Red Bar Winery
Tonya Hudson over on the Downtown Elgin blog posted some good news about Red Bar Winery & Bistro opening in downtown Elgin this week:
Red Bar Winery and Bistro opens this week at 74 S. Grove Avenue, just down the street from the new Mad Maggie’s and Fountain Square condos.
Red Bar is an eclectic mix of restaurant, retail boutique and do-it-yourself winery. Owners Jim and Doris Canfield have created a unique destination where you can enjoy, purchase, learn about and make your own wine. They have completely transformed the space into a cozy and elegant lounge, complete with a red marble bar for which the place is named.
Please stop in and welcome Jim and Doris to the neighborhood. To learn more about Red Bar, give them a call at (847) 695-1659.
Bistro? Could it be? I can haz boeuf bourguignon?
See also:
Wine comes to downtown Elgin
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Sorry to say we are not opening on the 9th of March. We posed March 09 on the window which caused some confusion. We are working hard to open in March 2009
I can promise that before we open we will shout it out to everyone.
Thanks
Jim Canfield
Jim, I drove by your place this afternoon and look forward to trying it out. Not to add another burden to your “to do” list, but does Red Bar have a website? I was disappointed that I couldn’t find one. A web presence would seem important for reaching the demographic to whom a “wine bistro” would appeal.
If this place doesn’t do good right of the bat it will be destined to fail. I could very easily imagine this being another in a long line of failed Elgin businesses.
frankwolftown, long time no see :)
Mr. Canfield, thanks for keeping us posted. What kind of food will you be offering?
Where have I been? I’ve been studying out in DeKalb where they had wine bistro that recently failed. I hate being so negative but when I read this it’s the first thing that goes into my mind.
Good for you, frankwolftown. I hope your studies are going well!
As much as I would like to see this new venue succeed, I don’t know if there is enough interest to keep a “wine bar” located in downtown Elgin in business. With Mad Maggie’s, the Martini Bar and the Elgin Public House I think they’ll have a tough time. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for them!
Well exactly.
But don’t you think that maybe this is the turn around
for a historic city/community to bring to the downtown.
After all Elgin has a great history.
A wine and bestow could only add to it’s atmosphere.
After all being involved and having an interest in the
downtown area I think a mall atmosphere would be a
mistake.
In no way did I intend to put down any new Elgin buisness opening,
I just think it is a hard thing to do when the roads to get there are broken.
I am rooting for all of you guys.
I of all people want to see Elgin blossum.
Because after all I have one of the biggest investments in the City of Elgin…
I am an employee of the city.
Need say more.
What about the Gasthaus? It’s completely remodeled, under new management (as of June 1, 2009) new menu, booking live music every Friday and Saturday night… and doing quite well! It’s no longer a German restaurant, it’s now a neighborhood bar & grill with live music. People need to get the word out… and stop in.. you’d be surprised!!
Red Bar Winery and Bistro is much more than a wine bar. It’s more of restaurant with a wine bar. If you love great pasta dishes, stop in on Wednesday night this week. They are starting up a pasta night which I happened upon last Wednesday. All you can eat pasta for $8.95. You could add meatballs or Italian sausage for an additional .50 each trip back. A small salad and garlic bread was included. It was awesome!! Such fresh ingredients made to order as you watched. I loved it!
Wow - what a sea of pessimism! I appreciate people trying to keep a realistic perspective, but let’s give the place a chance first and do what we can to support it so that other types of businesses follow. Once the place opens, if you visit it and like it, tell as many people about it as you possibly can. Word-of-mouth is very powerful. To the owners of the new establishment, getting yourself included in one of the local coupon mailers will get the word out as well. I’m excited that we have a new distinguished type of place coming into downtown. In the virtual sea of boring chain restaurants, especially out on Randall (do we need any more pizza or fast food places - seriously?), this is a welcome change of pace!
I agree with RPJ. Frankwolftown- Would you rather there be no interest in anyone locating downtown at all so we can keep our empty buildings to ourselves and just be content seeing the same chain operators pop up on Randall every 5 miles from Crystal Lake to Aurora with the same contrived sales pitch to pull dollars out of every authentic and historic city center along the way? In my opinion we want to see unique businesses locate here and let the same bunch national chains battle it out up on Randall. Give ‘em a chance:)
” sea of pessimism! ”
Where? Everyone here is hoping for the best.
Being realistic isn’t pessimism.
Being unrealistic isn’t optimism. That is foolishness.
And who is “we”. My preference is for good pizza and reasonable priced beer joint. I’m not holding my breath; only my wallet.
A wine bar will succeed or fail, not because of me, but because they provide a service and product that consumers actually want and support. I have no desire for $4 frou frou beers that really aren’t even very good.
P.S. I don’t drink wine. But good luck to them, never-the-less.
