Norton’s of Green Lake, Green Lake, Wisconsin

Rating: 4 out of 5 Old Fashioneds

Relish Tray: no
Ice Cream Drinks: available
Ambiance: an old school, lakeside supper club that’s been updated by Crate & Barrel

Owen and I found our way to Norton’s of Green Lake after a spontaneous trip to Ripon, Wisconsin. After touring the birthplace of the Republican Party, we moseyed on over to Norton’s. We like to get to supper clubs nice and early, so we have plenty of time for a leisurely cocktail before dinner.

The large bar area is inviting and warm, with a bit of a cape cod vibe – a very friendly and amiable place. From across the oblong bar, people were cheers-ing each other, almost how you might acknowledge another boat as you pass on the lake. We overheard a young man tell the bartender about how coming to Norton’s was a favorite memory of his childhood on Green Lake. Our old fashioneds were great, with plenty of bitters, but the true star was the pickled mushroom. I’m not sure where Norton’s gets their pickled mushrooms from, or if they make their own, but I can’t recommend them highly enough. The bartender heard us gushing about the mushrooms, and put extras mushrooms in our second round. Very classy.

Norton’s certainly feels like an old supper club, but it’s been recently redecorated. If it was up to Owen and I, all old supper clubs would be preserved and restored, but if you have to redecorate a supper club, this is how to do it. There are lots of touches of the old school supper club -he walls in the bar area had a plethora of Norton’s memorabilia, the oblong bar, the wood panelling, the retro neon sign out front. But something about Norton’s also feels like your rich friend’s lake house. The bones are there, but we missed the nostalgia.

Norton’s is very nice, like a-$360-bottle-of-wine nice. The dining room is right on lake level, and the pier was busy with groups boating up to enjoy the outdoor tiki bar and fire pit. From our table, we could look across the lake and see a red barn across the lake – a picture perfect Wisconsin view.

Even from the bread basket, we could tell the food at Norton’s would be excellent. Our bread basket came out steaming hot, with both a dinner roll and a cloverleaf roll. We both ordered side salads with our meals, with dressing that tasted homemade.

For our entrees, I ordered the prime rib special, and Owen tried the goat cheese gnocchi. I would expect any supper club that’s been around for 50+ years to know a thing or two about prime rib, but Norton’s really did a nice job. The prime rib had a perfect crust. Owen’s gnocchi had goat cheese, roasted red pepper, chicken and scallions, and the bites I stole from his plate made me wish I had ordered it too. Even the sides were stellar – my mashed potatoes and gravy were just divine.

When we finally waddled out of Norton’s, we noticed at least half of the cars in the parking lot had Illinois plates. Somehow, that just made sense. We had a lovely time at Norton’s, but it also felt a bit fancier and flashier than the retro atmosphere we crave at supper clubs.