Posted on

Thanksgiving 2018 at Ray’s Boathouse & Cafe!

Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 22nd and we’re now accepting reservations for parties of 10 or less in the Boathouse and Cafe!

Cafe
Enjoy our signature Cafe buffet upstairs for $65 per person (includes coffee, tea, juice and sodas – excludes tax and gratuity) with a variety of guest favorite items from fresh Seasonal Salads to our Chilled Shellfish Bar with Oyster Shucking, Snow Crab and Gulf Prawns, to classic Oven Roasted Turkey with all the trimmings, Alaskan True Cod, Roast Prime Rib of Beef, Smoked Wild Pacific Northwest Salmon, a variety of Seasonal Vegetables, a house made Dessert table and more! Children 5 to 11 years old are $32.50 each (excluding tax and gratuity).

The Cafe Bar will be open and will accept advance reservations if the entire party is over the age of 21. Only buffet menu available.

Cafe reservations are available from 11:00am (first seating) to 8pm (last seating) at 206.782.0094 or online.

Boathouse
The Boathouse’ 3-course menu offers a delicious seasonal fall menu of soup or salad, choice of entrée, and dessert; $60 per person (beverages, tax and gratuity not included). Children 5 to 11 years old are $30 each (excluding tax and gratuity). Boathouse Bar will be open with the 3-course menu available, no reservations taken.

Boathouse reservations are available from 11:30am (first seating) to 8pm (last seating) at 206.789.3770 or online.

We can’t wait to enjoy the holiday with you!

Posted on

Celebrate the Legacy of Ray’s Co-owner Elizabeth Gingrich Sept. 25

Please join us at Ray’s Café on Tuesday, September 25 as we celebrate the legacy and contributions of our beloved co-owner Elizabeth Gingrich who recently passed.

We will be offering a special a la carte menu of her favorite Ray’s dishes, dessert and cocktail from 11:30am to 9pm in the Cafe.

All proceeds from Elizabeth’s menu on this date will be donated to MultiCare Hospice of Tacoma where she was president of the board for five years and instrumental in establishing the program. We can also accept monetary donations to the hospice in the form of checks. Ray’s will match 100% of donations from the day!

Ray’s alumni will receive 10% off their Cafe bill that day (discount excludes the special menu), and are encouraged to share stories about Elizabeth and bring photos of her!

Elizabeth Gingrich Menu
Dungeness Crab Salad
King Salmon
Mixed Nut Tart
Bombay Sapphire Martini

Reservations strongly recommended. Contact the Cafe at 206.789.3770 or online to reserve today.

Posted on

Ray’s Pumpkin Carving Party Returns October 20!

Calling all Halloween enthusiasts! Join us for our fifth annual Ray’s Cafe Pumpkin Carving Party on Saturday, October 20!

All ages are invited to show-off their pumpkin carving skills on our covered Cafe deck, rain or shine. Each carver receives:

1 pumpkin
Child-safe carving tools
Led candle
Hot apple cider

Food and beverages are available for purchase, including our seasonal homemade pumpkin spice bourbon (to keep the adults extra warm!).

Tickets to the party are $17 per person (tax and gratuity not included). Reservations are required and includes the following three time-slots: 11:30 am, 1:45 pm and 4:00 pm. Please call or email Darla Marchi at dmarchi@rays.com or 206.782.0094.

Costumes are encouraged! We invite all attendees to show off their costumes and pumpkin creations by tagging @raysboathouse on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We can’t wait to see you all at the Cafe on Saturday, October 20!

Pumpkin Carving -people

Posted on

Ray’s Wins ‘Best View’ 2018 in Seattle Magazine Poll!

Thank you to our loyal guests for voting Ray’s ‘Best View’ in Seattle Magazine’s Best of Seattle readers’ choice poll 2018!!!

We are honored to receive this recognition and owe it all to you, our lovely, loyal guests!! Our view is Seattle, it is quintessential Northwest and we love sharing it with everyone who comes through our doors from casual lunches to celebrations, weddings and more.

