The 5 O’Clock Club has an incredible view, sitting atop a hill that overlooks Granite Lake. It’s 155 acres of scenic beauty with plenty of your favorite fish species. But wait! I’m getting way ahead of myself…
Getting Comfortable Again
Lauren and I have – at least temporarily – reconnected with a long-time friend. You’ll recall that Richard and I used to work together in the kitchen at The Abbey in California’s Marina Del Rey, many years ago… I worked with him again when Lauren and I relocated to Illinois. We also spent some time together when we found that each of us would be in Carmel for a while… Now back in the middle of the country once again, it seemed to make sense to spend some time with our old friends once again.
We had previously sampled a number of places in and around the Rice Lake area. It’s a warm and friendly area – much like the Fox Valley area of Illinois, which we truly loved so long ago when we made it our home for several years. So much to see and do there. It’s hard to know where to begin, so… I’ll just begin.
At this point, Lauren and I are attempting to get comfortable again; we like the area. Don’t know how long we will stay or whether the long, cold winters for which the area is “famous” will chase us back to California once again.
Great Views, a Good Old-Fashion, and…
That said, we discovered a pretty cool supper club in a town called Cumberland. Located just east of Route 63, The 5 O’Clock Club describes itself (at least in a Google search) as “A Northern Wisconsin destination supper club (emphasis mine) with great seafood, steaks, and weekly specials.” We have done a lot of research on just what a supper club is. This one seemed to fit the bill nicely (we are actively looking for Supper Clubs!). So, almost as fast as the Chicago Bears can go from a “playoff hopeful” to a last place team begging for new talent, we made a
reservation for dinner.
However, we were there for dinner, not fishing or watching sports events… In any case, the rather full parking lot – impressive for a 5:00 pm opening – reminded me that one of my criteria for a good place to have dinner was just that: a full parking lot.
Inside, we encountered a rather nice host who, after confirming our reservation, pointed us to the bar. Bars are not a criterion for a great place to dine… They can, however, sometimes be a positive benchmark for what is to come. The bar at The 5 O’Clock Club was just that: a positive benchmark, a comfortable and typical supper club bar. The bartender ran a clean and tidy ship (after all, the ‘club did sport a nautical theme!) and mixed a very good Old-Fashioned cocktail (at a reasonable price). It was a decent opportunity to wait the approximate half-hour for our table – especially when we could saunter outside to the deck and enjoy the summer air and scenery before dinner.
The Menu
The Google description of the place stated: “Upscale supper club serving American cuisine including seafood, in a cozy setting with lake views.” Their menu was quite extensive and included a plethora of deep-fried items – which seems to be a theme in Wisconsin restaurants – from “Enhancers” (appetizers like deep-fried cheese curds) to their “Home Port” to “Comboland”, and “Chinatown” selections. The fact that the online menu shows no prices is typical nowadays. And the reason is simple: Menus change often; changing a printed version tends to be a more expensive option. For me, advance knowledge is always appreciated. However, changing a few prices using software is pretty simple and very inexpensive. So why not advertise prices? I dunno. ‘Nuff said.
We decided to start our evening with simplicity: a shrimp cocktail from the “Enhancers” section of the menu. We were also enticed by an evening special of Oysters on the half shell, so we ordered two raw and two baked. Both choices were quite tasty. For dinner, Lauren chose “East Coast/West Coast” from the Comboland portion of the menu (Fresh scallops, large shrimp and fresh fish filet are all either broiled or deep-fried) and I chose to have a Top Sirloin steak. Not sure why – I almost never order a steak in a restaurant. I have been disappointed far too often.
The Second Time Around
It was July of 2022. Interestingly, this just happened to be our second visit to the 5 O’Clock Club. The first visit resulted in a smile the size of one on the face of a pitcher after a no-hitter outing. Great food, very nice plating, excellent service, and overall, a memorable experience. Love may be lovelier the second time around, but not so for the second time to the 5 O’Clock Club. We wanted to return!
Old-Fashions were still darn good. But, in short, the steak was – disappointing – just short of being sent back to the kitchen. Plating was similar to a canvas before Van Gogh ever touched a brush to it: blah. Boring. Not even a sprig of parsley for garnish. Food was just… OK. Service was not good. Our waiter reminded me of… me, when I first started in the biz.
Final Thought
Maybe one could blame COVID. For everything? Well, maybe. But with inflation what it is, and with things being as difficult as they are, and for the prices we paid? Well, I just can’t justify blaming everything on a virus. Maybe, just maybe we will return, as I have heard that the place has changed ownership since our first visit. Still, anyone in ANY business has a reputation to uphold. If it was bad when you purchased it – fix it. If it was good – maintain it! Sorry, but this visit results in a 3-Zin rating (at best). You have a marvelous location, but you need to fix what is wrong!
The 5 O’Clock is located at: 2639 7th St, Cumberland, WI 54829. They currently do not have a website.
