Pacific Grill Sizzles

Monday April 21st, Pacific Grill hosted the annual Bates Sizzles, for the 3rd time-- an auction to benefit students and programs at Bates Technical College through scholarships & grants.

Between our lunch closing at 2pm and guests arriving at 5--we have to totally clear-out our dining room of all furniture to make room for all the auction goodies--transforming our dining room into an auction paradise--of beautifully displayed donated items up for grabs.

Pacific Grill does our part by closing for dinner and donating our dining room every year to this worthy event.


As if you didn't already know--Bates is the oldest & largest technical college in the state of Washington, with more than 53 technical career-education programs.

As guests arrived , I spied server Jenny "C" popping corks in the back, pouring the bubbly.

There were silent as well as live auctions.

Live music was supplied by local favorite jazz guitarist Michael Powers.

Over 200 of Tacoma's finest showed up to bid on such items as exotic trips to Cancun (sold for $2700), ; Temperature-controlled wine cooler ($700); a Herman Miller Aeron Chair ($600); a butcher block island made by Bates students ($400); and a private dinner for 8 with wine at El Gaucho ($1000); Mendocino Coast Get-away ($2300);
Banff & Lake Louise Canada Vacation Package ($4000);
Handmade Chess Board sold for ($200);
Autographed photo of LPGA Golf Superstar Lorena Ochoa ($281).

Pacific Grill's Cheeseburger Sliders --in great demand--were flying out of the kitchen as fast as we could make them.

Some of the Tacoma VIP's in attendance included : Bill Gaines on behalf of title sponsor Tacoma Rail; Pat McCarthy, Spiro and Sandy Manthou, Jake Fey, Mike Hensch, Connie Ladenburg, Mark and Chelsea Lindquist, Mike Longergan, Bob Mitchell, Henry Schatz, and Alan Hardy.

As usual, Mike Combs, [whom I run into, it seems in every restaurant in Tacoma], was worried we wouldn't have enough sliders....

Exec Chef, Aaron, and our kitchen staff were busy making Ahi tuna Tartare on crostini. There were beautiful displays of artisanal salamis and charcuterie, with imported & domestic cheeses & marinated olives with fresh herbs & orange zest.

Trying to slow down the crowds' voracious consumption of the delicious shrimp, I tried sneaking some green Tabasco into the mix-- but it seemed to just make them eat even faster.

Johnny's Seafood smoked the good kippered salmon. We tray-passed crystal shot glasses of local oyster shooters with cilantro & citrus-infused vodka.

Crisp rosemary crackers were used to scoop up the baba ganoush & the hummus was garnished with crispy deep-fried chick peas & paprika.

the Grilled Vegetable Platter was piled high...

While Corey poured wine, guests perused the auction items in the Private Dining Room located in the vault beneath the 15th Street sidewalk.

....for dessert there were Blondies & Julia Child's gooey brownies.

We raised over $53,000 on the 21st to support Bates scholarships and program mini grants!

I want to thank my entire staff for their Herculean efforts at transforming the dining room and then putting it all back together after the party [to be ready for the next day's Lunch!]

See you next year!