First Look: Cinder House at Four Seasons Hotel downtown

Cinder House, the new restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel downtown, will open to the public on Tuesday, Aug. 21. Cinder House takes the place of the Four Seasons' former restaurant Cielo on the eighth floor of the hotel, located at 999 N. Second St. The hotel has partnered with Niche Food Group chef-owner Gerard Craft on a new menu that celebrates food cooked over fire with dishes that give more than a passing nod to South American cuisine.

As befits a restaurant with a name like Cinder House, the menu does have its fair share of meat and fish options, including a selection of steaks, but there are other bites to be had. Longtime Niche fans will recall Dia’s cheese bread, puffs of warm, cheesy dough, served at Cinder House with country ham, lardo and pickled vegetables. Other dishes include Craft’s takes on Brazilian classics like coxinha, fried egg-shaped pieces of dough filled with cheese and braised chicken, and feijoada, a meaty black bean stew served over rice.

Not only has the restaurant’s concept been revamped, the space has been gutted and reimagined as well. Sasha Malinich of RI5, who worked with Craft on Niche and Sardella, also lent his design expertise to Cinder House. The space features a wide variety of colors, from deep teal to cream to chocolate. The marble on the bar swirls many of these colors into a surface reminiscent of Patagonian ice caves.

Available seating has nearly doubled thanks to a redesigned outdoor patio with a separate pool bar and additional indoor seating options including large leather banquettes, community tables. Design elements like a large floating shelf divide the dining room and bar area without closing it off, creating an open, airy space.

Currently, Cinder House is only open to hotel guests with a limited menu, but when doors open to the public on Aug. 21, the restaurant will serve breakfast from 6:30 to 10:45 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Dinner service will be 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Editor's note: Cinder House chef-owner Gerard Craft announced a change regarding the restaurant's opening date via social media. The article was updated at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 21 to reflect the change.