Tony Starlight’s Supperclub/Lounge

It’s OK. The food is overpriced and the beef is too salty. Service was meh. Show was up and down and sometimes there moments of stupid. Lots of older people in the audience. If you like old rat pack music you will like it. Oh and Neil Diamond. Bleh.

Fantastic…
Holly holy!

Tony’s Supperclub has closed and he has opened a new venue, the Tony Starlight Showroom at 1125 SE Madison St. Not as cosy as it was, but more of a big-​show atmosphere. He’s added a great sound system and much better lighting.
I went to opening night and it was a blast, and I’m looking forward to the James Bond themed shows later in October. Initially, I wasn’t thrilled with the food or drink offerings at the showroom, but he’s currently doing major upgrades to the kitchen so I’m betting it’s going to become a great dinner spot.

Check out the NEW LOCATION closer to Downtown on 11^th and Madison. More parking, larger venue, even better show, order tickets online. Good times!

Let’s just set the expectations about this place CORRECLY, shall we? Allow me to do a mini-​PSA to prevent fans of jazz and good food from paying inordinate prices for bar food and karaōke-​style entertainment.
It’s arts and crafts glitter. The bling is home made. There is no chrome, there’s aluminum foil and cardboard. OK?
Let’s bring the hype WAY down because Portland’s got MUCH better offerings that offer REAL jazz and REAL cuisine without losing customers to this confetti café.
«SUPPER CLUB»
It is… not one.
«Supper club» suggests a fine eatery. The name is misleading. This is where Portlanders (casually, sloppily dressed if they’re conservative; dressed in assorted thriftshop bric-​à-​brac if they’re from town) come to pretend they’re in the Mad Men show and/​or sing showtunes.
Which is fine! Just call it «Tony Balony’s Confetti Café» and it will be aptly named.
* Mac and cheese, garlic fries, and beer are the main sellers here. They try to do steaks, but… let’s just move on…
* The owner crafted a personality based on HIS TV perception of the old crooners and made a place that lets theater students and the uninformed gargle his… yeah.
* This is NOT like Vegas. Not Vegas now, or Vegas then. I’m from Vegas. There is nothing Vegas about it. The «sing for your supper» night? No. Expect to be price-​gouged for your hamburger and crap service from the people who wear misguided MadMen costumes. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that)
* AS A RESTAURANT… it barely deserves the distinction. It’s more like a café with bad lighting, and one bathroom. One small bathroom.
*******
* AS A VENUE…
This is where Portland’s zany, wacky, offbeat theater students like to come. And some of them are mildly entertaining. In a bad karaōke way.
On SPECIAL NIGHTS;
* If you like Liza Minelli impersonators with mustaches who want to do their best imitation of Carol Channing under bad lighting while waiting for 2 hours for an expensive well drink… this is the place to go!
******
Avoid if you’re wanting a classy experience, and thank God for Unilocal for putting balance back into the game!
****

We went here for our wedding anniversary and had a wonderful time. Actor/​comedian/​singer/​owner Tony Starlight seems like a very cool, genuine guy. Besides that, he’s extremely talented. The show we went to were old students of Barbara Ayers each singing standards and oldies. The passion the students had for performing and the support they showed each other was inspiring. Best of all, they were good singers! The place feels like a throwback to the 60s and 70s when jazz music, formal dress, a hearty meal and a cold martini were all the rage. It’s the complete opposite of the crowded, loud, classless clubs with horrible music that populate big cities today. NYC and SF still have a couple supper clubs and it’s great Portland has one as well. Pick highly recommend dressing for the nines and experiencing something increasingly rare in the world today: good music by passionate performers in a classy establishment.

There really is no other club like this in Portland. Tony Starlight has taken a bold step by putting his name on a restaurant and also performing as an entertainer. Tony cares about his patrons, his staff and his entertainers. I once attended a customer appreciation party held by Tony where he treated about 50 of his regular customers to free food and alcohol for over 4 hours!
While I admit to having once done publicity work for Tony a few years ago, I also admire Tony greatly. He is a man of integrity who is trying to give Portland a taste of days gone by while adding a contemporary flair.
There has been a change in staffing at Tony Starlight’s so some of the issues mentioned below have probably been resolved.
Go there, enjoy yourself, clap for the band, attend one of the costume parties, breathe deeply and relax.

