Caleb Westphal hasn’t missed a Friday fish fry since 2013. Follow his never-ending adventures HERE. This week: fish fry #629, at Ann’s Italian Restaurant in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.
Ann’s Italian Restaurant (5969 S. 108th Pl.; 414-425-5040) was already abuzz when we arrived at 5:02 p.m., two minutes after they opened. A line trailed from the reception desk, the dining rooms were beginning to fill up, and to-go boxes of pizza were flying out the door. Granted, the back bar, Enoteca, opened an hour before the restaurant did, so some of the folks that were already seated likely had gotten their names in and a few glasses of wine down long before we’d entered the building.
But “reservation” might be the operative word here. The restaurant’s website says “please call ahead for reservations,” and almost everyone who was in line was seated immediately, after telling the host that they had them. I had neglected to make any, instead aiming to arrive at exactly at 5. But by the time I got to the front of the line, I was informed it was going to be a 15 or 20 minute wait. It was manageable for us with our little one in tow, but if we would have arrived five minutes later, we could have run into trouble. By that point people without reservations were being told it was an hour wait, and when someone called on the phone, they were told the next opening was at 7.
The history of the building that Ann’s calls home is well documented by the Hales Corners Historical Society and succinctly stated on a sign in front of the building. Built circa 1920, it first was the home of Frank and Sarah Acker and their seven children, before becoming Cap’s Restaurant and Gloria Lynn’s Beauty Salon. John and Helen Meyerling opened Ann’s Pizza House in the building in 1969, naming it after their daughter. Jeff Dietz managed the restaurant, and in 1983 partnered with Tom Kysely; they changed the name to Ann’s Italian Restaurant and expanded the menu. General manager Justin Giersch has also been with the restaurant for over 35 years, and was the person behind the desk when we arrived.
It’s not difficult to visualize the Acker family walking about in the cozy front rooms of the erstwhile home, but the back dining room—which we were seated in in 15 minutes—is no less inviting. Indeed, the whole restaurant exudes coziness, warmth, and charm. Soft and warm lighting and gentle music reinforce the mood. Ann’s may not be fine dining, but it’s not far from it, with the ambiance being a big part of this.
What makes a Friday fish fry? Certainly it at least needs fried fish. Does it need rye bread and coleslaw? How about a potato? By some measures the Friday fish fry at Ann’s is a classic one, while at the same time it stretches the limits of what is expected in one. First, the fish. On Fridays they offer pan-fried walleye pike ($22.99), while deep-fried and breaded cod fillets ($18.99) are available every day of the week. Each comes with a garden salad, garlic bread, and a choice of french fries or a double baked potato. I went with the daily driver fish and the double baked potato.
The salad and garlic bread came out first, stand-ins for what usually would be coleslaw and rye bread. The salad was predictable, yet not disappointing, with an assortment of fresh greens topped with shredded carrots, with a few grape tomatoes on the side. The garlic bread, promoted as “our famous garlic bread,” had an austere, sesame seed-coated exterior that belied its buttery, garlicky, and soft interior. We were pleased that a second basket could be brought out upon request.
By the time we finished the salad and bread, our daughter was getting fussy, so I took her out of her highchair and to the one area with space to dance, the bar. There we found seven barstools, five small tables with chairs, and The Abominable Snow Monster of the North. We walked up to it, unafraid, and it growled at us. My daughter reached out her hand in peace. After a bit of bouncing and dancing around the bar, we looked back into the dining room and saw that the fish fry had arrived.
Without potato pancakes on the menu, and with french fries overwhelming the menus of America, it felt natural to go for the double baked potato. With a fluted top formed from piping potato back into the shell, it was designed to catch the eye. The top had a light, whipped texture, and there were traces of cheese and parsley. The packet of sour cream that came along was unneeded until I got towards the bottom and the whipped softness ran out and I hit the peel.
There were three pieces of cod. Its breading was thin and light, and was generally soft, but with hints of crispness. There wasn’t much flavor in the breading or the fish, but the fish was first-rate nonetheless, being meaty and fresh. The tartar was light, with sweet relish dominating its flavor, and the tartar took charge of the flavor of the fish when they met.
What does Ann’s do for Friday fish frys? For one, it provides a way to tuck away your fish fry freak flag at family gatherings and other times where you are requested to eat at a restaurant that borders on fine dining on Fridays. Everyone else can feign sophistication by dressing up and ordering veal parmigiana or white wine linguine, while you can still get your fried cod. For another, it provides the opportunity to have a Friday fish fry with an Italian twist. Out are the slaw and rye, and in are the garden salad and garlic bread. The fried cod remains—and it’s not bad either. But if you are going to go for it, just make sure to get there by 5:02 or to make a reservation.
Takeaways: Cozy and charming environment; back bar with animatronic Abominable Snow Monster of the North; out are the slaw and rye, and in are garden salad and garlic bread; deep-fried cod or pan-fried walleye; cod is meaty with a light breading; take-charge tartar; fancy-pants potato; their pizza looks promising and has been acclaimed for decades; make a reservation or get there before 5:02.
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