Recovering from Sensory Overload: The Pitt

Last night, my family had a sensory overload that we are still recovering from. It happened here in Anderson. Even the six year old had a great time.

What caused this sensory overload? Barbeque. Wonderful, wonderful barbeque right here in Anderson. Oh, and baked beans, too. Mostly the barbeque, though.

The wife had foot surgery on the 12th and was getting cabin fever. We got her in the car and headed for 19th Street and Martin Luther King.

The boys and I had had carry out from The Pitt but we noticed the restaurant has a small dining area. The wife was not so sure about what she was getting into - she hates my surprises. The dining room is small. One large table for about six (if my memory is right), a table for four and a couple of more tables for two. What impresses me still about the dining is its minimalist neatness - it makes me think of a Japanese restaurant without all that blonde wood.

The waitress was one of the owners (her husband is another). A pleasant woman who had her hands full with our six year old. He was in a talkative mood. Drinks are Coca-Cola and Faygo products. She brought back these tall plastic glasses and these 1.75 mililiter Coke bottles. Perfectly matched for the dinners.

We had ribs, rib tips, and chicken the first time. The tips tempted me but I opted for the large Angus Beef Brisket dinner ($12.00 with small sides). That got me the two sides of baked beans and macaroni & cheese. Everyone else got a half slab of ribs but the youngest only wanted ribs and no sides. The wife had the cornbread dressing and baked beans . The other step-son got macaroni & cheese and cornbread dressing. The small sides are $1.00 each with a dinner. A half rib dinner with small sides went for $10.00. The half slab of ribs costs $8.00.

I began eating ribs when I was young. Don's Barbeque was the first place I remember having barbeque. Ribs back then. I ate barbeque at cookouts, I ate it during college, but only recently have I had beef brisket. What I have had, I did not like. Last nights' brisket was a wonderful thing - smoked and shredded and with just the right amount of moistness.

Did I mention that The Pitt has its own smoker? Well, it does.

Two things can go wrong with barbeque: the meat is too dry or the sauce is just wrong. Nothing I have had so far (tips, ribs, chicken and brisket) has been anything than just perfect. The Pitt also has pulled pork and three kinds of fish sandwich that I have not yet tried.

The Pitt's sauce was anything but wrong. Hard to describe but I think I have never tasted a sauce quite like this. It has molasses and brown sugar and enough spice not to be too hot or insipid. As much as I like Muncie's QL's, I learned about twenty-five years ago that the sauce could vary in consistency. This sauce is home made (as any good barbeque sauce has got to be - which is why no franchise barbeque chain survives very long). It is the best balanced sauce I have tasted in about forty years of eating barbeque.

An aside here, I am terrible with names and even after introducing ourselves I cannot tell you the lady's name waiting on our table. She suggested something they have new (so new it is not on the menu) - fried chicken dipped in barbeque sauce. (Those are $1.00 each).

We got some of that and began dipping. Well, I dipped. The wife struggled with her ribs and and sides. The oldest stepson ate the chicken wings without the sauce. He was gamely trying to get through his half slab and sides. Meanwhile, the six year old gleefully chewed his way through his half slab of ribs. Out of the four of us, he was the only one to finish all his meal.

About those baked beans, so unbelievably rich with the barbeque sauce. Or something like it. I think it has a less spiciness than the barbeque sauce. The wife thinks a large order of beans would just be too much.

Of the other sides, I think the macaroni & cheese is too runny but I ate all of it. So go figure that one. The wife thought the cornbread stuffing was good and I got to agree from the taste I had.

The husband came out and introduced himself. He said that he made about 35 gallons of sauce a weekend. That makes me think that the business is off to a good, steady and - hopefully - profitable start. We do not want this restaurant to close.

Who has not heard that Anderson is only a hamburger town? That there are not any good restaurants but the franchises? The Pitt shows how wrong that thinking is now. We have a barbeque restaurant that matches QL's or Pitt's Barbeque in Muncie. The only thing that Bird's in Daleville has over The Pitt is its size.

Here is hoping that Anderson gets behind The Pitt. We deserve better than just fast food chains. These are local people making great food.

Personally, I need to keep this place because it is the only restaurant that my wife, both kids and myself like!

The hours are:
Wednesday 11am - 6pm
Thursday 11am - 8pm
Friday 12pm - 12am
Saturday 12pm - 12am
Sunday 2pm 1Opm

The telephone is: 643-1309