Nothing against Wisconsin's beloved supper clubs, but a sleek, Manhattan-style steakhouse will be opening in Wisconsin Dells in late November.
Parasole Restaurant Holdings of Edina, the company behind Manny's Steakhouse and Pittsburgh Blue, is the consultant on the new restaurant at Kalahari Resort and Convention, based in the Dells. Kalahari owns convention centers, water parks and theme parks in the Dells and Sandusky, Ohio.
The new restaurant in the 756-room hotel will appeal to empty nesters as well as millennials, said Kip Clayton, Parasole's vice president of business development. "A young married couple can leave the kids with the baby sitter in the park and have a nice dinner or relax with a couple of cocktails in the lounge," he said.
Double Cut takes the place of Kahunaville, a casual, tropical-themed restaurant that Kalahari president and owner Todd Nelson described as not fitting the needs of conventioneers, who make up nearly half the resort's guests.
Clayton sees it as part of a trend of creating first-class restaurants in hotels. "We want the restaurant itself to be a destination," he said, "not just the hotel."
The area already has nearly a dozen steakhouses, including Kaminski Brothers and Fields at the Wilderness, but Clayton thinks Double Cut will be easily distinguishable for its charcoal grill and extensive seafood choices.
It will also have a sizable lounge/bar area and several private dining rooms for groups and conventioneers.
Tim McKee, La Belle Vie chef and vice president of culinary development for Parasole, developed the menu and is mentoring Double Cut's chef.
