Down near the water, on Elliott way in Seattle, there is an old brick building that looks like it could have been a factory many years ago. The italian restaurant that resides within, is the place we went last friday for a rehearsal dinner in celebration of my sisters wedding. With friends and family joining us from as far away as southern california and as near as Queen Anne(Seattle), the Old Spaghetti factory was a great choice for such an event. We had about 60 people and were accomodated with ease in their large group room. The dinner started with a delicious shrimp and artichoke dip with toasted bread and washed down with wine and soft drinks. The next dish was a personal salad with your choice of a vinigrette or pesto dressing. At which point our waitress notified us that the pesto was similar to ranch and said that any kid wouldn't know the difference. "Perfect" I said, as I consider my tastes quite childish when it comes to dressing selections so pesto for me please. Finally we were given the choice of four italian dishes, which was nice as I was expecting two, maybe three choices. The dishes offered were spaghetti with sausage, chicken fettucini, baked lasagna and chicken marsala.
Amidst my groups quirky antics and loud mingling style, people seemed to be enjoying their meals. As the night went on and the plates were picked clean, we were each given a neopolitan style scoop of ice cream to top off the meal.
The drinks were good and the meals even better, but the best part of our night was the room. The room we were in gave us all the ability to cruise around catching up with friends, meeting new family and having a great time all together in one place. It was also a perfect place to hear the speeches from the bride and groom in privacy from other guests. The staff was great as we were assigned our own private group of employees who took care of our every need throughout the night. Overall a great place for an event such as a rehearsal dinner. You can't beat good friends, family and food all packed into one.
The night was particularly special as it signified the upcoming union of the Mathews and Yvarra families. In the past, (from seeing the great things that have come from the union of my family and the Mackinnon's) I have learned that the future is now in our hands to work as one big family, which is nothing short of a magical thing.
The Spaghetti factory has locations all over the United States, from Hawaii to Georgia, each one providing its own unique Spaghetti experience. It began in Portland, Oregon in 1969 with doubt from onlookers, but eventually prevailing into the franchise it is today. People like the restaurant so much for their families that it was named in the top ten family restaurants by parents magazine.