New La Salle restaurant unveiled at former Monari’s spot

A new sign recently went up at 101 First St., La Salle, answering a question the new owner has received from people in the community: “Will this be Monari’s again?”

The answer is no, but it will have fried chicken. The new restaurant is called Jorge’s Margarita and Grill and the new owner, Jorge Hermosillo, plans to open by mid-November.

“We’re almost there,” Hermosillo said.

The staff will look familiar to guests who’ve dined at Mr. Salsa’s. Hermosillo is the previous owner of the Oglesby restaurant. He sold the business to a family member In April 2021. He and his family had plans to move out of state, but they ended up staying in the Illinois Valley and purchased the former 101 Supper Club in the spring.

“The plan is to open for dinnertime and offer fried chicken, steaks, fish, appetizers and cocktails,” Hermosillo said. “In the spring, hopefully we’ll add a lunch all day and brunch on Sundays.”

Guests will notice a few changes to the space — two TVs were added to the bar area, the bar top was redone and the booths were removed with plans to add slot machines in the future.

The space was formerly the 101 Supper Club, which opened in spring 2017 and was owned by Donnie Moore and his wife, Ellen. It closed in June 2020. Prior to that, it was the longtime home of Monari’s 101 Club, which closed in April 2015.

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