Two Brothers bringing Craftsman 'culinary experience' to Naperville
A new “culinary experience” set to open late this month in downtown Naperville will bring an artisan touch to beer, coffee, breads, pastries and farm-to-table meals at The Craftsman.
The restaurant will be the first operated by Two Brothers Artisan Brewing of Warrenville without a brewery on site, co-owner Jason Ebel said, and it's the “next evolution” of a business that's all about bringing a crafted approach to food and drink.
Each floor of the three-story, roughly 100-year-old building at 16 W. Jefferson Ave. has its own kitchen and its own dining concept, Ebel said.
On the first floor is the market cafe, to be open 6 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. featuring Two Brothers coffee, fresh-pressed juices, house-made breads and pastries and a butcher carving up deli sandwiches that aren't quite fancy, but aren't the typical ham-and-cheese, either.
On the second floor is the modern tavern, a farm-to-table restaurant where nearly everything comes from within 200 miles of Naperville, Ebel said. The tavern will be open beginning at 5 p.m. for a rotating dinner menu with everything made from scratch, even the sausages and condiments.
The third floor will be a mixology cocktail bar also featuring wine, snacks, small dinners and desserts. Only accessible through a separate door, Ebel said the third floor will be a “comfortable space” with a rooftop deck.
“We'll have our beer on every floor for every experience,” Ebel said.
Once a distillery Two Brothers is opening at the Roundhouse in Aurora gets up and running, the third floor will serve the company's own spirits. For now, it will focus on independent suppliers, staying away from “the big guys,” Ebel said.
About 110 employees will work at the new restaurant once crews finish renovations, which since January have included installing stronger steel beams to stabilize the structure, peeling back walls to expose original brick and placing hand-cut wooden panels for a look with depth and texture, Ebel said.
“We think everyone working in that space as a craftsman,” he said.
Renovations are revamping the space from recent uses as the Wise Boxer Pour House from 2013 to 2015 and BlackFinn American Saloon from about 2008 to early 2013.
“It's going to be an amazing place,” said Christine Jeffries, president and CEO of the Naperville Development Partnership. “True to their form, it'll be good food in a great environment.”
The new bar also is in line to be the first spot to see a new style of sidewalk design being finalized as part of the Downtown2030 plan.
The sidewalk outside The Craftsman will include a concrete walking path with new brick pavers, planter boxes with benches and electrical outlets for holiday lighting and new outdoor chairs and tables.