This is the famous "insenga" or the "sign" of Gene and Georgetti "bisteccheria" in Chicago. They serve Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino and the Rosso di Montalcino there, too.
Gene & Georgetti's Restaurant
500 N Franklin St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 527-3718
The U.S.A. importer of our wine is our family friends Terlato. The company is located in the Chicago area and so when we visit them, we always like to go to one of my favorite American "steak houses", what we would call a "bisteccheria" in Italy: Gene and Georgetti, which is a classic American restaurant in the "old Chicago", they say there.
This is the "bistecca" in the fashion of Chicago. The difference between the American "porterhouse" and the Tuscan "bistecca fiorentina" is that in America the top of the bone is not charred as is in Tuscany. This is a review of Gene and Georgetti with the photo of the "bistecca".
We know and love our beef very well in Tuscany! We are famous for our "bistecca fiorentina", the "Florentine style steak", which is the same cut of the meat as the American "porterhouse". The only big difference between the American porterhouse and the Tuscan bistecca fiorentina is that the bistecca fiorentina is charred on the flat side of the T of the bone before it is seared on the either side of the meat.
Also is famous the dish "chicken vesuvio" at Gene and Georgetti. I do not know why it is named after the famous volcano of Napoli. Probably, Il Poggione Rosso di Montalcino is a better pairing for this dish. Our rosso is less strong in the body than the Brunello and is good with the onions and peppers in this preparation. Here is a review of the chicken Vesuvio and more photos.
The last time I was there at Gene and Georgetti, I talked to Mr. Rich Ciota who has been the Gene and Georgetti's general manager and wine director for 16 years.
"Il Poggione is one of our top five wines" Mr. Ciota told me. "It sells itself. We have two or three Brunellos but people ask for Il Poggione by name. Sangiovese goes well with the hearty heavy meats and proteins on our menu".
Thank you Mr. Ciota! Il Poggione likes Gene and Georgetti too!
I LOVE Gene and Georgetti and the last time I was there I drank Rosso di Montalcino by Il Poggione. :-)
Posted by: Jeremy Parzen | November 15, 2009 at 05:08 PM