Photo via Facebook / Pitch's
It’s 5 o’clock and the regulars are filing in. Taking their self-assigned seats in the back dining room as the servers greet them by their first names. Nuns bringing their family in for a nice meal and daughters escorting their father’s back in time to a place reminiscent of their heyday. Pitch’s Lounge and Restaurant, nestled right off Brady Street on Humboldt Avenue, is straight out of the ‘70s and one of the many quintessential Wisconsin supper clubs in Milwaukee.
Pitch’s is a time capsule idling in the thicket of what has become young people territory in the city. It’s an area my father would flock to as a youth in the ‘60s and ‘70s, drinking beer with his pastor at the church offices. Every day of the week has its own special at Pitch’s. On Monday’s it’s $10 off their menu price for their 8 oz. steer filet ($16.95 instead of $26.95). Which included their Sicilian steak—a Pitch’s tradition since 1942—a steer filet coated in Panko Italian breadcrumbs and broiled golden, creating the effect of a chicken parmesan, but with steak. Creative, tender, delicious—cooked medium rare proper. It melts in your mouth with a satisfying crunch from the Panko.
Healthy Portions Cooked Right
Their dishes come with healthy portions of sides, including but not limited to, a potato slash starch, a salad, soup and coleslaw. I went for the baked potato, but they are known for their hash browns cooked in a cast iron skillet. But Pitch’s real specialty are their ribs (junior order, 6 bones, for $23.95, or a full order, 12 bones, for $26.95), doused in their house made barbecue sauce with presumably Ms. Picciurro—the matron of the family business—herself on the face of the bottle.
The ribs are cooked to pull right off the bone where the precut slits between each rib seems unnecessary. They offer an entree combo: a smaller 5 oz. Sicilian steak and a junior rack of ribs, offering the best of both worlds ($26.95). But we were feeling gluttonous and ordered the full order of both for ample sharing. And gluttonous it was, I could barely finish half of my full rack and 6 of the 8 ounces of my dad’s Sicilian steak were left for a steak and egg breakfast the following morning. But the substantial leftovers should be no reflection of our appreciation of the meal. We ate slowly to preserve every bite, filling ourselves just right.
The calamari ($10.95) we ordered as our appetizer was a bit lackluster, although fried perfectly, it lacked much flavor. They could have gone a bit heavier on the Lowry’s they dashed. However, the marinara used for both the calamari dunking and side pasta topper was sweet and deep red, a nice balance to the heavier red meat and fried flavors on our plates.
Our cosmopolitans—citrus martinis with lime juice, triple sec and cranberry juice coloring it a bright fuchsia—were shaken by the same guy who has been shaking drinks behind the bar for as long as my mother can remember. The bright drinks offered a pleasant palate cleanser between each item.
Even post-pandemic, Pitch’s loyal customer base are back for their reliably delicious, quintessentially Wisconsin meals. It’s an environment Boomers grew up in—it is what anyone younger relishes in for authenticity and antiquity. Check out Pitch’s other daily deals here.
Pitch’s Lounge and Restaurant 1801 N. Humboldt Ave. 414-272-9313 Sunday-Thursday 5-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday 5-10 p.m. Bar opens 4 p.m. daily Dine in and take out available pitchsribs.com
