After a stint as Kegonsa Shore Supper Club, Halverson's is back.

Although Stoughton's best-known old restaurant still bears the name of the family that opened it in 1927, it is no longer owned by a Halverson.

"Everyone knows it as Halverson's, so we didn't want to change the name," said Brian Johnson, who owns the restaurant with Larry and Stan Midtbo, the father and son who owned the now-defunct Luther's, also in Stoughton. They opened the doors of Halverson's in May.

You'll still find the charmingly dowdy atmosphere that includes a copper cheese vat as part of the seating arrangement, and the basic supper club menu with abundant salad bar, all remain the same.

But the new owners wisely realized that the Stoughton area, unlike much of the rest of the world, is not a place where things like goat cheese or artichoke pizza would be well received. They stick with the familiar, and do it well.

We requested one of the few tables with a view of Lake Kegonsa. However, since the restaurant is across the street from the lake and much of the water is hidden by foliage, you should bring your binoculars. But since the only aquatic entertainment during our visit was a jet skier buzzing in circles like an irksome hornet, and a few fish jumping after they passed, we didn't mind the minimalist view.

We started with the salad bar, which didn't venture far from familiar terrain but contained excellent versions of everything: crisp, fresh cole slaw, tart cold beets and a nice variety of salad fixings. Instead of the iceberg lettuce that we were served here in the past, there were moist, freshly picked greens. The fresh spinach was matched with a vat of savory hot bacon dressing (it wasn't labeled, but do try to find it), and other dressings that were all worthy of the beautiful greens, especially the blue cheese.

Midway through the salads we received a fairly big loaf of fresh white bread with a soft, warm interior and dark golden crust coated with a delicious blend of garlic and herbs.

From the surprise-free menu, we tried the Canadian baby walleye pike, $11, which was billed as "a longtime Halverson favorite." It was easy to see why. The boneless filets had been coated in a feather-weight cornmeal breading and then gently pan-fried. The fish was cooked perfectly and flaked when cut with a fork. On the side was a whopping portion of dark golden hash browns that had been drained carefully.

We also tried an 8-ounce top sirloin, $12, ordered medium well. It was charcoal-grilled Midwest black angus beef. It arrived a bit darker than we would have preferred, but it was juicy and flavorful enough to make amends.

All around us diners were diving into sumptuous-looking desserts, but a long wait for our entrees had meant that we delved a little too far into the salad bar and bread to take advantage of them. Despite the service delays, the latest incarnation of Halverson's should lake a lot of people in the Stoughton area happy.

By Chris Martell, Wisconsin State Journal