Fullers public dining will be just a memory after Saturday

The last time I hosted a party at Fullers, it involved a major birthday (mine), a cushy-cozy banquette (theirs) and a magnificent vintage Salon le Mesnil champagne to commemorate the big event (BYOB, which warranted a hefty corkage fee). With only one guest in attendance — if you don't count other diners celebrating private occasions of their own — the tab ran somewhere in the vicinity of $150. Which, if memory serves years later, was worth every cent. But when Fullers' dinner service ends Saturday night, parties like mine will be just that, a memory.

Fullers, in the Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers (1400 Sixth Ave., Seattle; 206-447-5544), is closing to the public and reopening the next day — with its renowned Northwest art collection and luxury appointments intact — as a private dining facility. "We want our customers to know that we're not just shutting Fullers down. That's not our message," says Carla Murray, the hotel's general manager. "This was a tough decision, but one whose time has come."

Individuals and companies may now reserve the entire dining room for themselves — for a minimum of $7,500 and a maximum of 120 people, tax and gratuities additional. The smaller, adjoining, art glass-enhanced Pilchuck Room may be booked ($2,500 or $3,500 minimum, depending on the day) for a maximum of 36 guests.

Since opening in 1982, Fullers gave rise to a successful succession of top toques, a veritable Girl Group of star chefs. "As Seen On TV," Fullers former chef-execs Kathy Casey, Caprial Pence and Monique Barbeau garnered impressive reputations, spreading the Northwest word (and, not incidentally, the Fullers name) to a wider audience, while helping put the Pacific Northwest firmly on the nation's culinary map.

Barbeau's former sous-chef, Danielle Custer, returned to Seattle this year from an award-winning tenure at Laurels in the Dallas Sheraton. Her considerable talent is now shining in the kitchen at 727 Pine in the swanky new (and woefully underutilized) Elliott Grand Hyatt. Former Fullers pastry-chef Kriss Harvey, whose desserts are among Seattle's most impressive confections, is also in the kitchen at 727.

Executive chef Tom Black, who also worked under Barbeau and who ended his tenure at Fullers last month, was just named executive chef and general manager of the Barking Frog at Woodinville's new Willows Lodge. Black took over for chef-exec Stephan Desgaches, late of Brasserie Margaux in Seattle's Warwick Hotel.

The Sheraton isn't the only major downtown hotel reinventing its signature restaurant. The grande dame of Seattle dining rooms, the venerable Georgian at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel, closed early this month for a $1 million makeover.

First opened in 1924 (and long beloved as the glamour-exuding, ultra-formal, bring-on-the-caviar dining room), its re-do is scheduled for unveiling Nov. 7. That's when the old girl will step out in far less formal style with a vibrant new color scheme and other cosmetic details meant to make the room more inviting — and less intimidating.

The game plan? Out with the fussy Wedgwood; in with the mix-and-match china. Out with the silver candlesticks; in with the votive candles. Out with the wonking phone-book-size wine list; in with the comprehensive one-page card with a regional emphasis on Northwest winemakers.

As for chef-exec Gavin Stephenson's forthcoming menu, it too will see a transformation. Among the dinner-menu highlights: shareable appetizers such as hot and cold oysters, a soup-trio sampler and smoked salmon with Indian cornbread. Luxe renderings of lamb and lobster will maintain the high-end margin entree-wise.

But lower-priced homestyle classics — such as roasted free-range chicken with rustic, Old Bay-seasoned fries and grilled New York steak with garlic mashed potatoes — are meant to lower the guest-check price point and make the Georgian more accessible to Joe Diner, who should feel free to leave his dinner jacket at home.

"Our intent," says Stephenson, "is to relax the feel of the room and the food but not take away from the quality the Georgian is known for. This will still be the place for the anniversary/birthday/prom customer to enjoy the room's beauty. But we want the average diner and the frequent traveler to feel comfortable here, too." The Georgian (411 University St., Seattle; 206-621-1700) will serve breakfast and lunch daily and dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com.