A few weeks ago, my husband and I were looking for a place to meet some old friends we haven’t seen in a while. We decided on The Verve in Columbia City. Even though their Chef was on vacation (I understand he’s pretty incredible) we enjoyed their "limited" menu and vast selection of wines. At Verve, you can buy your wine at their store, pay a corkage fee and have a knowledgeable friendly "wine geek" provide you with tons of background information about your beverage. (This is a huge savings compared to the typical restaurant mark-up on wine). The Waiter (Wine Steward?) made a suggested for us based on wanting a special and unusual wine to 
great our friends. His selection was a 2001 Les Eres from Spain which was fantastic. We loved the wine and the meat and cheese platter they assembled (sans Chef).
The atmosphere is very clean with light woods and paint…a little sterile for my taste (but hey, you should see my messy house–or not). This is a spot we plan on returning to and can’t wait to see what their Chef has to cook up.
One thing that kind of cracked me 
up (doesn’t take much after sharing a bottle of wine) is in the restroom (yes, bathroom humor) they have a sign on the toilet warning you not to drink the water (as if)! Armed with my Treo…I captured these poor quality photos and here they are…my Friday Funny.
Do check out The Verve and the many cool restaurants in Columbia City. It’s happening and off the beaten track and the parking is free.
The Verve is located at 3820 South Ferdinand Street, Suite 102, Seattle WA 98188. You can reach them via email or by calling 206-760-0977.
And don’t drink the toilet water, sage advice in this time of water shortage here in in the southeast.Thanks for commenting, I’ll publish a major article on 10 Essentials for buying a new home later this weekend…here’s to a great 2008
Thanks, South Carolina Homes. I look forward to your new post. 🙂
Hi, Rhonda,
I followed the link to your page from Rain City, to see what you had to say about mortgage rates–and was delighted to see this article about Verve. We live a few blocks away and have been many times.
It *is* a terrific restaurant, and a wonderful place to relax with a glass (or bottle) of wine. The food is just as delicious as promised. You should be sure to come back and check it out when the chef is back in town.
I agree that the signs in the bathroom are unexpected and pretty funny. I wonder if it’s a requirement for buildings that use rainwater or greywater? I think the only other building I’ve been in with a rain cachement system is the Phinney Ridge community center, that big old school building with the Well Home program in it…? They’ve got signs all over about the rainwater harvesting system, but I don’t recall a glaring warning right there on the lid of the commode!
Angie, we do plan on coming back. We were very happy with our salami and cheese platter–I’m sure the Chef will be amazing! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