Chicago’s Original Steakhouse
Gene & Georgetti Celebrates 75th Anniversary
with a Three-Day Anniversary Special Menu Downtown for Charity, and a Party in Rosemont
CHICAGO (June 2016) –Chicago dining legend Gene & Georgetti is celebrating 75 years as the city’s original and finest steakhouse (500 N. Franklin).
The year is 1941: The Chicago Bears are the Pro Football Champions, the Chicago Cubs are the first baseball team to play organ music during a game, and gasoline costs a mere 12 cents to a gallon. Times may have changed, but Gene & Georgetti has remained.
Spanning three generations, Gene & Georgetti continues to be family owned and operated since Gene Michelotti and his partner Alfredo “Georgetti” Federighi opened its doors in 1941. The restaurant is now run by proprietor Marion -Gene’s daughter- and her husband Tony Durpetti; along with Managing Partners Richard Ciota and Michelle Durpetti. Together with a loyal and dedicated staff, they proudly maintain the tradition that has defined Gene & Georgetti for more than seven decades.
Looking around the restaurant nestled under the El tracks, history seeps through every inch of the building: from the storied mural painted on the second floor, to the walls on the first floor lined with famous faces that have stopped by throughout the years.
While many locals, legends and modern day celebrities have known to be “regulars” at Gene & Georgetti, one notable regular was Frank Sinatra. Every time Sinatra would come to Chicago, he would call up Gene and request that his booth be reserved for him- a booth in the back left corner of the main dining room floor that had been installed at the time Gene & Georgetti opened their doors to the public. The catch? Sinatra would always request his booth for after hours dining, after the restaurant had closed for the evening.
Sinatra and Gene were close friends outside of the restaurant, too. Sinatra once surprised Gene’s wife, Ida Michelotti, with a special rendition of “Ida, Sweet as Apple Cider” for her birthday!
Gene also had a long lasting friendship with Lucille Ball which started after he refused to close down his restaurant to loyal customers, who he believed were family, in order for her to host a premiere party.
Indeed the team at Gene & Georgetti still treats each and every guest like family. In fact, two of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, the Garbage Salad and Chicken Alla Joe, were both created by customer requests. The menu also features unseasoned, wet-aged steaks, broiled to perfection until a delicious crust is formed, along with chops and classic Italian fare including Chicken Vesuvio, Veal Parmesan and more.
The 75th Anniversary Celebration
To celebrate this incredible landmark, Gene & Georgetti has curated a special 75th Anniversary Menu for Two that will be available for three days only, beginning Thursday, July 21 until Saturday, July 23.
The Gene & Georgetti 75th Anniversary Menu for Two costs $75 (for two guests, not including tax and gratuity). All proceeds from this menu will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which honored Gene & Georgetti with the inaugural Chicago Classic award for lifetime achievement at their 2015 Jean Banchet Awards.
The menu is as follows:
Select two appetizers from: Pan Seared Bacon-Wrapped Day Boat Scallops, Sundried Tomatoes, Basil and White Wine; Fried Ravioli, Classic Fried Meat Ravioli with House Made Marinara; Italian Sausage with Peppers, Sautéed Italian Sausage with Tri-Color Bell Peppers; Bacon and Blue, Hand Cut Bacon with Blue Cheese Mousse on a Cucumber Coin; Burrata, Burrata Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes with imported Olive Oil; or Flat Bread, Handcrafted Flat Bread with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables.
Choose two salads: Roast Beet & Goat Cheese, tossed with Radishes, Red Onions served on Organic Bibb Lettuce; Garbage Salad, Gene & Georgetti’s Signature Salad with Chilled Iceberg Lettuce, Salami, Mozzarella Cheese, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Black Olives, Pimento, Celery, Radish tossed in Red Wine Vinaigrette topped with a Jumbo Shrimp; Salad Alla Joe, House Created Salad with Cool Crisp Romaine Lettuce, Broccoli, Bell Peppers, Pepperoncini, Black Olives, Radishes and Tomatoes in a Gene & Georgetti House Vinaigrette; Arugula Salad, with fresh Figs, Pinenuts, tossed in a Fig Vinaigrette; or Panzanella Salad, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, Crostini, Fresh Mozzarella in a Light Vinaigrette.
For the main course, choose two entrees: Braised Short Rib, Braised fork tender Short Rib in a Red Wine Reduction with a Creamy Polenta; Mango Chilean Sea Bass, Broiled Chilean Sea Bass, sautéed Brussel Sprouts and Mango Chutney; Bucatini Carbonara, a true classic like Gene & Georgetti; Rigatoni with Squash Ragu, Perfectly Cooked Rigatoni tossed in a refreshing Squash Ragu; Eggplant Parmigiana, Signature Eggplant Parmigiana with House Made Marinara and Mozzarella Cheese; Surf and Turf, Broiled 5 oz. Filet Mignon with three Gulf of Mexico Jumbo Broiled Shrimp; Filet Brie, Bacon-wrapped Beef Medallions topped with Pecan-Crust Brie; or a Broiled Rib Eye, Broiled wet aged 16 oz. Rib Eye.
Guests will also choose two side plates that include Roasted Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Sautéed Rapini, Crab Mac and Cheese or Asparagus and will end on a sweet note with either a Chocolate Crunch Praline, Key Lime Tart, Spumoni or Tiramisu.
Reservations are highly recommended as space is limited.
To make your reservations please give us a call, a reservation specialist is available Monday thru Friday from 9am to 4pm.
For our Chicago location, please call 312-527-3718 or click here
For our Rosemont location, please call 847-653-3300 or click here
Gene & Georgetti Rosemont Celebrates First Anniversary
Gene & Georgetti also marks its first-ever expansion in Rosemont, which opened in Summer 2015 along with its adjacent private events and wedding venue, The Estate by Gene & Georgetti. Gene & Georgetti Rosemont and The Estate by Gene & Georgetti will host a private party to honor both Chicago and Rosemont milestones on Sunday, October 16 from 6 – 9 p.m.
###
About Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease affecting 30,000 children and adults in the United States. The respiratory system and the digestive tract are both compromised by CF, making involuntary activities like breathing and eating extraordinarily difficult for these patients on a daily basis. Today, for the first time in the history of the disease, there are therapies in the Foundation’s drug development pipeline that address the underlying cause of CF and hold the promise of significantly improving quality of life and life expectancy. In the 2015 State of the Union, The President announced the launching of a new Precision Medicine Initiative citing the progress that has been made in curing cystic fibrosis as the leading example. This would bring us closer to curing many diseases and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has been a trailblazer for this new initiative.
The CF Foundation is the world’s leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis, and nearly every CF-specific drug available today was made possible with our financial support. We are a donor-funded, 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is fully accredited by the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance program.
The mission of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is to cure cystic fibrosis and to provide all people with the disease the opportunity to lead full, productive lives by funding research and drug development, promoting individualized treatment, and ensuring access to high-quality, specialized care.
