The Immigrant Restaurant at The American Club

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Forbes Four-Star Table in the Heart of Wisconsin

The Immigrant Restaurant sits inside The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin — a setting that Forbes Travel Guide singles out as a rarity among its Four-Star honorees, noting that the rustic charm of the Wisconsin countryside lends the dining room a romantic quality seldom found at this level of recognition. That contrast — serious fine dining anchored in a genuinely unhurried Midwestern landscape — is precisely what makes the restaurant worth the drive from anywhere.

Chef Thomas Hauck and the Art of the Table

The kitchen is led by Chef Thomas Hauck, whose five-course tasting menu is, in Forbes's own assessment, "a shining hallmark of his culinary talents." Optional wine pairings accompany the menu, and an expanded chef's pick prix fixe offering is in development — a sign that Hauck's ambitions at the table continue to grow. His approach is rooted in personal relationships: he has cultivated direct ties with small artisanal cheesemakers on nearby farms, resulting in a cheese selection of more than 40 varieties. For serious cheese lovers, that alone merits a reservation.

Rare Spirits, Uncommon Depth

The bar program at The Immigrant Restaurant carries the same commitment to the exceptional. The scotch and cognac selections are among the most exclusive in the region. One particular bottle stands apart: a François Voyer "Très Vieux" cognac from 1936, one of only 221 produced — and one of which has found a permanent home here. A Rémy Martin King Louis XIII cognac is also among the notable pours. These are not decorative bottles; they are available to guests who know to ask.

Why It Belongs on Any Fine Dining Itinerary

The Immigrant Restaurant earns its place among America's finest dining rooms not through spectacle but through precision and provenance — a chef who knows his cheesemakers by name, a cellar holding bottles that predate the Second World War, and a level of hospitality that Forbes has recognized at the Four-Star level. For anyone planning a weekend in the Kohler area, this is the table that anchors the trip.