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says Hayes. "After we hung it, lots of the regular customers wanted to
be in one," he continues, "So we're paying this guy to be a bartender
Come see why we have been voted the best
Come see why we have been voted the best
Come see why we have been voted the best
Come see why we have been voted the best
Come see why we have been voted the best
Come see why we have been voted the best and somehow within a period of about a year, he found time to come
Come see why we have been voted the best
Come see why we have been voted the best
FOUR YEARS RUNNING! up with all these. There are hundreds of people in these pictures, each
with their quirky thing. Then he comes up with the idea that he's going
to do this, and unbeknownst to us he's already done them. So we plan
OPEN 11 AM a big party to unveil them."
TUES-SAT The party, which was by invitation and required formal attire, became
known as the Black Tie Black Out. It was in winter, and around 4:30 in
Lunch & Dinner the afternoon there was a power outage. "The paintings were on easels
(must be over 21 at all times) upstairs so we lit candles on the staircase and upstairs, and it turned
into 'Well, we might as well drink,'" Hayes adds, "I don't think we sold
a single print that night but everyone had a great time." Every year
Porter is still commissioned to do a sketch cartoon and poem about the
Bella Union employee of the year. "Its fun," says Hamilton.
210 SW 6th Street
Downtown on 6th between G & H Also featured throughout the restaurant is part of their Britt poster
collection, the oldest one from 1966. The 2018 poster will be pre-
Grants Pass, OR 97526 | 541 295-3094 sented up front.
Reservations for Parties of 8 or More Only
Along with original art, for 30 years the Bella has offered live music
www.TheTwistedCorkGrantsPass.com three nights a week. Hamilton states, "We're really proud of providing
our stage to showcase locals." Another local favorite is Oysters and
Ales, running now for 20 years every Thursday evening in the months
Southern Oregon’s Premier containing R’s.
Bistro & Wine Bar And then there is the heart of the Bella—the food. "Most of the reci-
pes are originals," Hayes points out. "The Caesar salad dressing, pizza
sauce, pizza dough, desserts and Mud Pie have been on the menu from
the start. Tom Bates was the chef understudy and took over when the
first chef left." It appears there is much about Bella Union that is origi-
nal, including many of the people. They have also always offered wine
(featuring local vintages) by the glass, unusual at the time. Now they
are honored to be on the Oregon Wine A-List.
Celebration continues through the summer with the launch of
Bellabration XXX IPA, a collaboration with Walkabout Brewing sport-
ing a special anniversary label. A large commemorative poster by Brian
Porter and Larry Addington will be on display. Also planned is a special
night with Teddy Abrams, Britt Music Director and Conductor, featur-
ing a small band. Check Bella website for date and details.
When asked what has kept them going, the answer was unanimous
"Location and personality of space, and the servicing of people remains
fun. 30 years on there's lots to be proud of and we're still going strong!"
In one of the sunny front rooms at the Bella, a rotating display of vibrant
Outstanding Local Wine Selections
watercolors by local artist Anne Brooke are featured on the walls.
They're a different style from the rest of the Bella art, but complement
the open cafe feel. Brooke is also the creator of the popular Jacksonville
Coloring Book, which features line drawings of Jacksonville to color
in. The Bella has a coloring contest every week where two kids each
win a free pizza. They use some of the coloring book drawings for the
contest and as Hamilton says, "It's cool because they're all familiar
Award Winning Chef places, kids love it!"
118 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | summer 2018
