Elite Event: A Taste Of Charbar

Sorry for my lack of creativity, but all I can come up with is great…
…great location
…great people
…great food
…great entertainment
My fellow Unilocalers already wrote really good reviews so I am not going to bore you by repeating everything, I am just going to tell you the most important thing: it was pretty awesome! If you ever get the chance to go to a Unilocal Elite event, do it! You won’t be disappointed!!!

What a great night at Charbar! My whole experience was wonderful right from the beginning. I walked in and was immediately greeted by the host and walked up to the event. Jessica J. was up in the front with a warm welcome and didn’t hesitate to chat it up. I really enjoyed the space but at times it felt a little squishy and not enough table for the number of people but that allows a lot of mingling, just awkward for eating.
The live music was upbeat, I wanted to dance but I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, haha. The menu chef Jessica put together just for us was awesome! The display of the raw bar and Porterhouse steak was fresh and nice to be able to help yourself. The ceviche which was pretty much made to order was fantastic! The fresh seafood and citrusy combination married really well. The deep dish style pizza was yummy, the cheese had a strong flavor but the fluffy crust calmed it down. The raw bar included fresh seafood — shrimp, oysters, crab and sea urchin, I didn’t bother with the crab only because knowing me, I would really struggle to get the meat so I grabbed some shrimps! The Porterhouse steak was a hit or miss — I got some dry pieces but when it was cut fresh, it was delicious — the chimichurri sauces were a nice addition. The avocado/​pistachio and bread on the table was really good but it was a pain to look pretty while eating because it was not super hard but not soft enough to take a bite without pulling. The red and white wine pairings were perfectly sweet for my taste.
I really loved the fact that Chef Connie was walking around and chatting with EVERYONE, telling us about the story behind the food and Charbar. She is super friendly, sweet and down to earth! :)
The private tour of the building was very cool. It’s neat to see this historic Simmons mattress factory first hand and know the little details from past and present. The feather chute in the staff meeting room is totally sick! We were able to head up to the rooftop even though it was raining, it’s still beautiful up there! You get an awesome view of the river and the night view is so lovely. The elevator in the middle of the building is pretty sweet too, creepin’ people as you go up ;)
The best part of the night? Chef Connie randomly chose my name for the grand prize! That never happens and I’m still excited! Hehe I’ll be sure to use the Just Wine App for the bottle of red I received!
Thanks Dale for putting on this amazing event and everyone else involved! You’re always on top of things and so good at bringing the community together. YOU ROCK!

What’s better than devouring delicious food? Learning the culinary background of said food and the history of the venue. I got a taste of both (pun intended!), at the amazing Unilocal event set up at Charbar.
The Argentinian inspired menu allowed us to try a variety of fugazza (I was torn between two for my fave: jamon crudo with egg yolk cheese and dandelion greens and the roman broccoli and provoleta roast peppers), their raw bar options such as oysters, crab, shrimp and table side ceviche (this is a must have!) and their dry-​aged porterhouse steak (accompanied with a variety of chimichurri sauces).
The Simmons building was restored to house the three businesses that work in perfect harmony — Charbar, Phil & Sebastian Coffee and Sidewalk Citizen Bakery. Original aspects of the building like the wood flooring, fir beams and brick walls have been preserved and enhanced by the metal stairways and river/​cityscape facing windows. It’s a shame the weather forced the event indoors because the patio provided an amazing view of the skyline.
I’m so happy I was able to experience Charbar with the hospitality of Chef Connie, her team and of course Dale, for organizing this wonderful event. Is it too soon to say I love this place even though we just met? :)

Oh boy! Where do I start … What a FANTASTIC night!!! Wow Dale …
WINE!!! OMG so delicious and no beer!!: so already I’m obviously a fan. The 75 day aged porterhouse steaks with the chimichurri sauces — so amazing! The FRESH ceviche being made right in front of us … Devine! The avocado and pistachio bruschetta was sooo scrumptious. Seriously. SO GOOD! And then the seafood table! Crab legs, GIANT shrimp, oysters with some super tasty dips!
And throw in a kick ass live band and we had ourselves a party!
LOVED THE FOOD, LOVED THE SPACE, LOVED THE TOURS (what a great historical building) and of course LOVED THE WINE!
Our group already has plans to go back for that patio, oysters and avocado pistachio bruschetta with some drinks and desserts.
We thought it was just SUPERB!!!
Thanks Dale! You and the entire Charbar team knocked this one out of the park!!!

