Here's when John Kass tried to infiltrate the Old Neighborhood Club. Must have been a slow new day. Only of marginal interest.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-...i-tapes-cannoli

The other social clubs in Bridgeport are the ones of interest, not the ONIAC. The smaller ones.

Yeah those are the ones I'm curious about. Any you can name?

I remember the old peek-a-boo lounge when Spina owned it. Does he still have ownership in the Aberdeen tap? I really like Aberdeen Tap, food is really good and it's dog friendly. I didn't know they had a piece of Burger Baron. I only eat there when im in a hurry. I work over at Coalfire Pizza which is at the corner of ogden and grand. I've been to the pool hall that the Cozzo's own. A guy i used to work with played against one of the Cozzo's in pool and said he was a loud mouth asshole.
The Grand/May social club shut down a few years ago. I used to pass it all the time on my way to Bari for a Italian sub, best in the city.
Bobby Abbinanti used to own the my way lounge but it only last a few years before shutting down.

Vinnie's Sub Shop has way, waaaaay better subs than Bari. Bari is obviously better for groceries though.

I'm going to have to give Vinnie's another try. I thought there sandwich was a little sweeter then Bari's. Both places are really good. The chocolate shop across from Bari used to be rose's sandwich shop were Dick Cain was clipped.
Oggi's has really good food at Grand and Noble.
My friend is the owner and head chef of Piccolo Songo at Grand and Halsted. He is a relative of Ross Prio.

Yeah piccolo sogno is in the old Como Inn space.

You definitely have to try Vinnies again. Softer bread, shaved meats (not misshapen like Bari), everything's fresher, and some of the best soup in the city. Barb & Joe are the best.

Oggi is good. So is Mart Anthony's. So is Salerno's. Little Italy North is still a great area. Just have my doubts as to whether or not it'll even be there in twenty years. Pretty sad how the city gas let that area go to shit several times over, while Taylor St gets the royal treatment. Bunch of buffoons running this town.

I've been wanting to try Mort Anthonys. I've heard it's really good. I've been working in the Grand and Ogden area since 1993 and living there for the last 2 years. I've always been a big fan of that neighborhood. It has been changing over the last few years. Look at how division st. has changed in the last 20 years. It used to be boarded up store fronts and now it has fancy restaraunts and bars up and down the street. They are in the process of doing the same on Chicago Ave.
I love the Chili at vinne's. D'mato's has really good pizza bread.
Sorry for getting off topic with the food references.
I know Bella Nolte has mob ownership along with Salernos.
It's been well documented about Richards being mob owned and a hangout. It's kinda funny because when you go into Richards they have Goodfellas and Casino posters on the wall along with a New York mob chart. Not the kind of things you would expect to see in a mob hangout. The drinks are cheap and you do have a lot of characters drinking in there. My girlfriend and I will go there sometimes if we are waiting for a table at Piccolo Songo. I still need to try LaScarola which was a favorites of Lombardo.

Bari's switched it's bread, at least that is what I heard. They used to get the bread from D'Amato's but they got in a fight or something so now they get their bread from somewhere else, or make it themselves, and D'Amatao's now sells it's own subs.

Vinnies get their bread from damatos delivered fresh periodically throughout the day.

Eh, that might be why it's so good. I thought the Bari's subs were better with the D'Amato's bread.

Nice that Piccolo opened there.

Maybe with a few new businesses like that it could hold on to its Italian heritage a bit, even with most the Italians gone, residentially speaking.

When/if they run out, she closes. Phil C is in there all the time. One of their clubhouses is behind the "law offices" on the northeast corner of grand & Racine. Always forget about that one. Literally across the street from the Cozzo fortress. That is their triangle right there.

It's been awhile since I had a Bari sub and I saw that d'amato's is selling there own subs and i wondered if that would be in conflict with Bari since Bari used there bread. Oh well, it's still a good sub.
The Cozzo Compound always stands out over there. They have a in-ground pool which is rare for Chicago.
The Spina's own a lot of property along Grand and Hubbard St.
My buddy who I work for used to work with Tom and Ron Covello. They were part of Lombardo's crew and did some time back in the 80's.
Even with all the yuppies moving into the west loop and Division/Chicago ave along Ashland I think Grand and Ogden will still have a strong Italian presence. There seems to be more bars opening in the neighborhood.
The building that used to be II Jacks is some sports bar called "output" or something like that. I've been in there a few times and it seems like a shady place. I know Jackie Cerone jr. used to own the place before but I'm not sure if he has a piece of the place now.

