Chicago Mob 360

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Where Do Mob Nicknames Come From?

From family members, childhood friends, business associates, newspaper reporters, or the police. Not every mobster has a nickname, and some have more than one. Chicago boss Anthony Accardo, for example, was known to his colleagues as "Joe Batters." He got the name from Al Capone after he dealt out a pair of savage beatings with a baseball bat: "This kid is a real joe batters," Scarface said. But the press called Accardo "Big Tuna," after seeing a photograph of him on a sport-fishing expedition.


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"Joey the Clown" Lombardo earned his nickname from the press, thanks to his fondness for zany public behavior and cheesy jokes. At the conclusion of one of his trials, Lombardo attempted to elude newspaper photographers by converting a newspaper into a makeshift mask with eye-holes and racing out of the courtroom. At a subsequent trial, Lombardo explained to reporters that a piece of his jewelry was made from "canarly stone": "You 'canarly' see it," he said.

Mobsters may not like the nicknames they get from reporters and cops. Tony "The Ant" Spilotro (whose murder almost 20 years ago plays a major role in the recent indictments in Chicago) got his from FBI agent Bill Roemer, who had tried to spread the longer and less polite nickname "Pissant" to his buddies in the press. New Yorker Carmine "Junior" Persico was given the unflattering name "The Snake" by a police officer. Persico hated it, especially after "The Snake" caught on among some fellow criminals.

Mobsters sometimes use nicknames with each other to avoid easy identification by the feds. The mob boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante (whose nickname was short for "Vincenzo") insisted that his name never be spoken aloud. His wiseguys were told instead to rub their fingers across their chin or, at one point, to refer to him as their "Aunt Julia." Meanwhile, the press dubbed Gigante "The Oddfather" after he began posing as a schizophrenic in the late 1960s.

Former head of the Gambino crime family John Gotti took pride in the fact that he had no nickname among his peers—everyone knew who you meant if you said "John." Members of the press called him the "Dapper Don," the "Teflon Don," and, following his conviction in 1992, the "Velcro Don."
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Rosebud Restaurants...The Place to Eat.



In 1973, 26 year-old Chicago native Alex Dana purchased an existing luncheonette in Chicago's Loop. Although business at the "store" was good, Dana wasn't satisfied. Actually, Dana had a different vision for the location: a full service restaurant. A "joint" that operated from early morning until late at night, a place that offered great food and lots of it, excellent service from friendly people and warm hospitality beginning at the front door. Being raised in a family of restaurant owners it came as no surprise that a new Chicago legend was in the making.
In 1977 two new opportunities knocked at Dana's door almost simultaneously. Buyers hungry for the success of his loop location made an offer "even he couldn't refuse", which corresponded with the opportunity for Alex to purchase a run-down building, an Italian Men's' Supper Club, in a what-would-become prime location in Chicago's Little Italy where the Rosebud Café was born! Originally called Bocciola della Rosa (bud of the rose), after Sicily's native flower, the name was translated into English after it was discovered that patrons had a difficult time pronouncing the Italian. Signature dishes, such as Chicken Vesuvio and Pappardelle (square noodles) were introduced. Rosebud became a favorite of celebrities from Robert DeNiro and Tony Bennett to Frank Sinatra, not to mention Carol Burnett, Robert Redford and Jimmy Buffett. Naturally, a gallery of autographed photos was quickly created (and continues to grow) for all to see.

In 1992 expansion was on Dana's mind. He took an aging (but beautiful) building located in the old Rush Street entertainment neighborhood, one block from the trendy Michigan Avenue shops and opened the Rosebud on Rush, which became an instant hit with Chicagoans and visiting celebrities alike.

Following the growing (and glowing) success of Rosebud on Rush, in 1995 Alex then opened Carmine's Clamhouse just up the street five blocks on Rush Street. This was the first departure from the use of the name Rosebud for a Dana restaurant. Offering two levels of dining, a busy bar, live entertainment and the outdoor café in Chicago for people watching, Carmine's became an instant celebrity in its own right.

Not one to rest on his laurels (and remembering that you're only as good as the last bowl of pasta sold), Dana opened his first suburban location, the Rosebud of Naperville (located fifty miles southwest of the city) and the Rosebud Theater District, located in Chicago's financial/theater center. Both locations continue the traditions of great service and memorable food begun years earlier by Dana.

After a three year hiatus, his creative juices began to flow again and in 2000 Alex opened his second suburban outpost, the Rosebud of Highland Park, in a tiny suburb just 22 miles north of the city. With an emphasis on family and value AND great food, the Rosebud regulars stayed Rosebud regulars, this time on their own suburban turf. 2000 also saw the birth of a new concept for Dana - Rosebud Steakhouse (A RARE STEAKHOUSE, WELL DONE). And the magic continued, this time with tuxedoed waiters, a 28-ounce Chicago-Cut bone-in filet and voted "The Best Burger" in town by Chicago Tribune readers.

