One of the best stories about the many incarnations of St. Mary’s Supper Club originates in the 1960s. The then-owner wanted to make the rustic roadside structure just west of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College into a full-fledged restaurant and bar. That, of course, required all manner of special permits and tweaked zoning. According to the current co-owner, Chuck Stevenson, the Sisters of Providence volunteered to publicly support their neighbors in the supper club effort — on one condition: “None of the girls from the college were ever to be allowed in,” Stevenson said.

Times have changed along with the place’s owners, the sisters’ goals and rules for coeds. Anyone can dine at St. Mary’s Supper Club. Sisters of Providence and faculty and students from The Woods, in fact, receive a 10 percent discount on food and non-alcoholic drinks. People need only be 21-or-over to imbibe adult beverages if they so choose.

The open-door policy is a good thing because it would be cruel to deny Woodsies — or anyone else in the area — access to the many tasty dishes on the restaurant’s eclectic menu, including (and especially) some of the best baby back ribs on the planet.

The word “roadhouse” comes to mind every time I drive over to West Terre Haute, past St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, then hang a right at the T into St. Mary’s Village. There, on the left side of the street is the funky, inherently retro St. Mary’s Supper Club. Inside and out, it looks like a semi-secret joint travelers might have happened upon in the 1930s or ‘50s or in a current movie about those eras. The only vestige of “clubbiness” remaining is in the clientele: those who are aware the place exists, those who understand that the Stevensons will customize just about any dish upon request, and those non-West Terre Haute folks who know the food is worth a drive over the Wabash River.

Now, about that food … As befits a roadhouse, which also has served as a grocery, a private home, an ice cream parlor and a pool hall in its 90-year existence, St. Mary’s is not about cutting edge or nouvelle dishes. If you are looking for baby lettuces, artisan pizzas or tuna carpaccio, you need to find one of the handful of Wabash Valley restaurants still committed to fine, contemporary or classic cuisine (check out previous Terre Haute Living restaurant reviews).

St. Mary’s menu of steaks, chops, catfish, shrimp, pastas, and German dishes such as Wiener schnitzel (or Veal Milanese, depending on which side of the Alps you prefer) mirrors that of a dozen or so longtime, independent dining spots in this part of the Valley. But the Brothers Stevenson somehow put their own spin on tradition, whether it is their thicker, spicier, meatless red sauce for spaghetti, their breaded portobello mushroom slices instead of the usual buttons, hamburger that is ground onsite from the trimmings of their handcut steaks, fried frog legs as an appetizer or entree, their deep-fried whole catfish or those aforementioned ribs.

Available as an entree only on Fridays and Saturdays, the baby backs are first seared on a grill, then slow-steamed in beer vapor, then slathered with Sweet Baby Ray’s, a commercial barbecue sauce so good, it makes concocting one from scratch almost silly. The ribs are so tender and juicy, they practically fall off the bone when you look at them. A half-slab (with a generous side, salad or soup) is $15.99, a full slab is $20.99. All but the most ferocious appetite will not only be satisfied by a half-slab, there should be leftovers to enjoy another day.

Side dishes offer something for just about any palate: among them are mixed salad (especially good with Bernie’s homemade honey mustard or blue cheese dressings), baked or twice-baked potatoes, fries, rice pilaf, German-style cabbage, tangy sauerkraut slaw (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it; it makes a great salsa for fish), German potato salad, green beans, onion rings, spaghetti, hush puppies, a cup of soup, homemade potato chips, etc. You get the idea. Featured daily soups are made from scratch — cheesy broccoli, a cheeseburger chowder, cream of wild asparagus in the summer — as is a hearty French onion that is usually available with the Stevensons’ homemade croutons and a small avalanche of parmesan cheese.

