper Club. We were again fortunate to have Rebecca as our server (twice in a row!). We dug right in to the relish tray. Mom mentioned that Baba used to can pickled beets. Dale said they're packed with vitamins and that the pickling process somehow makes them even more nutritious. Being it was Dale's birthday Rebecca (I mentioned it to her while Dale was parking the car) brought each of us some champagne and launched into singing a portion I Get a Kick Out of You by Cole Porter starting with the line, "I get no kick from champagne." The three of us toasted to Dale's birthday but also to mine and Mom's recent birthday's.

I started with an Old Fashioned and Mom and Dale both had some nice red wine.  Rebecca brought us some popovers which were delicious. She told Dale she was taking a survey and asked him, "chocolate or strawberries?" Dale answered, strawberries. 

Mom had a little salad but Dale and I got the soup of the day which was a potato and cauliflower puree with fennel. So delicious. 

For dinner I ordered the spare ribs which came with carrots and loaded (with onions and white cheddar cheese) hash browns. Dale ordered the risotto with chicken. Mom wanted the capellini with shrimp but Dale mentioned that he had it last time and that it might be a little spicy for her taste. Mom asked about it when she ordered and Rebecca said she'd check with Chef Marcus to see if he could accomodate her. He could! He ended up putting on a substitute sauce which was garlicy but otherwise not spicy hot. 

After we were finished with our entrees Rebecca placed a white cake with strawberries in front of Dale. I said, "I guess the survey results are in!" It was so delicious. 

Despite having cake for dessert I still ordered a Pink Squirrel. When I asked Rebecca if there was a song for that she just smiled and said, "you go, squirrel!" However when she brought it she launched a version of the Temptations My Girl but changed it to My Squirrel. Mom, Dale and I talked about the recent visit of Sam and Pete and their families and also quite a bit about Dad. 

So nice to have dinner with two of my most favorite people. Rebecca helped make the evening extra special. 

Creekside Supper Club

About a week and a half ago Dale and I checked out Creekside Supper Club & Lounge. Following is what I wrote about it in my journal. 

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

This afternoon Dale and I decided to try Creekside Supper Club which in the old Pepitos space. As it turns out this was their opening night. 

They started us out with a little baby relish tray. It had celery and also some pickled carrots and beets. The beets were particularly good. We went ahead and ordered the regular relish tray and it was fantastic: pickled asparagus and carrots, wild game sausage, cheese curds, and walleye spread. It was simply fantastic and probably could've passed for a meal by itself. I had a cup of the corn chowder and it was perfect. Dale had a salad. 

For dinner I ordered the sirloin. I got it with a side of hash browns and it came with a huge piece of Texas toast. Dale got the salmon with a side of rice pilaf and he said it was divine. 

Oh, and I didn't mention that I ordered a Wisconsin-style Old Fashioned. It was so well made I had another. 

Now, the decor threw me off because I couldn't be completely sure they weren't going for irony. It was that spot on. 

For dessert I had a Brandy Alexander. It was so good it was like I got an old school malted milk from Bridgeman's only with Brandy. 

By the way, the staff was very friendly. All in all it was a great time and I can't wait to go back. 

Mother's Day 2021

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Dale and I took Mom to Red Stag for dinner tonight. She was excited to go to a restaurant for dinner. When she goes out with friends it tends to be for lunch. 

I, of course, started with a brandy Old-Fashioned while Dale and Mom both had merlot. 

We started with a relish tray which featured their pickled vegetables. I was leaning toward ordering the fried chicken for dinner which is their Sunday night special however I went with the prosciutto carbonara linguine which was simply divine. Dale ordered the chicken breast and Mom got salmon. They both said their entrees were excellent. 

Dale and Mom shared some carrot cake for dessert. Red Stag has the BEST carrot cake. It's dense yet very smooth tasting. I got a Pink Squirrel. This is the first time I've gotten one there that wasn't very good. It wasn't blended well (lots of big ice chunks) and not very flavorful.

Weather-wise I don't think we could have gotten a much better day for this time of year. It's always nice to see the sun and I think it made it to the lower-60s today. Mom said Sam and Pete both called her this year so all-in-all I think she had a pretty lovely Mother's Day. 

Dale did too!

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.

Red Stag Supper Club

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Last night Dale and I dined at the Red Stag Supper Club and what a supper it was! We've been once before in February or March of 2013 and both had the beef stroganoff (delicious). I started with and old-fashioned for a cocktail and asked for brandy instead of bourbon (the Wisconsin way) and was told that that's how they make 'em. Dale had some wine. They weren't messing around with the old-fashioned. It was great. We started with their relish tray which included picked yellow beets, pickled turnips, pickled carrots, and hard boiled eggs. It was all divine and perfectly sized for two people to split. For dinner I had the 8oz. New York strip which came with mashed potatoes, green beans, and wild mushrooms on the side (all divine) and Dale got the fish of the day which was salmon (also perfectly prepared - he gave me a taste). Our server, Andrea, checked on us periodically and at one point I told her that I thought the restaurant doesn't mess around - it's just great food. She recommended the the carrot cake for dessert and Dale couldn't have been more pleased as it's his favorite. He loved it and I did too. Next to Mom's, it's the best carrot cake I've ever had. It was a beautiful Minneapolis summer night and we took a walk through Nordeast for that reason in addition to being incredibly full!