The Boiler Room is exactly what it sounds like: a restaurant built inside the 1896 boiler room of the Bemis Bag Building, all brick, steel, and industrial bones. The setting is dramatic, but the food is the reason to come — chef Tim Nicholson, a James Beard Best Chef: Midwest finalist, runs a menu that changes daily based on what’s good.
That daily-changing menu is the whole philosophy: no greatest hits, no safety net, just whatever the kitchen is excited about right now. The 400-bottle wine cellar backs it up properly. It’s the most chef-driven room in the Old Market.
This is a dinner for people who trust the kitchen. Book ahead, let the menu surprise you, and order wine — the pairings are half the experience.