Both Bernie and Chuck are Army veterans, who traveled widely and learned to cook and eat well as they moved about. Bernie has worked most of his life in food service in several spots, including the nearby college. Chuck spent a few years living with a family in Germany who ran a gasthaus and planted the seeds for many of the menu items and Deutsche Donnerstag — German Thursday — each week at St. Mary’s Supper Club. (Gotta love those kraut ball appetizers.)

While Bernie does most of the cooking and Chuck hosts and tends bar, the two brothers constantly noodle around with new and old dishes. Chuck’s personal preference for putting grilled Italian sausage on top of, not in, spaghetti sauce is the way it’s served at the supper club. A relative’s special dry rub makes a huge, succulent pork steak like nothing most of us have ever associated with that usually humble dish.

“We try to cater to as many people and their wishes as possible, but we basically want to do what we want to do,” said Chuck. “We like to serve stuff we like to eat.”

Boy, do the Brothers Stevenson try to cater to their customers’ wishes. While they no longer offer blackened, Lousiana-style catfish on the menu, if a diner wants it and doesn’t mind a little wait, they will pull out the elaborate stops to prepare it. Same with a labor intensive, half-roasted chicken that was popular awhile back but “a real pain” to prep ahead of time.

“If somebody wants it, they can call us a couple of hours before they come in and we can do the chicken,” Chuck said.

Comfort, consistency and customization seem to be the Stevensons’ three Cs. In addition to happily adjusting almost every entree, appetizer or side to suit a diner, the brothers pride themselves on knowing their audience. If a regular comes in and orders a strip steak, the server need only tell Bernie who it’s for; he has memorized how well done it should be and what accoutrement the customer likes. This level of familiarity extends to the full bar and small-but-sufficient wine list.

“Five people might order Manhattans, but you’ve got five different drinks because each person’s idea of the perfect Manhattan is different,” Chuck said. “It’s like going to a barber, I guess. Once somebody knows how to cut your hair, you want to go back there because you don’t have to explain it everytime.”

The Stevensons also offer family-style fare for groups of eight or more, which can include homemade lasagna, chicken and fried veal, or chicken and meatloaf, or roast chicken and baby backs with salad, several sides, bread and coffee or tea.

Chuck admits “people don’t tend to come here for dessert — they’re usually too full to even think about it,” but for those who do, there are a handful of sweets such as ice cream, German chocolate cake or carrot cake. However, if a tummy pocket is still available, the only real choice for dessert is Bernie’s apple crisp ($3.49). “It’s ridiculously easy to make,” Chuck said, “but there is just something about it. People love it. Some people come out here just for that and coffee.”

Chuck and Bernie’s mantra is fairly simple, whether it’s a special wine or an unlisted salmon preparation. Said Chuck, “If you want it and ask for it, if we can do it, we will.”

St. Mary’s Supper Club and Catering is at 3700 N. Arms Place, about 1.5 miles west of U.S. 150 in St. Mary-of-the-Woods Village. See the restaurant’s Web site at www.smsupperclub.com or call (812) 535-3277 for directions or to make reservations. Supper is served from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday in the winter and until about 10 p.m. in the summer. All major credit cards are accepted. If the banquet room is not booked, diners may eat and smoke there, but the two main rooms, including the bar are smoke-free.
Generous appetizers average about $5.99, but a combo seafood sampler that includes deep fried oysters is $13.99. Entrees range from $11.99 (grilled chicken breast) to a 24-ounce sirloin steak for $22.99. All dinners come with soup or salad and a side. Several entrees, such as full slabs of baby backs or the sirloin steak can be prepared for two ($29.99 and $31.99, respectively) and are accompanied by soup or salad and two sides per person. German Thursday entrees range from $13.99 to $18.99, and family-style dinners from $12.99 (children under 12 for $5.99) to $14.99.
St. Mary’s Supper Club has a full bar — a double martini is $4 — offers three imported and domestic beers on tap, several bottled beers (about $2.75), wine by the glass ($2.80 to $4) and bottles of wine, all $20 or less. If you are a red wine drinker, you might need to specify if you prefer it room temp.

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