A few years later, Dana decided to try something different combining a high end Italian restaurant with a fun loving lounge and nightspot. In May of 2005 he opened Ballo, located in Chicago's busting River North. Dana transformed the former 50's style diner into a sleek and sophisticated dining spot with a lounge like feel offering something for everyone from morning till night.

Currently, Dana is in the process of opening two new restaurants. Rosebud will proudly open it's doors in Schaumburg serving Old World Italian classics and a Steakhouse called Rosebud Prime will open at One South Dearborn, a premiere loop destination.

Rosebud Steakhouse
192 East walton Street
Chicago,Ill
773-325-9700

Rosebud on Rush
720 N Rush
Chicago,Ill
312-266-6444
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Another Who's the Boss Story..........


Seems like another comic book story, Believe me there is no disaray in the family, as news always projects, just another story by another "Dummy"......


Who will be the new Tony Soprano of the Chicago mob?

With so many mob leaders on trial or dead, the Chicago Outfit is in disarray, law enforcement sources say.

It could be the "Pizza Man" acting as caretaker.


Or "No Nose" could still be pulling the strings, some Outfit watchers believe.
The "Pizza Man" is Al Tornabene, the 84-year-old former owner of a suburban pizza parlor. He has kept an extremely low profile for a reputed mob leader and has never been arrested by the FBI. Recently, his name has come up in conversations the FBI secretly recorded in prison between reputed top Chicago mob boss James "Little Jimmy" Marcello and his younger brother, Michael Marcello.


Low profile
Tornabene has been seen eating in Rush Street restaurants with another top reputed mobster, Anthony "Little Tony" Zizzo, who was last seen leaving his Westmont home in August last year and hasn't been heard from since. Zizzo was responsible for overseeing one of the Outfit's most lucrative enterprises, the illegal video poker machines in bars throughout Chicago.
Tornabene has long been a mob leader, authorities say. In 1983, for instance, he presided over a ceremony at which several mobsters were inducted into full membership rights of the Outfit, court records show. Among the men who were made were Zizzo, reputed mob hit man Frank Calabrese Sr. and his brother, Nick Calabrese, who has admitted in a plea agreement with the feds that he killed at least 14 people for the Chicago Outfit. He is cooperating with the FBI.

"No Nose" is the much better known John DiFronzo, who is in his late 70s and has long been reputed to be a respected elder of the Chicago Outfit. DiFronzo is known for his business acumen and wide range of investments, including car dealerships. Some mob watchers think DiFronzo has long been rivals with James Marcello and is not overly upset over his arrest.
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You Know You Are From Chicago If....


1. The "living room" was called the "front room."
2. You don't pronounce the "s" at the end of Illinois. You become irate at people who do.
3. You measure distance in minutes (especially "from the city"). And you swear everything is pretty much 1/2 hour away.
4. You have no problem spelling or pronouncing "Des Plaines."
5. You go to visit friends or family down south and laugh when they complain about the traffic.
6. You understand that no person from Chicago can be a Cub fan AND a White Sox fan.
7. It's "kitty corner" not "katty corner".
8. You know the difference between"The Loop"and "Downtown."
9. You eat your pizza in squares, not triangles, and you never refer to it as "pie"
10. You own celery salt.
11. You understand that the primary is the official local election.
12. You know what a garache-key is!
13. Stores don't have sacks, they have bags.
14. You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?" or "Can I go with?"
15. Your idea of a great tenderloin is when the meat is twice as big as the bun, "everything" is on it and a slice of dill pickle is on the side.
16. You carry jumper cables in your car.
17. You drink "pop."
18. You understand that I-290, I-90, I-94, and I-294 are all different roads.
19. You know the names of the interstates: Stevenson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Dan Ryan, and the Eden's.
20. But you call the interstates "expressways."
21. You refer to anything South of I-80 as "Southern or Central Illinois."
22. You refer to Lake Michigan as "The Lake."
23. You refer to Chicago as "The City."
24. "The Super Bowl" refers to one specific game in January, 1986.
25. You have two favorite football teams: The Bears, and anyone who beats the Packers.
26. You buy "The Trib" and not the Tribune.
27. You know that despite being on the lake, there is no such place as the Waterfront.
28. You think 45 degrees is great weather to wash your car.
29. You picnic or ride your bike in the "fore st preserve."
30. You cried when Bozo was canceled on WGN.
31. You know what goes on a Chicago-style hot dog.
32. You know what Chicago Style Pizza REALLY is.
33. You know why they call Chicago "The Windy City."
34. You understand what "lake-effect" means.
35. You know the difference between Amtrak and Metra, and know at which station they end up.
37. You have ridden the "L."
38. You think your next-door neighbor is a cousin to Tony Soprano.
39. You can distinguish between the following area codes: 847, 630, 773, 708, 312, & 815.
40. You have at some time in your life used your furniture or a friend's body to guard your parking spot in winter.
41. You respond to the question "Where are you from?" with a "side." Example: "West Side," "South Side" or "North Side."
42. You know the phone number for Empire Carpet!