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An open kitchen at a restaurant, with some counter seating on reddish stools

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A Giant Den of ‘Redefined Comfort Food’ Opens in Downtown Boston

Here’s a sneak peek inside Lulu’s Allston alum Sarah Wade’s new restaurant, Stillwater

by Terrence Doyle
Photography by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The space at 120 Kingston St., Boston, formerly occupied by Townsman finally has a replacement: Stillwater is set to open Wednesday, August 28. The new restaurant is owned and operated by chef Sarah Wade, whom folks may know from her winning appearance on the popular Food Network cooking competition series Chopped in early 2018 or from her time spent as executive chef and general manager of Lulu’s Allston from its 2014 opening until earlier this year.

A wide shot of a restaurant space with a polished cement floor, light blue walls, light wooden tables with a mix of black chairs and low black banquette seating, and some orange accents.
Part of Stillwater’s main dining room, with the private dining room and open kitchen visible in the background

Wade gained a following for her comfort food-heavy menus while cooking at Lulu’s Allston — elaborate burgers and decadent brunches were the norm — and diners can expect some of the same at Stillwater. The restaurant will serve “redefined comfort food,” Wade told Eater.

“Think house-smoked pork mac and cheese, chicken-fried ribeye, handmade cheese-its, and a peanut butter and jelly creme brulee,” Wade told Eater via email. “We will also have a brown bag lunch to-go option for our neighbors who want to walk in grab a great lunch and eat at the office, complete with encouraging sticky notes like mom used to send.”

A wooden host stand at a restaurant. There’s an orange wall with text behind it, reading “Stillwater Comfort Cocktails. Serving warm and fuzzies since 2019.” In the background, several high-top tables are visible against light blue walls.
The host stand and high-top lounge seating at the front of Stillwater
Several high-top tables in the lounge area of a restaurant. The walls are light blue, and an old black-and-white photograph of four women in dresses, drinking booze from bottles, covers most of one wall.
High-top lounge seating near the Stillwater entrance

Stillwater’s bar program will feature a mix of beer, wine, and cocktails. The tap will feature 12 rotating draft lines, and drinkers will be able to choose from 12 wines by the glass. The cocktail menu will feature drinks based on the classics, but with Stillwater’s own twist.

Boston-based designer Maggie Wraight redesigned the ample Kingston Street space to give it a more modern and industrial feel. Though that aesthetic often verges toward the antiseptic and cold, Stillwater manages to feel cozy. Diners will be able to sit at comfortable banquettes; the bar area is spacious and includes communal seating and high tops. There’s also an attractive space in the back for private dining, and the patio will debut at some point after the restaurant’s opening.

Inside a restaurant, sliding doors open to reveal a private dining room with black-and-white-striped wallpaper and a long table. There are light blue and orange accents.
Part of Stillwater’s main dining room, with the private dining room visible in the back
A long wooden table with about 18 chairs stretches through a private dining room at a restaurant. The walls are light blue, except for one portion, which is covered with a black-and-white-striped wallpaper.
Stillwater’s private dining room

Wade is excited to be opening a restaurant downtown because the neighborhood’s drinking and dining scene is experiencing so much growth, she recently told Eater.

“The neighborhood we are in is very close-knit and has been so welcoming. There is so much flavor and vibrancy in the area, and I am so excited to be a part of it.”

An interior photo of a restaurant shows several seats at a bar and a long wooden table nearby, decorated with two large silver jacks.
Part of the Stillwater bar
A portion of a dining room at a restaurant, featuring light blue walls and light wooden tables. A low black banquette is visible on one side.
Part of Stillwater’s main dining room

Wade has been working in kitchens for 15 years. When she won Chopped in January 2018, she told the world she’d be using her winnings to open her own restaurant. Now she’s doing just that.

“I am so proud to be at this point,” she said.

Update, 8/28/19: This story and headline have been updated to reflect that Stillwater opens Wednesday, August 28.

Chef Sarah Wade stands in front of a black-and-white-striped background, wearing a denim chef apron, looking off to the side, crossing her arms, and laughing.
Stillwater chef and owner Sarah Wade
A black-and-white photograph of chef Sarah Wade, in chef’s whites and an apron, smiling in front of a large old photograph of four women in dresses, drinking booze from bottles.
Stillwater chef and owner Sarah Wade

• Comfort Food Expert to Open Downtown Boston Restaurant This Fall [EBOS]
• Stillwater [Official Site]
• Stillwater [IG]

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Stillwater

120 Kingston Street, , MA 02111 (617) 936-3079 Visit Website
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