It will be the end of an era.
Rosebud on Taylor, the legendary Italian restaurant that was once a “red sauce” destination for glamor, glamor and the mob since opening in 1976, is set to become a special event space in the new year.
The iconic Rosebud flagship store, which spawned nine Rosebud restaurants over the next 50 years, including one in Florida, will close to the public/walk-in dining starting Sunday. We will reopen the next day for special event bookings only.
“After New Year’s Eve, we will re-concept this location and make it the place for special occasions,” said Rosebud founder Alex Dana.
Its current name is Rosebud: The Speakeasy, and it caters to parties of 10 to 250 people.
“It’s going to be a ‘Joe sent me’ kind of place,” Dana said. “This place has been around too long to actually close.”
And what kind of history is surrounding the old table on Taylor Street at Laughlin Street? There, since 2011, there has been a prestigious road sign marking the “Alex Dana Way.”
Alex Dana stands outside Rosebud on Taylor restaurant on Taylor Street after being awarded an honorary road sign in 2011.
Rosebud was originally called bocciola della rose (“rosebud”). It quickly became a destination for everyone from Frank’s Sinatra to Oprah’s Winfrey to Prime Ministers.
Dana has many epic tablecloth stories to tell.
“Those days were really fun,” exclaimed Dana. “It wasn’t unusual for me to come out of the kitchen and take a look.” [U.S. Sen.] Ted Kennedy at the bar. [newspaper baron] Rupert Murdoch or sports legends Digger Phelps, Sparky Anderson and Tommy Lasorda talk about it.
“We approached a late-night dinner with Frank Sinatra and his staff, when Frank had taken off his jacket and tie and was wearing just a shirt, eating meatballs and green peppers in red sauce. Ta.”
Alex Dana stands in front of a painting of Frank Sinatra inside Rosebud on Taylor in 2001.
Diners often headed to Bulls or Blackhawks games on the Near West Side or to famous music spots like the Cotton Club on Michigan Avenue in the South Loop. It closed in 2008.
“Robert De Niro was there to eat with his wife, Tookie Smith, on his way to the Cotton Club. So was Alex Trebek, who was also on his way to the Cotton Club. France. ‘s top chef Jacques Pépin brought in the legendary Julia Child, and they all came for the red sauce.
Other actors also came and told their own epic stories.
“One night, actors George Hamilton and Danny Aiello and Chicago native Robert Conrad claimed to be tougher guys than each other… until Archie Bunker.” [actor Carroll O’Connor] A chime came in from another table and he was a much tougher guy considering his upbringing! ” Danna said.
The filming location wasn’t far from Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Studios at Carpenter and Randolph in the West Loop, but when she started filming the show in 1990, there were a number of restaurants there. was nowhere to be found. Oprah would send her stars, staff and others to Rosebud.
“She once sent Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler who had just finished filming The First Wives Club and ended up laughing, drinking wine and eating pasta. “They were so cheerful!” Danna said.
“Oprah was there often, eating broccoli and cavatelli, which are her favorite foods. She showed me the entire show and even sent me a love letter. Wow!”
Executive Chef Francisco Rodriguez cooks Lasagna Quattro Formaggi (four-cheese lasagna) at Rosebud in 2005.
Gang members were also seated at tables surrounded by dark wood-paneled walls.
“Joey ‘The Clown’ Lombardo loved to tease people, he loved to come to court and try cases, and he was always talking to people,” Dana recalled. “That was before he went to prison,” Dana added.
Dana grew up in a restaurant family and later went on to create the star-studded restaurant Rosebud on Rush, but in the late 1990s, former Chicago first lady Maggie Daly was hired by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He laughed and talked about the time he brought him to this restaurant. It boasted an actual red carpet entrance.
He wasn’t the only one making a grand entrance.
“The actor Gene Hackman actually appeared.” [arriving] Riding horses and prams,” Dana laughed.
But the “wildest moment” was when James “The Soprano” Gandolfini came for dinner.
“He was so messy on the porch that we had to sneak him upstairs to the dining room.”
Changes in the neighborhood meant they needed to try something new, Dana said. Many of Little Italy’s traditional Italian restaurants have closed and been replaced by a variety of new establishments.
“Things have changed in this area over the past 50 years,” Dana said. “Industrial businesses that once caused huge lunchtime crowds had moved out. Little Italy had become smaller and many residents had moved to the suburbs. Business was no longer booming.”
But rest assured, Dana said the restaurant will maintain its charm, will not undergo any renovations and will continue to serve all its signature dishes.
“Our flagship store has a very long history, so we have no intention of closing it,” he said.
And all the photos of celebrities and others enjoying red sauce remain on the walls, including Frank Sinatra.
“Those were the days,” Dana said. “Oh my god!”