The Immigrant Room

The American Club in Kohler Wisconsin, just off the highway at Sheboygan, is renowned for 3 things - food, fairways and fixtures.

It's the home of Kohler kitchen and bath fixtures, they have a design center as part of the resort/hotel and each guest room sports some shmantzy bathroom set-ups. It has one of the best golf courses in the Midwest. As it was winter I didn't spend any of my personal time anywhere but the restaurants.

Their most notable is the Immigrant Room. The idea being that the food is "reflective of... the immigrant history of the village's early European heritage." It was renovated recently and on a Wednesday night I was there in an empty restaurant. Boy the food was good.

It started with an amuse that was neither light nor tart. A teriyake chicken roll. It was served with red stemmed clover, and a mayonaise that was peanutty. It was good but also rather salty.

The wine list is impressive and extensive. I had a bottle in my room for later and while I'm ashamed to say what it was I will say that a glass of sparkling Lucien Albrect was ordered especially to go with the fish coming next.

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I ordered a bento box, I suppose that the immigrant history could include the eventual Japanese population of Kohler. It came with a tuna roll flash tempura'd and very tasty. At first I looked at it and thought it may be off but the cooking method changed the fish very well and I enjoyed the flavor. A lobster roll with red tobiko needed something more and a salmon tartare over a coconut saki creme thing was awesome. It did have that sesame-oil thing going on and at this point it's becoming a common additive to trendy-sushi... not that it doesn't taste good. The wasabi was very mustardy without much punch and the tobiko which I usually am neither bothered by nor interested in was outstanding. Go figure. I was surprised this dish was even on the menu. It didn't go with the rest of my meal to say the least.

My main coursee was duck served rare with a confit and apple filled tartlet in the center. A sweet red cranberry/cherry sauce was delicious. The duck, I thought, was too rare. Some of the fat was rubbery and difficult to cut. Also given the "raw poultry is bad" drumbeat I was also admittedly skittish about it as it was rather blue. But it was tasty and while I'm not used to it I can see the difference in texture and flavor. The tartlet somehow managed to lose the duck confit flavor in the mix of apples, sauce and pastry. I am still pining for a good duck confit. Especially having seen one last Friday at Avec.

All in all I was impressed by the total menu. The dishes definintely have a game-Euro flavor with some different items here and there and the wine list is extensive and reasonable. I look forward to going back. I'll get the wild boar.

*A coat for men is required so I assume you must wear shoes and a shirt too...

The Immigrant Room
The American Club
Kohler Wisconsin

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My main coursee was duck served rare with a confit and apple filled tartlet in the center. A sweet red cranberry/cherry sauce was delicious. Sounds delicious.