| For over 20 years, Victoria’s restaurant reigned supreme with winged back chairs, lush velvet accents and opulent depictions of royal life on the walls. From robust brunches to hearty roast beef dinners, it was a place of regal nostalgia that hosted a diverse clientele. Next door, Detour and the Arena were the hub of Calgary’s gay community with drag shows on the weekends and go-go dancers writhing on raised platforms late into the night. But, the sale of the businesses last year resulted in a slow, steady decline, and it soon closed down.
Enter Witold Twardowski known in the restaurant and club business as an innovator with an intuitive sense of how to breathe distinctive life into old buildings. Leasing the building from the Ryder family and partnering with John Landry, a long-respected local spinner, the duo has merged their collective knowledge of Calgary’s culinary and social scene to create something unique to the city.
"We asked ourselves, is the old girl up for a makeover? She has such a strong personality. We’ve been working with that as our premise," explains Twardowski, the mind behind Divino, Mescalaro, and the Ranche, among others.
"She’s got extraordinary bones," he says, adding he remembers having ice cream here as a boy when it was the Model Milk building.
"Architecturally, it’s this rich series of spaces that interconnect," he says.
Rather than gut the sprawling deco brick structure on 17th Ave and 2nd Street S.W., the team is celebrating what is already in place and retaining many of the old fixtures. A second-floor storage space is being reopened, with its bounty of windows and solid wood flooring – it’s the Wow Room. Even in its stripped-down form it has jaw-dropping impact.
The interconnecting rooms lend the space an intimacy usually reserved for smaller venues and the partners say it’s partly what will make the place alluring. One room features dining opulence, the next Italian café styling, the next an energetic lounge setting, it’s bound to get tongues wagging.
What was once the Arena with its split stairs and lookout balconies will be the dancing area and will take on the life of the crowd, says Landry. A covered window adjacent to the old Detour entrance will be re-exposed flooding the room with natural light. The classic wingbacked chairs from Victoria’s will lend a certain royal charm and offset the subtle industrial vibe.
The two men describe the establishment’s theme as bohemian boudoir.
"She will be seductive," Twardowski says playfully, adding Calgary’s youthful, cosmopolitan population is ready for an updated version of an old classic.
"We’re presenting a younger, sexier Victoria."
Although the DJ list has yet to be confirmed, Landry hints some of Calgary’s top names will be manning the decks, providing hip backbeats.
"It will be funky and groovy, different from the mainstream," adds Landry.
Chef Paul Orr will be at the helm in the kitchen and the menu will be hearty and homestyle.
Sitting in one of the wingbacked chairs, Twardowski is visibly eager to throw open the doors in July.
"Victoria has lots more stories to tell." |
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