Everyone “kind of” hopes for the best, but not until they’ve at least made sure their reservations about the place are fully stated. I think I also said in my original post, “I appreciate people trying to keep a realistic perspective,” but that, of course, was completely overlooked. My comment wasn’t to tear anyone down, but to help support the positive and leave the negative behind. And, if all you like is “non-frou frou beer” as you put it, then there are plenty of watering holes in towns such as Elgin that will serve you anything from an Old Style in a can up to the latest Goose Island offering. If you really want a choice in beer, head up to Barley House in the ALgonquin Commons - it’s fantastic. This, however, is about wine, and it’s about the fact that we don’t have anything like this yet. I’m looking forward to it!
I only see one mildly pessimistic post in this thread so not sure who everyone is!
You appreciate a realistic perspective but just don’t want to hear it if you don’t agree with it?
Thanks for pointing out that there are other places in Elgin. There is one less place than there was a month ago. What is your realistic positive perspective on that?
Algonquin Commons! Isn’t that on Randall road. Why the hell would anyone drive up there to get a beer?
Oh, this thread is about wine? Damn, now you set the rules! Never mind.
I heard they will have a Kick-Butt label from a very talented local Elgin Artist. ;-) We can’t wait to try ‘em out!
Went there last night. Saw Mayor Ed there and a few other folks. Ran into an old friend. The owners seem super nice, very friendly.
Thanks for the report. So when did they open? The condition of Elgin’s downtown streets has pretty much limited my downtown travels to the Library and Post Office areas, and I haven’t been down South Grove in a while. I’m looking forward to trying the place.
First of all I would like to thank each of you for your continued intrest through a very long “Opening Soon” period.
We opened on Friday Night for Wine only and were very happy to meet some of the locals for the first time. We will be opening for food service on Wed afternoon with a limited menu that will allow us to slowly get up to speed for the full menu. Currently we are selling commercial wines until our winery is up and running. We are happy to give guided tours of the bistro and winery so stop by anytime. Or if you have any questions we can be contacted at redbarwinery@tbc.net or the winery’s number is 847-695-1659
Jim & Doris
Iwas one of the people that stopped by on Wednesday. I love the space, enjoyed a nice Italian red and picked over your chocalates. Welcome to Elgin and thanks for your classy contribution to our city.
Congratuulations Jim & Doris!!
It has been a tremendous effort.
All the best!
Hi all,
I have my art on one of the labels.
I do like wine more over the old beer days
but that’s only a life choice for my pallet.
I think it\\Red Bar will be a touch of class over
the “young late night” run of the muck.
Whom I admittedly was a huge part of.
Any ways I hope all the downtown
businesses make good.
I remember Elgin in the 60’s and early 70’s
I was really the place to visit and shop.
B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.
Best of luck to you. Your space is amazing, the wine was good & the pizza was delish! I am telling all my friends and making this one of our hang out spots!!!
I really looked forward to coming here. My husband took me here for my birthday at the end of May. When we arrived we stood in the doorway for several minutes waiting to be seated. We felt uncomfortable standing there but someone finally walked by and said to sit wherever we wanted. Minutes later the server put the menu down and walked away. We waited for at least another 10 minutes but didn’t even get a glass of water. We live in the neighborhood, walked there and really would have liked to have had water to drink. The owner seemed to be chatting with friends so even though we were inches away we were never acknowledged. One of the basics of customer service is acknowledge the customer even if you can’t get back to them right away. I don’t know how many more minutes we waited but we felt that they didn’t have enough servers to handle the customers. We walked out and went to Al’s where we were greeted immediately with a friendly hello and two glasses of ice water. The service at Al’s was great. We’ll try Red Bar again when they have the kinks worked out. But there’s nothing like wanting to spend your money in a resturant and feeling like your an intrusion.
Myself and two of my girlfriends stopped in the other night just to see what the bar was like. We thought that it was a “wine tasting” bar and they made their own wines there. Didn’t get great service at first, almost seemed like they were still a little lost until Jim the owner came over. What a great guy and so knowledgeable!!! He was wonderful and we had some great wines, he even gave us some special samples! I learned so much about wine that night and loved the restaurant/bar. Would definitely go back again and hope they make it!!!
I have not been here yet but I have heard only glowing comments from my friends who have. They love the food, the wine & the owner. I have been wanting to try the place but feel a little out of place in a winery because I can’t drink. Last night, I learned from a friend that they serve delicious non-alcohol wine! I will be there soon…
Downtown Elgin is alive and thriving… this summer has seen a lot of “pub crawling” from Mad Maggies to Public House, to Gasthaus, to Martini Room, and Douglas Street Sports Bar… now we need to add more commercial business to the lively night spot. Red Bar is a nice addition! On any given Friday or Saturday one can walk a few blocks and sample various forms of music from live bands or DJs and various forms of food and drink… Unfortunately we still have to convince West siders we’re a safe area and they can park in a parking garage and do some fun bar hopping… Help get the word out!
Not good not good at all. The meal at best was average. The service was horrible. I would much rather make the drive to Coopers Hawk. They have a knowledgeable staff and a much better menu. This place reminds me of the recently failed restaurant in Dundee.
That’s too bad. Evidently the owners didn’t read this blog.
From me, 03/12/09: “A wine bar will succeed or fail, not because of me, but because they provide a service and product that consumers actually want and support.”
