Check Out Howie’s VIP Tent…

John Howie

They say if you want something done right, hire a busy person. If the cliché is true, then the Auction of Washington Wine brain trust had the right idea when they got chef, restaurateur and serial entrepreneur, John Howie to head up their VIP tent for their upcoming Barrel Auction and Picnic event on Friday, Aug 12th at Chateau Ste Michelle Winery 

When the Insider caught up to Howie on his cell, he was interviewing someone for one of his projects and I offered to call him back but he gave a small chuckle and said, no, I’m even busier this afternoon, let’s do it now. So we dove into on why he’s involved in one of Seattle’s best charity events and the NSI quiz. Cheers and enjoy…

What was last night’s dinner? A real seafood fest of sushi and crab cake in a Thai sweet-n-sour buster blanc bit demi glaze. There was Wagyu meatballs with Demi glaze too. Delicious.

John Howie Steak

What’s your favorite drink? That’s a tough one. I guess if I have to choose, I like a straight up bourbon that my distillery (Wildwood Spirits Co.) makes. 

What’s your favorite music? That’s another tough one. Again, if I have to choose, I’ll go with classic rock with Pink Floyd being my favorite group. 

What’s your favorite Seattle restaurant beside yours? I like Phillip Mihalski’s Nell’s Restaurant a lot. Great food and a great guy. He was scheduled to do a dinner at the James Beard House in New York on Sept 11th and of course it was cancelled so he took all the food down to the crash site and gave it to the volunteers.  

Favorite thing about living and working in Seattle? Everything is green, he said with a chuckle. We may get a lot of rain in the winter, but the produce thru the spring and the summer is second to none. Fantastic fruit and vegetables like cherries and asparagus, plus we have one of the best seafood markets in the world as well. 

John Howie Steak

What makes a great restaurant? You know one of my early mentors told me if you have terrific service, listen to your guests and give guests what they want, the rest will take care of itself and I totally agree. (Side note: the web gal and I went to Howie Steak House after a recent trade tasting and the service was excellent. Our steak sandwiches were cooked rare the way we like ‘em and the margarita I ordered was perfect in a salt coated squat glass with just the right amount of tang and sweetness). 

Any brush with celebrity? Justin Bieber and James Cameron have come in to our restaurants. Russell Wilson used to live in the towers above Howie Steak and was a regular. Great guy, going to be missed. 

Any wine, restaurant or trip on your bucket list? You know for my 60th birthday in 2020 we had this great trip planned out for the south of France. Going to rent a castle, drive sports cars all over for a week. It was going to be so cool, but Covid shut that down. But we’ve tentatively rescheduled for 2025. 

Final thoughts? Just like to say what a great cause and what a great job Washington Wine does for the Children’s Hospital. That week I’m also running the hospitality tent at the Boeing golf charity tournament, but you’re right, that picnic is a great event and I’m going to try and make it now.