Bar Henry Continues Daniel Costa’s Vision in Downtown Edmonton
Chef and restaurateur Daniel Costa’s latest business venture cements his commitment to downtown, while also furthering his vision to execute innovative concepts in Edmonton.
Bar Henry, located inside Henry Singer’s new flagship location in Ice District at 10220 103 Avenue NW, opened in early February. It is the fourth restaurant Costa has chosen to open downtown.
“It is definitely a conscious decision to stay downtown,” said Costa. “We’ve been offered deals in the suburbs. But we want to keep the city vibe going. That was the original vision when I opened Corso.”
Costa opened Corso 32 in 2010, then followed up its success with the adjacent Bar Bricco in 2014 and Uccellino in 2016. Last year, Bar Bricco was renovated to subsume the space occupied by Corso.
Bar Henry came about after Costa was approached by the Henry Singer Fashion Group about a potential partnership. “The Singers have a similar kind of mindset with their quality and approach,” said Costa. “The concept also really aligned with our aperitivo bar idea and we couldn’t say no. It gave us an opportunity to do something very niche, small, and interesting.” Aperitivo refers to a pre-dinner drink, intended to whet the appetite.
Within a month, the 30-seat space will add daytime hours to its current evening operations in order to round out the experience for shoppers. “Clients can go shopping and then have a quick coffee or a drink. It suits the Henry Singer crowd who are going in for a suit or a fitting,” said Costa.
The all-day licensed café is inspired by Costa’s travels. “It’s the best of all worlds,” said Costa. “You see those everywhere in Italy. When you say ‘Let’s go to the bar’, it’s not to drink. You go there to have coffee, a snack, or a cocktail on your way home. I think that’s a trend that’s come into North America more. What I love about it is you can really create this full community and culture from morning to night.”
Costa is most excited that his dream for a stand-up bar is finally being embraced. “I tried to do a stand-up bar at Uccellino and Bar Bricco, but it never caught on,” said Costa. “I wanted to try it here again and see if it could work. All of my colleagues are like, ‘Daniel, you’re the only person who will stand up at the bar.’ But it’s full on working! You go in there and there’s people piled around the bar ordering drinks directly from the bartender and snacking on these little southern Italian biscuits that we offer to people when they’re there.”
To pair with a drink menu encompassing cocktails, wine, and coffee, Bar Henry offers a small selection of dishes, ranging from olives and a whole roasted artichoke to panino and carpaccio. “You’re not coming in to get a big plate of food,” said Costa. “It’s meant to be smaller, snacky bites.”
Costa sees the menu as a natural extension of the food served at his other establishments. “We stick with the same kind of philosophy of food, but we’re venturing out of what a menu item could be,” said Costa. “For instance, there’s a dish called fungi – roasted and pickled mushrooms that you get on its own. We also have house-made chips with fennel pollen. They wouldn’t fit at the other restaurants. We’re exploring a new expression of the food that we love in a different concept.”
Costa is heartily recommends the gnocco. “The gnoccho valtellina is a singular dumpling made with semolina and a little bit of spelt flour,” said Costa. “We bake it until it gets nice and golden and caramelized and roast it with shaved brussels sprouts, walnuts, and butter. We put it on a base of taleggio crema, then top that with raw egg yolk and a nice pile of parmigiano; it’s really good.”
2024 will also see Costa open another new project. The Lobby Bar will occupy part of the ground floor of Citizen on Jasper, a new rental building located at 10110 120 Street NW in the Wîhkwêntôwin (formerly Oliver) neighbourhood, just west of downtown.
The developers behind Citizen, ONE Properties (the same company that manages the retail bays at Ice District), approached Costa about the opportunity. “It makes sense,” said Costa. “Developers want a vibrant space, they want operators who will hopefully perform. We are entering a new era of how restaurants are opening.”
