Where does "The Outfit" eat?

I have friends that will soon be visiting from Europe. They are into all things Chicago. Especially sports and crime.
It sounds cliched but there it is. Dinners at Jordan's, Ditka's and Harry Caray's. Trips to Cubs and Sox games. A visit to the UC
to see the Jordan statue and so on. Then a visit to Cicero to see Capone's house, a trip to the VD massacre site. And one more thing.
They want to eat somewhere where there might be mobsters present. I'm tempted to tell them that they hang out in Andersonville at Anteprima. Now, I could write and ask John Kass but I thought I'd ask y'all first. Thoughts?

They do realize Al Capone is long dead... right? I remember living in Holland about 25 years ago, and would always be asked things along the line of, "Isn't Chicago dangerous? Al Capone?" and I'd reply back and say something along the lines of "Isn't Holland dangerous with Hitler's occupation?"

LOL!! If you warn Marty at Anteprima in advance, I'm sure he'd come up with a good story for them

Perhaps I wasn't clear. These are friends. I don't plan to insult them, I want to help them enjoy their stay here in our great city. To that end I need replies that are actually helpful.

hoppy2468 wrote:Perhaps I wasn't clear. These are friends. I don't plan to insult them, I want to help them enjoy their stay here in our great city. To that end I need replies that are actually helpful.

Wow. No need to be nasty. I was merely following your line of thinking.

hoppy2468 wrote:Perhaps I wasn't clear. These are friends. I don't plan to insult them, I want to help them enjoy their stay here in our great city. To that end I need replies that are actually helpful.

If you want to help them enjoy their stay, don't take them to a place where they can ogle at people who might be criminals.

The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company is across the street from the Valentine's Day Massacre garage.

CHICAGO PIZZA AND OVEN GRINDER COMPANY
2121 NORTH CLARK STREET
CHICAGO, IL 60614
773-248-2570

Wow. No need to be nasty. I was merely following your line of thinking.

No. No. No. Not refering to you but to the poster above you. Thought your reply was helpful.

My apology to you.

La Scarola? I think Kass wrote about this place once.

I don't think they want to ogle, more along the lines of speculate...or is that kinda the same?

Dinner at White Castle around 66th and Halsted
and an evening stroll through Englewood
would probably offer a little glimpse
of the modern day Gangsta.

You want places where mobsters used to hang out? I bet there are several posters here who can help.
You want places where mobsters currently to hang out? That's gonna be harder. I've had some very minimal contact with that social circle and in my humble opinion they look like anyone else and tend to try not to get noticed in a bad way. The real guys (at least the ones I've very briefly crossed paths with) don't look like characters from Godfellas and their more likely to hang out at the corner bar in their neighborhood than any flashy dinner club.

Not my favorite restaurant, but Gene and Georgetti has a reputation as a Mob hangout (No idea if they still do). Afterwards I'd take them to the Green Mill for drinks and music.


Gene & Georgetti
500 N Franklin St Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 527-3718
http://www.geneandgeorgetti.com/


Green Mill
4802 N Broadway St Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 878-5552
http://greenmilljazz.com/

While the whole idea is odd, perhaps what is romanticized by your guests is a certain mid-century Rat-Pack ambiance, rather than actual Capone era history? What about Sabatino's for its charm along these lines? The last time I was there, Sinatra was playing. I love the flaming tableside dishes - there can't be too many of those in Europe anymore. Prices are reasonable and food is very good. It's nice to have a piano in the bar and valet parking.

Based on absolutely nothing but the atmosphere I'd suggest maybe GNR Sabatino's.

Sabatino's Restaurant and Lounge
4441 W. Irving Park Rd.
Chicago, Illinois
http://www.sabatinoschicago.com/

edit: Sorry Josephine, I just noticed that you suggested Sab's a few minutes before me

fropones wrote:Based on absolutely nothing but the atmosphere I'd suggest maybe GNR Sabatino's.

Beat me to the punch.

Asian gangsters may be found at Seven Treasures in Chinatown, between the hours of 1 and 4am.

7 Treasures
2312 S Wentworth

hoppy2468 wrote:I have friends that will soon be visiting from Europe. They are into all things Chicago. Especially sports and crime.
It sounds cliched but there it is. Dinners at Jordan's, Ditka's and Harry Caray's. Trips to Cubs and Sox games. A visit to the UC
to see the Jordan statue and so on. Then a visit to Cicero to see Capone's house, a trip to the VD massacre site. And one more thing.
They want to eat somewhere where there might be mobsters present. I'm tempted to tell them that they hang out in Andersonville at Anteprima. Now, I could write and ask John Kass but I thought I'd ask y'all first. Thoughts?

Carmine's (1043 N Rush) probably looks like what your friends think the kind of place where Certain People eat looks like. There aren't likely to be any of them there, which means your friends can point to various patrons they think look suspicious & then whisper to each other - a thing that real you-know-whos would perhaps be annoyed by.

And a big +1 on the Green Mill, it's got the history (read up before you take them there), the continuous operation since Back In The Day, and good live music.

Capone's in Lombard may cover some of what you are looking for and the owners are related to the criminal. Pic's and stories are there, as is typical Italian food, pizza and bar too. You can take a Metra train from downtown Chi and walk a block. In the summer that area has a busy Sat evening car night and music, oldies and live sometimes Worth an early evening trip. Lilacia park is right there as well. You may enjoy this mellow trip and tickets for metra weekends are cheap!

Thanks for the help! A lot of great ideas!

