A group of adventurous Ray’s team members recently climbed and summited Mt. Rainier in a three-day excursion! Our GM and Co-owner Doug along with our Boathouse Manager Nic, his partner Elizabeth, and restaurant staff Sarah, Alex and Joe.
Day one they left Paradise, WA at 11am and made it to Camp Muir at 5:30pm to set up tents on the ice. The next morning they broke down camp and climbed to Cathedral Gap then to Ingraham Flats to set up camp for the night. The next day was their summit push from Ingraham Flats to the summit and back and down to the car. Whew!!
Lots of hard work, good times and little sleep. While it wasn’t a guided tour our Manager Nic sure made the team feel at ease with his experience and certifications… this was his 38th summit(!): American Mountain Guides Association Alpine Guide Certified, Wilderness First Responder Certified, America Institute for Avalanche Certification Pro 2, and Explorer Scout Search and Rescue Volunteer.
Check out photos from their trip below and get an up close look at the majestic mountain in our backyard!
Relax with us on our Café and Boathouse decks all summer long! Soak in the sun and the gorgeous views as you enjoy our fresh, local seafood menus of Dungeness crab, clams, mussels, wild salmon and perfectly grilled steaks… plus ice-cold Ballard beers, chilled Rosé and cocktails!
Here’s a peek at some of our favorite sunny-weather libations:
Ray’s has been sourcing and serving fresh, sustainably caught Northwest seafood directly from fishermen and women for decades. But no matter how long we do this we can never get enough knowledge about where our fish comes from and the people behind it. We have great respect for the men, women and families that have fished for generations, sometimes in treacherous conditions, to make a living and provide people with the freshest seafood available.
This love for connection and knowledge recently led our team to the crisp, cool waters of Sitka, Alaska to visit with some of our suppliers. On our first day we were welcomed with open arms by Lexi of Fish & Family Seafoods with a private dinner on Bamdoroshni Island (big thanks to Captain Gary of Sitka Adventures for ferrying us back and forth!). She immediately made us feel like part of her family and we enjoyed a beautiful dinner withLexi, her two children, her mother, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, with ingredients fresh from their local waters like kelp salsa and pickled beach asparagus (sea beans). We missed her husband and business partner at Fish & Family, Adam, who was out halibut fishing while we were in town.
Fish & Family Seafoods is a wild salmon purveyor and we were thrilled to be able to visit them at their home base to break bread, learn about their family, their history, their process, visit their fishing boat Myriad, and experience a bit more of what life is like for a fishing family with two small children. Hint: it’s not always easy. Lexi and the kids join her husband Adam and their two crew on salmon fishing trips aboard the Myriad throughout the summer. In the fall they join Lexi’s extended family to longline for halibut and black cod. Whatever the season, their lives involve lots of chasing both kids and fish!
We were also lucky to spend time with our partners and friends at Pacific Seafood who chartered a fishing boat with Big Blue Charters and took us out for a long day on the beautiful waters of Sitka Sound. We also toured Sitka Sound Seafoods to learn more about how they process their salmon, and we hosted a dinner where we served one of their gorgeous White King Salmon!
The trip also allowed us to explore Sitka, a place in Alaska none of us had been before. We took in a hike up Mt. Verstovia, a boat trip to Goddard Hot Springs, dinner at the Channel Club with some amazing King Crab and Champagne, as well as a beautiful dinner at Ludvig’s Bistro!
It was a packed trip and we loved every second of it. The people of Sitka are salt of the earth, good, kind people. They share their love of the land with everyone who passes through and we felt that kindness and hospitality radiate throughout our four days there.
You may not be able to hop a flight to Sitka anytime soon but you can taste the freshness of their wild salmon and the thoughtfulness with which it is caught and handled at Ray’s every day of the week.
Sitka Adventures
Dinner with Fish & Family Seafoods on Bamdoroshni Island
Dinner with Fish & Family Seafoods on Bamdoroshni Island
Fishing with Big Blue Charters
Fishing with Big Blue Charters
Fish & Family Seafoods Boat Myriad
Kevin with a White King Salmon from Sitka Sound Seafoods
On June 1, 1979 Jack Sikma, Ray’s co-owner, helped lead the Seattle Sonics to their first and only NBA Championship title! The city celebrated for days with tons of fans meeting the team’s airplane at Sea-Tac, a celebratory parade through Seattle, and fanfare all around town.
