Last weekend while searching for more Easter brunches across the South Metro, I stumbled upon an advertisement for a smelt fry at Ettlin’s Ranchero Supper Club in Webster, MN. Never having taken part in such an event, I did some research and asked Kim if we could go down there to try it out. I was a bit surprised when she agreed and I made reservations for this Wednesday.
The Ranchero Supper Club in Webster is located about 25 miles SW of Apple Valley sorta near Elko Speedway. Once we got off the highway and onto the back roads, it was a beautiful drive through rolling farm land mostly untouched by urban sprawl. When we finally pulled into Webster, it was like stepping back in time. Kim remarked that the post office looked like it had been there since the beginning of time. Soon after that we noticed the Ranchero Supper Club with cars lining both sides of the main street and down a side street as well. Obviously the Ranchero, being the only game in this tiny little town, was hopping on Wednesday night for the all you can eat smelt fry.
We walked in to the small foyer which separates the bright sunny outside with the darkened interior. The bar is to your left with a small window with faces peering out at you. A simple door adjacent to a simple sign reading “Dining Room” is your only clue that you aren’t facing a coat closet. I urged Kim to go through the dining room door and we entered the Ranchero Supper Club.
The dining room is something to behold. An absolutely huge restaurant with tons of tables covered with red and blue checkered tablecloths, random chairs, simple paper napkins, and many people looking forward to a night of fried bait. We had reservations for 6 PM but arrived about 15 minutes early. A group of four behind us were seated first and we were then led to our table all the way in the rear of the restaurant. Along the way I could only notice that several tables were set for 8 or more with a huge table for 13 set right next to ours. Was the Lion’s Club meeting there tonight? Perhaps a wedding reception? We’d have to wait to find out. All of the windows are blacked out and many of the overhead fluorescent lights were flickering, burned out, or not turned on to allow for added ambiance. If anything, the flickering just brought out the abundant water stained ceiling tiles hanging overhead which had the same color as the wooden wall panels. If you think that I’m talking this place down, please don’t be confused. I kept telling Kim just how much I loved the entire experience as it reminded me of something I would have seen on some back road growing up in Pennsylvania.
I looked over the menu and couldn’t help but notice the very high prices and dishes which didn’t seem to fit the kitschy decor. Appetizers ranging from cheese curds and calarmari to a glass of V8 sat above a list of entrees which ranged from burgers to crab legs and filet mignon. I believe that the most expensive item was a $35+ dish that I can’t remember. Definitely not what you’d expect when you first arrive at the Ranchero. But tonight we weren’t interested in any of that, we were there for the $13.75 smelt fry which included battered and deep fried smelt, fries, and coleslaw with a basket of bread.
The service was very very slow tonight. They were very busy and while they had a ton of servers running around, it seemed like the kind of place that you just sit back and wait–and wait we did. Eventually a basket of bread and two bowls of sloppy coleslaw arrived. The bread was lightly garlic buttered and the coleslaw, while at first unappetizing, eventually grew on me as I found more and more of the dressing on the bottom of the bowl. Our water glasses were the size of large shot glasses and the small carafe did little to whet my whistle while we awaited the main course.
Eventually the plate of battered fish arrived. It came with a large bowl of tartar sauce which wasn’t terribly appetizing and I instead opted to load my bait fish fries with ketchup instead (there was no hot sauce, I asked). Kim was completely turned off. They were very lightly battered and while other tables found themselves with heavily battered pieces of fish that looked nothing like the real deal, ours had discernible scales, tails, and gutted bellies. After eating a few and sticking to the french fries from there out, Kim asked me to hide the remainder so she wouldn’t have to look at them.
While Kim wasn’t a fan, plenty of other tables around us were. In fact the table of 13 was there to settle their yearly contest of who could eat the most smelt. The current reigning champion from last year ate 150 pieces of smelt last year. While I didn’t count, Kim estimated that I ate about 50 of them. I just can’t even begin to imagine eating 3x that many. Ugh my stomach hurts just recalling it now.
When we went to pay we were informed that the only form of plastic that they take is Discover (of all the card types, Discover?!) and were directed to the ATM in the bar ($2.50 charge) so that we could pay our $36+ tab. While I am glad I experienced the wonder that is the smelt fry, when we return to the Ranchero (oh and we will return, I just loved the entire experience too much not to) I won’t be eating fried bait ever again, at least not after paying $13.75 to do so.
Have you eaten at a smelt fry or at Ettlin’s Ranchero Supper Club? If so, please go ahead and share you experiences of these two fine dining options. I really, really, really want to know what you have to say about it!
Address:
Ettlin’s Ranchero Supper Club
4452 40th St W
Webster, MN 55088
Phone:
(952) 652-2700
See all the pictures on Flickr here.
No related posts.
Dakota Complaints Map
Dakota Inmate Dashboard
Loading ...
April 9th, 2009 at 8:10 am
b,
that’s a pretty gross plate of what ever they passed as ‘smelt’ to you! i almost hate to ask what’d it taste like?
whose hand is that in the background? someone reaching for their tums i’ll bet!
bb
April 9th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Even at 9 a.m. that photo makes me hungry. You probably mentioned this somewhere, but is this a year-round thing?
April 9th, 2009 at 8:41 am
MSPD, it seems to be being that there was a table of 13 people who had done the all you can eat thing last year. They also have another round next Wednesday. Call for reservations though (the number is in the post above).
April 9th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I’ve had fried smelt several times, though not as part of a smelt fry like this. The ones in the picture look alright, though the breading is a bit thin. They look like the ones I made when I tried making them myself.
