Joliet Restaurant Becomes Kalypso, Revamps Menu

JOLIET, IL - This week marked a new era for a sit down restaurant across from the Joliet Public Library on North Chicago Street. After four years of operating in downtown Joliet, Tin Roof is gone. It's now called Kalypso. Everything about the place is different.

On Wednesday, Joliet Patch dropped by to interview one of the chefs. He was also working when it was Tin Roof.

Patch: What can customers expect now that it's Kalypso?

Kalypso: "It's a new restaurant. It's not a name change. It is a new restaurant. We're working with a farm in Minooka, Creekside Natural Farm. That's where we get a lot of our produce from."

Patch: What reputation are you trying to establish?

Kalypso: "Nice, casual fine-dining and service at an affordable price. We're very casual. We do it from a fine dining perspective but we're making casual food."

For people just wanting to chill and relax, Kalypso has a large stock of hard liquor, featuring plenty of craft cocktails including Smoked Old-Fashioned drinks.

Patch: Let's talk about the menu. What are some of the highlights?

Kalypso: One of the main entrees is the 14 Hour Beer Braised Ribs, it's a half-rack, sous-vide pork ribs, with house BBQ and chimichurri cauliflower. That entrée is $14. As far as sandwiches, there are several including a pork belly Cuban, vegan tacos and rosemary chicken tostadas, all for $10. Want some something different for a starter? There's grilled octopus for $13. Kalypso also stressed that it offers several vegan and vegetarian selections. "I very much make food that every man is going to love. Most entrees are $16 or less," the chef said.

Patch: What makes Kalypso's food stand out?

Kalypso: "We're one of the first restaurants in Will County to have a certification to cook sous-vide, which is in a vacuum-sealed bag, in a machine called a circulator." The chef explained how the process allows Kalypso to cook an entire chicken, for example, to a near perfect temperature.

Patch: Where did the name Kalypso come from?

Kalypso: The restaurant name was derived from a figure in Greek mythology. "She is very enchanting. She drew people in and made them lose track of time." Here's what Patch also found at this website on Greek mythology: "Calypso is a figure from Greek mythology that has very unclear origins. While it's not completely clear exactly who or what she is, she is perhaps most famous for her role in Homer's Odyssey."

Patch: What do you think about being in downtown Joliet? There's plans in the coming weeks and months to open a new Korean BBQ restaurant about a block up the street as well as a steakhouse/seafood restaurant. Last fall, downtown welcomed MyGrain Brewing inside the historic Union Station and Elder Brewing Company opened up on Cass Street in November.

Kalypso: "I think that downtown Joliet is just beautiful. Downtown, it's Joliet's hidden treasure. I feel with JUCO (Joliet Junior College) down here, it's on the cusp. Over the next five to ten years, I see a lot of restaurant possibilities. We need a good community of restaurants to bring people down here. If you look at downtown Plainfield and Lockport, foot traffic is everything. We're trying to create our own events to bring people down here."

Patch: What are your hours and days of operation?

Kalypso: 11 a.m. to 1o p.m. Monday-Thursday, Friday 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight. (Closed Sunday.) Kalypso is located at 158 N. Chicago Street.

Here's the link to the new website for Kalypso. Check it out.

All images provided to Joliet Patch by Kalypso with permission to use