- An old store in Learned that happens to serve steaks.
One of the greatest joys in my life is attending our monthly supper club. We rotate homes, and the host couple always delivers. From formal dinner parties with elegantly set dining room tables to casual backyard barbeques, the food never disappoints. Dietary restrictions? There’s no place for that at supper club. Either you eat what’s served or you don’t. And believe me, everyone eats.
Sometimes we deviate from dining in each other’s homes and go out to eat. Good food is a given, but our outings require having a memorable experience — like the “Plenty” dinners that take place just a few times each spring and fall in a beautiful outdoor setting at the Little Blue Stem flower farm outside Carthage. Or taking a trek to Gibbes Steakhouse in Learned, which we made just last week.
We loaded up two cars, one for the ladies, one for the men, each with a designated driver – paid for their services with dinner. We took off from Madison late Friday afternoon, just in time to hit rush-hour traffic in the pouring rain. South on I-55, west on 220 to Highway 18 towards Raymond. Winding country roads in the middle of nowhere finally led to our destination – H.D. Gibbes & Sons, a short 45-minute drive from my home in Madison. This is not a place you happen upon. You have to want to go there.
Gibbes is located in Learned, a small, incorporated hamlet about eight miles outside of Raymond. The town has fewer than 100 people. There was once a railroad that ran through the town, and H.D. Gibbes & Sons, built in the late 1800s, was the center of commerce for the area. Open six days a week, it has always been a place to get supplies and snacks, including gas, chips, soft drinks, and cold beer. At some point the store began serving hamburgers and sandwiches for lunch.
The railroad eventually left, but the store remained. It has been run continuously by member of the Gibbes family since it opened. Chip Gibbes, and his wife, Susan, operate the store, along with Chip’s mother, Mary Bell Gibbes. Chip and Susan’s two sons, Henry and Kirk, represent the fifth generation Gibbes family.
The store is positioned on the corner, across from a quaint old church. It looks like a movie set, but with cars and pickup trucks parked up and down the street.
In 2009 Gibbes started offering steaks, lamb chops, and seafood, along with homemade potato and vegetable casseroles and other sides. Dinner is served on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Word spread, and the steakhouse has become a destination for folks from around the state. Some come in tour buses and limousines. But none have reservations. It’s first come, first served at the communal tables. Well-worn rocking chairs dot the old wooden front porch.
Put your name on the list, grab a cold beer and relax. You’re going to have to wait, so be patient. If you’re with a group, enjoy that time to visit with one another – and be sure to take a group photo on the front steps. Or introduce yourself to others waiting to go inside. You may just end up sitting next to them at dinner.
We called the restaurant when we were on our way and asked to put our name put on the list, so we didn’t have to wait very long for our table. Once inside, we were transported back in time. It’s like nothing had changed in the old store for the past century. We walked through the big screen doors, past the Coca-Cola case to our table. There were ten of us, so we had a table to ourselves.
There are cold beers and soft drinks in a cooler in the back. It’s a serve-yourself situation where you save your bottle caps and present them at the check-out when you leave to be charged for your drinks. The honor system is alive and well there. Live music filled the room, along with laughter and greetings as folks said hello to friends both old and new. There was a happy energy in the place, and a feeling that this was someplace special.
There was nothing fancy about the tables. While it is a steakhouse with premium prices, there are no white tablecloths or sparkling crystal wine glasses. Instead, plastic cups were passed out to those of us who brought our own wine, which is encouraged. Rolls of paper towels were spaced down the middle of the long table, and silverware was placed on our paper placemats (which I was happy to see, as I had read online comments that they used plastic forks and knives).
The menu features steaks, pork chops, lamb chops and seafood, ranging in price from a $49 rack of New Zealand lamb or a 16-oz. ribeye to $26 for sauteed Gulf shrimp. Each entrée comes with two sides. The most popular side at the restaurant, according to our waitress, is the potato casserole. I can testify that it was delicious.
What may surprise some people is that the food is served on paper plates. There is nothing pretentious about Gibbes. Their focus is on good food, prepared well – meant to be enjoyed in a comfortable atmosphere.
Save room for dessert, or order one to take home. Pound cake with fresh strawberries, buttermilk pie, bread pudding and funeral brownies are all made locally.
When it’s time to leave, get in line at the check-out counter. It’s cash or check only, so be sure you hit the ATM on the way. And if you drank a beer (or more), be sure to turn in your beer caps because it’s not on the house.
Gibbes is nothing but an old store that happens to serve steaks. And it provided a fun evening out for our supper club that we will talk about for a long time to come.
