By David Brierley
In Wisconsin, we have about nine months of winter, three months of summer, and a few days of spring and fall mixed in. Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but it’s certainly how it feels sometimes. Because our warm season feels so short, we’re inclined to enjoy it to the fullest of our ability. There’s no better way to appreciate summer (in my opinion) than enjoying drinks – and maybe even dinner – on a patio.
If that’s something that interests you and you’re a supper club aficionado (or you just happen to like good food), you’ll want to add the Branding Iron Supper Club in Wisconsin Rapids to your list. Classic supper club cocktails and tasty food served on a picture-perfect patio? Count me in.
Even from the outside, the Branding Iron looks like a fun place to visit. The building itself is subtly western themed with brown siding and a brown roof. The patio is separated from the parking lot by a wall made of huge rocks with lush greenery growing up the side.
After entering through the main door, you’ll go up a few steps and find yourself in the barroom. The stained wood ceiling, wood shiplap walls, corrugated steel bar wall, and lantern-style lighting almost make you feel like you’ve stepped back into the old west. Yet, it’s somehow refined and classy, as a supper club should be.
Now is the time to belly up to the bar, check in with your reservation, and order a cocktail. The Branding Iron’s traditional old fashioned is quite tasty, and they also serve a spin on the classic cocktail: a caramel pecan old fashioned.
Once you have your drinks, you can either stay at the bar or make your way out to the patio, which is a treat in itself. Walk out the side door from the bar, and you’ll find yourself in a lush, green space walled off from the outside world. Tables with umbrellas shade you from the sun as you admire the waterfall, koi pond, greenery, and overall perfect ambiance of the Branding Iron’s outdoor oasis.
As you sip your drinks, you can check out the supper club’s menu and decide what you’ll be dining on this evening. A server will take your order from where you are so you can maximize your enjoyment before making your way back to the dining room.
Starting out with the appetizers, Branding Iron has homemade soup, chicken strips, cheese curds, deep fried mushrooms, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, calamari, deep fried ravioli, and shrimp cocktail. All the classic supper club starters to get your appetite revved up.
Keeping with the supper club classics, the steak section is quite impressive, with options including porterhouse, ribeye, new york strip, top butt sirloin, and a tenderloin. And, the Branding Iron serves their famous prime rib every single day.
Moving along to another supper club staple, seafood options are in no short supply here. With multiple fish and shrimp selections as well as scallops and lobster, there are options to keep any seafood lover happy. Plus, most of the steaks can be paired with the seafood dishes for a nice surf and turf combo.
Other menu options include delicious barbecued pork baby back ribs, pork chops, chicken filets, and sandwiches. Naturally, Friday is fish fry night. And there’s even a kids menu to keep the whole family happy.
Dinner entrees are served with soup or the salad bar, choice of potato, and dinner rolls. There’s basically no way to leave here hungry.
Once you’ve enjoyed the patio to the fullest, you’ll be led back to the dining room – also pleasantly decorated similarly to the barroom – and shown to your table. If you chose the salad bar (which is always the correct choice, in my opinion), you can help yourself right way.
Salad bars are hard to come by these days, especially in the post-covid world. But even harder to come by is a great salad bar, and I can say with some confidence that the Branding Iron’s is fantastic. Fresh lettuce, just about every salad topping you could want, multiple pasta- and broccoli-style salads, relish tray offerings, and even cheese spreads and crusty toast are present. It can be a challenge, but try not to load up too much, because dinner is coming soon.
While you enjoy your salad bar delights, your server will stop by with a basket of warm dinner rolls. And, soon after you finish your salad, your main course will be rolling out hot and fresh from the kitchen. Now it’s time to tuck in and enjoy your meal.
You’re treating yourself to a night out, so why not order dessert when you’re done with dinner? The Branding Iron’s ice cream drinks are incredibly tempting, too, so try to save at least a little room. If nothing else, take a stroll back out to that incredible patio with an after dinner drink. I can’t think of a much better way to end an evening.
Be sure to check out the Branding Iron’s website for more information and to get a sneak peek at the menu. And, follow them on Facebook for up to date specials and tempting posts.
Check out our past articles, as well as an 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.
Interview with Cheri Powell, owner of the Branding Iron
O&AW: How long have you owned this supper club?
CP: We’re starting our 32nd year on July 1.
O&AW: How did you come to own it?
CP: Jeff [my husband’s] parents owned it, they bought it in 1973. He started working here when he was 11 and that’s how it all began.
O&AW: What’s the history of the building?
CP: Before they owned it, in the 1950s, Irene and Warren Winkler owned it – and it was a pizza place back then.
O&AW: What did you do before this?
CP: Jeff worked here all the way through. He did help his brother for a few years as a plumber. I’m a cosmetologist, I worked at a beauty salon prior to owning the restaurant. When we bought the restaurant, I didn’t work there anymore, but I still keep my license up and keep that as a side hobby.
O&AW: Does Jeff still do the cooking at the supper club?
CP: He does almost all of the cooking. We have one other chef that comes in Mondays and Tuesdays so he gets a day off.
O&AW: Did he have any formal training, or did he learn from experience?
CP: He learned from experience, from his dad.
O&AW: What are your more popular menu items?
CP: We’re known for our prime rib, we serve it every night of the week. We have so many great items – our ribs, our shrimp, and of course the Friday night fish fry.
O&AW: Everyone has a different definition of a supper club. To you, what makes the Branding Iron a supper club?
CP: [Serving] a brandy old fashioned; some of our famous locals that come in every week for drinks and dining; the friendliness of our guests; getting to meet new people. Having guests enjoy drinks at the bar or out on the patio, and then coming into the dining room for dinner.
O&AW: When did you add the patio to the restaurant?
CP: We added the patio in 2008.
O&AW: What are some unique features of your supper club?
CP: The salad bar and the prime rib every night, those features are a plus for us since most places only do prime rib one night a week and it’s hard to find a restaurant with a salad bar anymore. Being family owned for 50 years is another. Jeff started when he was 11 and I [started when I] was 14. That’s a real plus because we have all of that knowledge and experience in what we do.
O&AW: Do you have any big plans for the supper club, or do you want to keep it more or less the same?
CP: Pretty much the same. It’s funny, our guests don’t like too much change.
O&AW: Is your family involved with the supper club?
CP: Our daughter lives in Austin, and our son lives in Appleton. From little on, they helped us with the restaurant until they started their careers. They don’t want to take over in our footsteps, and that’s okay.
O&AW: Final thoughts?
CP: I love what I do. It’s very fulfilling, and I love our staff.
Where in Wisconsin is this supper club?
Address: 9721 State Hwy 13, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
Nearby landmarks: At the intersection of highways 73 and 13, just south of Wisconsin Rapids and east of Nekoosa.
Website: https://www.brandingironsupperclub.com/
Three can’t-miss features:
1. Outdoor patio oasis 2. Prime rib served daily 3. Owned by the same family for 50 years