Mystery Surrounds Barolo's Restaurant Property: Quillman

JOLIET, IL — At the end of Tuesday night's Joliet City Council meeting, Councilwoman Jan Quillman implored city officials to investigate the mystery surrounding the vacant Barolo Italian restaurant, 2765 Black Road.

Last September, owners Guy and Melissa Turi announced on social media they had sold Barolo and were retiring from running their successful Italian restaurant on Joliet's west side.

Days later, Joliet Patch reported that Mariscos El Vallartazo, a West Chicago sit-down restaurant known for its Mexican seafood and live entertainment, would be expanding into Joliet.

Since September, a Mariscos El Vallartazo banner had been displayed over the Barolo restaurant signs.

Now, the coming soon sign is gone.

The Barolo's restaurant building is sitting vacant, and that troubles Quillman.

Nobody has been seen working inside the restaurant for a lengthy period of time, Quillman informed the Council Tuesday night. During her remarks, Quillman turned her attention to City Manager Jim Capparelli and said, "Jim, we talked earlier, were you able to get any information about the restaurant on Black Road that used to be Barolo's?"

"No, I have not," Capparelli responded. "I have our folks looking into it, but I have not heard anything."

"Just for update, if you haven't been down Black Road, there was this restaurant that was supposed to open, a seafood Mexican restaurant, that's been advertising for almost a year and now there's nothing there," Quillman told the Council. "All the signs are down, it's black, it's like there's nobody working there, so we had talked earlier."

"About trying to find out what's going on," Capparelli spoke up. "I'm curious as well."

Capparelli explained to Quillman that Rod Tonelli is now serving as the city of Joliet's interim economic development director while Capparelli tries to hire a permanent replacement for Derek Conley, who just left Joliet to work for St. Charles.

Tonelli is president of Ruettiger, Tonelli and Associates in Shorewood.

"He works part-time for the city. He works in the morning," Capparelli said of Tonelli. "But, we're working on some folks to go knock on the door and find out what's going on."

"OK," Quillman responded. "I just want to know who to call."

"I'm sure he will be able to find out as well," Capparelli said of Tonelli.

In late September, Joliet area real estate developer Charles Sharp told Joliet Patch it was his understanding the Mexican seafood restaurant replacing Barolo's would spend the next two months remodeling the building on Black Road.

Now, March is here and the coming soon restaurant sign has disappeared.

All that remains is an empty restaurant building.