Like Bar Henry, Costa proceeded only because it matched his vision, and he’s excited about operating a business in the densest part of Edmonton. The Lobby Bar is inspired by the first time Costa visited the Ace Hotel in New York, before he opened Corso. “It changed my perspective of what that concept could be,” said Costa. “I love that the hotels are not full of guests but full of other people. There’s an energy that you find in lobbies.”
The space will encompass three individual concepts: a restaurant, central lounge, and a daytime concept. “There will be people coming out of the restaurant, people congregating in the centre for a meeting listening to music…all of these different aspects coming together under one roof,” said Costa. “There’s nothing better when the elevator opens and the lobby is bustling.”
Despite a number of restaurants announcing their closure in recent months, Costa is still feeling bullish about the local restaurant scene. “I actually think when you do a very specific concept people will support it, but you need to make sure it’s special,” said Costa. “People will take a risk on a new concept but if it’s not great, they’re not going to go back.”
Finally, Costa believes that diners in the city are hungry for new ideas. “I think people in general underestimate Edmonton’s culture,” said Costa. “People are interested in these concepts that are fun and pushing away from the norm.“
Openings
- The folks behind Waffle Bird in Old Strathcona are opening up Dining Car Cafe in the CN Building downtown. Waffle Bird also just celebrated their second birthday, and will be operating a ghost kitchen serving sandwiches called Little Black Submarines.
- Home-based business YEG Dream Tarts will be transitioning to a brick and mortar storefront on Gateway Boulevard.
- St. Albert is home to The Celiac Baker, its first gluten-free bakery. It opened in January at 2003 Tudor Glen Place.
- Edmonton will see two Chick-fil-A restaurants open in the city later this year, one in West Edmonton Mall, and another in South Edmonton Common.
Upcoming Events
- Save the date for the return of Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS. It will take place on May 2 at the PriMed Mosaic Centre. Early bird tickets purchased by February 29 are $95 and include access to 15 food stations. Proceeds support the High School Culinary Challenge.
Local News
- King of Tarts will be selling their products at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market while their cafe undergoes continued renovations after a flood.
- Sharon posted about four cafes that offer coffee flights, including Aspen Coffee Roasters, Rhubarb Cafe & Cocktails, Boxcar Coffee, and Be Coffee.
- Edify checked out the burger at Von’s.
- Speaking of burgers, several restaurants in Edmonton are participating in Burger it Forward, including High Level Diner, Jack’s Burger Shack, and Three Vikings. For every feature burger purchased during the month of February, Canada Beef will donate the equivalent of 1 meal to Food Banks Canada.
- CTV has an update on the Station Park development, including a food hall, to open this spring.
- CBC Radio Active’s latest Strip Mall City series features businesses on Stony Plain Road, including CH Cafeteria.
- Simply Supper may be undergoing some changes to keep the business open: “We’re not throwing in the towel. Instead, we’re shifting gears, exploring new avenues, introducing fresh products, and reevaluating our offerings.”
- The owner of new business Pizza Talks & Donair has been donating 10 meals a week to those in need.
- It’s great to see Kim Fat’s hot pot products being carried at a couple of local Superstores.
- Retail Insider profiled Teresa Spinelli of The Italian Centre. She mentions in the interview about expanding to Saskatoon next.
What I Ate
- It’s been nice to have my sister in town! I had to bring her to Chicken for Lunch for the experience. We waited in line for 90 minutes last week; I can only imagine what the wait times will be this week before Amy closes for good on February 29.
With the rest of the Chicken for Lunch crowd
- Amanda picked up a box of Maverick’s Donuts for me – I’m a sucker for a good cake donut (I still mourn the brown butter cake donut Ace Coffee no longer makes). The texture of the treats was pretty good, and I liked the level of sweetness.
Maverick’s Donuts
- We also had dinner together at Co Chin Saigon. Their expansive menu accommodates many preferences, but I love me a good pho.
Pho from Co Chin Saigon
- Mack and I were also able to get away for a date at Bar Henry. Do yourself a favour and order the gnoccho.
Gnoccho from Bar Henry
Only Here for the Food 