Refuge on the River

On a chance drive-​by with friends on a late Sunday afternoon, I stopped in to see The Refuge. We had already eaten in Hudson but I wanted to see what The Refuge was like. A quick look at their menu showed that it has something for everyone. And, the place was totally awesome. I can’t wait to go back and try the food. The setting is beautiful, the ambience welcoming. While the place was rather empty and I agree that I don’t want everyone to know about this place, I will share it with others as this place takes me back in time when eating out was something special and to be savored. This place is to be saved.
A follow-​up note: Sad to say we stopped in to dine at the Refuge and it has been closed indefinitelly.

This is what we’ve been looking for in the St. Croix Valley. This place used to be in Hammond, Wisconsin, but never gave it a thought out there in the sticks. Now located in the old Clyde’s right on the St. Croix River in Bayport, I was surprised to see condos all around, but even though it was night there are probably still some great bird’s eye views of the river in the day and in the summer with al fresco dining. Can’t wait for summer to try this place.
That said, my husband, son and our 9-​year old and his friend kept our eyes inside on the the Scotty Reed Blues Band, in the wonderfully smoke free bar from our table in the dining room. They started at 7:30, earlier than the 8 p.m. publicized time. It was great to have a decent meal and see a live band’s full set with kids. With 7 p.m. reservations, we were back home around 9.
I hesitate to write this review because I don’t want the secret to get out and want to have this place for myself every Saturday night, but also the place was pretty empty so I don’t want it to go away either. There were several other families who ate burgers and pasta in the bar or steaks in the in the dining room and brought the kids up to bar area for the first set too. Self-​proclaimed «little» Scotty gave a gravelly shout-​out to all the kids and dedicated a song to them (he was only a couple of inches taller than our 9-​year old but has a big voice and plays a mean mouth harp). Anyway, there was an awesome professional three-​piece behind him and we thoroughly enjoyed the show. After the first set we brought our son up to see the stand-​up bass (which he plays in orchestra) and to talk with the musicians. It could be an interesting musical menu with the nearby Twin Cities music scene, but the lineup on the web favored blues, which is perfectly fine with me.
The ambiance is 1980s Miami Mauve with the original wicker furniture from the old Clydes (which if anyone remembers had wonderful popovers w/​cinnamon butter). Even tho it is located on the Minnesota border, this place brings together everything that made the Wisconsin Supper Club an institution back in the 1940s: live music, decent food at a reasonable price, family-​friendly atmosphere, and staff who are incredibly attentive. The owner-​chef came out and talked to customers and there was definitely that old-​school, friendly-​casual, familiar feel among patrons and staff.
A sign from Highway 95 north is nonexistent (actually, it still says Clyde’s) but word of mouth and a direct mail flyer got us there. The web site is do-​it-​yourself charming like the early dot-​com days, and the sign outside the old marina restaurant is reminiscent of hand-​painted folk art. Don’t let that fool you however. This little hideaway is a gem.
The menu is an eclectic mix and we are eager to explore it. A kids menu has grilled cheese, hamburgers, and jumbo shrimp, but the kids enjoyed reading the antelope, stringray, escargot, pheasant and kangaroo entrees and appetizers as much as their food. The kid’s shrimp was a far cry from the evil breaded dried-​up poppers that pass on most kid’s menus. Our son, who has quite an appetite, ate two of five and had to bring the others home. The burgers looked quite excellent.
On the wild side, we ordered a tiny frog-​leg appetizer, which is a huge part of the valley’s culinary history. The boys didn’t like them, because they were afraid to taste them and said they would rather hold a frog than eat it. The deep fried jumpers were okay but no match for the saddles at the nearby River’s Edge in Somerset, Wis., where they are lightly hand– battered and butter-​fried in cast iron.
My steak/​shrimp combo was good; my steak was tender and needed no sauce. Their signature Louisiana BBQ seasoning on the shrimp was fantastic tho the shrimp a tad overdone. I could become a vegan with twice-​baked potato and seasoned broccoli coupled with one of their excellent meal-​in-​a drink Bloody Marys, with olives, pickle, shrimp and seasoning. Salad was nothing to write about, but the garlic toast was perfectly done.
Don’t go here. I mean it. Because I want that table next to the bar every Saturday night.