Fine dining with a casual atmosphere. A five star restaurant
The Vintage House was built in the early 1900s as a road house. The stage coach and the pony express frequently used this stop as it was conveniently located just west of the Yellow River crossing. The current bar is the original, built in 1929 by Mid-State Cabinet Shop in Marshfield. In the 1930s, the road house became a speakeasy as well as a brothel and game house.
The second floor consisted of seven bedrooms, each containing a bathtub. Patrons paid at a window at the top of the stairs before going in. During this time of prohibition, notorious gagsters Al Capone and Johnny Dillinger frequented the establishment while running moonshine up and down the Yellow River. Then in the later '30s, the first floor became a dance hall with dining upstairs.
The Yellow River Inn was opened in the early 1940s. In 1945, Slim Ward purchased the building and opened Slim's Steakhouse. In 1946, State Highway 10 was widened requiring Slim's to be jacked up and moved 50 feet back to its present location. This construction caused the restaurant to be closed for nearly a year, opening just in time for New Year's Eve. In the '60s, Slim's Steakhouse was bought by "Baumer", a retired ball player for the New York Yankees. Baumer's was sold to Shorty Bloczynksi a few years later becoming Shorty's Supper Club.
When the building was purchased by Bob & Sharon Geldernick, it was renamed the Yellow River Inn once again. Then, in 1982, Jerry and Darleen Southern purchased the property and opened Country Pines Supper Club. Country Pines served the area for 17 years before it was sold to the current owner, Ron Weis in February of 2003. Ron lived in Lodi, California for 28 years and worked as a chef in a five-star resort. He came back to his roots and brought with him a taste for great food and wine. The restaurant was renovated and renamed, "The Vintage House."
