Chef Adam Hegsted plans Honey Co. eatery and social club in former Cellar spot in downtown Coeur d’Alene

Chef and restaurateur Adam Hegsted closed the Cellar, his upscale Pacific Northwest restaurant with an extensive wine list, last January.

Today, he plans to revamp the same space in downtown Coeur d’Alene into a downstairs social club and upstairs eclectic eatery focusing on contemporary comfort food.

Honey Co. is slated to open “in March or April,” said Hegsted, who – in the meantime – is working on opening a new burger-and-breakfast spot in downtown Spokane.

The name for the forthcoming Coeur d’Alene cafe pays homage to a favorite local ingredient, he said.

“We wanted to think of something natural that fits North Idaho,” he said.

Upstairs will feature the fare for which Hegsted is known: modern comfort with whimsical twists. Dishes will be made from scratch using Old-World techniques, Hegsted said, but entrees will be contemporary, fun and approachable – similar to those on the menu at his Farmhouse Kitchen and Silo Bar in Ponderay. (Think fried chicken and sammies.)

The plan is to keep price points down, Hegsted said, stressing he wants the eatery to be a place people frequent, not visit once a year for special occasions.

The plan, also, is to be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but close fairly early.

And that’s when downstairs opens.

Downstairs will offer “like a speakeasy social club,” Hegsted said. The emphasis there will be craft cocktails and Inland Northwest-inspired small plates, similar to those on the menu at his Wandering Table in Kendall Yards.

“We don’t really want to do fine dining. We want to keep it casual,” Hegsted said.

And to that end, the ambiance both upstairs and downstairs will be “warmer” than the Cellar, offering “a more homey feeling,” Hegsted said.

Decor at the upstairs eatery will be boho chic, with local art on the walls. Downstairs, the look and feel of the lounge will evoke the style of the 1920s and ‘30s.

Hegsted closed the Cellar on Jan. 20, 2017. He had purchased the longtime restaurant and wine bar in 2014 from Patricia and Tom Power, who had planned, Hegsted told The Spokesman-Review earlier this year, to sell the 1915 building. But, he said this week, the deal fell through, and he remained interested in the space in a historic building in the heart of downtown Coeur d’Alene.

Hegsted also owns or is a partner in Wandering Table, Yards Bruncheon and Gilded Unicorn in Spokane; Farmhouse Kitchen and Silo Bar in Ponderay, Eat Good Cafe in Liberty Lake, Republic Kitchen and Taphouse in Post Falls, and Le Catering, a catering company.

In addition to Honey Co. in Coeur d’Alene, his forthcoming establishments include IncrediBurger and Eggs in downtown Spokane.