Red Circle Inn & Bistro

My husband and I went to Red Circle Inn yesterday for a Valentine’s dinner. We were very disappointed. First of all it took forever to get our food. We ordered a $ 16 dollar scallop appetizer that came with TWO scallops. It wasn’t even very good, and the scallops were average sized. I had salmon which was fine, but the sides included under-​cooked carrots. My husband had stuffed «jumbo» shrimp, which were not jumbo. He said the stuffing tasted like something that should’ve been used to stuff a bell pepper, not seafood. He also had the under-​cooked carrots as a side. As he put it, «It was all downhill after the free rolls.» Would definitely not recommend or go again. For $ 90+ I expected much, much better food. We would’ve had a better meal had I cooked at home. :(

Visiting here from California, heard that the Red Circle Inn was a good place to have dinner.
I have never had such a bad meal. The dinner salad was awful, the lettuce had an old musty taste. The Filet was mushy, they must have used way too much tenderizer My husband had the liver which was really mushy. The only redeeming factor of the meal was the wine I had with dinner to wash away the bad meal.
It was very pricey for what you get. I have no problem paying for a really good meal, but this was so bad. have had better meals at a fast food place.
Don’t waste your time or money on this one.
I would never recommend this restaurant.

Beef Wellington was amazing!

The diner steps back in time just by passing through the doors of Red Circle, but you’ll find a fresh coat of paint and refined ambiance that speaks of the restaurant’s future. The menu presents a slew of retro entrees and appetizers – liver pates, escargot in filo, beef wellington, and steaks covered in peppercorn and bordelaise sauces – retaining the staples of the Inn of yesteryear. All dishes come with sauteed seasonal veggies and the quintessential whipped potatoes with crested puffs and all. I guarantee there is a piping bag in the kitchen keeping with tradition and a code of conduct required of every «supper club.»
My group hailed the special offerings that included a frog leg appetizer and a veal stuffed quail main course. Even the rolls were delightful, herbed and warm. I ended up having two to soak up the La Storia Cab (the two bottles… I didn’t go it alone). The frog legs were a perfect start to the meal with their light, crunchy and flavorful breading and tender meat. Don’t forget the remoulade. In addition to the start, many in the group opted for the pheasant soup. It was unexpectedly delicious. The flavor was a rich version of chicken soup without the gaminess. We cooled down with a fresh, crisp wedge salad that the staff so kindly split in order for two of us to share. My dining companions delighted in their main dishes. My lean elk loin was amazingly seared to an even medium-​rare and topped with a [less than I liked] dollop of fois gras. I was a little underwhelmed by the fois gras, and it was almost unnecessary atop the elk. I was more pleased with the brandy truffle sauce in which it waded.
To end the night, we made the rounds with all 3 soufflé offerings. Unfortunately, my Gran Marnier version was slightly undercooked. There was residual uncooked custard sitting underneath the cooked portion. It was also basically tasteless. I imagined the Gran Marnier would come through with a citrusy burst. The taste was egg, like the scrambled kind minus the salt. A tweak with some sugar or if I had opted for the chocolate or lemon raspberry, I may have found more sweetness in my sweet. I think in the future I would choose one of the Inn’s other traditional desserts that people return to or even an old-​fashioned ice cream drink. I saw that Vitamix.

Absolutley fantastic!
Great ambiance, staff and high quality food!
We had the «Small Plates» at the Bistro and was not disappointed!
Their sweet potato soup, Scallops wrapped in bacon, crab artichoke dip, mussels in a sweet curry sauce and Seafood Wellington were all superb. This was all topped off delicious desserts.
Our wait staff were first class! Attentive without being obtrusive and very pleasant.
Just a great experience…

All of the staff — even the owner — are attentive, friendly, highly knowledgeable and make you feel welcome every time you walk in the door. Not to mention the head chef is outstanding as well, and they even grow many fresh ingredients for their dishes right outside in their well-​cared for garden.
The food is second to none. Everything I have had has been top-​notch, whether it’s the veal, seafood, steaks, and not to forget the unquestioned best Caesar salad I’ve ever had.
Red Circle is definitely a more upscale, fine dining type of restaurant, so be prepared for higher prices. Trust me though, it’s more than worth it. My personal favorite dish is the veal scallopini forestiere, complete with morel mushrooms, but I’ve also had the beef Wellington (cooked perfectly), a few steaks and plenty of seafood dishes.
I love the Red Circle, and come back any time I have a chance.
This is how a restaurant should be done!

