I had never been to Smoky's (driven by it thousands of times in my life), But some of the older members of my group had been there in it's heyday. Smoky's has been in business for over 60 years. In the 1970s, the club served 300 dinners on a Saturday, and the line to the bar would be three-people deep. But however, today's business is slower - probably because of stiffer drunk driving laws and smoking bans.
This first trip was a "learning experience" for me. I say that because at the time, I didn't know I was going to be publishing and sharing my findings. That came up in discussions days later. So, I do not have a lot of photos to share. But it's my intention to document our visits with more photos in the future. And, I want to share more comments from my group members, not just my opinion. So that will also improve in the future.
First things first, Smoky's looks like and has a very typical supper club atmosphere! You first walk in, and there is a large wrap around bar. (The below photo I took from our table, which is behind the bar area)
We got drinks at the bar before going to our table. (I am currently not drinking alcohol, so unfortunately I cannot give any comments on the drinks. But that's what we have Serena and Laurie for!) But I've been told by others that their martini menu is extraordinary and large.
When we sat down at our table, there was two crocks of veggies. It had carrots, radishes, celery, and scallions. It looked nice, but there was no dip or dressing to eat them with.
The menu was small, but that's very typical. There were some sandwiches, fish, and steaks mainly. It's now been a month since we went, so I can't remember what everyone ordered.
David and I had the Top Sirloin.
Rich had the Rib-eye.
Serena ordered the Filet Mignon & Shrimp.
Skyler ordered the Open-Faced Sirloin Steak Sandwich.
I can't remember what all the others had, sorry!
All the dinner entrees (not the sandwich) came with:
We got drinks at the bar before going to our table. (I am currently not drinking alcohol, so unfortunately I cannot give any comments on the drinks. But that's what we have Serena and Laurie for!) But I've been told by others that their martini menu is extraordinary and large.
When we sat down at our table, there was two crocks of veggies. It had carrots, radishes, celery, and scallions. It looked nice, but there was no dip or dressing to eat them with.
David and I had the Top Sirloin.
Rich had the Rib-eye.
Serena ordered the Filet Mignon & Shrimp.
Skyler ordered the Open-Faced Sirloin Steak Sandwich.
I can't remember what all the others had, sorry!
All the dinner entrees (not the sandwich) came with:
- Soup or Tomato Juice
- Potato or Vegetable
- Salad
After we placed our orders, they brought us a bread basket. It had Italian bread, rolls, and toast.
They only had one soup choice - split pea (ick!) But I wasn't going to drink a cup of tomato juice either. Serena is the only one who chose the tomato juice, and I wish I would've taken a picture of it. But surprisingly, the soup was good. I just put a lot of crackers in it.
Then our salads came, and it was absolutely drowned in dressing. And had very little substance to it. I was not impressed.
Then our entrees came, and I forgot to take any pictures, because I was too busy stuffing my face. Serena and David ordered hash-browns with theirs. Smoky's is known for their huge plates of hash-browns, and they didn't disappoint.
Overall, the food was delicious and wonderful. Everyone at the table seemed to concur with that opinion. The problem that EVERYONE had were the prices. They were steep, and kind of unexpected. So at the end of the meal, the bill was the only topic of conversation. Especially since the waiter didn't split the checks. And because of that, none of us ordered after dinner ice cream drinks.
All the dinner entrees ranged from $32 - $50. Yes, you get a lot of food with that, but I have a hard time spending that much money on ONE meal for ONE person. And the drinks were not cheap either. I heard Laurie say her Old-Fashioned was $8.
The staff and our waiter was efficient and courteous. My water glass was constantly being refilled (and since it was the only thing I was drinking, it was very nice). One of the candles on our table burned out, and the bus boy came over and refilled it immediately.
So now, let's go through our checklist and grade Smoky's:
1. Prime Rib specials are served every Saturday night
Nope! Prime Rib was not on the menu.
2. A relish tray is served
Yes!
3. Manhattans and Old-Fashioned cocktails are served with Brandy
I'm assuming they were. Maybe the Old-Fashioned drinkers can comment on the blog about their drinks.
4. Jell-O is served as a salad option
Nope. But we have to give them props for having Tomato Juice, and homemade cottage cheese as side options!
5. Walleye is a regular menu item
I had to look this up on their website, because I paid no attention to the seafood options on the menu. But yes, they have Walleye.
6. All-you-can-eat fried fish on Friday nights
I don't know. We went on a Saturday night. Their website mentions Friday Fish Fry, but not if it's all-you-can-eat.
7. Grasshopper and Pink Cadillac cocktails are large enough to share
Like I said earlier, we forgot to order these at the end of the night. So I can't grade them on this point.
8. Christmas lights are strung along structures year-round
Yes! See the above picture of the bar.
9. The Waitresses call you "Hon"
Well first off, a majority of the staff was male. I think only the hostess was female. Our waiter was an older gentleman, and didn't say much of anything. But we're pretty sure that's because he wasn't wearing any teeth, HaHaHa!
10. The club has a scenic view of our beautiful state
No. Smoky's is located in the middle of Madison, right off the UW Campus on University Avenue. Our table was up against a window, but it was covered with dark drapes. That's because they don't want to car headlights constantly streaming in. Which we appreciated. But there was absolutely no kind of view.
That's a score of 5 out of 9 (again, can't grade on the ice cream drinks).
The food was delicious, the company was wonderful, but I won't be returning any time soon.
If you'd like more information on Smoky's, you can visit their website at http://www.smokysclub.com/
Nope! Prime Rib was not on the menu.
2. A relish tray is served
Yes!
3. Manhattans and Old-Fashioned cocktails are served with Brandy
I'm assuming they were. Maybe the Old-Fashioned drinkers can comment on the blog about their drinks.
4. Jell-O is served as a salad option
Nope. But we have to give them props for having Tomato Juice, and homemade cottage cheese as side options!
5. Walleye is a regular menu item
I had to look this up on their website, because I paid no attention to the seafood options on the menu. But yes, they have Walleye.
6. All-you-can-eat fried fish on Friday nights
I don't know. We went on a Saturday night. Their website mentions Friday Fish Fry, but not if it's all-you-can-eat.
7. Grasshopper and Pink Cadillac cocktails are large enough to share
Like I said earlier, we forgot to order these at the end of the night. So I can't grade them on this point.
8. Christmas lights are strung along structures year-round
Yes! See the above picture of the bar.
9. The Waitresses call you "Hon"
Well first off, a majority of the staff was male. I think only the hostess was female. Our waiter was an older gentleman, and didn't say much of anything. But we're pretty sure that's because he wasn't wearing any teeth, HaHaHa!
10. The club has a scenic view of our beautiful state
No. Smoky's is located in the middle of Madison, right off the UW Campus on University Avenue. Our table was up against a window, but it was covered with dark drapes. That's because they don't want to car headlights constantly streaming in. Which we appreciated. But there was absolutely no kind of view.
That's a score of 5 out of 9 (again, can't grade on the ice cream drinks).
The food was delicious, the company was wonderful, but I won't be returning any time soon.
If you'd like more information on Smoky's, you can visit their website at http://www.smokysclub.com/
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