Seattle Symphony, Chicago's Art Institute fete openings

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 2, 1998

Both the Seattle Symphony and the Art Institute of Chicago celebrated grand openings last month - the symphony's new home, Benaroya Hall, and the Art Institute's renovated Restaurant on the Park.

Benaroya Hall is Seattle's $118 million cultural venue at which concerts, opera and ballets will be performed. In addition to its stage and 3,500 seats, Benaroya Hall offers a variety of dining options for guests. Schwartz Brothers Entertainment Services, working with its off-premises catering division, Gretchen's Of Course, was hired to handle foodservice at the facility.

"We have a tough goal," said John Schwartz, president and chief executive of Schwartz Brothers. "We have to provide guests with a culinary experience that rivals their musical experience."

Benaroya Hall has one restaurant, Gretchen's Cafe. The 110-seat cafe, managed by Gretchen Mathers, opens on performance nights 90 minutes before curtain and offers theatergoers entrees and an array of desserts. Gretchen's closes after intermission.

Gretchen's also is open to the public, starting at 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday for lunch only. The menu consists of a variety of gourmet sandwiches, freshly made soups, a quiche of the day, salads and desserts.

In addition to Gretchen's, Schwartz Brothers manages 10 lobby bars and three sites for catered events. The lobby bars offer cocktails, wine, beer and coffee in addition to small "symphony sandwiches," cookies and other snacks.

Dinners and receptions can be held in the Samuel and Althea Stroum Grand Lobby and Promenade, the Boeing Co. Gallery and the more intimate Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall Lobby.

Schwartz noted that there is another site for catered events, the Founders Room. However, that site is open only to Founders - select patrons of the symphony - and their guests. Hors d'oeuvres and light meals, such as petite filet sandwich and smoked salmon caviar pizza, are served there.

In Chicago, The Art Institute reopened its Restaurant on the Park following several months of reconstruction. Theodore Spiegel, executive director of events/dining operations for the institute, said the project was designed to make better use of the restaurant's location - adjacent to Grant Park by expanding the wall of windows overlooking the park as well as to give diners a sense of Chicago architecture and Midwestern color.

The restaurant and its entryway were designed by interior-design firm Powell/Kleinschmidt, with the project being managed by the Art Institute's Department of Design and Construction.

Fragments from three Chicago buildings designed by Louis Sullivan adorn the restaurant walls, and a centerpiece features three wrought-iron elevator grates from the Chicago Stock Exchange building. It also is flanked by 12 copper-plated balusters from a stairway from the Carson Pirie Scott store.

Spiegel said the restaurant's walls are paneled in bog-oak veneer, leather and fabric. Tabletops of dark wood are covered with wheat-toned damask runners, and the floor is carpeted in tan and cream wool.

The restaurant features a variety of upscale entrees, salads and sandwiches, such as grilled provimi veal, Dijon-crusted venison, grilled fresh-water striped bass, vegetable rotini and fillet of ahi tuna sandwich.