Carmine's sounds perfect. Ideally, I think they want to see someone who looks like
Tony Soprano in a Members Only jacket.

If I had unlimited funds, I'd buy someplace out for an hour, hire some actors and stage a "hit".

Vernon Park Tap/aka Tuffanos.
Also- Caputo's Deli in da middle of da day/lunch time
15th Avenue just North of North Avenue.

Sabatino's looks the part, and I'll recommend that more than - just sayin' - Wildfire in Oak Brook and Caputo's Cheese Market in Melrose.

Edit for simulpost by Hombre - Tufano's is also genius. Take them by the Neapolitan club on the corner on your way to the Shrine of our Lady of Pompeii (for atmosphere, not gonnections).

I agree with Sabatino's. I have heard some rather amusing conversations at Bella Notte on Chicago Ave. I eat there a couple times a month and the convos at the bar do not disappoint. (there are three tables in front by the bar you could reserve) My husband actually enjoys retelling some of the convos we've heard there. Plus, it's got that cheezy early 90's feeling, only because they haven't changed their decor and trying to be something their not, like Club Lucky. True guys from the neighborhood go in there, and I happen to like the food. I think the mussels are the best in town, good red sauce, bread and grill items.

Bella Notte
1374 W Grand Ave Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 733-5136

hoppy2468 wrote:Ideally, I think they want to see someone who looks like
Tony Soprano in a Members Only jacket.

Go to Cicero.

No. No. No. Not refering to you but to the poster above you. Thought your reply was helpful.

Sorry about that... wasn't intending to be mean, unhelpful, etc. Just wanted to make sure that their expectations are in line with the current state of organized crime and their dining patterns in the area. I was/am surprised when foreigners still seem to think that the likes of Al Capone, in zoot suits with tommy guns, are current Chicago. Clearly, "Tony Soprano in a Members Only jacket." is more in line with what they may encounter today.

"The Outfit" doesn't exist.

A couple of "outside the box" suggestions:

You could get carryout from any one of a number of Harlem Avenue Italian delis and eat it in the parking lot of the Staples store at 1850 N. Harlem. This address was the location of Horwath's, a long ago demolished restaurant that catered to "alleged" mob types---Chuckie English met his demise in that same parking lot after enjoying a roast pig dinner.

or

You could get a boatload of goodies from New York Bagel & Bialy on Touhy and travel east to the parking lot of the long shuttered "Purple Hotel" formerly Hyatt, a site which will live in infamy due to the "capping" of Allen Dorfman in 1983.

These are part tongue-in-cheek / part serious suggestions. When visiting other cities, I try to go off the beaten path to find non-touristy things to do.

Da Beef wrote:"The Outfit" doesn't exist.

Mine does. It has a matching vest and jacket.

Da Beef wrote:"The Outfit" doesn't exist.

Who's being naive now?

Since you'll be in Cicero, wasn't Klas supposed to be some sort of favorite of Capone's or something? No Outfit-type characters there these days that I've seen, though.

Binko wrote:Since you'll be in Cicero, wasn't Klas supposed to be some sort of favorite of Capone's or something? No Outfit-type characters there these days that I've seen, though.

From their Facebook page:

"Klas is a family operated restaurant that is a museum of Czech culture and a delight of world service and atmosphere. Opened in 1922 KLAS is the oldest, largest Czechoslovak restaurant in the US, and the coolest one, too! Famous Al Capone used to hang out here... And the house is haunted! Come CZECH it out!"

http://www.facebook.com/groups/klasrestaurant/

Check their hours/days of operation before you go - Facebook page says Friday thru Sunday and website says Wednesday thru Sunday. They do have Capone memorabilia behind glass in the lobby.

http://www.klasrestaurant.com
Klas Restaurant
5734 W. Cermak Road
Cicero, IL 60804
708-652-0795

abe_froeman wrote:

Da Beef wrote:"The Outfit" doesn't exist.

Who's being naive now?

Marrone, Michael, good line.

You'd be surprised at how many people outside Chicago (and maybe inside too) want to do things of this sort. I used to think they were just simpletons living in the past, but there's still a demand, amazingly, from foreigners in particular. It IS a part of Chicago's history.

If this were the old days (when The Outfit REALLY didn't exist), I would have mentioned the now-shuttered Sicily Restaurant on Harlem just south of Diversey, where I had numerous sightings back in the '70's/'80's. Of course, I was going there for their stellar calamari sauce over linguine. But if we're talking prototypical Italian 'joints' where goombahs of that ilk might have thought of dining there if they were hungry and didn't want to be seen, I would pick either the above-mentioned Gene & Georgetti, or Abruzzo's in Melrose Park.

Besides the food being pretty good, both have that look, if that 'look' exists, of course.

Abruzzo’s Italian Restaurant & Lounge
1509 W. Division Street
Melrose Park, IL 60160
(708)343-2255

http://www.abruzzos.net

This post irks me for a couple reasons. 1) "Outfit watching" is not a tourist attraction. 2) It's a highly unglamorous, very real thing that still negatively effects many, many families in this city.

THat being said, my advice is to just go to any neighborhood Italian joint/Cappuccino Shop/Deli along Harlem Ave, pull up a seat and order something. When your friends eventually point to a group of slick olive-skinned men and ask "what about them....are those guys in the Outfit?" Just reply "Why yes, they are" then continue your meal. Whats the difference if they are or aren't? THat's how ambiguous "the outfit" is. They could be a foot soldier or a licensed plumber and your friends wont know the difference. Just make sure they're Italian...and prefereably in a black velour tracksuit.