Step (or Duck - sorry we had to!) into this club and you’re overcome with the ultimate supper club feeling. You are hit immediately by the feel of old time ambiance. The walls are wood paneled with exposed beams and decorated by numerous mounted ducks in various flight postures. The lampshades featured stained glass pictures of ducks. In fact, taxidermic ducks were everywhere: behind the bar, on the walls, displayed on the tops of cabinets, on top of the open coat rack at the entrance. What good is a name if you don’t overdo it in the most delightfully tacky way possible. Bravo.
Call ahead for preferential seating at one of the booths in the bar area, you won’t regret it. They do not take reservations, but they do honor those who have called in previous to arriving. This particular visit was a Friday night. Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded when arriving around 5pm, and seating was immediate - quite a different story when departing around 6:15pm. By that time, the place was packed, people waiting at the bar, and in the front entryway as well as outside in the parking lot. The parking lot was overflowing with people parked on the side roads and in the beans grass.
The atmosphere at the bar area was friendly and loud. Just as supper clubs were intended, it seemed to be a place for people to meet each other and share stories.
The bar area is a central part of the club. It spans the length of the room with violet lighting backdrop and, wait for it, more ducks in flight on the walls. The lighting reflects in the glassware displayed to provide a unique atmosphere and visual effect. In the bar area, there are six booths used as dinner places (this is where you want to sit!), so the people waiting for tables just sit at the high back stools at the bar or stand around the area to talk. The area was very inviting, and people didn't seem to be in a hurry to be seated.
Upon landing at the table, our waitress Donna was immediately there asking if we wanted any drinks. We ordered the only drink one should order at 5pm in Southern Wisconsin in the middle of farmland…Old Fashioneds. She was friendly and genuinely interested in serving us. She asked us often if we needed more time before ordering which was nice. The bus boy Dakota was attentive and kept our water glasses full at all times. An important balance to a steady diet of Old Fashioneds. As soon as we finished with a plate or glass, he was right there to take it away. Donna also kept everything at our table clean and removed any used items. The service was unbelievably fast, and yet we never felt hurried by anyone. It seemed clear that the staff was proficient at their jobs. This is what we call service.
We were there on a Friday night, so naturally it was Friday night fish fry as the main menu offering. When in Rome. The fish choices included baked or fried cod, lake perch, smelt, or shrimp, and it was all you could eat. That is a bonus and is not always offered at supper clubs these days. The menu provided was just a two-sided piece of paper and didn't provide any information about other night specials (not that it was entirely necessary). It provided a large list of appetizers, and It also provided many choices for the evening in categories of poultry, seafood, beef, pasta, and pork.
There is no dedicated salad bar at the Duck Inn. Instead, they bring the salad bar to you - a relish tray is an option before the meal that consists of veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery, baby corn, kalamata olives, and a pepper and served with Ranch dressing. The amount of the veggies was just right as an appetizer and did not overwhelm our appetites. The fish fry comes with coleslaw. If a modern salad is more your speed, that was offered as a large house salad with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, shredded carrots and topped with delicious garlic homemade croutons.
Before the meal, a basket of bread was provided. Two kinds of warm rolls and flat bread with butter were presented as well as a basket of crackers and breadsticks with two cheese spreads (appropriate reminder that we’re in Wisconsin). Everything tasted fresh, and it was impossible to skip this portion of the meal.
All of the food was served fresh and hot. We ordered two meals: the Friday fish fry special which included both baked and fried cod, coleslaw, potato pancakes (a supper club staple) with applesauce and the Grecian pork chops(2) that were dry rubbed with spices and flavors and a side of rice pilaf, applesauce, and candied apples. It’s unfortunately easy for pork to be overdone and dry but these pork chops weren’t it - they were every bit tender and juicy. There was a cup of au jus to dip the pork chop in - standing ovation! The rice pilaf was delicious. The coleslaw was vinegar based with caraway seeds mixed in.The potato pancakes were thick: crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and tasted great with the applesauce topping. Both the fried fish and the baked fish were done to perfection. The coating on the fried fish was crispy without being too thick. There was drawn butter served with the baked fish and tartar sauce for the fried fish.
Once the meal was done, the dessert tray was presented by Donna and each item was described in excellent detail. There were two types of creme brûlée, a strawberry dessert, and a s'more all placed beautifully on the tray with fresh roses as the centerpiece. Oh, the details! We had decided on a dessert drink, so we didn't try any of the rightfully tempting desserts.
We ordered a brandy Old Fashioned sour with extra bitters and olives and a VO Old Fashioned sour with extra bitters and olives. They do not muddle the drinks at the Duck Inn - a bold decision in the world of Old Fashioned making. It’s a shame to report, but they were average tasting. They seemed weak and not heavy on alcohol at all (where are we? Illinois!?). Because they were sour, we did not get any fruit in them. By the looks of the people in the bar, it seemed that they were popular. Color me totally unsurprised! The bartender was making trays of them as the restaurant began to fill up. Points for efficiency - no greater tragedy than sitting in a supper club without a drink when you want one. In our opinion, the Old Fashioned is a mystical drink of the Friday fish fry in Wisconsin. It is more ceremony than being a quality drink.
Another staple of the Wisconsin supper club is the dessert drink. Do not leave a supper club without (at least splitting) a dessert drink. Grasshoppers and Brandy Alexanders are the two go-tos although there are usually other offerings. Post dinner brandy would also be a good choice and complete the supper club experience. A common expectation of the grasshopper is being big enough to share. At the Duck Inn, this is absolutely true. Not only did we share part of the drink, but half found its way home in take-out cups.
There is no better judge for how the experience went than answering - would you return? For the Duck Inn - that is a resounding YES. The ambiance, the food, the service, the drinks, and the old time / homey feel (and yes, the ducks) all contribute to an overall great experience.