Take everything there is to love about a supper club: the coziness, the classic dishes, the Old Fashioneds, and combine it with super fresh ingredients, unique recipes and standout service and you have The Harvey House. Well, almost. Because even that doesn’t do justice to what the New York Times recently named one of their 50 Favorite Restaurants of 2022.
The Harvey House sits near Madison’s Historic Train Depot, and the location – that vibe of combining something historical with something modern – serves as a solid foundation for this elevated dining experience. Classic Wisconsin supper club dishes like the relish tray are reimagined with applewood smoked trout dip and whipped ranch so perfectly seasoned it will warm every Midwesterners heart.
The restaurant received more national acclaim this year as a host restaurant on season 21 of Bravo's Top Chef. Cheftestants were challenged with making dishes inspired by Wisconsin supper clubs and judges tasted the dishes inside the iconic Harvey House train car. You can see the full episode now streaming on Peacock.
Drinks
Walking into The Harvey House, especially on a snowy winter evening, feels both special and familiar. The drinks, and the gorgeous bar set up, mirror that feeling. All the classics are here, and they’re poured to perfection. From a pre-dinner martini (with an ice-cold promise) to their whiskey sour (a drink that I can confidently say is the best I’ve ever had), the cocktails at The Harvey House are a perfect start to your evening. Of course, if you prefer wine or beer, there is no shortage of either.
Dinner
The dinner menu at The Harvey House changes with the seasons, and it’s clear from the choices that local flavors are taken into consideration. While The Harvey House has a meat-forward menu, they keep a vegetarian menu on hand. The vegetarian dishes are certainly not an afterthought. It’s clear that care was taken in developing a menu for non-meat eaters that still felt special and held true to supper club vibes. From the starters to the sides, there are elements of comfort and surprise baked into every dish. It has to be said: don’t skip the soup. Magical.
Desserts & Nightcaps
The dessert menu, much like the dinner menu, has a seasonality to it. And, though dinner is more than enough food, it’s almost impossible to skip dessert. There’s also the option to get your dessert in a glass a la the nightcap section of the menu. From The Harvey Hopper (a delicious grasshopper) to the Tahitian Vanilla Affogato, who said we can’t drink our desserts?
End your night by sending a complimentary postcard to a loved one. And grab one of those hard strawberry candies on the way out. You know, the ones your grandma always kept in her candy dish. The sweet nostalgia of it helps the evening linger a bit longer.