OThe Cerones have nothing to do with Output. The place is a front though. Total dump & They like it that way.

Coalfire is good Napoletano style pizza.

I have some serious doubts about that neighborhood though. I just see it becoming like division: bunch of generic yuppie sports bars & overpriced Mexican food, etc. Places like Clutch (which isn't bad, but you catch my drift). Im talking 30 years from now though.

Also, anyone know anything about the Stefani family & the Outfit? Always found it curious that they have offices located in the Patch.

Didn't realize there was a social club across from the Cozzo compound. It's theirs I assume? Who are the Stefanis?

Phil Stefani is the restaurateur who is partners with Andriacchi, Alex Dana, Marty Gutilla and others in a few different Rush Street hotspots like Tavern on Rush. Stefani is merely an associate or "hanger on" who looks like a giant walrus and likes to talk tough. He is mostly legit and has been very successful.

Alex Dana is the Rosebud guy.

Stefani is one of the Tavern guys.

Sure Stefani and Dana are affiliated?

I've never heard that before.

stefanigroup & rosebud restaurants have always been connected, whether or not they'd like to admit to it.

Phil Stefani always seemed to me like a nice, soft spoken guy. His wife & kids are extremely friendly as well. Excellent business man for sure.

So youre saying Phil is partnered with Joey The Builder? Because it's pretty well known that Al Dana is just a puppet, and the Andriacchi family are (allegedly) the real owners of Rosebud group. Do They own Stefanis as well? I always knew Dana was a wannabe lackey, but always figured Phil was a real deal entrepreneur who just got help from wise guys when he was starting out.

Clutch closed down last week and the owners of Aberdeen Tap are taking it over. I was talking to my boss at work and before he opened Coalfire at the spot it is in now they were going to buy the building that the Aberdeen Tap is in. Chris Spina owns the building and he had my boss over to his house and he said Spina's house is huge. Especially in the Grand and Ogden area which typically doesn't have big houses. He said Spina wanted $800,000 for the building. My boss passed on it but he stills see Chris Spina around the neighborhood a lot.
I've heard stories about Stefani especially since he owns places along Rush St. which has long been mob territory.
I always thought something shady is going on at "Output". Spina and Cozzo own a ton of property in the old neighborhood.

Aberdeen is taking over Clutch? Hmm interesting. Didn't realize Spina still lived in the area. Figured he did his business here...and lived in the burbs.

From what my boss told me the owners of Aberdeen tap are going to put another restaraunt in Clutch's location but the Aberdeen Tap will still remain open.
My boss went to Spina's house and he said it was somewhere near Grand and Carpenter st or maybe it was Green St. He said it was the biggest house in the entire neighborhood. Seems like a lot of the guys from the Grand Ave crew like Lombardo, Cozzo and Spina all stayed in the neighborhood.

Yeah Spina's house is absolutely massive, and right in the middle of the action.

I believe at one point DiPiazza's real estate development company owned the Tavern on Rush building as well. Bear Down....

^^^ Kass wrote an article about how the realty company and the other owners had conspired to throw Stefani out.

It's all in the article, who was behind the realty company. Some loosely connected goombahs, apparently.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-...-mr-real-estate


I believe Tominello is still alive, isn't he?

Guys - they just featured Coalfire on "Check, Please!" on channel 11. Looks like a pretty good pizzeria. I guess they get their salsicce from Bari and other meats from Publican.


BTW - Love the segment on White Fence Farm... lots of childhood memories there.

http://checkplease.wttw.com/blog/week-s-episode-macku-coalfire-white-fence-farm

Heh white fence farm. Wow. Going way back.

Coalfire is excellent & Publican Quality Meats is as well.

You'se guys are all wrong. Volare is The best Italian in The City next to Gaetano's in Forest Park.

I live a block from Coalfire and have yet to check it out. Gonna have to soon. I'll ask for you Geek lol.

Really cool footage from back in the day from Chuck Goudie. Especially interesting is Goudie talking about Gattuso, Campise, and Spilotro being "marked men on the street". Little did he know...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct7CmtKPR8w