By David Brierley
I’ve been to quite a few Wisconsin supper clubs over the years. Some of them I come across purely by accident: I’ll notice their sign while taking a different route home, or see their name pop up while grabbing directions on Google Maps.
Other supper clubs are legendary in their own right. People talk about something they were impressed with, or something way out of the ordinary that caught their attention. They earn a reputation this way, and when I hear about them they become a must-visit on my list.
Bob & Geri’s Black Otter Supper Club was one of the spots on my list. For years, I’ve been hearing people talk about their huge cuts of prime rib and how good it is. It got to the point where the hype had become a mythical legend. So, finally … I had to check it out for myself. Spoiler alert: It lived up to the hype, and then some.
The Black Otter is located in the small town of Hortonville, partway between New London and Appleton. The supper club is located on a somewhat awkward strip of land between two roads and a railroad track. This leaves a long but relatively small parking lot, though there’s plenty of available street parking nearby to accommodate the crowds that the Black Otter draws.
The building is brick on the bottom with light beige siding at the top and a black roof. Peaks and gables hint at a possible history as a house, though the entryway and waiting area is distinctly restaurant.
When you walk in the front door, you’ll take a right and find yourself in the lounge or waiting area, with the bar directly ahead and the host stand to your left. The Black Otter does not take reservations, but they use a convenient number system that speeds the process along quite efficiently.
When you check in, the friendly host will give you menus and a number tag.
You’re now free to roam about the barroom and lounge and grab yourself a drink. To do so, you’ll need to slide up to the bar to place your order. The old fashioneds, made using a house-made mix, are quite tasty, and the bartenders are extremely professional and friendly.
Once you have your drink, you can remain at the bar if you found seats. If not, don’t worry – there’s plenty of seating at the many tables in the waiting area.
As you sit back and relax, taking the first few sips of your drink, you can take in your surroundings and appreciate the casual, yet upscale vibe of the Black Otter.
The bar and lounge area has dark red carpet, wood paneled walls, and a white ceiling with nice chandeliers and pendulum lights over the bar itself. The bar meanders its way around two corners, making a sort of zig-zag shape, which creates a lot of space for seating.
Bob and Geri, the owners of the Black Otter, have set this space up well so that their guests can be comfortable while they wait. Not that it’s a long wait, however. I was surprised at how quickly a waitress came to take our order. That means you need to dig into your menu, pronto.
While the Black Otter is famous for their prime rib, they have a lot more to offer. The menu is fairly large, offering plenty of supper club classics and good, home cooked comfort food.
Appetizers start out with the classics, like onion rings, cheese curds, deep fried mushrooms, jalapeno poppers, potato skins, shrimp cocktail, and a few other odds and ends. All the usual suspects.
Moving along, we come to the seafood entrees. Nothing seems to be missing here, either. From a variety of types of fish to shrimp, scallops, and lobster, seafood lovers will be happy with the selection.
Next up come the chicken selections, a ham steak, pork chops, and barbecued ribs. This is followed by the steak section where you’ll find a tenderloin and a ribeye, along with all the available add-ons such as mushrooms, onions, and blue cheese.
Also, either of these steaks can be paired with basically any of the seafood options to make a nice little (not so little) surf and turf combination.
Finally, we arrive at the section you’ve all been waiting for: the prime rib. The smallest cut on the menu is the Queen Cut, weighing in at a mere 32 ounces. Yes, you read that right: a full two pounds of steak is the least amount of prime rib you can order. And you’d better believe there are more options than that.
The King Cut may cause your table to sag under its 72 ounces (not really though, they’re sturdy tables). The Super Cut, not for the faint of heart, is 116 ounces. If you finish that one by yourself, you’ll get a t-shirt and be inducted onto the “wall of fame.” Worth it? Possibly.
But wait, there’s more. The final cut of prime rib on the menu, the Extreme Cut, weighs a whopping 160 ounces. That’s 10 pounds of prime rib. If you’re somehow able to put that sucker away all on your own, you’ll receive a commemorative t-shirt, a $20 gift certificate, and have your picture placed on the “wall of fame.” Best of luck to you.
Potato choices include baked potato, french fries, puffs (a deep-fried mashed potato), American fries with onions, parmesan wedges, and seasoned skins. Basically, potato heaven.
It’s worth mentioning that the menu also has a selection of lighter options, and a kids’ menu. Plus, all entrees are served with a choice of potato and a trip to the supper club’s incredible soup and salad bar.
