Essential Calgary Magazine | Page 53

CHARCUT/CHARBAR Chefs and co-owners John Jackson and Connie Desousa’s restaurants Charcut and Charbar are stars of Calgary’s dining scene. Charcut routinely places of “Best of” lists, and Charbar opened in June 2015 to immediate positive accolades and lineups of diners eager to try (and return for) their smoked meats, unique brunch dishes, and the delicious you-haven’t-had-avocados-on-toast-like-this-before. Charcut is frequented by locals and celebrities alike—Kelly Oxford, Ludacris, James and Oliver Phelps, and Leonardo DiCaprio have all been spotted at the restaurant. But you don’t need to be a celebrity to receive the star treatment. “All of our guests are VIPs,” says Desousa, “though anyone in the food and beverage industry is very high on our list.” “Anyone who visits us more than once is considered a regular and part of our family,” says Jackson. “We want first time guests to get the full experience. If anyone goes out of their way to contact us and make a request for something special, if it’s within our means we can absolutely accommodate. If we can’t, we’ll offer a very creative alternative.” Charcut and Char