Olde Keg Finally Reopens As Catrinas Mex: Ferak Column

JOLIET, IL - For the first time in more than 30 years, I walked into The Olde Keg restaurant last Thursday at the corner of Jackson and Ottawa. I needed to finally check the new place out. After all, starting today, Monday, Sept. 17, Catrinas Mex - Real Mexican Food - opens for business seven days a week. This important restaurant building had sat empty for nine long years.

For me, dining at The Keg was truly memorable. When I was in grade school, our family went to The Keg practically every Friday night for pizza. It became part of our routine but the experience was never routine. When we got there, the restaurant was always packed, so our family migrated to the long wooden bar at the front, and we became good friends with the regular weekend bartender, Barb. She used to pour my brother Paul and I plastic cups of Coke, and she would always put a stick of cherries on top.

Meanwhile, inside The Keg there was plenty of live entertainment, even before we sat down to eat.

One of the waiters lived on the edge. He would zip through The Keg on roller skates while carrying large pizzas, pitchers of soda and cold beer, while snaking around the standing-room-only crowds.

Yes, The Keg, at that period, symbolized a time of vibrancy for downtown Joliet. It didn't matter where you lived in Joliet or Will County, The Keg was always on your short list of sit down restaurants.

But just like with professional sports franchises, there's always periods of highs and lows. Downtown's big department stores soon gravitated to the two west side malls.

Downtown Joliet became a ghost town. The Keg closed many years ago, and the property has sat vacant since 2009, but not anymore.

On Monday, Sept. 17, the famous brick building that once housed a true downtown Joliet landmark will come back to life. The old bar that I remember is now gone, but the inside of the restaurant looks pretty nice.

The Montiel family poured thousands of dollars into renovating the building, which needed a major facelift.

Will Catrinas Mex becoming a smashing success?

Will it become the talk of the town?

Will it be open three years from now?

What I can say is this: the owners of Joliet's new downtown Mexican restaurant realize what they are up against. They know the Keg was a legendary restaurant, and they want to live up to that standard.

"We are excited to step into this building that was very famous when it was a pizzeria ... we think that all the good energy and vibrations in this project, it's going to give us this good luck. My sister and me expect to have success," explained Amy Montiel.

She and her sister Laura Montiel are the owners of Catrinas Mex.

The family told me their path to success will be in the quality of food, their ambiance and hospitality.

Many of their meals are made from secret family recipes that were passed down by their grandmother, they say.

There will be tacos, burritos, enchiladas and other dishes such as Albondigas with chipotle and Cochinita Pibil, a meat pork with Mexican spices. There will be plenty of Mexican appetizers on the menu.

There's a sit-down bar and some of the key drinks will include Margaritas, Mojitos and Micheladas.

And somethings never change. There's still about 30 parking stalls directly in the back of the restaurant.

Catrinas Mex plans to be open seven days a week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Hours on Sunday will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Montiel family told me that just as important as serving top-quality authentic Mexican food, they really want their customers to walk away with a great impression of their experience.

"It's very important to have everything clean including everything in the kitchen," Amy Montiel told me. "We think we have a new concept as far as restaurants with quality and then inside we're more modern and more clean."

Main image features Joliet Patch Editor John Ferak inside the former Keg building, other images via John Ferak/Joliet Patch Editor