Slice of Chicago reopens in Palatine along with upscale Italian eatery
At a time when many restaurants are closing, longtime owners of Slice of Chicago in Palatine are back in town serving pizza and upscale Italian food at two new restaurants.
Agio Italian Bistro and Slice of Chicago carryout operate on Northwest Highway at the same site that housed the original Slice of Chicago for 17 years until 2006 when it was torn down to build a strip center.
Slice of Chicago owner Joe Barrutia owns the property and built the strip center that he is in the process of filling with tenants.
Agio, which Barrutia describes as an intimate eatery, is the most recent to open, seating 80 people inside and 40 outside. The restaurant at 64 S. Northwest Hwy., features choice steaks, Italian food and fish specials.
The eatery that opened about two weeks ago is decorated with dark woods and pieces that Barrutia has collected and stored over the years. The business features 14-foot wine room doors, curtains and 15-inch crown molding that he purchased at an auction several years ago from what was the old Ambassador West Hotel in Chicago.
Favorites dishes at the restaurant that serves an array of Italian food, include an Ahi tuna special that sells for $22, a 10-ounce filet selling for $28 and chicken Vesuvio, $17.
Meanwhile, at the Slice of Chicago carryout location, the owners brought back their old menu. Pasta, sandwiches and paninis are included in the mix along with pizza.
"It's great to keep the Slice of Chicago name going. It's great to see everyone coming back after 20 years," Barrutia said.
Barrutia and his wife, Mary, continue to operate the business along with their three children who grew up at the original pizzeria. The husband wife team spent a couple years living in Lake Geneva while the strip center was being built. Joe, a Prospect High School graduate and Mary, who graduated from Arlington High School, are now back living in Palatine.
"Everyone is helping out," Joe said. Daughter Kaitlin, 25, is working in the restaurant and waiting tables to monitor how customers are enjoying the food and service. Breanne, 27, is running the bar and Michael, 23, is operating the catering and Slice business. "They all got other jobs and came back," Joe said.
Joe, a Mount Prospect native, has owned several bars and restaurants where he has learned that quality and service are key.
"I know that my bosses are sitting in the restaurant. If I don't please them, I'll be out of business," the owner said.
Meanwhile, he continues to work on finding tenants for the new strip center, which could soon house a 24-hour health care clinic. He's also talking with beauty salons and karate studios.