Holiday party venue

[Veloise]

One of my Detroit-area vendors wants to host a get-together here for local customers. About 25-30 people, drinks and appetizers. School night, a Weds or Thurs.

Last year they had it at Churchill's, where our event was comingled with regular bar patrons, and the cigarette haze made it difficult to see across the room.

I would like to recommend a smoke-free place and a quasi-private space, such as the upstairs at that french quarter joint in Easttown. Atmosphere is good. These people are all car-aholics so convenient parking is a must. The Zenstyle parameters of not on 28th Street or any other similar god-forsaken place also apply.

Vendor said that the funding is not yet approved, but the expense level is somewhere between the fancy four-star steakhouse and the neon-clad lunch counter. I'd prefer to throw some revenue towards a small deserving place rather than a popular crowded venue that doesn't really need another booking.

Suggestions from the great throbbing brain are appreciated. Thanks!

ETA: age range of attendees: 30s through 50s or so. Many of us work in competing businesses so it sould be nice to have a conversational decibel level, rather than having to text conversations on our multitude of phones.

[localtalent]

One of my Detroit-area vendors wants to host a get-together here for local customers. About 25-30 people, drinks and appetizers. School night, a Weds or Thurs.

Last year they had it at Churchill's, where our event was comingled with regular bar patrons, and the cigarette haze made it difficult to see across the room.

I would like to recommend a smoke-free place and a quasi-private space, such as the upstairs at that french quarter joint in Easttown. Atmosphere is good. These people are all car-aholics so convenient parking is a must. The Zenstyle parameters of not on 28th Street or any other similar god-forsaken place also apply.

Vendor said that the funding is not yet approved, but the expense level is somewhere between the fancy four-star steakhouse and the neon-clad lunch counter. I'd prefer to throw some revenue towards a small deserving place rather than a popular crowded venue that doesn't really need another booking.

Suggestions from the great throbbing brain are appreciated. Thanks!

ETA: age range of attendees: 30s through 50s or so. Many of us work in competing businesses so it sould be nice to have a conversational decibel level, rather than having to text conversations on our multitude of phones.

[fotoman311]

One of my Detroit-area vendors wants to host a get-together here for local customers. About 25-30 people, drinks and appetizers. School night, a Weds or Thurs.

Last year they had it at Churchill's, where our event was comingled with regular bar patrons, and the cigarette haze made it difficult to see across the room.

I would like to recommend a smoke-free place and a quasi-private space, such as the upstairs at that french quarter joint in Easttown. Atmosphere is good. These people are all car-aholics so convenient parking is a must. The Zenstyle parameters of not on 28th Street or any other similar god-forsaken place also apply.

Vendor said that the funding is not yet approved, but the expense level is somewhere between the fancy four-star steakhouse and the neon-clad lunch counter. I'd prefer to throw some revenue towards a small deserving place rather than a popular crowded venue that doesn't really need another booking.

Suggestions from the great throbbing brain are appreciated. Thanks!

ETA: age range of attendees: 30s through 50s or so. Many of us work in competing businesses so it sould be nice to have a conversational decibel level, rather than having to text conversations on our multitude of phones.

[Veloise]

We went to Brick Road Pizza on Wealthy on Sunday night. I think they have space for that many, but I'd call first. They have a good menu selection with pizzas (deep dish and regular), calzones, and pasta and lots of different toppings and even a full vegan pizza menu, though I doubt you'd have much interest in that. They have a decent size parking lot hiding in the back. I really liked the ambience of the place, with art painted on the smaller round tables. I also recall at one point they played a song by Cake, followed by a big band piece, then a Neil Young song.

I'm sure they'd like the business as they ramp up their client base and get people to discover that they are now open. Of course, I just remembered that they don't have a liquor license, so maybe that rules them out.

[GRDadof3]

Yah, these people drink (booze). The host wants appetizers rather than full-blown pizza meals. At Churchill's it was some sort of chicken or fingers or wings (was a year ago).

[arcturus]

Blue Water Grill. Pretty classy with a view that can't be beat. Don't know whether there's any private areas.

[Landscape1]

Marco's in Forest Hills has hosted our Christmas get together as well as family groups. They always do a wonderful job! Excellent food, great service from a small family run restaurant.

[PBJ]

Last year they had it at Churchill's, where our event was comingled with regular bar patrons, and the cigarette haze made it difficult to see across the room.

[grmetro]

Bobby J's hosts private party's at night. Good location, decorated for Christmas, within walking distance of other downtown activites. This is perfect if you ask me.

[Veloise]

Just as a clarification.. Churchills.. at least the one I know of on Ionia is smoke free, has been since it opened, and is usually an awesome atmosphere.

[grmetro]

Bobby Js

[Veloise]

Bobby Js

[Veloise]

Huh. After all that research, she picked Bistro Bella Vita. (This is good, as I have never been there.)

Hope they have birthday cake.

[Veloise]

BBV is a nifty place. Nice warm wood decor, great transparency. Most of the other attendees are also "officed" out in the boonies of Cascade Twp, and it was neat to look out the windows at examples as we discussed our respective work sites. somewhat noisy; could have been our group, or the hard surfaces. Nice to see a place that doesn't treat the big screen TV as a mandatory decor item; I noticed only one. For some reason we were standees in an area near the bar, so there was a jumble with service areas, pillars, and tables.

Chow: host ordered up pizzas (potatoes on pizza?!?) and tomato bread appetizers (I'm sure there's a fancier name for that item). And whaddya know: I turned around to see a server bearing a lit-up slice of "death-by" type cake, garnished with raspberries and blueberries. It was yummy.

This is interesting: I keep switching bikes, and forgetting to swap my lock from one to the other. The staff very graciously allowed me to stash it in the indoor loading dock area.

Maybe the greeter station was having an off night: was standing there, in my typical NEON DON'T HIT ME FELLOW ROAD USER color-blocked jacket, waiting. And waiting. When the greeter appeared, she went directly to someone who'd arrived after me.

"We don't get many cyclists in here."

"Sure you do; you just don't see them."