Travel along a rural highway in the Upper Midwest, and chances are you'll run into a classic supper club. Harking back to post-Prohibition days when diners embraced their new ability to legally mix food and drink, these roadside standbys offered hearty fare, ample libations and, often, musical entertainment. Curious to see whether the supper club is still relevant today, Heavy Table embarked on a 350-mile odyssey to visit both its classic and modern-day versions.

  • The time: 1920s.
  • The place: Laurel Supper Club, New Richmond, Wis.

The Laurel sits unassumingly on Hwy. 64, as it has since the 1920s when it was called the Timber Wolf. Apparently, what has worked for all those years continues to please customers today, with the weekend reservation book filling up weeks in advance. The relish tray, a dinosaur-sized platter of crudités, pâté and crackers, remains a staple for the appetizer course. The queen- and king-sized prime rib tempts diners with more-than-generous portions and side dishes -- popovers, salad, soup or tomato juice, bread and potatoes. We couldn't resist the 24-ounce steak for two, which also comes with a bottle of champagne, merlot or white zinfandel. Perhaps the white zin, a high school flashback if there ever was one, wasn't the best choice for the juicy steak, but it provided the kitsch factor that seemed appropriate in an old-fashioned dining room that could have been found at Grandma's house.

  • The time: 1930s.
  • The place: Fisher's Club, Avon, Minn.

"It's like a country club of rural America without the pretension," says co-owner and manager Colleen Hollinger-Petters. The tiny town of Avon looks idyllic now, but was part of notorious bootlegging operations during Prohibition. A former major-league baseball player named George Fisher opened a summer-only bar called Fisher's Club in 1932, and later he began serving fish that his sons would catch in nearby lakes. A switch to walleye and the development of a secret batter made Fisher's Club a popular destination for area residents and vacationers, and today it remains a lively seasonal destination.

  • The time: Present day.
  • The place: Jensen's Supper Club, Eagan.

Newer metro establishments, such as Jensen's Supper Club in Eagan and the Red Stag Supperclub in northeast Minneapolis, proudly wear the name, although their modern interpretations of the supper club vary in authenticity. Jensen's arrived on the local dining scene in 1996 as a tribute to founder Doron Jensen's grandparents. Described as "a place not merely to dine, but to celebrate" on its website, Jensen's offers traditional supper-club staples in a more upscale venue. Yes, you'll get that relish tray and popovers at the start of every meal, but don't expect live entertainment -- the focus here is strictly on food and drink. Strong martinis, flavorful walleye, and surf and turf specials make it easy to find a meal for every palate, and the early-bird and "new deal" menus allow diners to feast like kings for less dough than you'd think.

The Churn

Hopkins is where the drinks are this weekend. There will be a free in-store tasting at Mac's Liquor (4-6 p.m., 8550 Excelsior Blvd.) and a "sit and sip" Scotch-tasting session with Marion Dauner of Vinocopia at the Hopkins Elks Lodge (6-8 p.m., 30 8th Av. S., $20 for one/$30 for two, www.macsliquors.com). Tickets include seven single-malts and a cigar. Bagpipe serenade included for free.