review part two

again with the criticisms. dinger, I'm writing this on a school computer and it doesn't do the squiggly underline when a word is misspelled. the mispeling vyrus hahs efectid mai brauzar o knooow!

I had the pleasure of attending a wedding on the second of january - my best friend from high school miss stephanie ann verity, nee michaelis. her reception took place in the banquet hall of the retro suites in historic downtown chatham, and may I say that they have refurbished those old warehouse-factory-fish market buildings quite nicely. reviews wedding edition!

retro suites hotel n' stuff: this is an excellent concept. hotel rooms in existing buildings above the pseudo-bustling downtown core. the rooms are indulgent and lavish, the lobby is inviting and almost mod, and the banquet hall is easily conformable to various events. that being said . . . the rooms have dopey names. there is no apparent theme. who the H put animal print accents into the victorian suite? there is too much kitsch. in my humble opinion (backed by my humble degree and other credentials) simplicity is the key to a winning concept. keeping things consistent and staying close to a design idea. this does not mean being boring or plain. this means having things ORGANIZED and WELL-THOUGHT-OUT. the retro suites, particularly the lobby, look as though they started as a great idea, but people and input and lightbulbs and lot sales tacked all sorts of curious onto the corkboard. for an establishment promoting excellence for high-rolling visitors, this looks like a lacklustre attempt at hip.

the chilled cork: WORST. NAME. EVER. this space has housed a lot in chatham's downtown core but it's most recent evolution, the lobbyside resto for the retro suites, has the most ridiculous name ever in the world. I googled "chilled cork" and found only reviews for this restaurant and SPAM websites. the dining room has lobby access which is really really nice, the layout is simple and clean, the huge windows allow in tons of wonderful natural light, and the whole lot has free wireless internet for the win. the menu is a little odd, but I want to have a better look at it before I give any thoughts. I should also have taken a peek at the cocktails menu. I imagine the wine list is probably good (given the cork reference) but also I've been disappointed before. I used the wireless (interestingly enough to tweet away the afternoon) and enjoyed a coffee. the wait staff were friendly but a little confused at my need for an outlet. I had finished my coffee long before I was offered a refill, and the bill was placed on my table long before I even thought about asking for it (WOW WOW WOW TACKY). if this place is going for fine dining it really super a lot needs to train the staff properly.

the banquet hall at the retro suites: the bar is awesome but kind of out of the way. actually this is probably a good thing because then I am less likely to be noticed guzzling gin martinis as though they are my lifeblood (they are my lifeblood). there is ample space for mingling in the entryway from the rear of the building, the room is compact but fits eight tables comfortably, the lighting is adjustable and design teams have had a heyday making the place look great (I've attended three receptions here now). the dance floor is odd because it's a moveable one and so had weird trip-lines all over the place but those are avoidable with a little caution. the only big gripe is the huge support column in the middle of the room. necessary for structural integrity, I know, but irritating and lame nonetheless. I'm not sure who catered but the food was delicious. the servers didn't appear to know much about table service. also they all looked about fifteen so that's probably why. they didn't refill my water after I emptied it and so I was thirsty for the entire last hour of the reception. oh, the sound system is pretty awesome and jordan hooked up his laptop for jazz and soul good times.

may I footnote this blog with the admittance that I have a secret hate-on for the retro suites? I never ever enjoy when someone with too much money spends it all on a self-serving general interest project. I really hope the suites are acting as a benefit to downtown chatham. I also really hope that some of the generated revenue is going to be put back into the downtown core and not into the ugly urban sprawl happening in the north end. I mostly hope that the rest of chatham adopts my appreciation for independant shopping and dining. also I realize that I am a hypocrite because I am guilty of using and abusing the free wifi. that is all.