Thank you from all of us at Ray’s!

(photo by Emma Lee Photography)

Posted on

Bring Ray’s to your Home & Earn Loyalty Points!

Bring Ray’s local, sustainable seafood and award winning service to your next in-home event and earn Loyalty Points!

For the first time, Ray’s Catering is extending Loyalty Card Points to any guest that books an in-home catering event with us in October 2018. This means you’ll earn 1.5 points for every $10 spent on your in-home catering event with Ray’s.

From cocktail parties with casual bites to multi-course sit down dinners we handle the details from start to finish!

Contact our Director of Catering, Amanda Viereck, to book your event and start earning Loyalty Points today! 206.789.6309 rayscatering@rays.com.

If you don’t have a Loyalty Card it’s free to sign up online or at Ray’s!

Posted on

Celebrate Washington Wine all August at Ray’s!

Ray's L'Ecole Chardonnay

Drink wine with us this August during Washington State Wine Month!

To celebrate WA Wine Month and our recent Seattle Magazine Wine Awards win, our Wine Director Chip Croteau has created an excellent ‘Washington Wine by the glass’ list August 1-31 in our first floor Boathouse.

Chip and his team’s passion for wine is exceptional and we highly recommend asking one of our 12 sommeliers for pairing recommendations during your next visit!

Click here or call 206.789.3770 to reserve today.

Our Boathouse Washington Wines By the Glass Menu includes:

 

Syncline Winery Grenache Blanc, Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley, WA 2017 16 gls / 62 btl

Rich, yet fresh and lively, this intriguing wine has aromas of orchard blossoms and citrus, complimented by flavors of fresh apple and star fruit.  Minerality, texture, acidity and enticing aromas make this a standout wine.

Long Shadows Winery Poet’s Leap Riesling, Columbia Valley, WA 2016 12 gls / 44 btl

Long Shadows Winery pairs Gilles Nicault with famed German producer, Armen Diel to create a slightly off-dry riesling, bright with honeysuckle, ripe peach, mandarin orange, slate and lime zest notes. Abundant stone fruit flavors, mouthwatering acidity!

DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon, Columbia Valley, WA 2016 16 gls / 60 btl

Riffing on the classic white Bordeaux style, this vibrant, lightly golden wine offers aromas of grapefruit, apples and pears, complimented by earthy notes of golden hay, wet stones and toasty oak.

Betz Family Winery Éleganté Grenache/Counoise/Syrah/Cinsault, Columbia Valley, WA 2015 16 gls / 60 btl

Made from grapes usually destined for Betz’s Bésoleil, this blend is named such because of the way it elegantly walks the line between an almost Pinot-like sense of silky texture and freshness, with plenty of savoury minerality, and the spicy and floral qualities of the Southern Rhone.

Ambassador Vineyards ‘Diplomat’ Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah, Red Mountain, WA 2012 15 gls / 60 btl

Famed grower Dick Boushey and Hedges winemaker Sarah Goedhart teamed up for this blend featuring blackberry, cassis and plum mixing beautifully with black licorice, spices, cocoa, and just a hint of graphite.

àMaurice Cellars ‘Night Owl’ Merlot/Cab Sauv & Franc/Pet Verdot, Walla Walla, WA 2013 23 gls / 85 btl

Offering an exotic, complex bouquet of lavender, wild herbs, loamy earth and both red and black fruits, this estate grown blend is medium-bodied and elegant with a dark, meaty, chocolaty, earthy core.

Posted on

Ray’s is the ‘Best Place to Enjoy WA Wine’!

Photo Credit: Seattle Magazine

Ray’s is thrilled to be awarded “The Best place to Enjoy Washington Wine”in Seattle Magazine’s 2018 Wine Awards! And we are honored that you, our lovely, loyal guests voted for us to win!

Check out our feature with Wine Director Chip Croteau (pictured right) and Co-owner/GM Douglas Zellers in the August issue of Seattle Magazine or online here.