It’s a local gem with confident dishes. They have a formal dinning room with a regular dinner menu plus a great bar that has a big flat screen TV and offers a tapas like menu. The staff is super friendly. Soufflé is a must try. You also get a complimentary house-​made brittle that is delicious.

We decided to return after many years, and it may be that we are older, but it’s much less «stuffy» then our last visit .
I would have liked to try one of the evenings specials, an 8 oz Sirloin stuffed with lobster and wrapped in bacon, however after we placed our orders I was informed that it would not be possible to serve the steak rare as I had requested, that the lobster would be cold, so I changed my order to the Beef Wellington. The steak was a nice warm rare, and the puff pastry nice and crisp. My Husband ordered the special Veal Oscar, he said that the meat was prepared well, but one of the sauces was very strong flavored, he thought it was too much.
We did enjoy our meals, but I feel I need to earn anyone ordering red wine ., our bottle was served hot, not room temp or even warm, it was HOT. I don’t know how they store it, but it’s not proper.

Very rude kitchen staff. An older man with glasses in a chef jacket ruined the whole experience for me.. I will never be back again.

This place was really good and makes the best strawberry cheesecake martinis!!! Just go there for this drink! We both got the french onion instead of the side salad but were charged $ 8 more instead of $ 4 so that was weird? Other than that the food was awesome. I got the classic beef wellington and it was sooooo good. I would def go back!

There are some really cool things about the Red Circle Inn. For instance parking was not really one of them, but the onion soup was superb. I’m the kind of guy who is easily impressed with things being overly salty, it just really puts me in the right mood, and this soup has some salt on it. Now the way I eat onion soup is visually unappealing but unavoidable. The cheese and wet bread clung to my face while broth covered my chin, providing a decadent shimmer that likely left the surrounding tables envious.
Back to the salt though. Now you may have thought I fat-​fingered «on» when I should have typed «in» but I assure you this was very calculated and very accurate. The soup is great and has flavor but atop the cheese-​loaf is just a bunch of salt or maybe seasoning salt. It was darker than salt. It had an inviting darkish brown glow to it which reminded me of Lowry’s. It was good. Very good. I would give that soup 5 stars.
My wine was good, I ordered a cab and it didn’t taste too much like pennies. My lass ordered the ries and said it was excellent so I thought I should share that. If it weren’t for my mannish pride I would have ordered that wine too because it sounded divine.
My steak was ok. I ordered it medium and most of it was medium well with the very inside being a little under medium. Other steaks were ordered medium well and served well done. Doneness aside they weren’t overly flavorful. I would suggest maybe getting something else or maybe a different cut of steak (filet). The potato thing was good. The vegetables were ok.
I ordered the soufflé. The lemon one. It was interesting. I would have thought by the way they described it that it was going to be one of those desserts that you eat and it changes everything. I’ve had a carrot cake like that once that made me reaccess everything and want to be a better person. This was not that type of dessert. It kind of tasted like scrambled eggs and lemon/​raspberry. Lass ordered an ice cream drink. The cadillac el dorado I think it was called. It was really strong but overall had a good flavor.
The ambiance is really nice. I would say that the location and inside is a huge perk for this place.
So in list form:
Pros — onion soup, wine, service, lass
Mehs — steak, sides, soufflé
Cons — none really, it was a lovely evening

Expecting a typical Wisconsin supper club (not that there’s anything wrong with that) the Red Circle Inn is a pretty posh place in sleepy Nashotah. Dining areas are small and intimate but ours was quite noisy with two other large parties. Meals were very good, nicely done steaks though my filet lacked a bit of flavor. We made the mistake of bringing our kids, though they were well behaved, they didn’t have anything to really offer beyond overpriced spaghetti with butter. They reco the soufflé for dessert, which needs 25 min prep and our chocolate one was nice but a bit underwhelming as the soufflé is a strange spongy bit that melts oddly in your mouth.
Service was good, meals were well prepared and the setting is very nice. I think we’ll be back sans kids. ;)

What can I say… YUMM!

Disappointing that all the entrees were so expensive, very small martinis for the price. Appetizers were good, soups were very disappointing and the dessert was not worth wasting calories on either.
Service was good and they do have a beautiful bar.
They do need to dust the light fixtures… dust and cobwebs right above my head for a $ 28 piece of walleye!
What we had was severely overpriced!

