New SF restaurant Kiln is shooting straight for Michelin stars

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Chef John Wesley spoons a burnt honey sauce over a dish of Modesto squab with asparagus and liver ganache at his new restaurant Kiln.

A dish of blue lobster served with a sauce of tomato, roasted yeast and Pilsner at Kiln in Hayes Valley.

Hayes Valley is about to get an ambitious new tasting menu restaurant that's specifically shooting for the Michelin stars.

Kiln, from fine-dining chef John Wesley and partner and general manager Julianna Yang, opens Tuesday, May 16 in the space formerly occupied by celebrated Mexican restaurant Cala, which closed during the pandemic, at 149 Fell Street.

Yang and Wesley first met in 2020 at Teague Moriarty's Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Sons & Daughters, where Wesley was chef-de-cuisine and Yang was general manager. Wesley, who has spent his career cooking in Michelin-starred restaurants like Commis in Oakland and the modern French restaurant Baumé in Palo Alto, always knew he wanted to open his own restaurant.

"My end game when I was four years into cooking was to have a tasting menu restaurant that was small and focused," said Wesley. "I always had this written out concept of Kiln, and I was really open to Teague about this."

Moriarty was supportive — so much so that he became an investor. They started looking for spaces together, and closed on the handsome space on Fell Street in January, which had been temporarily occupied by culinary job-training non-profit Farming Hope before relocating to Van Ness Ave.

John Wesley, co-owner and chef, prepares a plate at Kiln. "A dish might have three or four components and not look complex, but those components could have days of labor," said Wesley.

Kiln's concept doesn't fit neatly into one box. There is a hearth inherited from Cala, but it's not yet another live-fire, fine-dining restaurant. There's classic French technique fused with minimalist, ingredient-driven Japanese ethos Wesley learned under the tutelage of Bruno Chemel at Baumé. And the menu is heavy on fermentation, drying, curing, and pickling — techniques he picked up from the seasonal Scandinavian restaurant Aska in Brooklyn.

"A dish might have three or four components and not look complex, but those components could have days of labor," said Wesley.

Take, for example, a seemingly simple dish of grilled fish. Right now, Wesley sources sea bream from Japan that he dry ages for a few days to get rid of moisture and dry out the skin. He then gently grills the entire thing, skin side down, and pairs with two sauces: one is made from an intense fish stock reduced over the course of a day, and another is a frothier, airier sauce made from dried and caramelized shellfish that's poured tableside. Kiln will also showcase more adventurous meats, like local squab from Modesto that's low roasted and honey lacquered, and wild deer from Maui is served in four preparations: smoked then braised, roasted, as a cracker (made with its fat) and as a croquette.

Julianna Yang, co-owner and general manager, is opening Kiln with chef John Wesley. The two met at the Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant Sons and Daughters.

When it opens, Kiln will offer diners two menu options: An abbreviated eight-10 course meal for $135 that lasts between 90 minutes and two hours (aimed for the pre-theater dining crowd), and an extended 18-20 course menu that costs $225 and lasts between two-and-half and three hours. A caviar supplement ($105 for 20g) is also available, served with a chicken fat and sherry vinegar emulsion with bay leaf oil. Kiln's beverage director, Vincent Balao, was most recently lead sommelier at Atelier Crenn; He plans to include wine pairings that feature classic Old World and New World wines, along with sake, ciders, and alcohol-free options like Proxies non-alcoholic wine, kombucha and seasonally-changing shrubs made in house.

The restaurant will hold ten white table clothed tables and 34 seats in total, including eight at the bar. There's a long hallway that leads from the entrance into the dining room, whose tall 30-foot cement-covered walls lend a dramatic flair to the space. There are dropped spotlights on each table, creating a dark and industrial atmosphere and feeling. A single fifteen foot tall olive tree from Sonoma adds life into the airy open room.

Recalling his past award successes, Wesley said he's hopeful he can achieve more at Kiln. "To me at Aska, getting two Michelin stars right off the bat is a very special feeling," the chef said (most restaurants are first awarded a single star).

"It's something I’d like to feel again, and something I’d like to give to other cooks."

Kiln. Opening May. 16. 5:00-8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 149 Fell St., San Francisco. kilnsf.com

Omar Mamoon is a San Francisco-based writer & cookie dough professional. Find him at @ommmar.