If you could have a drink with anyone, who would it be?
Giuliana Rancic: Most people would say something really deep like Mother Teresa but no, I’m going with George Clooney.
Bill Rancic: But you’ve already met him!
Giuliana: Oh yeah. Let me think of someone else.
Picture the drink being in your booth here at RPM Italian, just hangin’ out.
Giuliana: Actually, yeah! I would like to hang out with Clooney in our booth!
What would you guys drink?
Giuliana: G-Rizzles. That’s the drink that we haven’t put on the menu yet. Bottom line is this is the greatest drink ever.
Have you refined your G-Rizzle making skills?
Giuliana: Refined? Honey, I was born making the G-Rizzle! I can’t tell you all of the secret ingredients but there’s some vodka, some lime juice and some mystery ingredients. Everyone who drinks one loves it, truly. Then they wake up and realize what just happened.
Bill, if you could have a drink with anyone?
Bill: Paul Newman. I thought he was a classy guy, he had a great marriage. He was married to his wife for forty-some years and he did a lot of good. He did a great job using his platform to make a difference.
What has been one of your favorite moments since opening your first restaurant?
Bill: I think one of the things is how much we’ve learned. We have great partners, a great manager and for us we knew we needed to align ourselves with a great partnership and we couldn’t have picked better partners to go into this venture with. So I think that has been fun for us because we all have different characteristics we bring to the table.
Giuliana: I think—
Bill: You always have to follow up with a rebuttal!
Giuliana: That’s not my answer! My answer is… What was the question? No, I’m kidding. You know what was so fun? Once the restaurant was opened I loved coming in and people going, “Oh my God, you guys really come here?” I’m like, “We come here all of the time!” It’s just been so much fun. Really, the best part is how much people love it. It’s easy and people are embracing it.
It can be hard to get in here.
Giuliana: I know, people hit us up all of the time for reservations and we do it.
Bill: I think the great thing is how great the food is. That is the one thing we all agreed on. We can promote a place and get it on TV but if you don’t have good food, people aren’t coming back.
Giuliana: I was in Vegas this past weekend and these big restaurateurs were there and they were like, “I hear you have the hottest restaurant in Chicago,” and I’m like, “We do?”
Bill: Alright, enough…
Giuliana: No, I know but it threw me off-guard! I was like, “You heard that?” It’s a compliment!
Bill: I know, I know. It’s just better if someone else says it rather than you.
Giuliana: It’s kinda nice to hear that people around the country have heard about it. Damn, Rancic! And I’ve changed my answer from Clooney to Oprah. I want to talk to Oprah about some stuff.
While you two were dating, when did you realize you had found the one?
Giuliana: Once we slept together I thought, “I could do this for the rest of my life!”
Bill: Which was on the first date about 10 hours in.
Giuliana: That is not true!
Bill: I will say it was early on when I knew. It was Memorial Day weekend, she came to Chicago for the first time and we spent four days in Chicago and all of my buddies just loved her. We went to a Cubs game on a Friday in the afternoon and drank rum runners.
Didn’t Bill suggest a run for your first date?
Giuliana: All I thought was, 9 a.m. on a Saturday, spandex and no makeup? Hell no!
Is there anything different about dating men from the Midwest?
Giuliana: Absolutely. Jenny [McCarthy] said they are more like real men, right? She and I spoke about this. Here’s the thing; I’ve lived in L.A. for 13 years but I’m from the East Coast so I like guys with more substance and in the Midwest you have the substance, the smarts, the ambition and all of that but you also have the heart. Bill has heart.
Bill: People have roots here. They are multi-generational. In most cities like if you go to L.A., no one is really from L.A. Here it’s like my grandpa lives here, my great grandpa, you know what I mean? There is something about that.
Giuliana: Yes, one day,I’m sure we’ll have a daughter and I am going to tell her, “Do not waste your time on L.A. guys. Go to the Midwest STAT!”
You still have some time before the baby comes. How are you going to be spending your last couple of months of freedom? Are we going to find you partying at Studio Paris?
Giuliana: Hells-to-the-yeah! What do you think I’m doing tonight, girl? I got my G-Rizzle, where’s the after party!?
Photography by Anjali M. Pinto
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