A Classic Wisconsin Supper Club Dinner at Rex's Innkeeper

At Rex's Innkeeper, dinner can begin with an Old Fashioned, a basket of cheese curds and a slow pass through a substantial soup-and-salad bar. Then come the familiar Wisconsin supper-club decisions: broasted chicken or fried cod, prime rib or lightly breaded shrimp, perhaps a chicken-and-rib combination for someone who has no interest in choosing just one comfort-food direction.

The appeal is straightforward and enduring. This is a large, welcoming place built for a proper sit-down meal, with hearty entrées, traditional sides, a spacious bar and enough tables to make a casual weeknight dinner feel easy even when another party is celebrating something much bigger.

The soup-and-salad bar is more than a token prelude to dinner here. It is a standout stop in its own right, with salad fixings and two homemade soups adding a little house-made comfort before the main plate arrives.

For some diners, the bar is paired with a steakhouse-style entrée such as prime rib; for others, it gives a fried-fish dinner a welcome fresh counterpoint. Either way, it turns dinner into a leisurely progression rather than a plate that appears all at once.

A good salad bar has its own rhythm: a first pass for greens and toppings, a second look at the soup, and perhaps a little more bread at the table before the main course arrives. Rex's makes room for that kind of unhurried supper-club pacing.

The broasted half-chicken is one of the meals that gives Rex's its classic reputation. It has been served with fresh bread, mashed potatoes and hash browns, a lineup that does not try to modernize supper-club cooking when the traditional version already knows what it is doing.

Mashed potatoes bring the soft, gravy-friendly side of the meal, while hash browns provide a second potato option with more crispness and heft. It is a generous plate, the sort that rewards arriving hungry and not scheduling a complicated snack afterward.

Chicken-and-rib combinations offer another route for diners who want a little more variety. The menu's basic premise is abundance without fuss: recognizable dishes, full portions and the freedom to settle into the meal rather than analyze it.

Fish has a natural home at a Wisconsin supper club, and Rex's fried cod is known for flaky fish beneath its crisp coating. It gives the fish-and-chips portion of the menu a dependable, familiar presence, especially for diners who prefer a Friday-night-style dinner without making a production of it.

Lightly breaded shrimp offers another seafood choice, with a more delicate crust than a heavy battered preparation. It is a useful option when the table includes people with different supper-club loyalties: one person wants cod, another wants chicken, and somebody else has already decided on shrimp.

Prime rib remains one of the meatier choices in the rotation. Paired with the soup-and-salad bar, it makes for a full traditional dinner, with the sort of sequence that calls for taking your time and leaving room for dessert.

The spacious bar gives Rex's a second gathering spot beyond the dining room. It suits a drink before dinner, a pause while the rest of the group arrives or simply an evening when a classic Wisconsin cocktail sounds better than a rushed meal.

Old Fashioneds and cheese curds are an especially fitting opening move. They are not trying to be clever, and they do not need to be: a well-chosen starter and a familiar drink put the evening on the right track.

Rex's has a very large dining room with plentiful seating, which changes the character of the visit. A double date does not feel lost in the room, and a family gathering does not have to squeeze into a corner built for four.

The same setting has handled milestone birthday dinners, family meals and wedding receptions. For wedding events, the staff has helped with setup and timing, provided time for the couple to decorate and kept the meal service moving, including hot food and champagne for toasts.

That flexibility is valuable because the venue still functions first as a dinner destination. You can come in for chicken and hash browns on an ordinary evening, then return later with a much larger group when the calendar calls for a real gathering.

A free parking lot with plenty of parking removes one small complication before the meal begins. Once inside, the combination of broad seating, bar space and a menu with chicken, seafood and beef choices makes coordinating a mixed group relatively simple.

Dessert is available if dinner has not already settled the matter. At a place centered on soup, salad, bread, potatoes and generous entrées, it is perfectly reasonable to decide only after the plates are cleared.