Two New Hollywood Supper Clubs Show That The Genre Isn’t Purely Midwestern (2024)

Supper clubs have become a point of Midwestern pride, evoking a brandy old fashioned hulking slab of prime rib, or a crispy filet of fried fish. But they aren’t entirely products of the Central Time Zone.

Credit for the first supper club goes to Beverly Hills, where a Milwaukee native opened the first supper club in the 1920s, blending aspects of entertainment, dining, and a co*cktail lounge. Fans of the movie Swingers (starring Chicago-area native Vince Vaughn) will understand. Apologies for getting the Squirrel Nut Zippers stuck in your head. For those unaware, YouTube it if you dare.

Though it’s not new in Chicago (For instance, Untitled Supper Club opened back in 2012 in River North), a pair of Prohibition-era supper clubs have recently debuted. Each is taking a swing at the genre. In South Loop, the owners of Entree, the meal kit service that debuted in 2022 inside the former home of Michelin-starred Acadia, have rechristened its space as Oliver’s, giving the area a sorely needed sit-down restaurant at 1639 S. Wabash. Neither offer relish trays, a staple at Midwestern supper clubs. Folks also won’t find taxidermy on display.

In River North, the duo behind Mino’s Italian in suburban Winnetka has opened Charlie Martin’s at 736 N. Clark Street. At Mino’s, the group has revived an urban favorite from years ago — the take-and-bake pies Chicagoans enjoyed from HomeMade Pizza Co., a chain founded in 1997 and closed in 2014.

Here’s a brief rundown of both restaurants.

Oliver’s

Velvet seating and vintage artwork meant to remind visitors of the 1930s is what visitors to Oliver’s will find. While Entree’s goal, according to co-founder Jason Weingarten was “trying to solve dinner time for busy people,” Oliver’s is to “make people happy” and to give back to a community that would constantly ask if the dining room would ever open to the public (they’ve held pop-ups and private events).

Weingarten touts the resume of his culinary director, Alex Carnovale; he’s not bashful about mentioning his chef’s time at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry.

Carnovale gushes about the martini, garnished with a golden Beluga caviar-stuffed Castelvetrano olive. These types of touches are meant to show customers that Oliver’s isn’t serving the same product as Entree. They have a patio, and will eventually open the entire dining room; they’ve only debuted the bar area. Carnovale expects to expand the menu when they unveil the new space. A thick burger and a roasted chicken from a notable Pennsylvania farm are some of the current headlights. Publican Quality Bread sourdough, griddled in beef fat — battered in whipped egg yolk, creme fraiche, and truffle — and served with compound butter with caramelized shallots, thyme, and garlic, is “a great way to eat some bread and butter” with a glass of wine.

The chef says his philosophy is not to do too much: “I think the more you touch ingredients along the way they start to deteriorate,” Carnovale says.

The rising popularity of women’s basketball and the Chicago Sky, with stars like Angel Reese, coupled with a need for more options near McCormick Place, have Oliver’s staff excited about the future.

“It’ll be really interesting to see what happens to the South Loop over the next couple of years as we figure out what happens with the Bears and the White Sox, specifically,” Weingarten says.

Charlie Martin’s

While Oliver’s owners say they’re celebrating the 1930s, Charlie Martin’s flashes forward a few decades to the ‘50s and ‘60s. The central difference between the periods is Prohibition’s end in 1933. Veteran Chicago chef Matt Williams, who worked at Hogsalt, helms the kitchen here, inside a space where restaurants like Marvel opened.

Williams plays all the hits with an oyster bar (including a shellfish tower), crab cakes, and a whole-roaster Dover sole. There are a few steaks on the menu, from a dry-aged bone-in ribeye and steak frites.

Partners Glenn Deutsch, Eric Fosse, and Audrey Fosse are city folks at heart, and though they opened in Winnetka, they say they yearned a return to Chicago. Eric Fosse also opened Guildhall in suburban Glencoe.

Deutsch feels the restaurant’s “small, intimate environment” will resonate with diners. There’s a little mystery when visitors approach the entrance: “Once you walk, in you’ve found a comfortable place and unique environment.”

There are 60 seats and plenty of red leather booths. The soundtrack is mostly jazz. The drinks are mostly riffs on classics. Charlie’s Martini is made with Sipsmith gin, St. George Basil Eau de Vie, Lillet Blanc, and extra virgin olive oil.

Fosse is proud of the food, saying they’re weaving modern techniques into classic supper club fare. The result is “exceptional” he says.