Super fun night — we went because of the Living Social deal. It was really worth it for the entertainment. I’ll say the food was REALLY overpriced for what you get, but I hope (I really really do) that the overcharge for food, as well as the cover, goes to the quality music that we went to see. It was fun, and an enjoyable evening nonetheless. It didn’t hurt that a ‘glass’ of wine was probably 12 ounces worth — you know, like having a pint of beer? Now imagine that’s wine. THAT was the best deal — but really, go for the entertainment, in an old-​school supper club — it’s really worth it.

I love Tony Starlight’s!!! What a different night out on the town this is. Tony is the ultimate performer. You can just see how much he enjoys each and every show he puts on along with the band. We have seen the Christmas show and just saw the Dean Martin show. Great entertainment. I know other’s have complained about the food but we have not had a bad meal the 2 times we have been there. (I recommend the Stroganoff) It’s a bit pricey for dinner, drinks and a show, but it is special night out when you get to dress up and well worth it a few times a year. Cocktails are wonderful. The only drawback is I wish the venue was big enough for a dance floor so I could practice my foxtrot!

I love this place. It’s not everyday you get to:
— Go to a restaurant and feel like you «know» its namesake
— See a show and feel like the performer cares that you’re there
— Dine in a friggin’ jazz-​era supper club
— See a man as passionate about his job as Tony Starlight
Like I said, it’s not every day you get to do all this in one place; that’s because Tony’s is only open Wednesdays through Fridays.
The ambience is superb, the drinks are tasty and strong, the food is delish (I can’t recommend the Hemburger enough), the clientele is classy, and the show is SO unique and entertaining.
And Tony Starlight himself!!! Where did this man even come from? Where do his vocal impersonations end? How does he do a show four times a week? How does he not have his own cable access show? How is he not up there with VooDoo Doughnuts as a Portland icon? (And that’s not to say a doughnut with Fruit Loops has anything on Tony.) He’s an amazing performer, both as a musician and a comedian. I think he may be hardest working man in Portland.
In short – how have you not seen him yet?
In long (is that a phrase?), I’ve been to many of his shows, competed with friends in his Sing for Your Supperclub (a super fun event and super clever idea, btw) and… well, yeah. I really love this place.
So the food is a bit spendy (zomg! A burger for $ 12! Lamb for $ 24!). But if you’re going to go to the trouble of putting on a suit and a tie/​cocktail dress, taking your lady/​man out for a live Fitzgerald or Sinatra tribute, experiencing what a 13-​piece orchestra sounds like in an intimate setting, downing a few sidecars, and gobbling down a pork chop – get over yourself and pay what it’s worth.

I love this place! Tony is the consummate host, and his staff are equally warm and accomodating. I seem to get Kelly as my server every time I go, and she is wonderful. I swear she runs the whole show. And she seems to have the ability to be everywhere at once. She always provides quick friendly service and makes us feel right at home. I love that this place hearkens back to the old days of lounge lizards and stiff drinks. It’s the perfect spot to relax with friends over cocktails and dinner and listen to some great music.

I decided to check this place out for Valentine’s Day this year with my wife. The overall experience was pretty good and I will come back especially because I enjoy the music and entertainment so much.
My assessment of the menu may differ from the regular options because of the Valentine’s Day specific menu.
The four cheese fondue was the appetizer that we started with. It wasn’t all that I would have hoped for with a $ 12 price tag. Cold vegetables (carrots, red peppers, snap peas and broccoli) along with a bread.
My wife had the salmon with wild rice that was a very quality dish however my porkchops and fingerling potatoes could have been much better.
Again, the show/​entertainment factor was great. If you have not been here you should definitely check it out.

Tons of fun. It’s not about the food. It’s all about the entertainment. Tony did a variety show on his own when we went imitating all different artists and genres. The lyrics were really funny but our guests were a bit hard of hearing so it wasn’t as fun for them. I would stay basic for food. Most of us had burgers which were fine but I wouldn’t spend for a steak here I think I would be disappointed for the price. We will go again with other guests.

I am a huge fan of both the restaurant and the performer.
\I was here on opening night and I’ve been back over 30 times since. The food is great (I LOVE the Cajun catfish with red beans and rice), the drinks are tasty and well poured and the entertainment is always top notch. From all of the shows Tony puts on to the sing for your supper big band, the Shanghai Woolies, The Stolen Sweets and on and on. You just can’t go wrong with a night out at Tony’s.
Highly recommended.