From frankwolftown, 3/07/07: “If this place doesn’t do good right of the bat it will be destined to fail. ”
From RPJ who didn’t like either of the above comments, 3/11/09: “Word-of-mouth is very powerful. ”
Indeed it is, RPJ, and it ain’t looking good.
I was downtown this past weekend supporting local businesses and contemplating what it would take to survive and thrive as a business in downtown Elgin. Didn’t figure it out but did come up with whatever business it is has to be a destination unto itself. Because if you are depending on the traffic wandering by you aren’t going to make it.
On a related note, my partner gets to select where her boss takes for lunch every year on her birthday. Last year she chose Elgin Public House. The streets were torn up, the sidewalks were torn up, no street parking, it was raining and she got a $50 parking ticket for being 10 minutes over in the parking deck. She loved the food but unequivocally stated yesterday she isn’t going back. She wrote a letter to City of Elgin. They wrote back saying too bad for you.
No, too bad for Elgin Public House.
I must say the downtown area looks so nice. I had not been into that part of town in years. It looks very friendly and inviting. I really wanted to have a good experience at Red Bar. I want to support local business but, it was just not good at all. The menu is very limited and the staff was not friendly at all.
I agree that the menu is limited and changes a lot, but I think the food is great, the people very friendly, and the place beautiful. You should really give it another shot. Maybe call first to see what’s on the days menu.
The place is beautiful you are correct on that. It was not just that the menu was limited the food was not that good. And I was upset by that I really wanted to like this place. I do plan on going back in a few months. Perhaps, they will have the bugs worked out. I will definitely give them another try. But, my first experience was not good at all. I recently moved back to the area can anyone suggest any other restaurants in the area??
I think it is important to send a letter to the owner. Things he/she may not be aware of can only be fixed if that person becomes aware of it. Personally, I have been there several times and each time it has been outstanding food. I would rather see the owner have a chance to use feedback as a training tool than silently watching things slip.
We went to the Red Bar early right when they opened and they seemed to be having kitchen issues, we waited a long time for our food, although the servers and the manager were very apologetic. The food was good and the place was beautiful. We decided to give it another try recently and I have to say, things seemed to be much better in the kitchen. Food was still very good, everyone was very friendly and service was good, we didn’t have to wait for anything. The manager Joyce was very nice and helpful with some wine suggestions. We hope they make it work. We will be back!
my wife and I and another couple were at the Red Bar having dinner and enjoying the wine. Nice place. They did a wonderful job. We loved the idea of being able to make our own wine in the future. I hope they get the going pretty soon. Food was great. My wife loved the Chicken Curry.
We hope they keep that on the menu. Service was also very good. Our server was also helpful with some wine suggestions. We were wondering why the TV was not on for the Bears Game eventhough it was pre-season?
We would have stayed longer and had another bottle of wine but we wanted to watch the game so we went some where else afterwards. But over all we enjoyed the place.
I gave Red Bar two chances and both times they fell short in what I believe is good service and quality food. I was in for lunch with a friend and even though there was only one other table of two our service was very slow and not a relaxing lunch experience. I was invited with another couple for dinner and went along hoping at night it might be better but it was worse. They had more tables and a server who was too busy chatting with someone at the bar to notice when our glasses were empty and when we needed attention. I will stick to going to the places I know when dining out. It seems this place is not run by anyone at all and if so this must be the first time in this business because you don’t get repeat customers with staff that seems inexperienced and un attentive. The food was decent but the wait seemed longer then what would be expected.
We had a great time at Red Bar last night. The server was fantastic and they had a great selection of moderately priced wines. The food, to my great surprise, was fantastic. I expected the food to be mediocre at best, but it was great. The right portions, well seasoned. It was odd that there were only 3 entrees, and you don’t usually associate curry with wine.
I would really like to see more entrees on the menu. The one drawback was that the food took what seemed like an exceptionally long time to come out. I’m not sure if they did it on purpose so you don’t feel rushed. There was only one other table when we came in, and our entrees took in excess of 30 minutes to come out. So plan on enjoying the singer and you wine. And thank God, no TV. Finally, a place were I’m not distracted by the TV. Good job guys, hope you can stick around for a while.
Had dinner at the Red Bar tonight and it was fabulous!
The wine was great…the food exceptional, better than I anticipated and Jim, the owner, took the time to ask us how everything was and gave us a wine to sample.
It is definetly a place I plan to go back to and I will highly recommend to everyone I know.
Cheers to a great place, great food and great spirits!!
I love this place… I eat here every week at least once. The best Chicken Chipotle Panini ever. My eyes roll in the back of my head with every bite. A nice sweet wine is always a great accent to the flavor of the spice so I recommend one of their Artist’s wines. Jim, Doris, Thank you so much for bringing your cuisine and Winery to Elgin. I wish you all the best. By the way I still have a lease option available if you’re interested. lol… Take care and see you again next week.
We went to the Red Bar on New Years Eve. We enjoyed the atmosphere but the menu was very limited.
The service was ok but the owner stoped by our table and was quite nice.
We will call before we go again to see what is on the menue.