Now 40 years later we celebrate this historic win with you at Ray’s Cafe, where Jack has been a co-owner since the early 1980s. We’re also celebrating the news that Jack will be enshrined into the NBA Hall of Fame this September!
Join us in our upstairs Café for a special “$19.79 SuperSonics” menu from Friday, May 31, 2019 at lunch through dinner Sunday, June 2. Wear your Sonics gear, sip on wine and try food specials celebrating Jack and the 1979 team!
Ray’s Cafe $19.79 SuperSonics Food Menu – May 31-June 2
Bourbon Prawns – Blackened prawns, bourbon, herb butter, baguette
Ray’s Cafe $19.79 Super Sonics Beverage Menu – May 31-June 2
Double-Double Old Fashioned – Gentleman Jack Whiskey, Scrappy’s orange and Angostura bitters, float of Pappy Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot B 12 year Whiskey, orange peel
The Distinct Shot – Gentleman Jack Whiskey, Johnny Walker Black Scotch, Blanton’s Bourbon, served neat or on the rocks
áMaurice ‘Sparrow’ Viognier, Walla Walla Valley, WA 2017 – $19.79 per glass, $75 per bottle
Exclusively from their estate vineyard site, this stunning wine features expressive aromatics of freshly cut flowers, peach, creamsicle and tangerine.
Copper River salmon season has begun and Ray’s has just received this incredible, fresh fish directly from Alaska!
We source our Copper River salmon from hard-working fishermen and women who take great care in fishing sustainably and providing the best fish available. These gorgeous fish build muscle and fat just to be able to run up the mighty Copper River– and the result is a rich, fatty fish with incredible flavor and texture.
It’s also the time of year for our favorite pairing: Copper River salmon and Oregon Pinot Noir! We have some excellent Pinot Noir selections available by the glass or bottle in the Boathouse including:
Brittan Vineyards 2015 Pinot Noir, McMinnville, OR
Brittan’s ‘Basalt Block’ bottling shows a fullness and depth of richness that still manages to retain the laser focus on the basalt driven minerality of the estate terroir. Raspberries galore, with pinpoint definition.
Smockshop Band 2018 Pinot Noir, Columbia Gorge, OR
Master Sommelier, Nate Ready’s focus for Smockshop Band is a biodynamic farming exploration of the Columbia Gorge terroir. This ‘Spring Ephemeral’ bottling of Pinot Noir represents the fleeting transitory nature of spring and displays a silky, elegant balance of wild, tart red and dark berry fruit and rustic earth. Just stunning!
Sokol Blosser Estate Rosé 2018, Dundee Hills, OR – from Pinot Noir grapes!
Made from 100% estate grown pinot noir grapes, this stunning Rosé features fresh strawberry, pink grapefruit and blood orange with a hint of pepper spicing up the finish.
Make your reservations for the Café or Boathouse to enjoy fresh Copper River King and Sockeye salmon at Seattle’s best waterfront restaurant! And follow our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for new Copper River salmon specials over the next few weeks.
Experience the ultimate Northwest wedding at Ray’s Boathouse with our private waterfront venue, inclusive packages, and fresh, sustainable Northwest seafood!
Our inclusive wedding package makes booking and planning a snap. And our incredible events team makes the whole process enjoyable and seamless.
The Northwest Room’s outdoor / indoor capabilities provide separate areas for your ceremony, reception, dinner and dancing all while enjoying a spectacular view of the Puget Sound and Olympic mountains.
This Mother’s Day treat mom to a delicious brunch or dinner with spectacular waterfront views on Sunday, May 12, 2019!
Reservations are highly recommended and available for groups up to 8 guests (including children and highchairs) for our Boathouse brunch and dinner, or Cafe dinner. Reserve in the Café or the Boathouse today!
Café Brunch Buffet – only accepting bar seating reservations for guests 21 years of age and older at this time.
Enjoy a Mother’s Day Brunch Buffet from 9am-2pm (last seating) featuring a Carving Station, Shellfish Bar, breakfast dishes, appetizers, salads, sides, desserts and much more!$65 per guest for brunch, juice and sodas (prices exclude tax and gratuity).
