Huddle up if you hope to score seat at restaurant

Had the Seahawks lost to Carolina last Sunday, owner Paul Allen and coach Mike Holmgren might have lost their appetite. But with the big win under their belts, they opted to loosen those belts instead. Allen chose surf, Holmgren turf.

Allen showed up at McCormick & Schmick's on First Avenue with a party of 20 after the game — without a reservation. Party of 20? On one of the busiest, most frenzied days in memory? No problem for the staff, who were more than happy to show Allen and entourage to a private room. Holmgren, meanwhile, took his party of 10 to Morton's, the downtown steakhouse where he, at least, had a reservation. (In case you were wondering, Allen had the crab-stuffed salmon; the coach ate a steak.)

So what will you be doing on Super Bowl Sunday, while Allen and Holmgren are busy in Detroit? If you want to be in a Seattle-area bar or sports-oriented restaurant, you'd best make some alternate plans, too ... because a lot of people are thinking just like you.

That's creating a problem for some restaurateurs, who want to accommodate loyal customers but are expecting a deluge.

They're trying out one creative approach at Sport, in Seattle's Fisher Plaza. With 47 TV screens and ample opportunity to dine and drink in comfort, this is certain to be among the busiest restaurants in town.

Giving everyone a chance

How to score a seat? Show up at Sport by Monday and fill out a slip with your name, phone number and the number in your party. On Tuesday, they'll draw names and place calls until all 200 seats are filled.

"We tried to figure out the fairest way to get as many people in who wanted to be there," said owner-chef John Howie. With a lottery "everybody gets a chance."

Howie, by the way, won't be there. He's been picked as the Seahawks' representative in Detroit for "Taste of the NFL," which features a chef from each of the football league's 32 cities dishing up a signature recipe in an annual Super Bowl fundraiser. (Howie will be cooking Sizzling Dungeness Crab Cakes, from his Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar in Bellevue.)

Come to think of it, there seems to be a lot of local restaurant traffic heading east. Mike Ready, general manager at Morton's — where Holmgren celebrated his past two wins — is being flown to Detroit, as is the general manager of the Morton's in Pittsburgh. Both of them will be working the floor at the chain's Detroit restaurant, where they'll cater to carnivorous VIPs from their respective cities.

Back in Seattle, some well-heeled football fanatics will be enjoying the game in style in the Grand Reserve Room at Joeys on South Lake Union. It's already booked, to parties that can handle a wine list that starts at $140 and includes a $475 vintage Dom Perignon — just the thing to toast the Seahawks' first trip to the Super Bowl.

And whether Joeys' patrons are sipping the bubbly or knocking down pints of Stella Artois in the standing-room-only scene out at the bar, they don't need to worry about missing any of the action if they have to use the facilities: Joeys' men's room conveniently provides individual flat-screen TVs positioned over the urinals.

Super Bowl alternative

Gals, are you surprised to hear that the ladies' room in Joeys is not similarly wired? Not to worry. There's something special in store for you, too, a few miles away.

While the rest of Seattle is glued to the game, Jacqueline Roberts, owner of The Pink Door at Pike Place Market, will be celebrating with a party of her own. She's calling it Super Belle Sunday, and says it's a "girls-only" affair — although gents in drag are welcome. The party kicks off at 3 p.m., a half-hour before they'll be kicking off in Detroit, and $20 buys the belles of this ball a chance to nibble antipasti at the buffet table and hang out in the bar watching chick flicks.

That's right: This is an anti-Super Bowl affair, and the game won't be seen on a single screen.

Roberts also promises a passel of adorable busboys willing to fetch wine and cocktails while ladies and their look-alikes indulge in a manicure, have their tarot cards read (all for a price, of course) and watch trapeze artist "Trapecia of the Cabrini" swing from the restaurant's rafters.

Meanwhile, some places are just throwing in the towel altogether.

At Fork, on Capitol Hill, chef Scott Simpson saw a grand total of 11 customers the night of the NFC championship game. He figures it's better to close his restaurant, bring in a TV and throw a Super Bowl party for his staff than to sit through another night in Deadsville.

Simpson said that with the price of labor and food, it'll be cheaper to be closed than open, even at a place where business has been booming since its debut early this month.

And besides, says Simpson, a self-described major football fan, "this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or taste@seattletimes.com