Hopefully you’ve studied the menu and made your decision instead of ignoring it and jabbering away over cocktails like I normally do. Pretty soon, a server will track down your number and ask to take your order. Once your order is in, you can continue to relax in the lounge until your table is ready.
The dining room decor is similar to the bar and lounge, but with white walls. Lighting is perhaps a little dimmer in the dining room, setting a more cozy, intimate mood.
As soon as you arrive at your table you can head up to the salad bar. Salad bars are a long running supper club tradition, and this one puts most to shame, if I’m being honest. It’s big, and it offers pretty much every option anyone could think of.
While it was previously a self-serve salad bar, it’s been made full-service, likely as a covid precaution. But don’t let that worry you – the servers behind the glass will load up your plate (or plates! They actually offered me another) with however much you want of each item. With all of the salad and toppings, plus other miscellaneous salads (pasta salad, broccoli salad, etc.), dinner rolls, and soup, a trip to the salad bar is a meal in itself.
The servers at the Black Otter are, like the bartenders, very professional, good at what they do, cheerful, and friendly. They manage to time your meal so it comes out steaming hot just after you finish your salads and soups.
If you ordered the prime rib, I hope you went light on the salad bar. With a minimum of two pounds of meat sitting on the table, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
Oftentimes, a large quantity can lead to poor quality when it comes to food, but I can tell you that is definitely NOT the case at the Black Otter. Even in massive amounts, it’s one of the best prime ribs I’ve tasted. It is melt-in-your-mouth tender, as a prime rib should be. It’s also well seasoned all the way through, and there’s not much fat to speak of. It is a quality piece of meat, and I will certainly be back for more (once I finish the leftovers I brought home with me).
This supper club offers some very tasty-sounding desserts, though I can’t imagine they serve many to people who ordered the prime rib. Perhaps a dessert drink would go down a little easier.
Be sure to check out the Black Otter’s website for more information, the full menu, carry-out options, specials, and more. And follow them on Facebook for the latest updates.
Check out our interactive map that shows the supper clubs we’ve visited to find one near you. And, as always, there will be plenty more supper club fun to come.
Where in Wisconsin is this supper club?
Address: 503 S Nash St, Hortonville, WI 54944
Nearby landmarks: Just south of Highway 15 (Main Street) in Hortonville. Less than 15 minutes southeast of New London, and about 25 minutes northwest of Appleton.
Website: https://www.theblackottersupperclub.com/
Three can’t-miss features:
1. Mega size (and mega delicious) cuts of prime rib
2. Big, full-service salad bar
3. Numbered queue system for seating
Family owned
Bob Guyette is a native of Hortonville. A 1992 graduate of Hortonville High School, Bob went on to college and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical fitness and a minor in athletic training.
Geri (Johnson) Guyette is formerly from Manawa-New London. She is a 1995 graduate of New London Senior High School.
Bob and Geri met in 1994, both sharing a common interest: the restaurant business. Bob has been a part of the Black Otter since he was 11 years old. Geri had been a waitress since age 16 at a fine dining supper club nearby. The two of them were married in 1998 while both employed at the Black Otter Supper Club.
In April 2003, their first son, Austin, was born six weeks premature. In addition to having a premature baby, Bob and Geri bought the Black Otter two months later on July 1, 2003. As the years went on, their business has continued to grow. In 2006, their second son, Preston, was born five weeks premature.
In the fall of 2007, the couple took on an even larger challenge – a beautiful and much-needed addition to the supper club. They never had dreamed it would look so amazing. In October of 2010, they welcomed their third son, Jensen, who was a full term baby.
They are ever grateful for the support of all their customers and employees. They feel that they truly owe their outstanding employees an unbelievable amount of thanks for their dedication, loyalty, and hard work over the years. Without them, the Black Otter wouldn’t be where it is today.
Currently, Bob works at UPS in Oshkosh, owns Mow, Blow, and Go Lawn Care, and manages the supper club’s dining area on the weekends. In his spare time, he also DJs a few times a year.
Geri takes much pride in being the Black Otter’s full time head cook six nights a week, also managing a very large staff and handling the ordering and bookkeeping.
In their spare time, the family loves riding their wave runners out on the lake, snowmobiling, camping during the day, and working at night. Plus, taking the boys to t-ball, karate, basketball, and other events. “Our boys really keep us running,” they say. “We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
From Black Otter’s website. Edited for clarity.