icon Grill Celebrates 15th Anniversary as Seattle's Top Art and Pop Restaurant
Submitted by: Flash Media Services
2013-08-05 00:01:04
icon Grill, Seattle's popular art and pop restaurant featuring "aroused Americana cooking" and walls full of modern art, is celebrating its 15th anniversary in August with a series of events and promotions for customers and the community.
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA (OPENPRESS) icon Grill, Seattle's popular art and pop restaurant featuring "aroused Americana cooking" and walls full of modern art, is celebrating its 15th anniversary in August with a series of events and promotions for customers and the community.
"Not many restaurants survive more than a decade," said Nick Musser, executive chef and general manager. "Not only have we survived, but we've thrived by continuing to offer a fun, lively and inviting restaurant experience that keeps our customers coming back for more."
To celebrate its 15th anniversary, icon Grill is offering a new 15 for $15 anniversary menu featuring such items as Duck Tacos, icon Grill's Famous Fried Chicken Dinner and Spicy Beef Brochette Salad.
On Aug. 15, 15 percent of all dinner sales will be donated to Art with Heart, a Seattle nonprofit that offers therapeutic art programs to children.
Throughout the anniversary month, guests have the opportunity to enter a drawing for free items, which will be given away each week.
• Week 1 features a whole Chocolate Funeral Fudge Cake
• Week 2 features a gift basket including wine, icon Grill wine glasses, icon Grill coffee mugs and icon Grill gift certificates
• Week 3 features a piece of icon Grill art glass and icon Grill gift certificates
• Week 4 features one night's stay in a downtown hotel and dinner for two at icon Grill personally designed by Chef Musser
While serving innovative food that pleases America's palates, icon Grill has endured many ups and downs in its 15-year history. After it was opened in 1998 by Gary Dethlefs, it quickly became a Seattle icon, known for its beautiful interior, wall to wall modern art, theater marquee outside, and upscale American classics including macaroni and cheese, fried chicken and meatloaf. The restaurant, at 1933 5th Avenue, across from the Seattle Westin Hotel, is a favorite of locals and tourists alike.
But in 2001, citing a loss of business after the 1999 World Trade Organization protests that plagued downtown Seattle, the Nisqually earthquake, and the impact from the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Dethlefs filed for bankruptcy. In November 2001, restaurant operators Richard Winders and Randy Tei formed R R Restaurant Management, LLC, to purchase the restaurant, keeping the icon Grill name, menu and staff of about 85.
From that low point 12 years ago, Winders, Tei and Musser have kept icon Grill thriving through more ups and downs. In 2002 Hollywood stopped by to film the interior for the movie "Life or Something Like it." And in January 2010, Randy Tei became the sole owner of icon Grill.
But then, on April 2, 2010, a portion of the brick facade on the three-story building that houses icon Grill collapsed and fell to the ground. It injured three people and damaged icon's marquee and large sign of a male diver. Two years later the facade was fully repaired and the marquee - whose messages included "I think, therefore icon," and on its first birthday, "One year old and still kicking glass" - was restored to offer more fun messages.
As part of its 15th anniversary, icon Grill has valued and cataloged its original art collection, which features works by local artists including Mark Tobey, Gwen Knight and Martin Blank. The featured art for August includes a collection of new and old artwork to reflect the new and old personality of icon Grill.
"We've had a great time serving up food and fun for the past 15 years to all of our patrons who enjoy our menu and our atmosphere," Musser said. "We look forward to continuing to create memorable meals at icon Grill well into the future."
About icon Grill: Touted for its "aroused Americana cooking," icon Grill provides customers with comfort food in a tasteful flashy interior that features blown glass artwork from Martin Blank and paintings and objects de art from local artists. Icon Grill is owned by Tacoma native Randy Tei and its dining room is led by executive chef and general manager Nick Musser. For more information, visit online at http://www.icongrill.com.
