Old World Charm In Your Own Hometown
article by Mary Napoli
The two white-haired men are bent over a map of Sicily that is spread over a table in Geno’s Italian Restaurant. Their fingers trace over areas of the island where their grandparents once lived, as they share memories of the “old neighborhood” where they spent their younger days.
Frank and Phyllis Jean Bruscato are the brother and sister co-owners of the restaurant, which was started by their parents, Gene and Rosalie, when they were teenagers. Frank and Phyllis have literally grown up in the family business—the dining room where they now serve guests dishes that have been handed down for generations used to be their childhood playroom. The family home where Gene and Rosalie raised their children now hosts large dining parties, and the yard where neighborhood children would play with Frank and Phyllis has now been transformed into a quaint, lush courtyard dining space. Geno’s not only serves traditional Italian dishes that generations of Monroe locals love to enjoy, it also offers a glimpse into history and a time where the family dinner table was the heart of the home.
Geno Bruscato once supported his family by running this own Italian grocery store on Desiard Street, several blocks from the family home. He was known throughout the community for his incredible talent in the kitchen, but surprisingly, it was barbeque he enjoyed cooking the most.
“Daddy cooked all the barbeque for the Knights of Columbus events,” recalls Frank Bruscato. “They had barbeque fundraisers to support all the Catholic churches and schools here. He even bottled his own barbeque sauce at one point.”
The restaurant is known for its classic Italian dishes, of which lasagna and spaghetti and meatballs are the most often requested. Bruscato prepares the meatballs with freshly ground meat, which he seasons to perfection. He hand rolls them to a generous size each day, the way he was taught as a youngster. The meat remains amazingly tender and moist, a testament to Bruscato’s years of knowledge. Meatballs of this size are often dense and packed heavily to retain their shape, but these are almost cake-like. With pasta cooked to the perfect al dente, Geno’s spaghetti and meatballs is a truly classical Italian meal.
The lasagna is a house specialty for good reason. This layered dish is complex and strikes the perfect balance of meat, cheeses, and tender sheets of pasta.
“We use five different cheeses in the lasagna,” Bruscato explains. Parmesan? Ricotta? The palate tries to pinpoint which cheeses are included. “It’s all a secret,” says Bruscato. “People have tried to trick me into giving them an answer for years and years, but no one know the recipe.”
Bruscato has also mastered the art of preparing his own Italian sausage—from scratch. He grinds his own selection of high-quality meats in house, mixes in seasoning, and cases each sausage by hand. Italian sausage is prepared a multitude of ways in Italian kitchens, and what arrives on the plate from Geno’s is nothing short of amazing.
To end dinner on a sweet note, there is a selection of scrumptious desserts to choose from.
Geno’s has a special place in the hearts of locals, current and past. Bruscato notes that he often hears guests comment that they have driven for miles—even from other states–for a plate of lasagna. He has packed frozen pans of the delicious pasta dishes to travel on flights to beloved customers and has had offers to bottle his mother’s salad dressing. Families have formed many memories within the walls of Geno’s and love the comfort of the consistency they find here.
“I can’t tell you how many proposals we have had here,” recalls Phyllis Jean Bruscato. “Young men love to propose on the patio by candlelight. And we love to provide them with the romantic setting.”
I“Daddy used to stay open late after the NLU (now ULM) football games back in the 1970’s so that the football players would have somewhere to take their dates after the games. He would stay open well past midnight just so they could celebrate and have a good time. He would also feed all the nuns at St. Vincent’s any time they would come in. He loved Monroe, and he loved contributing (to the community) that way,” Frank Bruscato recalls. The community reciprocates their loyalty by remaining dedicated customers to the family business. “We have been trading with families here so long, their grandchildren are at the table now.”
Geno’s longevity is not only a testament to the quality of exquisite dishes it serves, but also evidence that our region values family, tradition, and the Bruscato family’s contribution to the Monroe area.
Geno’s Italian Restaurant is located at 705 North 8th Street in Monroe. Make reservations by calling 318-325-5098.