Frank Balistrieri Milwaukee question

[tonyei31]

...(snip)...While both "have been sold" by the original owners I am pretty sure that the old owners of Pitch's, as well as the old owner of Jo Jo's Martini Lounge had ties (100% positive on Pitch's) were made men.

Pitch's was not sold. It has been and still is owned by the Picciurro family which has had it for decades and is still run by Peter Picciurro and his son Jimmy. Peter is a long-time made member of what was the MKE family. When it was still verifiably active, Peter was Consigliere.

Thanks Jerry. For some reason I thought it was out of the families hands. Solid BBQ btw. Nothing on old school Speed Queen though.

[JerryB]

Wow, had no idea. They survived their own war in the street but not that. What an irony. Thanks. The other day I was trying to think of the suburban restaurant she owned about 25-30 years ago. It was pretty good.

Sally owned a steak house in the Knickerbocker Hotel way back. A few years before she died, she was running the Savoy restaurant in the Shorecrest; basically working for Joey Bal and his brother, John. We loved that place. Vince Gallo (I thinkmaybe the last known indicted Milwaukee family member?) - became the matre d' after Sally had a falling out with Joe. [I'm sure it was only a coincidence that she died during their "disagreement," though. There were locals in the street that swore Joe had her and her daughter ran off the road].

[JerryB]

Thanks Jerry. For some reason I thought it was out of the families hands. Solid BBQ btw. Nothing on old school Speed Queen though.

We eat at Pitch's, mostly for fish fry. The BBQ ribs are over-rated and, IMHO, not that good. Potato pancakes are solid, though, and when in season, the Blue Gill is AOK. Sorry for being disagreeable. And in regard to Speed Queen, I'm too old to go to places I HAVE to carry a gat at, to feel safe.

[UTC]

Wow, had no idea. They survived their own war in the street but not that. What an irony. Thanks. The other day I was trying to think of the suburban restaurant she owned about 25-30 years ago. It was pretty good.

Sally owned a steak house in the Knickerbocker Hotel way back. A few years before she died, she was running the Savoy restaurant in the Shorecrest; basically working for Joey Bal and his brother, John. We loved that place. Vince Gallo (I thinkmaybe the last known indicted Milwaukee family member?) - became the matre d' after Sally had a falling out with Joe. [I'm sure it was only a coincidence that she died during their "disagreement," though. There were locals in the street that swore Joe had her and her daughter ran off the road].

This was in between those two gigs. It was a pretty fancy place. Great fish and chips at the Savoy I hear.

[JCB1977]

I know in the 1960s he was cheating with his wife's cousin. Not sure if she was an Alioto or a maternal cousin or if the affair continued into the 1970s given the problems it caused.

He may have contunued it,,,an FBI file I have mentioning him, Charles VInce and Joe Ferriola being in the same dormitory in federal prison in the early 1970s mentioned him having a mistress. I'm continually frustrated as there's no decent book written about Milwaukee given they were around since the early days and were even involved in the Vegas skim.

Best one I’ve read is by Gavin Schmidt.

Do you mean the mostly picture book that's 120 odd pages long? Yes, that is good but I'm looking for a traditional book that does have pictures but is more descriptive.

Yes I was disappointed as well but there is not much out there on him