VENUE REPORT

TRUE COLORS

A swatch of our region’s venue palette.

BY ROGER GORDON

THE NORTHWEST is home to colorful personalities, destinations, events and spaces. As a cheeky tribute to our region’s vibrancy, we’re highlighting four “colorful” meeting and event venues.

PURPLE CAFÉ AND WINE

BAR; Washington Named for the color of red wine, the Purple Café and Wine Bar has locations in Seattle, Bellevue and Woodinville. “When we first opened, the logo, the menus and some of the walls were purple and things like that, but we’ve kind of steered away from [emphasizing the color],” notes Director of Marketing and Public Relations David Yusen.

Emphasizing the wine, on the other hand, is always a good idea, particularly when you literally have walls of it built into your décor. “We have an amazing wine selection,” says Director of Catering and Event Planning Lindsey Winters.

As for the mood of the Purple Café and Wine Bar, Yusen says it is all things to all people. “It’s definitely a loud, lively atmosphere,” he says.

All three locations offer private dining options, including a semiprivate loft at the Seattle address, which can accommodate up to 100 guests for a cocktail party. Favorite entrees include the Maine lobster baked mac and cheese, gorgonzola-stuffed dates and the Purple chopped salad.

THE EVERGREEN; Oregon At first glance, The Evergreen in Portland seems like an unassuming venue. “From the street, you don’t really know what you’re walk-

Purple Café and Wine Bar has locations in Seattle, Bellevue and Woodinville. Below: Exposed brick and other historic detailing provide the backdrop for events at The Evergreen in Portland, Oregon.

The Red Lion Hotel Boise Downtowner offers a host of amenities for guests, including an outdoor pool and hot tub.

ing into,” says Director of Sales Shannon Hill. “You enter through these double doors on the street, and, because our space is on the second floor, once you get there via the staircase or the elevator, it’s kind of grand-esque like, ‘Wow! I didn’t even know this space was here!’”

Constructed in 1908, the historic venue has been restored with state-of-the-art upgrades. “We like to imagine ourselves as a modern classic that has all the comforts of this day and age. It’s also an industrial space,” Hill says. “People love having a space that has a historic feel, including a lot of exposed brick, but they also like the fact that it’s been completely renovated with all of these modern touches.”

In addition to the event space, the threestory venue includes a balcony and a lobby and can accommodate up to 200 guests for a seated dinner and up to 450 standing. There is a preferred catering list, although exceptions are made occasionally.

SILVER GULCH BREWING &

BOTTLING CO.; Alaska The Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Co. in Fox, Alaska, is a nod to the Yukon Gold Rush. “They also mine silver in the area we’re in,” says General Manager Dennis Smith. “Some of our logos and some of our interior details have kind of that silver look to it. Groups like the atmosphere. It’s kind of rustic. Because we’re a little bit out in the country, it’s like a rustic, country getaway.”

A restaurant and bar, the Silver Gulch has two large banquet rooms upstairs. One can accommodate up to 100 guests seated. The other can host up to 70 guests seated and standing.

“Our Scotch egg is a popular appetizer,” Smith says of their menu options. “It’s like a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and deep fried. We have a steak covered with miso and a honey-glaze topping. We hand-make our onion rings. We also have about 14 different in-house beers at one time. We change them seasonally,” says Smith.

RED LION HOTEL BOISE

DOWNTOWNER; Idaho One of the first hotels in the Boise area, the Red Lion Hotel Boise Downtowner was built in 1961 as an independent hotel. Red Lion took over the property nearly 40 years ago. It is one of the few hotels in downtown Boise that offers full-service lodging. “Our location is convenient to the downtown area,” says Director of Sales Scott Terry. “We have two restaurants—one for breakfast and one for dinner—an exercise room, an outdoor swimming pool and an outdoor hot tub. We also offer free parking to individuals who utilize the facility and stay with us, whereas many venues downtown don’t.”

There are 11 private event spaces, the largest of which is the main ballroom, which can accommodate up to 250 guests seated and up to 300 standing.

Catering is done in-house. Popular menu options are the pasta-driven Taste of Tuscany and the carnivore-friendly Texas Barbecue.

“Groups enjoy the food, the friendly staff and the convenience of working with our team,” says Terry. “They like the service that we offer and the flexibility of catering to what groups have available to spend for their budgets.”

Get Connected

THE EVERGREEN theevergreenpdx.com 503.476.1811

PURPLE CAFÉ AND WINE BAR purplecafe.com 206.838.3853

RED LION HOTEL BOISE DOWNTOWNER redlion.com/boisedowntowner 208.344.7691

SILVER GULCH BREWING & BOTTLING CO. silvergulch.com info@silvergulch.com 907.452.2739