Erik Hamline & Elle Waters
Northeast, Minneapolis
If you’ve ever stopped into Bar Harmony for a glass of Slovenian muskat, a grilled cheese (always with a twist), or just to feel warmly welcomed, you’ve likely felt the fingerprints of Erik Hamline and Elle Waters in every aspect of your visit. Erik is the one-man powerhouse behind the concept and creative direction, and Elle keeps everything flowing with her signature charm and deep love for wine (and amaro, of course). We caught up with them between pours to talk about how Bar Harmony came to be, what they’re loving on the menu right now, and why hospitality that actually feels good is at the heart of everything they do.
Full Name, Age and Where are you from?
EH: Erik Hamline, 38 originally from Minneapolis and back by way of NYC and Seattle prior to that.
EW: Elle Waters. 31. Originally from Fond du Lac, but moved here after living in Nashville for 6 years.
What is your title at Bar Harmony?
EH: I’m the owner and creative director. I handle design direction, menu and am usually assisting service with our staff most nights if I’m free.
EW: General Manager.
What inspired you to get into this industry?
EH: Simply I think just seeing a pretty sizable gap in the market and wanting to fill it for myself and friends. Conceptually I’d just started churning over the idea of flipping what we’ve been seeing as of late in regard to the state of restaurants - incredibly high pricing and fees on fees with little to no service. I’d thought it would be great to do something in-line with what I enjoy so much about a small casual cafe / bar / bistro in Paris, Italy, Berlin, etc. Cafe by day that transitions into a super approachable wine bar in the evenings. Maybe a little dance party here and there on Saturdays every so often. All with absolute devotion to attention to detail in regard to bringing on really fun, eccentric and high interest offerings.
Approachability and service are paramount to me — pricing and thoughtfulness on a spend is something we take huge consideration of (ie. btg natural wine pours between 7-13 and plates all under 16). Alongside that we really love the idea of pushing classic FOH service. Service in more of a maître d sensibility — really extending ourselves to everyone who walks through the door rather than the lukewarm shuffle (at best) we’ve grown more accustomed to these days. If we’re lucky to even receive service. I’ve worked as a dishwasher, busboy and barback in my early 20’s and really hadn’t put too much thought between here and then into opening a place, but after about a year or so of really working things over in my mind this past year I said to hell with it and went for it.
EW: I started working in coffee while I was in school at UW-Madison - shout out to Crescendo (first coffee gig). I’ve always been interested in food and hospitality, but things really ramped up for me when I started working at a restaurant in Nashville called Folk. I learned a ton about natural wine and food there, and I was able to take a lot from my coffee shop hospitality background with me. I really love interacting with people, and being a special part of their day. And I also love coffee and wine, so it’s a great fit :)
What is your most blissful wine moment?
EH: Very hard to say! I think maybe my first real glass of truly spectacular natural wine maybe in 2016? at Melody in Los Angeles. I‘ve thought about that bottle. No idea what it was unfortunately— no label but like a handful of sand glued to it? Very natural wine label. Haha I have no idea- i’m pretty sure I drank the whole thing and that doesn’t help the memory in the least.
EW: Probably enjoying a nice bottle of wine at the lake in the summer, and reading a good book. One that I go back to often is the Cantina Marlina Sikele Etna Bianco. I have a lot of specific memories with that wine, so it’s fun to have on our menu here.
What, to you, is the best city for food (or wine!) right now?
EH: Ohh tough question! Of my travels as of late I think NY or Paris. NY always has so, so much innovation, variety and layers of interest and- of course, incredible access to quality ingredients. Paris is always such a special place for food and drink (as is all of France of course) but I seriously love a classic little market-driven bistro. Simplicity of cuisine as well as more contemporary interpretations popping up constantly. London is incredible for that as well- such great small casual bars and restaurants with incredible menus and spaces but for me I always have a soft spot for what’s happening in Paris. I’m in Paris and Europe every four-five months for our adjacent menswear shop (EQUIPMENT) and am constantly absorbing inspiration for both Bar Harmony / Cafe Harmony, EQUIPMENT and upcoming projects.
EW: That’s hard, but I do love New York. I haven’t traveled internationally, but I also find a lot of inspiration in Parisian winemaking and food culture.
Are there any dishes you're hoping to introduce to your menu in the future?
EH: Absolutely. We’re rotating frequently and I’m loving having creative control over where we flow. I love creating simple, straightforward dishes with limited ingredients. We’re quite basic at the moment and I’m excited to experiment and push our tiny kitchen as we move ahead.
EW: Not food, but amaro. I’m a huge fan of digestives, and I think they go hand in hand with coffee culture. Keep your eye out for an amaro night coming up soon.
If you could shout out a colleague or friend in the industry who would it be and why?
EH: There are so, so many great folks here that it’s tough to narrow it down! I think just as a whole all the small folks doing their own thing against the tide of hospitality groups and larger conglomerates need all the credit they can get right now. Rents have increased so, so much in the last few years and workable spaces are incredibly harder to find - if at all. The few small bars, restaurants, cafes, etc. that are starting up have so much more stacked against them than just a few years ago.
That- alongside an abysmal local press / media scene (present company entirely excluded of course) and a ceaselessly growing market share controlled by just a few behemoth hospitality groups, developers, etc. have only made it that much more difficult for a start-up to even exist these days, let alone even dream of succeeding outside of breaking even.
EW: Shane O’brien at Folk and Rolf + Daughters. I learned so much from him, and he helped me greatly in my transition into fine dining. He always let me ask questions without making me feel silly. I think the hospitality/restaurant industry can be pretty pretentious, so it was nice to have a manager and confidant in that way!
What restaurant, cafe, or bar do you find yourself frequenting most within the Twin Cities?
EH: I’m at Sanjusan most frequently. I love everything about the place- the space, menu, staff, concept, everything. It’s absolutely my go-to. Otherwise I’m usually swinging through Berlin regularly, taking a long lunch whenever I can (rarely unfortunately) on the Nicollet Island Inn patio or with friends late at Jimmy’s in NE eating Dave’s ham sandwiches and ripping up the Touchtunes. Dave’s ham sandwiches at Jimmy’s are absolutely perfect. I believe they’re microwaved haha. In my book Dave deserves a star.
EW: I love Nightingale. Half priced bottles on Mondays, a few oysters, fries, and a game of rummy with my girlfriend on the patio.
How do you relax outside of work?
EH: I’m completely terrible at relaxing. Usually I’m just working on another project or if I can just sitting on my back patio in the sun reading.
EW: Reading, thrifting, testing cocktail recipes, cooking, and hanging out with my cat!
If it's my first time stopping into Bar Harmony, what's your order recommendation right now?
EH: We’ve got such a great wine list coming in right now for our current rotation, alongside some incredible sake pours. I would say we are all absolutely enamored with the Ruth Lewandowski Cuvée Rosé and the Stagiare Sonoma Mountain Merlot. Both crazy wonderful natural wines from around Sonoma. We’ve got a crazy limited unpasteurized Sake from Takahiro Nagayama that only comes out in small batches once a year (we are extremely lucky to have these stateside). We’re launching our mid-spring menu right now with a great little 6oz grass-fed Coulotte bar steak with charred ramp and spring onion. Our cheese and charcuterie plates are really really fun right now too with a rotating mix of imported raw and aged cheeses and cured meats. And, of course, our baechu kimchi grilled cheese seems to be making people happy :)
EW: Probably the Ruth Lewandowski Rose. Evan makes really vibrant wines in CA. I’ve always been a fan, but this wine in particular is always a fun one for spring and summer! The kimchi grilled cheese is also revolutionary.
