Once again, I’m reminded that Naperville is different than other suburban downtown: its rush hour is at dinner time, and all through the weekend. The overflow of boutiques, day spas and restaurants, both chain and local, makes a sort of crucible for new concepts to sink or swim.
For some reason I thought about this while at The Craftsman, a restaurant concept by Two Brothers Brewing Co. Having expanded from their original tap room in Warrenville to spaces like the former Walter Payton’s Roundhouse in Aurora, and a satellite brewpub in Arizona, they now have an upscale restaurant and retail concept set to compete for customers who might be just here for the beer.
In the matter of disclosure, I was invited to bring some guests to The Craftsman for dinner by Two Brothers’ PR folks. So I can only admit here that my pretense at objectivity is out the window.
The Craftsman is a three-story building at 16 W. Jefferson St. Its first level is Market Café, a cafeteria open at 7:00 am, featuring Two Brothers’ own brand of coffee, with a much less dizzying choice of coffee drinks than Starbucks. There’s also a menu of breakfast items and sandwiches breads baked on premise and artisan cheese, and a choice of meats including cured meats from the dry-aging chamber on display at the back. Wine and, of course, Two Brothers beer are also available.
Skipping to the Third Floor (that’s their name for it), Matthew, the general manager showed me around its bar. Outside of the bar and its stools, most seating is comfy chairs to encourage conversation is an intimate cocktail lounge, including an outdoor patio. There a menu available of small plates from the second floor kitchen. The Third Floor has a separate stairway access from the sidewalk.
The second floor space, The Modern Tavern, is the main dining room, open for dinner seven days a week, and for brunch on weekends. Its concept is “farm-to-table” dining. The aim, according to their website, is to emphasize sustainability by sourcing ingredients from within 200 miles of the location whenever possible. I will assume the calamari won’t count, by necessity.
Since we came in at the start of the dinner cycle, our orders arrived quickly. Mrs. ‘Naut had the Chicken Chasseur, which despite listed as an “herb crusted chicken,” was actually a mildly spiced, large piece of thigh, with an herbal garnish on top, and a bed of creamy garlic potatoes.
Since most of the items on the menu were unfamiliar to Baby ‘Naut, we encouraged her to ask for her House Burger with everything on the side. So she liked the arugula fine, and used her fries to spread on the aioli (and of course she had to have ketchup brought out, but she’s 8), but passed the caramelized onions on the Mrs., who found that the chicken was done so nicely that there was “no place to fit the onions in.”
I had the Bolognese, a house made fettuccine with ground beef and pork, with cheese and a creamy crushed tomatoes sauce. The teenage boy went for a meat and cheese board, featuring house-cured sopressa and prosciutto, but found there’s a bit of a difference, but found there’s a difference between fancy cured meats and his usual salami. But at least he re-ignited his fondness for wasabi.
This was also my chance to try Two Brothers new Pinball, their entry in the current trend for “juicy” pale ales. My draft glass hit the right notes in presentation, light orange body under a foamy head. The smell, refreshed regularly as the foam broke up, brought out a bit pine hops, but with a match from light citrusy notes. The taste has bitterness of course, but also the “juicy hop” they were shooting for gave it s bit of lemon note, with a bit of other citrus juices. My first thought was a favorable comparison to a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Perhaps our only quibble was that the noise level got progressively louder and the customer count grew; and it was very well attended on the Saturday we dined there. But that’s only to be expected given the defauly design choice of exposed brick and high ceilings.
The Craftsman would appear to represent a well-chosen expansion of the Two Brothers name. Its goal of regional sourcing is one every brewer tries to attain, as seen by several other gastronomic brewpubs in Chicago. Although I can also appreciate what I’d have to now call the “old-fashioned” brewpub, with familiar “pub grub” selections; the wide spectrum of dining places that are centered around beer first is a welcome sign.