Cafe Brunch Buffet Menu Salads
Spring Panzanella salad
Spring mixed green salad, white balsamic vinaigrette
Roasted beets with French feta, hazelnuts, arugula and sherry vinaigrette
Assorted fresh fruits and berries
Raw Bar
Chilled peel and eat prawns
Oysters on the half shell
Dungeness Crab Legs
Breakfast
Eggs benedict
Scrambled eggs
Brioche french toast
Uli’s breakfast sausage
Carlton Farms bacon
Pan seared true cod, broccolini and lemon caper beurre blanc
Sautéed garlic prawns
Grilled herbed chicken breast, green bean and cherry tomatoes
Crispy breakfast potatoes, old bay, scallion
Penn Cove manila clams and mussels
Three cheese mac n’ cheese
Bay shrimp mac n’ cheese
Green beans with walnuts and lemon
Washington spring asparagus
Whipped Washington russet potatoes
Roasted cremini mushrooms
Carving Board
Roasted RR Ranch prime rib of beef
House smoked wild Alaskan salmon
Dessert Table
Assorted house made desserts and pastries
Dinner
We will open for dinner at 4pm serving our regular menu until 9pm.
Bar
The Cafe Bar will have the same menu offerings and hours as above for brunch and dinner, reservations only accepted for guests 21 years of age and older.
Boathouse Brunch
We are serving some of our best-selling Boathouse appetizers, salads and entrées along with a special Mother’s Day a la carte brunch menufrom 10am-3pm.
Boathouse A la Carte Brunch Menu
Hamachi sashimi of yellow tail amberjack, Shiso, avocado, apple, pepitas
Washington Asparagus burrata, hazelnuts, saba, chili flake
Dinner
We will be open for dinner at 3pm serving our regular menu until 9pm.
Bar
The Boathouse Bar will have the same menu offerings and hours as above for brunch and dinner but is on a first come basis with no reservations taken.
The Ray’s team including owners, managers, chefs, servers and hosts all joined together this week to restore critical salmon habitat along the Snoqualmie River.
We teamed up with our non-profit partner Long Live the Kings to volunteer for a day with Stewardship Partners, a local non-profit committed to habitat restoration in the Snoqualmie Valley to help maintain economic viability of farms and forestland while helping landowners restore fish and wildlife habitat.
We worked to remove invasive plant species and install native trees and shrubs to enhance salmon habitat and restore the riverbank on an 80-acre farm in Carnation. The plants will eventually provide shade for the river that will help keep water temperatures low, providing an optimal environment for salmon to thrive.
It was a great day working outside as a team to help keep our local salmon habitats alive and well! Check out some photos from the day below.
Ray’s Catering takes great care of its wedding couples, providing excellent service and the resources they need to plan their perfect, unique wedding!
To ease the process, we host an open house and create a one-stop opportunity for them to plan. This year our Spring Wedding Open House took place on Sunday, March 10 and featured Ray’s Catering’s spring and summer menus, cocktails, gorgeous decor inspiration, and our preferred vendors for floral, DJ, photography, hair and makeup and more!
This fun event is just one of the many perks that our wedding clients receive and it’s the perfect way to get all of their details finalized.
Check out the gorgeous photos from our event below and contact our catering team by calling 206.789.6309 or emailing rayscatering@rays.com to book your wedding at Ray’s today!
Our featured vendors at the 2019 Spring Open House included:
Our Salish Sea Certified fresh halibut was just caught below Lopez Island by the Lummi Nation and delivered to Ray’s! This incredible fish feasts on spot prawns and Dungeness crab throughout its life (10-15 years) resulting in a beautiful, flavorful fish.
This halibut is from a fishery that did not exist until the 1990s, due to destructive trawl fishing methods that caught juveniles before they could spawn. Now that halibut is allowed to mature and grow in the Salish Sea, there is enough of a biomass for a tribal commercial fishery, and a non-tribal sport fishery for about three weeks every March.
This is a precious local resource only available during this short window! Join us starting today in the Cafe and Boathouse for fresh halibut specials.
Sustainable Seafood Celebration is a nonprofit group launched in 2018. Its mission is to raise awareness of the fruits of the Salish Sea – encouraging efforts to keep our local waters healthy despite rapid population growth; rebuilding healthy populations of wild salmon from the Salish Sea; supporting the survival of the Orcas; and highlighting the successful results of good policy and responsible management.
Ray’s Team Summits Mt. Rainier
A group of adventurous Ray’s team members recently climbed and summited Mt. Rainier in a three-day excursion! Our GM and Co-owner Doug along with our Boathouse Manager Nic, his partner Elizabeth, and restaurant staff Sarah, Alex and Joe. Day one they left Paradise, WA at 11am and made it to Camp Muir at 5:30pm to …