Excerpt from Seattle Magazine:

Best Restaurant to Experience Washington Wine

A Puget Sound-area restaurant that hasn’t won in this category before and that offers exceptional opportunities to taste Washington state wine through Washington-wine-focused lists, unique tasting events and a professional, educated wine service staff. 

Ray’s Boathouse and Café 
Ray’s in Ballard, overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympics, boasts some of the best views available to Seattle diners. And yet a certain subset of wine-obsessed patrons is as likely to be staring at Ray’s remarkable wine list as it is at the sunset descending into the Olympic Mountains. Depending on your perspective, the views can be equally divine.

As you’d expect from a seafood-focused restaurant, the selection of Washington white wines is extensive. Perhaps more surprising is the breadth of red wine options, ranging from traditional (Washington Cabs, Merlots, Syrahs) to a section of the list called “Interesting Washington Reds” (Sangioveses, Cab-Syrah blends, etc.) The list at Ray’s (curated by wine director Chip Croteau) includes both treasures—library vintages from Quilceda Creek Vintners and Long Shadows Vintners’ Poet’s Leap—and under-the-radar gems like Amavi Cabernet Sauvignon. The restaurant also hosts numerous winemaker dinners and catered events for Washington winery clubs. A partnership with Walla Walla-based L’Ecole No. 41 produces “Ray’s Cuvees,” a lovely Chardonnay-based white and a red blend, both of which are poured by the glass and presumably guzzled on the Ray’s deck all summer long. Ballard, 6049 Seaview Ave. NW; 206.789.3770

Posted on

Ray’s Catering Wins Best Rehearsal Dinner!

Congrats to our outstanding Catering team for winning ‘Best Rehearsal Dinner’ in Seattle Bride Magazine’s Best of Bride 2018 awards this past June!

This hardworking team plans and executes Seattle’s best waterfront events and weddings! Rehearsal dinners are just the tip of the iceberg and we’re thrilled to be recognized!

Contact our Director of Catering, Amanda and her exceptional team, to book your next social or corporate event today in our gorgeous Northwest Room! rayscatering@rays.com or 206.789.6309.

Posted on

Retired Ray’s Owner Elizabeth Gingrich Passes

elizabeth gingrich

We are extremely saddened by the passing of our longtime co-owner Elizabeth Gingrich, who died peacefully with her family by her side. She lived a long and beautiful life and we feel so lucky to have been a part of it. Elizabeth became an owner of Ray’s in 1975, and was also a bookkeeper here for a few years. She loved being at the restaurant and working side-by-side with the staff during that time.

Elizabeth was often behind the scenes at Ray’s but the impact she made during her years as an owner shaped the core values of what Ray’s embodies and is what continues to guide us today. She was the person who instilled Ray’s with the family atmosphere and it was very important to her that everyone who worked at Ray’s was treated like family. The legacy she created has been practiced and carried on ever since, and it is the sole reason we’ve had countless loyal team members with us for more than 20 years.

Elizabeth retired her ownership from Ray’s last year and we had a wonderful send off with her and her daughter Jane, reminiscing about all of the fond memories from the last 43 years! Elizabeth, you will be greatly missed and Ray’s is forever shaped by your vision, hard work and passion.

Posted on

Ray’s turns 45: Thank You to Our Guests & Team!

Ray’s turns 45 on Saturday, June 23rd and we want to first and foremost thank our incredible, loyal guests for getting us here. Without you this would not be possible. To our team, thank you for being our family.

Thank you Ballard. We’ve worked with your grandparents, parents and children. You’ve been our team, our clients, our purveyors and our partners. And thank you to our guests from all over the world who visit Ray’s as an iconic Pacific Northwest restaurant!

We look forward to continuing to serve you for the next 45 years and beyond! Follow our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for specials, gorgeous sunsets and all the fresh seafood your eyes can possibly handle.

Make your reservations for the Café at 206.782.0094 or online; or in the Boathouse at 206.789.3770 or online to celebrate with us all summer long!