Chicago-style pizza fans showed up to celebrate 75 years of deep dish at Pizzeria Uno Monday night, including M.C. Williams, who often travels all the way from Hyde Park just for a taste of Uno’s:

Managing partner April Gavin credits staff and customers for the restaurant’s longevity:

Ike Sewell and Ric Riccardo opened Pizzeria Uno at the corner of Ohio and Wabash in 1943 on the premise that pizza could be a complete meal, instead of just an appetizer. Now, there are over 100 Uno’s franchises worldwide. As they continue to expand, president and CEO Jim Ilaria vows the company will remain committed to honoring the original:

And, no, I didn’t get any pizza, dammit.  But I did get to go over to a VIP area in Ike Sewell’s former office above Pizzeria Due at Ontario & Wabash.  It’s inside a historic Chicago mansion built not long after The Great Chicago Fire.  So I took a bunch of pictures after securing a featured cocktail with a made up name – it was basically an Old Fashioned with cherry juice added to it.  Classy cocktail, subpar photography…I give you an inside look at an old Chicago mansion and Ike Sewell’s personal office: