<p>Our S#1 just got engaged and the wedding will be in Seattle next summer. We live on the opposite coast so any planning we might be involved in will be long-distance. DH and I plan to have a “rehearsal” dinner on Saturday evening for all the out-of-town guests, of which we expect there will be many. 80? 90? 100? Won’t know for sure until much closer in time.</p>
<p>Can anyone suggest restaurants which might be able to accommodate such a large group in a private party room? Any ideas and anecdotes about experiences with this would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>Good list, but… Avoid McCormick! Their food is greasy and overcooked. Dahlia Lounge and Palisades are fantastic, but pricey. Fado’s is not where you’d want to have a nice dinner - it is a pub, and they pack people like sardines. </p>
<p>The reason I mentioned Ivar’s is that we had our company holiday party at Ivar’s. They were very easy to work with and know how to handle large groups. We liked it so much we were back the next year.</p>
<p>This is another place where we had a company dinner party and liked it:</p>
<p>I would avoid McCormick’s also because I’m not a fan of chain restaurants. I could see right away from the Open Table list which ones I would potentially take a look at and which ones I would probably avoid. I have been to the other Ivar’s at the waterfront and it was nice. But they don’t take that large a group. The Ivar’s you mention, BunsenBurner, looks nice. Is there an area though, momof3sons, you are targeting? Maybe that would narrow things down for you.</p>
<p>I know OpenTable is not an exhaustive list. That is where more suggestions from the local folks will come in handy. Good luck, momof3sons, with finding a great place for a rehearsal dinner. I’m sure it is difficult for you trying to plan from a distance. Hope you can have fun with the research!</p>
<p>If you are not committed to the city only, there are nice places on the Eastside and north of the city for wedding events. Woodinville wine country naturally comes to mind. Chateau St Michellle and Columbia wineries plus a whole bunch of smaller places that have banquet facilities and team up with excellent caterers.</p>
<p>I’ve heard good things about 50 North, though it does not have a view. Its location is very handy to a nice hotel, the Silver Cloud (the UW location) for folks who prefer not to stay downtown. Both are within walking distance of U Village, a large upscale open-air mall.</p>
<p>A colleague’s daughter had her rehearsal dinner at Seattle Tennis Club last summer. It’s a beautiful waterfront spot and she said they did a wonderful job. The wedding was also there the following day, so that may have been a factor in pricing or their decision.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks everyone for all the suggestions! We have to be careful not to “outdo” the wedding with this dinner, so I will check everything out online. The wedding is going to be quite modest. </p>
<p>I am going to study the map of Seattle so that I can get a sense of where the different neighborhoods are. I think my son has mentioned that the bride’s parents live on 15th Ave. E, which means nothing to me, but I think he said it’s in the Capitol district? He also mentioned the University district, maybe for a hotel idea. Anyway, we wouldn’t want to go too far afield into any suburbs just because this is going to be a HUGE expense for any of our guests who come out to Seattle, since 98% of our friends and family are on the East Coast and we don’t know if people will rent cars or how they will get around. </p>
<p>Soon, I’ll be asking about suggestions of where to have a brunch for the same large group of people the morning after the wedding. :)</p>
<p>The Salmon House is probably a good venue if the bride’s family is </p>
<p>Ivan’s Salmon House is a good venue if the bride’s family is on Capitol Hill. </p>
<p>My running group has had events at Ponti and the good was good. We’ve also done Hales Ales in Ballard - west of the university district and Capitol Hill</p>
<p>bunsenburner or others “in the know”-Ivar’s seems to have more than one location. The bride’s family lives on Capitol Hill. Which would be the location I should be looking at?</p>
<p>zipyourlips-my S mentioned the Silver Cloud as potentially a good hotel for our guests, however, they will not hold a block of rooms for us for next August, so I have to see if there’s a way to deal with that. Perhaps with a 60 day cancellation notice or something akin to that.</p>
<p>Yes, the Salmon House is a good choice if people are n Capitol Hill, and it’s close to the U District. There’s much more parking there than the downtown waterfront site, and it’s literally on the water, so nice views. It’s not cheap, in my world, anyway, but the food is wonderful and I haven’t had better chowder even in New England. </p>
<p>There are many, many restaurants on Capitol Hill itself, but most are small and casual, good, even great for a dinner for a few, but not for a large group. We have a friend in the restaurant business and he holds some of his events at various Tom Douglas restaurants. We’ve never been disappointed at any of the ones we’ve attended.</p>
<p>For a Sunday brunch I would suggest Toulouse Petite (it’s been featured on Food Network), a cajun-style place with the most amazing food. The brunch is to die for. I don’t think they take reservations, though. It’s on Queen Anne, near downtown, and easy to get to from Capitol Hill.</p>
<p>This is the Ivar’s Salmon House - the one by the UW. Parking there is FREE, which is also a huge benefit. It is very close to Capitol Hill. </p>
<p>A question - why do you think venturing into the suburbs would be a huge expense for the guests? They will have to carpool and/or get cabs even within the city, since our public transportation is pretty unreliable, especially on a Sunday evening. U District is quite well served by buses, though.</p>
<p>If you wanted to consider Downtown, Tulio has brunch. They have valet parking and a parking garage across the street. They have an upstairs private room they don’t charge for but it can only accommodate 90 people. It is at 5th and Spring. <a href=“http://www.tulio.com%5B/url%5D”>http://www.tulio.com</a></p>
<p>Ivar’s Salmon House does sound nice for dinner and free parking is always good.</p>
<p>I second the recommendation for Ivar’s Salmon House. It’s a nice restaurant, but still has a very down-home feel (not snooty at all). The food is great and the view is even better! </p>
<p>BunsenBurner is right, it doesn’t get any more Seattle than Ivar’s!</p>
Their banquet room can accommodate 100 folks easily, the food is great (and reasonably priced) and the view of the lake is to die for! Outoftowners will get a taste of the great Pacific Norhwest. 
I think my son has mentioned that the bride’s parents live on 15th Ave. E, which means nothing to me, but I think he said it’s in the Capitol district? He also mentioned the University district, maybe for a hotel idea. Anyway, we wouldn’t want to go too far afield into any suburbs just because this is going to be a HUGE expense for any of our guests who come out to Seattle, since 98% of our friends and family are on the East Coast and we don’t know if people will rent cars or how they will get around. </p>