This is what a great restaurant should be like. There is a buzz in the air when you arrive. It’s like the feeling you get when leaving port for a great escape. There are several dining rooms and a barroom. The bartenders are in action on our arrival and the room is old and historic and full. Just the right atmosphere. And the maitre d’ is the owner and he really made the place work and he took time to chat us up.
Our party of 6 was seated at a round table, perfectly set. Water was served along with rolls immediately. Our waitress appeared at our table as soon as we settled in. Beverages were flowing pronto. Things appeared to work effortlessly here.
We began with a dozen fresh oysters on the half shell as well as a dozen Rockefeller. As an oyster lover, I must say I did not expect these oysters to be this good this far from the sea. Indeed, the Rockefeller was the finest I have ever had. I’ve had a lot of Rockefeller. One of our party tried oysters for the first time and was getting into it. Fresh, and beautifully presented, these Blue Point oysters were tops. Others had the Crab Cakes and one, a vegetarian, had a specially made appetizer of Mushrooms in Filo pastry to replace escargot. Kudos to the chef for going out of his way on a busy night for this dish.
Salads were fresh, colorful, crisp and lightly dressed in vinaigrette. Very appealing.
The main courses were outstanding. I tasted several as we shared a bit. My Veal Chop was thick, tender, and served at the temp requested and with 3 sauces, as I requested, all of which were excellent, especially the Marsala.
The duck was prepared just right and was served crispy. There was a Blackened Grouper which I also tasted and it was fresh, black, and really got the taste buds jumping, yet it was not too hot. No one left anything on their plates, including one in our party who seldom finishes a meal. He downed every bit of his Rack. I was amazed. The Rack must have been superb.
Now for the desserts and Port: Everyone ordered the soufflé. Mine was chocolate, some were lemon and some were the Grand Marnier. All of them looked outstanding, puffed up high and yet light as a feather, with a crisp top. The waitress added a sauce to each soufflé to finish the presentation. What a highlight these desserts were for all of us!
There were several excellent Ports on the list, but several of us ordered the Taylor-​Fladgate 2007. This was a rich, deep colored garnet Port that hit just the right notes to finish off a truly fine dining experience. Petite chocolates were the finishing touch.
Fantastic job. First class restaurant. Top rate service, yet with a down home touch. We will be back!

My Wife and I have eaten at Red Circle Inn a few times now and I have to say the service has been excellent each time. Our waitress was very polite and paid very good attention to our table. On our most recent visit we shared the escargot, and baked oyster dishes for an appetizer and my wife had the wellington while I had the filet for our main course. Everything was cooked to perfection just as it was ordered.
Did I mention we had the Chocolate Soufflé. My gosh was that ever tasty. It was gone from the table before the waitress even set it down. I would highly recommend dinning at the Red Circle Inn. I know I will be back :)

Dad, who was turning 81 years old, threw his birthday party here last night. We were seated promptly and the server was attentive, kind and speedy. The food was decent. My elk was perfectly done– but I was expecting it to be more «elk“y. The veal was again good, but not outstanding. No major complaints, except it was very loud. It made it difficult for the birthday boy to enjoy talking with everyone at the table.

They really do get the Wellington right at the Red Circle Inn, and the «supper club» throwback should not scare you – the kitchen knows how to not overcook seafood and does a fine job with the sides and desserts.
The only issue I have with dining here is that I usually feel like I’m the youngest one by about two decades.

This may be the oldest restaurant in Wisconsin, but that means they’ve had a hundred and fifty years to perfect their food. Went with my fiancé and future in-​laws and had a dinner so good we all fell silent so as not to disturb the bliss.
My fiancé had the best scallops either of us have ever tried in our lives and my filet was so tender it dissolved in my mouth like butter. Absolute perfection, and the owner, Norm, is lovely and very on top of his game.

For the oldest restaurant in Wisconsin I definetely recommend. This may be the vintage up-​scale WI supper club but it is a must try. The owner takes great care to make sure you are enjoying yourself with great entrée preparation and unique fare.
I recommend the beef wellington or their daily fish specials. Wednesday night is the best night to dine if you enjoy wine given it’s half price bottles +$ 10.
For the true sconnie in you give it a try…