Madrona Dining and Sipping Society still dishing after more than a decade

Audrey Seale has been organizing the Madrona Dining and Sipping Society for so long that an exact start date eludes her.

“Since Madrona had only one restaurant and dinosaurs ruled the earth, so more than a decade,” she says.

The dining-out group typically meets once a month, and Seale says the restaurant is either in Madrona or has a connection to the neighborhood. The Madrona Dining and Sipping Society patronized Michael McGloin’s St. Clouds restaurant on Sunday, April 15. McGloin is working on his Sunday supper comeback for the restaurant.

“We don’t tell them what to do,” Seale says of the restaurants she works with, “so I think they’re all looking for a way to distinguish themselves and get good buzz whether they’re new or existing.”

That usually means restaurants will create a prix fixe meal, Seale says, and maybe something not normally on the menu.

“That’s just so neat to have the owner come in and treat us like family,” she says.

There are 250 people on the MDSS email list, and attendance fluctuates during each dining experience. If the restaurant is smaller, there can be a wait list.

Seale says she enjoys getting people together for good food and conversation, and she’s seen friendships develop at the table.

“You live among interesting people, no matter where you are,” she says.

While MDSS is just for Madrona residents, Seale says she’s interested in helping folks in other neighborhoods start a dining group of their own.

“I wish every neighborhood did it, honestly,” she says. “It’s really very easy and lovely.”

Contact Seale at audreyseale@comcast.net to get on the MDSS email list, or if you live outside the neighborhood and want pointers on creating your own dining group.