Green Acres
In a word: Comfort food just this side of the county line.
The specs: #0406
Address, hours & details via Isthmus; reviews at Yelp, Steve Helmer, Madison Fish Fry; official web site; 
Latest Green Acres news and reviews
JM ate the pork chop and a lemonade.
Nichole ate the frog legs.
We split a slice of peanut butter pie.
The bill was about $30, or $15/person, plus tip.
JM gave Green Acres an A-; Nichole gave Green Acres a B+ (see our grading rubric).
Based on name alone, Green Acres had us feeling like we had just made back-to-back trips to TV land, but it was only Dane County. At 4:30 on a Sunday, you'll find several regulars at Green Acres, which is just outside Sauk City, catching up with their neighbors before heading upstairs to a classic supper-club dinner. There were lots of families in the dining room, even at our unfashionably early hour, and at least a couple tables of guys in snowsuits stopping in for their post-ATV-ride steak.
The menu is full of Sconnie comfort food - lots of steaks and seafood, twice-a-week fish fry, and weekends bring the prime rib and vaunted frog legs. It's not intimidating, however; PBJ for the kids is $10.95 but they "will negotiate."
The bread basket that started us off featured light and nutty rolls to complement a pretty standard salad bar. JM found the brick of cheddar atop the bar an interesting addition, and the whole place brought back memories of the Chief Inn in the Osseo of his childhood.
Nichole opted for the frog legs, the first in her life. She'd get them again. Our server recommended the garlic butter preparation over deep-fried. The dish was positively swimming in butter (not really a complaint in this case). The meat itself was salty, with an almost mowed-grass flavor and, yes, the texture of springy chicken thighs. While it was fun to play with the still-articulated joints, Nichole could see where that might get old/creepy fast, and for those who want to wade into amphibian eating she'd suggest the deep-fried version first.
JM liked the pork chop a lot. The chop itself was served hot and juicy; the cut was tasty, tender white meat with just a hint of char. The apple sauce had a distinctive flavor, almost a cider-like overtone. The fries and baked potato were fine. The lemonade, on the other hand, needed help - we've had more lemony drinks when we've been served water with a lemon wedge.
We've recently discovered that chocolate and peanut butter is a dessert combination that we can agree on. So we splurged on the "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup" pie. A dark chocolate cookie crust frames a layer of chocolate around a filling of chilled peanut butter with more chocolate chips and bits of peanut. It's a winner. JM was not sure they make it in house and NIchole was too happy with the warm, homey reception and service to ask or care.
On the way out, the licorice-flavored mints were anise touch. This is the place to go to capture the small town Wisconsiana of the "supper club" in its natural environs (namely, not the city itself).
"anise touch"?
Urgh...
Posted by: Kovalic | February 23, 2009 at 05:58 PM
Wow! As luck would have it we were just there on Saturday for an impromptu date night after a day of skiing... well... more like 2 hours of skiing with the little one. Our impressions mirrored yours. The prices in general struck us as a bit cheap, though. I had a 12 oz sirloin and Constance had the vegetarian option (noodles).
It's really too bad that supper clubs don't have better vegetarian options.
-kurt
Posted by: kurt squire | February 24, 2009 at 08:32 AM
Well if you did not get the Prime Rib I have to tell you, you missed out! The best I have ever had and it's offered almost every night!
Posted by: Joey | March 11, 2009 at 01:56 PM