SURPRISING STUFF
The Bacon Fest went off last weekend.
The Lake Geneva Tourism Commission sponsors what has become of this annual event. The music was super loud every night (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) but it was great music. The beacon part of the fests has become much more evident as the years have raced on. Now there are many tables where bacon, in all of its glory, is celebrated in different tasty offerings. The Regio0nal News is the ostensible advertiser of this event and they’ve been doing a great job at that, although two and a half days of rain certainly didn’t help participation. Memorial Day came and went to the visitors were not like they were before, not in number anyway.
The Village Supper Club on Lake Delavan has caught the attention of supper club enthusiasts nationwide.
Forbes has an entire article dedicated to the restaurant. The Village Supper Club was almost shut down were it not for its Brandy Alexander cocktails. These memorable ice cream drinks spurred Loretta and Allan Kaplan to save one of the longest, continuously operated supper clubs in the state. Though Wisconsin Old Fashions are most popularly served brandy and sweet, meaning they are crafted with brandy and topped with sweet soda (like Sprite), the sour versions are crafted with honey syrup and house sour mix. The historic property had initially been the dining lodge of Hall’s Park Resort when it opened in 1882. There was a complete renovation of the 8,400-square-foot building at 1725 S. Shore Drive which aimed at preserving the supper club’s long-standing history with a modern take on Wisconsin’s favorite dining tradition.
The Village Supper Club had a vision to honor the restaurant’s past while creating an updated, yet traditional family-friendly supper club experience. One of the first features diners will notice upon entering the newly redesigned Village Supper Club is a large asymmetric stone fireplace in the entryway. An expansive A-framed gabled roof structure has been built over the main bar and dining areas, where a wall of new floor-to-ceiling windows offers views of the lake. We also incorporated vintage-style light fixtures and chandeliers as a tribute to the bygone era of supper clubs at their peak. The Kaplans pushed to save all of the trees that dot the landscape, and an equally expansive deck opens out onto the lake. The deck overlooks a dock where visitors can actually dock their boats if they choose to arrive via water instead of streets.