I vaguely remember going to the Ranchero in high school when our jazz choir sang there for some event or another. Sounds like they haven’t updated the decor at all (we didn’t eat there).
I’ve heard their German food is supposed to be good, but the distance has put me off, and hearing they don’t take most plastic doesn’t encourage me either.
April 10th, 2009 at 6:20 am
hmmm… fried foods can cause gas….. He who smelt it dealt it?
April 10th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Have tried this place and agree with your sentiments- high prices and mediocre (at best) food. Slow service as well. Was hoping to find a diamond in the rough, but this place was not it. My sense is that it survives on “local institution enertia” and not much more. My $0.02.
Cheers-
April 10th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Been there a few times many years ago. It is owned by a guy who is either Swiss or Austrian, cannot remember. The bar used to have a great selection of German beers… have not been there in 7-8 years so cannot tell you if they still do. I remember it being kind of a “third” place, where you would get Lakeville and country gentry from their $500K and up McMansions , and local farmers and small town folk in the same location for drinks and dinner. I only went for fish fry on Fridays… it has a country supperclub in Wisconsin type of feeling. Having said that, i dont think the food is anything special. But as you say it has a feeling about it, stick to the cheaper stuff, I am guessing the high priced stuff wouldnt be worth it.
April 10th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
mulch,
I was in the bar only to use the ATM but they had a bunch of Paulaner signs up and a couple of mugs. Other than that I only saw bottles of the usual domestics coming back to our area to wash down the 100+ pieces of smelt the table of 13 were planning to eat.
April 10th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I grew up in the U.P. of Michigan where spring smelting was something of a rite of passage experience, accompanied by copious amounts of PBR, Strohs or whatever was cheapest, biting the head off a living smelt was of course required. I was not overly found of the little weasels when fried, a bit too oily for me. in high school with fake id’s (18 year old alcohol back when) we used to frequent the Sail Inn, on Black River Road North of Ironwood Michigan. They would serve an all you could eat fried lake herring dinner. As I remember they only served Old Style in the bottle. Many lake herrings were place in depths of our stomachs on those evenings, I can tell you.
the smelt runs declined to nothing in the 90′s and even now… my guess is the success of the steelhead and salmon in the Lake had something to do with it.
April 10th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
mulch, I’m going to be in Ironwood next weekend. Any recommendations for food?
April 13th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Bill
Ironwood… not much to recommend… try the Bell Chalet in Hurley… stick to the pizzas… they are very thin crust… the sausage is very garlicky and homemade. Avoid what they call a Caesar salad. Some of their pastas are good but hit and miss… stick to the pizza.
Joe’s Pasty Shop in downtown Ironwood… for a traditional pasty. (or you can pick up pasties to go at Randalls Bakery in Wakefield… i think they are the best)
Don and GG’s for a burger. Sometimes their fish is pretty good too.
Pizza King Joes… the pizza is nothing great but it is a dive that makes you feel you are in some Jersey low end wise guy hang out.
I would say the best food restaurants are the Skylawn for grilled steaks, and the Kimball Inn…. but basically this isnt a culinary hotspot area.
there are probably other bars that make a pretty agreeable burger but I stick to Don and GG’s for same… it is pretty reliable or used to be, new owners in the past year.
lots of good ethnic homecooking if you should be so lucky…Italian, Finnish, Swedish, Croatian, Serbian, ….. but alot of the local flavor has been dying out ….so the places that existed into the mid 70′s and early 80′s have died out… they have a new Walmart now… and when Walmart hits that part of the world you know that they the Arkansas wizards have truly reached market saturation.
If you are there on a Friday, try to find Rigoni’s Tavern for Fish fry… but the place is usually packed from 4pm to 9pm.
May 19th, 2009 at 6:55 am
It has been a few years, but their beer selection was good as I remember. Mulch, you nailed it, mediocre food and prices more suited to suburbia. I did have the German pork dish, which I believe was boiled to death. (Discover?)
August 24th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Are we talking about the same place? The food is fantastic here – always good and hot and very worth the price. I’m not into eating smelt so can’t say about that but they have people coming back week after week cuz it is good!
January 29th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
The wife and I used to dine at Ranchero some 40 years ago. Judging by the current decor , it hasnt changed, Back in the 1970′s it was known for its famous onion rings and they were the best ! It was always jammed and a very festive atmosphere prevailed. We never knew it to be a Swiss-German restaurant…simply good American style food with those onion rings.We left Minnesota in 1973 for California and now we are retired in Arizona. We talk fondly about The Ranchero frequently.
March 9th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I used to work there it was my first job and what got me into cooking in the first place. Yes the smelt is good but you should have tried other food items on the menu there are to die for. And i have at some of the best meals in this world.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I’ve been going to the Ranchero for their Friday all you can eat fish since I was a little girl. That means about 45 years worth. We never consider eating off the menu because the fish is so good. My kids have ventured to the menu only to return again to the wonderful fish. They are nice thick chunks of cod with a light breading. We’ve got a table of 16 reserved for this Friday and my kids are grumbling that it’s Lent, so it’s going to be incredibly crowded. fyi, we read about the Anchor cod in Mpls and were disappointed. It looked nice but was greasy and not nearly as good as Webster.
April 26th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
The Ranchero has the best Filet Mignon I have ever tasted. I frequent Steak restaurants (and the Porterhouse has the best Ribeye I have had in a very, very long time). It sounds like the Smelt Fry has turned more than a few of you off, but don’t let that be your judgement of the Ranchero. I know most of us don’t carry cash anymore, but stopping by your banks ATM on the way out of town is worth it for another shot at The Ranchero. One of my favorite places to dine.