Holiday Event at Red Door Spa

Sweet Potato Canapes

Slow Cooked Chicken Canapes

 

Putting the finishing touches on the table. 

and finally a Silent Night

Well, we made it through the busy, Busy, BUSY holidays...phew.  Thank you to everyone who celebrated with their families, friends, and co-workers.  If your were lucky you might have had a chance to hear Twelfth Night preform a beautiful version of Silent Night.  These kids are so great.  If you want to have them preform at your next event, please feel free to contact us and we can provide contact information.

Thank you to all the shoppers who stopped in for a bite to eat during lunch.  It was nice to see so many NEW faces, we need to shout out to our regulars, who keep us busy all year long!

Things are slowing down a bit, so we've taken all the holiday decor down, sad, but we'll be ready for New Years Eve!!!  Hope to see you all soon.

Fa, la, la, la, la..la, la, la, lah!

So we haven't updated in a while due to snow, and then Thanksgiving, but we're back and the Holiday season is in full swing!!!  December 1st we had 2 lunch banquets, 3 dinner banquets, and an offsite catering event for 250 at the new Microsoft Store.  Phew...we LOVE it. 

This weekend we will be hosting 4 banquets on Friday and 5 on Saturday.  We wish it could be DECEMBER every month.  We'll be drinking a lot of coffee...

~Gracie

Gearing up for the holidays

The holiday season is coming. In Private Dining, the early bird gets the worm. Our intern, Hilary has been helping with daily follow-up calls to potential clients to see if they are going to be booking events with us this holiday season. We are fortunate at Ruth's Chris Steak House-Bellevue, that we have 3 private dining rooms and 2 semi-private rooms to book. We had an early booking incentive, that gave some lucky groups a gift certificate to use next year.

Anyway the deadline has come and gone. Now we have a zillion calls a day inquiring about holiday parties. We love it!!!

When Hilary finds time between school and the internship, and a little socializing, she'll give you a better update.

Later...

Start of a BUSY week...Monday Meeting & Cocktail Reception

I got to sample the different appetizers we were serving the banquet in the St. Charles room. New Zealand Lamb Lollipops, Sweet Potato with Pecan Crust (which is actually more like a dessert), Teriyaki Beef Skewers, and Mushrooms Stuffed with Crabmeat, everything was amazing! I also was able to watch Marco prepare and plate everything except the desserts, which to me, sounded the most delicious. I was also able to sit in on the pre-shift meeting, where Gracie explained about the night's parties. Between nibbles, Gracie and I prepared for Tuesday, the busiest night since I have been here. Confirming and preparing the packets for six parties was time-consuming, but it needed to be done. We put together the menus as well as the necessary paperwork for the servers.

Tiny Footprints and Sales Calls

Thursday was a busy night, with a silent auction and charity dinner held in the St. Charles and North Rampart rooms downstairs. It was for an organization called “The Tiny Footprints Guild”, an organization raising awareness and funds that support the Children’s Hospital. After calling a few clients to confirm reservations and helping them set-up the event, I was able to watch Marco prepare shrimp for the night, and Sean prepare the tomatoes and salads for the silent auction. After that, I helped Simone at the host stand and became familiar with how they manage the host stand and seating customers.
Friday was dedicated to cookie wrapping (still baking the pink cookies in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month) and sales calls to the local hotels and condos. We handed out the flyers for Thanksgiving dinner, Gracie’s business card, and the appetizer card I designed as well as a couple cookies for each business. Handing out flyers for Thanksgiving Dinner is a great way to have the concierge services at the hotels let their guests know where to go fir Thanksgiving Dinner. We drove around Downtown Bellevue for about an hour, stopping in to promote Thanksgiving Dinner and Ruth's Catering .

~Hilary

Lunch at Hotel Bellevue and Setting up for Events

Tuesday was BEO day and I created the folders for the different events we would be having at the restaurant over the next couple weeks. The Bellevue Collection cards also arrived on Monday, so I was finally able to show them to Gracie and Darrell. They look amazing and everyone was happy on how they turned out. We gave 250 to Amy Sherlock, the marketing coordinator at Kemper Development, the company that owns Bellevue Square, Bellevue Place, and Lincoln Square. The cards will be handed out mainly to the people attending the different conferences and conventions being held in Bellevue. We also had a tour and lunch with Kaarin and Heather from Hotel Bellevue at the Bellevue Club. I had been there previously for the Project Greenlight Fall Fashion Show and this time we got a tour of the different rooms the hotel has to offer and the event spaces they can provide. They have just remodeled the ballroom and put up amazing display screens and light schemes for the different events that take place in that room. We had lunch at Polaris, the restaurant inside the club. As Gracie and I had never been there, Heather and Carin started off by ordering the crispy salmon sushi roll. I am not a big fan of fish in general, but this was probably the best sushi I have ever had. Kaarin and I both got the Gorgonzola and caramelized pear pizette, and Heather got the halibut tacos. For dessert, the ladies from Hotel Bellevue “forced” me to get the dessert trio, which was absolutely amazing. Espresso brûlée, chocolate soufflé cake, and white chocolate and brie cheesecake, could not ask for anything better!

Yesterday, Wednesday was a late day for me, finally getting to see the restaurant at dinnertime. I hung the BEOs for the next week in the kitchen so Chef can be prepared for the coming parties. Then, I got to shadow Neil, one of the servers while he set up for a party in the St. Charles room. Setting for 42, there were 7 round tables with 6 people each. The party had a podium so we had to situate the room accordingly. It was great to be able to help Neil and Justin set-up for the party, as I have been mostly working in the office upstairs with Gracie and Darrell. They were great to work with, very encouraging and willing to let me help. The guests arrived slowly, mostly mingling around the entrance and started filtering in and out, ordering drinks and talking. I also helped Justin serve the salads, which adds to my limited experience in serving.

Thursday’s plans:
Ruth’s Chris at 4pm