The Pranksters big band played there Saturday night and we decided to go hear them and have dinner at the last minute. It was great. We sat in the bar area and could see the band just fine. You can see the band from pretty much everywhere in the place except at the very back. The band was really good. Claudia Knauer sang and she was also very good. She sang a lot of Ella Fitzgerald but in her own style.
We had the Jambalya for dinner and it was really good.
All in all, very happy with our last minute decision to go there and will do it again.

This is a smashing lounge to enjoy a stellar old-​school drink and listen to live music; full of swank and patrons who remember the days when you *dressed* for supper. The downside is, the «Supper» part of this supper club is dismal and antiquated. For $$ there should be something fresh and locally grown offered. There are far too many good, resonably priced restaurants in Portland that do not reheat stored menu items.
Bottom line:
So much potential but the menu is full of confused over thought dishes that need at least four ingredients culled from each presentation, the menu needs a revamp and the head chef needs to think on his/​her sins.

What a fun evening out! Tony Starlight’s feels like how I would imagine the old days of Vegas and is a great venue for live music and dinner.
We just recently attended the 3 Leg Torso concert here and had a great dinner, drinks and dessert. I had the ROSEMARY CLOONEY which is a flank steak served with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed veggies and topped with blue cheese sauce. It was very good and we had a piece of chocolate cheesecake for dessert which was also good.

One of my fellow Yeepers had a birthday one time & this was the spot for the birthday. It’s nestled in the Hollywood district and definitely feels like a throwback to what it’d be like to be alive in the Rat Pack Era. Small, intimate, romantic — yeah, it’s got all those.
We enjoyed the show that night — it was a throwback to the Rat Pack era and Tony Starlight made it hilarious an enjoyably fun time. Especially the highlighting the anniversary’s and birthday’s as well. Everyone enjoyed their part and that was awesome.
This would totes be four stars if not for one very glaring fact: Service is molasses. So so so so slow. IE we ordered some drinks & garlic fries. The fries came out before the beer. WHAT. I repeat — the fries came out before the beers. WHAT. Those fries were delicious and tasty but they came out. Before. The BEER. WHAT.
It was consistently slow. We didn’t wait less than 20 minutes for a draft beer. The waitress was very apologetic that the bartender was slammed that night — but I gotta say, you for the most part must make reservations. So the club should know about how many peeps should be there. And they were just NOT prepared. And reading past reviews, this isn’t so uncommon. Add another bartender guys, add just ONE MORE.
So, basically, the experience is fun BUT they need to step up the service aspect. Then it’d be four stars at the least.

We attended a Neil Diamond tribute in the Spring and the entire evening was fabulous. The service was very attentative, immedately as we entered and throughout drinks and dinner. Tony is a natural showman!
We then returned for the Christmas show this past weekend. Most of us concurred that his female co-​entertainer was okay, but the 12 Days of Christmas routine needs to be severley shortened, maybe even cut. It got to be painfully long: a number of people began making trips to the bathroom and I believe one couple actually left. Tony’s ode to military personnel was endearing.
The food is about what you would expect from such a venue, the garlic fries were quite tasty. Maybe a signature dish or two would get more people talking about the fare and not just the entertainment.

Romantic — Hello! Down to the candlelight EVEN in the bathrooms. Place has this nice reddish-​candley glow on all the tables. The ambience was very comfortable and intimate.
I was concerned that I would be on top of the performers on stage, as in, watching them play. I said romantic, not scandalous. Getting back, I had read that it was hard to see the stage as it’s so close. I’m not seeing that as a problem at all.
The tables were perfectly arranged and there was an aisle that the wait staff could walk down to get to all the tables.
And those folks did a great job of that as well. When I first walked in I was in a panic because I was late and had made reservations. The hostess was wonderful and funny and basically told me to relax, and that my friends were waiting for us at the table. I never had to look for someone to order that glass of chardonnay or have our waters refilled. I thought they took very good care of us.
The décor is old Hollywood tongue-​in-​cheek funny and charming. I noticed some posters inside one of the bathrooms that show Tony Starlight in them with the likes of Dean Martin. And another with young Frank himself.
Also read in previous reviews, that some people felt like they were at a place with «old» people. well Blue Cranes were there last night. Enough said.