The menu at The Grounds is as vibrant as it is intentional. Crowd favorites, as pictured, include the Mini Donuts, Protein Bowl with Salmon, New York Strip Steak, Chicken Wings, Thai Egg Rolls, Lobo Pizza and Pavlova. Photos: Chris Emeott
Panoramic views and elevated American fare await visitors at a venue mere minutes from the St. Croix.
Tucked in the rolling hills of Somerset, Wisconsin, The Grounds Restaurant at St. Croix National Golf & Event Center is waiting to be discovered. Featuring an expansive patio, a from-scratch menu and activities for the whole family, The Grounds has become a destination all its own—golf optional.
The full-service restaurant is the passion project of owner and CEO Kristine Botelho, who has curated the atmosphere and menu around her values and taste. “I’ve traveled a lot. I’ve eaten at a lot of great restaurants, and I just want to bring that experience to everyone,” Botelho says.
The Protein Bowl topped with wild-caught salmon from Norway.
The Grounds opened in 2023, following a $7 million renovation by Shea Design and Zemen Construction, the team behind Baldamar in Roseville, The Lodge at Interlaken Country Club in Edina, and Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis. Along with the 9,000-square-foot multiuse clubhouse (that includes a pro shop and world-class indoor golf simulators), the renovations included a $1 million open-air patio and a Viking longhouse-inspired event center.
Inside the restaurant, vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows create a spacious feeling. Special attention was paid to the lighting and finishes to ensure guests can settle in and feel at home. “The restaurant [is] going to probably outperform, at one time, the golf, which is surprising,” Botelho says. “It’s very exciting, actually.”
The Menu
When Botelho purchased St. Croix National Golf & Event Center in 2009, the legacy golf course had few amenities. “Before this build was done, [we had] hot dogs, brats, hamburgers—and that’s it,” Botelho says. While the menu post-remodel still features handhelds popular with the golf crowd, including award-winning burgers, a walleye sandwich and all-new egg rolls, it has been expanded and elevated to appeal to a broader clientele with handcrafted brick oven pizzas and standout entrees like the Shrimp Scampi and select cuts of certified Angus beef, cut on-site by chef Marin Aquila.
The decision to launch The Grounds was as personal for Botelho as it was professional. “I have to eat this food every day, my team does,” she says. As such, the restaurant’s elevated American fare is made with intention—in ingredient selection and sourcing, preparation and presentation.
To get the best possible certified Angus beef, fresh seafood, artisan cheese and crowd-favorite sweet potato fries, the restaurant works with five different food vendors—and these ingredients are prepared with an attention to detail. The steak-topping demi-glaze takes more than 20 hours to prepare. The fries are made with beef tallow; it’s twice the cost but worth it for a healthier and tastier result, Botelho shares. “I’m very passionate about [the menu]. You’ll find me, a lot of times, walking through the restaurant talking to people, seeing how they feel about everything,” she says.
The signature Bloody Mary is made with St. George Green Chile Vodka and a house bloody mix, served with a beer chaser.
The Grounds isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel but to offer the best possible version of familiar dishes and craft cocktails. “It’s taking the recipes of what they truly should be and then giving them just a little bit of a boost,” Botelho says.
The Setting
St. Croix National is known for its stunning location and topography, as it’s located on the site of the former Snowcrest Ski Hill. The 19-hole golf course, designed by Joel Goldstrand in 1996, spans nearly 7,000 acres with panoramic views of the Valley—and visitors to The Grounds can enjoy those views from the 100-seat patio, which overlooks the 18th and 19th holes and features a combination of outdoor seating and lounging spaces.
The expansive new patio seats 100 and looks out at the 18th and 19th holes, and the putting course.
“What’s really amazing is how many people are bringing their dogs out, how many people are bringing their kids. The patio wraps around to the putting course, so the kids are running around. I’ve got bag toss, and the parents can relax,” Botelho says.
Botelho is supported in business by her adult children, Nick Botelho and Lauren Irvine, and the focus on family extends to employees and visitors to St. Croix National alike. She speaks fondly of regulars who bring their out-of-town friends to dine, a neighborhood posse of kids who bike over in the evenings with their parents to enjoy the putting course and couples who settle in for a glass of wine on the patio.
The putting course is a popular activity for families visiting The Grounds, as it adjoins the restaurant’s extensive patio.
Guests of The Grounds are invited to explore the perimeter of the course and take in the views. “You can grab a cocktail, and you can walk around this hill, and it’s absolutely breathtaking … you’re not going to get hit by a golfer. You’re not going to infringe on their play,” Botelho says.
The Grounds is open for lunch and dinner daily, with brunch on Sundays. “The most rewarding part has got to be building this business that’s showcasing how beautiful the St. Croix Valley is,” Botelho says. “It is a magical land. Every time I [come here], I just kind of stop, and I go, ‘Wow, this is really beautiful.’”
Kristine Botelho worked with Shea Design and Zemen Construction to create the 9,000-square-foot multiuse clubhouse.
The Grounds Restaurant
Facebook: The Grounds Restaurant at St. Croix National Golf
