There is no write-in option for the question "How did you like the atmosphere?" on the comment card at Cayenne Bar and Grill. The choices available are "Excellent," "Good," "Average," and "Poor." Setting grammatical concerns aside, these adjectives do not even approach adequacy in capturing the Cayenne environment. The riot of interior designâthe shapes, the colors, the surfaces shiny and glowing and matte and swirlyâis stunning. "Like" doesn't apply. The mind boggles; the eyeball reels.
Cayenne is lodged in the ground floor of the Silver Cloud on Broadway and Madison Street. (The unvarying response to this information is confusion, followed by "Oh, THAT place." No one's ever been there.) Cayenne has the feeling of replication, but the only other restaurant in its Pacific Northwest hotel chain is Jimmy's on First. Jimmy's carries out an "upscale-but-casual" mission in a more sedate manner right across from Safeco Field; the Y in the Jimmy's logo is a martini with an olive in it.
But: Cayenne. To try to impose the English language upon it is follyâthe sheer volume of its ambience is staggering. Zebra-striped, two-tiered hanging lampshades. Stacked flagstone. Venetian-esque spotted fixtures. Cherry-red vinyl. Amber underlit glass with scattered scarlet squares. A painting of a figure playing the saxophone while standing on a dog. You would not want to be on hallucinogenic drugs at Cayenne.
If any of the many design elements could be considered central, it would be the giant red ceiling-star, which radiates out from a square column paved in tiny opalescent purple tiles. This red star has abstract faces depicted on it in darker red curlicues of paint. Is the red star symbolic of communism? Are the faces the visage of the Worker? Businesspeople still in the grips of their capitalist workdays congregate here at happy hour. One womanâpearl necklace, tan-colored hose with sneakers, wheeled luggage meant for the overhead binâlooks over a lengthy spreadsheet. Another man clicks a retractable pen incessantly, perusing more paperwork, surreptitiously popping a pill with his draft beer. At a 5:00 p.m. meeting, discussion is of "stress levels" and "the cash-flow thing."
The half-price, happy-hour appetizersâwith "Northwest and South of the Border flavors"âteeter on the border of appetizing, achieving averageness at very best, but their delivery is excellent. The Cayenne staff is united by their all-black outfits and exemplary fulfillment of their roles. They greet some of the businesspeople by name, bringing their favorite drinks. The service is timely, friendly with some, and flirtatious with others: a coup of atmosphere.
Cayenne, 1100 Broadway, 204-1188.