This was one great Unilocal event! The spread was amazing, staff was awesome, entertainment was perfect, the old Simmons building is pretty neat, atomosphere is funky and rustic and I was a bit star struck to meet Connie DeSousa (owner and a fav of mine from top chef)
I would like to specifically mention that Argentine pizza (Fugazza) is crazy amazing. I generally like thin crusts but I wouldn’t change anything about these beautiful pies and I’m not sure if I’ll have to order a pizza next trip or sample a bunch of small plates… what a huge dilemma!
I should say Charbar would probably not have been on my radar right away due to me being vegetarian so I’m glad to have an excuse to go in there to discover I had prejudged and would have been missing out. In reality there are actually quite a bit on the menu for me so I’m excited to get a group to come help me explore a bit more. That’s not to say it’s not a carnivore’s paradise as hubs loved the crab legs, ceviche and has been talking about the steak all day today. That just means we’ll both be excited to return as usually a dinner where he gets a great steak is not the most memorable meal for me.
Thank you to Dale for organizing, charbar for hosting and cooking such great grub, the band, the steampunk parasol duelers, just wine (such tasty sips) and for the really cool tour of your very unique space. I’ll be back very soon.
P. S. Alley Burger will be rebooted out of Charbar sometime in the near future YYC…

A Taste of Charbar was actually a feast!
We drank Carlos Basso, a delicious, heavy red that Charbar sells by the bottle for only $ 45. We ate huge, fresh prawns that I gleefully teared apart and dipped in the many delicious sauces made available to us. I ate slices of beef with a beautifully seasoned crust. I munched on Charbar’s stellar pizza and mountains of avocado and pistachio dip. I ate fresh raw ceviche and oysters and crab legs. If I had a diary, I would write that «Tonight, I lived.»
The tour of the historical building was awesome. Seriously — this should be a permanent fixture as the building is so cool and has so much history. How many places are like this in Calgary?
The best part was meeting Connie and John. I don’t normally go up to people and start chatting but Dale announced on the speaker that we could go up and say hi to John and Connie. They are both so interesting and down-​to-​earth. I asked how Connie got into the industry. John shared his thoughts about the uniqueness of Calgary’s chef community and collaboration that goes on. I realized that I am living in a city with great restaurants and chefs. I promise never to slam the city with my ignorant comments and comparisons.
I’m taking my husband to check out the roof top patio once the weather is nice again. The views are stunning. The roof top menu is more limited menu but that’s okay with my husband, as he’s a burger guy.
I felt so lucky that I was invited to attend this party. Thanks Dale, Connie, John, WineApp, and everyone else that made this event so amazing.
Also — just an observation. It was a Monday night and the entire place was packed with happy customers. Monday is suppose to be one of their quieter nights too. If you don’t want to wait in line for a patio seat, go on a weekday.

Connie, John, and Jessica put on a stellar night of Argentinian food and music. 75 day aged porterhouse, assorted pizzas, ceviches and a raw bar.
From the tour to the wine from Terrazas de los Andes, to the pizza crust made by Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, it was an incredible event!

So this is the 3^rd + time I’ve been to Charbar and it’s seriously as good as it gets. Never had a bad meal or bad time here. The food is always beyond my expectations. Tonight was no exception. Loved the band, love the Argentinian wines (and the new justwineapp) and loved all the delicious food.
The ceviche station was über cool — fresh & tasty. Then there was the seafood station with fresh oysters, crab and prawns. The steak station was mouth watering… we watched monster steaks being carved and placed on a wood board waiting for us to devour them with a trio of chimichurri’s. They further spoiled us with Fugozzas and Avocado & Pistacho Brushetta.
Tours were being given of the Simmons building. Did you know it’s over 100 years old, has the original wood beams and was formerly a factory warehouse for a national bedding manufacturer? When you’re in this building you almost feel like the walls come alive. If only they could share their stories… so many secrets they hold.
Incredible night… so many people I’d never met before and several elites I hadn’t seen in awhile! Amazing job Dale & team… you set the bar pretty high this time! Kudos to everyone who helped make this such a success!

Charbar sure knows how to put on a great event!
The food was plentiful and truly amazing, the wines were great and the space was phenomenal. Co-​chef/​owners Connie Desousa and John Jackson, Executive Chef Jessica Pelland, and the rest of the charbar staff, including David Keall (@calgarywaiter) hosted a night to remember.
The event was originally supposed to be on the roof-​top, but the dreary weather, brought us inside. Regardless of where we were, the space was able to accommodate approximately 80 people, and though it was a bit tight we were originally targeting around 50, so they handled it very well; plus, the service wasn’t compromised at all. Given a bit more notice, we’re sure charbar could have accommodated an even larger crowd, as we were only using a section of the venue. All in all, it was an intimate and lively experience.
We’ll stop gushing about charbar, but it truly an amazing night, and we look forward to our next visit at charbar.
Here’s the link for the full JustWine Review (including the wines we tasted at #tasteofcharbar):