Calabrese Book - Family Secrets

Just finished reading the book by Frank Calabrese, Jr., "Operation Family Secrets". A very detailed view into the life of the Calabrese Family, and why Frank Jr. decided to flip on his father and the Outfit. I recall names mentioned as well as some of the places and businesses as I grew up "on the neighborhood."

I recommend it to anyone who likes to read about the Outfit!

Ha... Grand Avenue or Bridgeport?!

That was a good one. Did you read Jeff Coen's book "Family Secrets?"

That's a classic IMO.

See ya at Bella Luna.

Grand Avenue! I did read Jeff Coen's book. Liked this one better, maybe it was the personal story. Frank Sr. was a prick!

Nice. I hang out there all the time.

Yeah Calabrese Sr. was a prck. When Judge Zagel was sentencing all the other mobsters he went out of his way to point out each one's redeeming quality but he called Calabrese Sr. a "toxic creature."

That was a good book. That kid was put in a bad position in life. I don't blame him at all for what he did.

Oh come on, let's be honest here. Junior was a cokehead scumbag that loved the life, and stole ridiculous amounts of money from his father

last i heard they sold the rights to this story and a script is being written for a movie

That's correct, junior is said to have pretty heavy control over the production, so hopefully it will be great. Hope they can pin down that Chicago attitude & lifestyle, particularly bridgeport. Casino sure as hell didn't

Yeah it's about time another mob movie as good as goodfellas or godfather come out and i think this story is good enough to be a great mob movie.

It's okay, there are better Outfit stories. I'm looking forward to Mark Wahlbergs big screen adaptation of When Corruption Was King.

The key to depicting Chicago correctly will be getting down the accents & vocabulary.

They should try to get some italian actors from chicago but is there any?

Dennis farina lol....if you haven't seen Last Rites Of Joe May you should, they filmed it at grand and ogden.

Dennis Farina is great, I loved him in Get Shorty. He does not seem to get any big movie roles anymore. He was a Chicago detective before becoming an actor.

What a great son... Nothing like flipping on your father. Must feel good.

Joe Montagna aka Joey ZaZa aka Fat Tony aka the guy from Criminal Minds

Joe Mantegna - my guy!!!

BTW - Bella Luna is a very good restaurant... Haven't been there since March. Way over due for their tasty warm focaccia bread!

Question for @jonnynonos - Tufano's or Bella Luna? Also, what do you Windy City guys think of Salerno's Pizza on Grand... one of the most under rated pizzas in Chicago - IMO.

Vito and Nicks has great pizza

Not familiar with them, Nicky. Where are they located?

Okay, back on topic... If/when they cast this movie I would like to see Joe Mantegna play Nicholas Calabrese - the "good brother" of Frank Calabrese, Sr. James Gandolfini could pull off a Frank Calabrese, Sr? Dennis Farina could play the Outfit boss.

South side
Robert De Niro = Joseph Aiuppa??

Hey Mark,

I love Tufano's one of my fave's; and I love Salerno's. Bella Luna is pretty good... I threw that in there because it figures prominently in "Operation Family Secrets." Not to really libel the owner or anything; all that happened if memory serves is he was in business with Calabrese Jr., who borrowed money from his dad to open the restaurant. Calabrese Jr. wasn't good for it so the owner paid off Sr... who kept coming around and pretty much tried to muscle in, but, probably as a testament to the greatly diminished power of the Outfit, the guy told him to get lost, and he did. At least that is how I remember it going down in the book.

I was at Tufano's once and ran into the cast of MOB WIVES it was pretty funny; the owner came out and told us how they were all mad because he wouldn't let them film there. But he knew Leah and all the rest from the neighborhood.

Salerno's is great... I hung out at the bar there once and heard some great stories about Lombardo from longtime people in the neighborhood. This guy's wife kept telling stories (she was drunk) while the poor guy kept doing the throat-slashing gesture (aka "shut up!"). Lombardo lived right down the street on Ohio.

His dad was a psychotic piece of s**t. At the trial Sr. called on Kurt to testify that he was a good dad from the witness stand and instead of doing so or even saying anything Kurt got up and left the courtroom. So, yeah, he did a real bang up job as a parent, both his kids think he's a piece of garbage, and I believe he also cheated on his wife a lot. In addition to the 20 or so people he killed. Class guy.

Calabrese Jr. was "born into it;" and he got involved but at least according to himself never killed anyone, unlike his POS murdering father. Without Calabrse Jr. all of those freaks like Marcello and if he hadn't died Schweihs would have still been on the streets.

So, good for him.

Those are funny stories, nonos. My parents used to live on Aberdeen (the part that is now a UIC parking lot) back in the day. They used to got to Tufano's a lot and get all their stuff from Joey's grandparents bakery. I prefer Tufano's as well - more of a homey neighborhood place. The calamari fritti is awesome at Tufano's.

Yeah, Joey, that was who came out and talked to us!

I love that whole neighborhood, nice to see some new stuff there. Have you ever been to Ro Sal's? That's my favorite place over there these days.

Well, I'm leaving on vacation. I'll check in in a week or so.

You can have this weather!

Salernos is okay, nothing special in my opinion. Lots of better food in that neighbourhood. Ro sals is good, dunno if its the best over there, but its good.

The only relevant figure brought down in the family secrets trial was Marcello. Calabrese Jr was a cocksucker, just as bad as his dad. Calabrese srs crew wasn't even one of the strongest out of Chinatown, let alone the entire outfit haha. And Frank Jr still owns Bella Luna & La Luce on lake n ogden, just as the Andriacchi family still owns the rosebud restaurants & their ilk.

Anyways, Gandolfini is rumoured to be playing M.Damico in the When Corruption Was King adaptation. Dunno how you'd figure Deniro would make a good Obrien, Obrien was short & stout.

Farina might pull off a good Carlisi. Other than that he couldn't play Obrien.

Vito n Nicks is the fuckin business

Then who would best play Aiuppa?

No clue.

My bad... I have to make a correction. The correct restaurant with the great warm focaccia was "Bella Notte" not "Bella Luna". Notte is very close to Salerno's in Little Italy. Back on subject - Mantegna has to be in this one way or another!

The guy who played uncle junior in the sopranos is very similar looking!

never thought of him! they look very similar

Bella Notte is not located in little Italy, that area is called The Patch.

This really is a great book. I enjoy reading about the Outfit,but a lot of the books about the Accardo/Capone era's delve too far into the politician stuff and it makes my brain swell. Family Secrets is a more modern read with bodies all over the place and I dont recall any boring points. I definitly recommend it