Wood-fired cooking inspired chef Jonathon Sawyer to open his new Willis Tower restaurant Kindling, particularly the open-fire cooking of star Argentine chef Francis Mallmann.
The restaurant and its globally inspired fare is a reflection of this experience. “Returning to the wood fire reminds me why my career led me to wood fire eventually,” the James Beard Award-winning chef says. “It allows [Kindling] to really represent where I’ve lived and trained.”
The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group (The Berkshire Room, Bunny Slope, among others) project now joins a dozen other food and drink businesses at the Willis Tower. They are part of a $500 million renovation of the building and the surrounding area. “We’re honored and excited to be part of this Loop Renaissance,” Sawyer says. The hope is that restaurants like Kindling will fill a culinary need in the Loop, Chicago’s fastest-growing neighborhood—it outranks all other U.S. downtowns in growth, having added 45% more residents between 2010 and 2020, according to US Census data.
Simple preparations with relatively few ingredients are Sawyer’s go-to at the restaurant. Foil-wrapped sweet potatoes get cooked on a live fire and topped with butter-enriched barbecue sauce and a burnt-orange garnish. “You get a smoky sweetness and [it’s] real crispy on the outside,” Sawyer says. Roasted oysters come with maple and miso sauce, creamed spinach, or saltines and butter infused with hot sauce.
Sawyer’s dedication to wood-fired cooking is matched by his commitment to working with Midwestern farmers. Chickens raised on farms in Indiana and Michigan are cooked in a rotisserie Sawyer imported from Gascony, France. Sawyer recommends ordering the chicken with a side of biscuits and slaw, and black truffle-infused honey.
This commitment plays out throughout the menu. Dried cranberry beans from Michigan make their way into the schmaltzy beans and greens served in a parmesan-laden broth. And while lobster and spaghetti with creamy garlic sauce may not sound super Midwestern, like all the pasta at the restaurant, the noodles are made with semolina grown in North Dakota.
All the while, Sawyer hasn’t forgotten to have fun with the menu, especially when it comes to dish names. Expense Account Nachos (with bacon, short rib, and two kinds of cheese), Name This Caesar, and Filet Mrs. O’Leary (a nod to the Irish immigrant whose cow allegedly started the 1871 Great Chicago Fire) are all made on a wood-fired grill.
“We use that wood fire to harness it as a narrative,” Sawyer says.
Kindling’s cocktail menu heavily references Chicago’s roots. Drinks such as the Whistler’s Milk Maid (tequila, coconut syrup, lime juice, and cucumber) and Billy Sunday’s Amaro Sour are a nod to notable Chicago bars and mixologists.
There’s also a selection of beers and an extensive wine list with representation from California, Tuscany, and New Zealand, among other notable wine-growing regions. If you’re looking for a recommendation, pay close attention to the suggested pairings such as Vinos en Voz Baja ‘Costumbres’ Blanco, a Spanish wine from Rioja that Sawyer suggests ordering with the Sichuan chicken potstickers.
Given that this is a live-fire restaurant, it’s no surprise that the most coveted spots are the eight seats around the grill on the first floor. Diners can get up close and watch Sawyer and his team prepare the food. “We wanted to have a place for those who love and worship wood-fired food,” Sawyer says.
The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group tapped KTGY Simeone Deary Design Group (St. Jane Hotel, LondonHouse Chicago) to design the restaurant at the corner of Franklin and Adams Streets.
The spacious restaurant spans 17,000 square feet over two floors, with double-height windows that flood the space with light. The restaurant seats 335, but once the weather warms up, the restaurant’s terrace will open to an additional 200 people.
Kindling is open Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 5:30 pm for lunch (the cocktail bar stays open until 6 pm) and 6:30 pm to 10 pm for dinner. A half-off Happy Hour menu is served from 3 pm to 5:30 pm.
Chicago-area native Kristine Hansen writes about food and travel for a variety of national outlets and is the author of Wisconsin Cheese Cookbook: Creamy, Cheesy, Sweet and Savory Recipes from the State’s Best Creameries, published by Globe Pequot Press. Follow her writing on Instagram.
