Gene & Georgetti Celebrates Milestone 70th Birthday
Chicago Institution Gene & Georgetti Celebrates Milestone 70th Birthday With Three “Throwback” Nights, July 14-16, 2011
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The city’s oldest steakhouse marks 70 years with entertainment, cuisine, cocktails, and prices straight out of the 1940’s
Gene & Georgetti (500 N. Franklin Street), a Chicago legend for 70 years, marks this milestone anniversary this summer with several different events and happenings, and we at MDE are so excited and PROUD to be managing all of them! (Admittedly, we are quite biased. Gene was the grandfather of MDE founder Michelle Durpetti, and the restaurant is owned and operated to this day by her family).
In addition to celebrating the 70th anniversary of the restaurant with great food and fabulous company, we wanted to capture the history and essentially the very essence of the restaurant and what has brought it through these last 70 years: our FANTASTIC customers!
Click here to catch Michelle and her father, Tony on the WGN mid day news cooking up Chicken Alla Joe, and don’t forget to catch Gene & Georgetti on The originals on the cooking channel Thursday, June 16th!
To bring the idea of capturing the oral history of the restaurant to life, Michelle and her family enlisted the immensely talented duo Steve and Ton-essa of Loudbyte Cinematography, whose passion for their art, commitment to excellence and dedication to artistic integrity are qualities that Gene and Georgetti can understand, admire and appreciate! Read more about Loudbyte and their take on shooting at G&G by clicking here … In addtion, it was our lucky day that Carasco Photography’s Cara and Scott Nava (our dear friends and fantastically talented at what they do!) happened to be available as well. So now, we had a story we wanted to tell and the most fabulous individuals to capture it on film! (In fact all of the stills featured in this blog post are courtesy of Carasco).
From a Wednesday afternoon through to Friday evening, customers, family members, suppliers, fellow restauranteurs and staff
came by to share their stories and favorite memories of Gene & Georgetti, and we cannot wait to see the finished product later this year!
In addition to the documentary, there will be three nights of throwback dinners—with partial proceeds to benefit three specially selected charities—on Thursday, July 14- Saturday, July 16. These 1940’s-themed celebrations will feature special 4-course prix-fix menus, cocktails, entertainment, décor, glamour—and prices—straight out of their opening year of 1941. That’s right, 1940’s prices in 2011, as the menu (which includes two cocktails) costs just $15.25 per person (tax and gratuity not included).
Gene & Georgetti goes back to its roots during this one-time-only extravaganza with three distinctly themed nights. On Thursday, experience a retro dinner party, complete with vintage movie posters, classic libations and décor. On Friday, hearken back to Hollywood’s golden years—the era of the movie star—with celeb impersonators and 1940’s films on the screens. Finally, on Saturday, swing to the sounds of the “Big Band Era” with legendary Sway Chicago, as they join Gene & Georgetti to wrap up the festivities.
The prix-fix menu is available each day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m, and entertainment begins
nightly at 6 p.m. Reservations are required. Please contact reservations, (Marissa Vangarderen) between the hours of 9AM – 4PM Monday thru Friday at 312-527-3718.
As an extra “thank you” to the community that has supported us for 70 years, Gene & Georgetti will donate partial proceeds from the evenings to three beneficiating charities: Common Threads, Standing Tall, and St. Vincent DePaul Center.
The menu is as follows and includes two cocktails from the list found below:
Appetizer (choice of)
Homemade Minestrone Soup
Stuffed Celery with Blue & Cream Cheese
Anchovy Canapé with pimento
Salad
Tossed Iceberg lettuce with Tomato Wedge & House Dressing
Entrée (choice of)
Broiled Striplion Steak (12oz)
Broiled Filet Mignon (8 oz)
Broiled Center Cut Pork Chop
Chicken Vesuvio
Broiled Whitefish
Mostaccioli or Spaghetti with meat sauce
Sides (choice of)
Sauteed Spinach with olive oil and garlic
Sauteed Broccoli with olive oil and garlic
Broiled Mushrooms in a butter sauce
Dessert (choice of)
Spumoni
Vanilla Ice Cream
$15.25/ person (tax and tip not included). Price of menu includes 2 drinks/person.
Cocktails (choice of)
Manhattan
Martini
Old Fashion
Rob Roy
Hiball
Beer (Budweiser)
Wine (Chianti or Chardonnay)
Stinger
B&B
Drambuie
VS Cognac
Coffee, water, or soft drink
Please, no substitutions
Gene & Georgetti is open for lunch and dinner, Monday-Saturday, and closed on Sundays, except on days of major conventions only. Hours are Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.- 11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-Midnight.
About Common Threads
Chef Art Smith founded Common Threads, a non- profit organization, in 2003 with the mission to educate children on the importance of nutrition and physical well being, and to foster an appreciation of cultural diversity through cooking. The organization impacts nearly 4,000 students and families annually across 18 sites in Chicago, two sites in Los Angeles, four sites in Miami and four sites in Washington, D.C. For more information on Common Threads, please visit www.commonthreads.org.
About Standing Tall
The Rev. John P. Smyth Standing Tall Charitable Foundation was incorporated on July 15, 2005 to provide educational and vocational training scholarships and for the issuance of monetary awards to institutions whose purposes coincide with and further the Foundation’s mission, with emphasis on assisting those most at-risk and in need.
The Standing Tall Charitable Foundation’s purpose is a continuation a mission established during the distinguished, forty-two year career of Fr. John P. Smyth, as the Executive Director of Maryville Academy, a not-for-profit Illinois child welfare agency. It has always been Fr. Smyth’s conviction that a key factor in eliminating the cycle of abuse, poverty, and neglect toward youth is through education. The name and logo were inspired by a paraphrased quote that has been associated with Fr. Smyth for many years: “No person stands so tall as the one who stoops to help a child.”
For more information on Standing Tall, please visit www.standingtallfoundation.org.
About St. Vincent de Paul Center
Since 1915, St. Vincent de Paul Center has been serving the needs of the working poor of Chicago at the corner of Halsted and Webster. Sponsored by the Daughters of Charity, St. Vincent’s provides vital programs and services in the areas of child development, social services, outreach to the homeless and services for the elderly.
As stewards of the Vincentian spirit, St. Vincent de Paul Center is committed to strengthening and empowering those most in need to reach their greatest potential. The mission is fulfilled through quality child care and early childhood education, comprehensive services to isolated seniors and outreach to the homeless.
For more information on St. Vincent de Paul Center, please visit www.svdpc.org.
to follow Gene and Georgetti on twitter, click here !
Additional photos in this blog post courtesy of Jorge Gera Photography
Gene & Georgetti Contact:
Michelle Durpetti (312) 215-7570
Media Contact:
Michelle Molise, Principal, Molise PR
(313) 549-3137 cell
