A big night out at Canlis
Published on Thu, May 13, 2010 by John KullerRead More John Kuller
Everyone in Edmonds has heard of Canlis, the fine Seattle restaurant that offers excellent Midwest steaks, served by demure servers, in an elegant setting.
In the old days, it was said to be the best eatery in Seattle. And some folks swear that it still is, I might add.
A guy named Peter Canlis owned the place, and it was presided over by a stately maitre d’ named Douglas. Colloquially, it was generally known to the locals as “Pete’s Drive In”.
Back then, along with somewhat steep prices, the establishment had the reputation of being a bit exclusive. And there was even a rumor circulating that the “Average Joe” was not particularly welcome. This, of course was not true, although it was good PR, and made the place seem even more desirable.
But let me get to the point of this story.
At that time, I had a bunch of hotshot computer engineers working for me. Now these guys were really good, probably the best in the business, and I would have put them up against anyone from IBM or anywhere else. And, they had just done a fantastically great piece of work for me, in computerizing the Portland OR police department.
In view of this accomplishment, I felt that they, and their significant others, deserved a night out, on me, so I invited them all for dinner at Canlis. Their sartorial tastes, though, ran pretty much to faded logo tee shirts, worn with torn jeans, no socks, and occasionally no shoes either.
But in those ancient days, the Canlis dress code kind of called for coats and ties for the gentlemen, and cocktail dresses for the ladies. So, in the interests of preserving decorum, Douglas arranged for the meal to be served in one of the better private rooms.
Anyway, the big night arrived, and not wanting to appear too overdressed, I donned a leather jacket, and an old pair of slacks, along with scuffed loafers, then headed for Canlis. A bit early, to be sure.
But would you believe that when my crew finally arrived, the guys were all decked out in new suits, and the ladies all wore stunning frocks.
They had all heard of the legendary Canlis, of course, but never thought that they would be fortunate enough actually be invited into the place. So to do this occasion up right, and to avoid embarrassing the boss, they had all gone out and bought spanking new outfits.
In the old days, it was said to be the best eatery in Seattle. And some folks swear that it still is, I might add.
A guy named Peter Canlis owned the place, and it was presided over by a stately maitre d’ named Douglas. Colloquially, it was generally known to the locals as “Pete’s Drive In”.
Back then, along with somewhat steep prices, the establishment had the reputation of being a bit exclusive. And there was even a rumor circulating that the “Average Joe” was not particularly welcome. This, of course was not true, although it was good PR, and made the place seem even more desirable.
But let me get to the point of this story.
At that time, I had a bunch of hotshot computer engineers working for me. Now these guys were really good, probably the best in the business, and I would have put them up against anyone from IBM or anywhere else. And, they had just done a fantastically great piece of work for me, in computerizing the Portland OR police department.
In view of this accomplishment, I felt that they, and their significant others, deserved a night out, on me, so I invited them all for dinner at Canlis. Their sartorial tastes, though, ran pretty much to faded logo tee shirts, worn with torn jeans, no socks, and occasionally no shoes either.
But in those ancient days, the Canlis dress code kind of called for coats and ties for the gentlemen, and cocktail dresses for the ladies. So, in the interests of preserving decorum, Douglas arranged for the meal to be served in one of the better private rooms.
Anyway, the big night arrived, and not wanting to appear too overdressed, I donned a leather jacket, and an old pair of slacks, along with scuffed loafers, then headed for Canlis. A bit early, to be sure.
But would you believe that when my crew finally arrived, the guys were all decked out in new suits, and the ladies all wore stunning frocks.
They had all heard of the legendary Canlis, of course, but never thought that they would be fortunate enough actually be invited into the place. So to do this occasion up right, and to avoid embarrassing the boss, they had all gone out and bought spanking new outfits.