Few things can bring together a group of friends like a solid game of bocce ball.
But aside from a few outdoor courts at restaurants, and presumably plenty of backyards, there has not been a great place for multiple groups of people to gather and play bocce in West Michigan.
Thankfully, that’s where Silva, the restaurant opened up earlier by Mark Secchia, really appears to shine.
In the words of the great Richard Attenborough playing John Hammond in Jurassic Park, Secchia appears to have “spared no expense” in building Silva. Secchia spent more than $15 million turning the former Berkey & Gay Furniture Company factory tucked away in the North Monroe Neighborhood, 975 Ottawa Ave. NW, into a giant entertainment venue.
The big spacious rooms are highlighted with lots of color and lights, your eyes are never quite sure where to settle.
Walking up to Silva can be daunting. It’s a massive facility, clocking in at 55,000 square feet, and there are definitely carnivalesque pieces awaiting customers, including a performer on stilts. Also of note, a house magician weaves their way through the venue, stopping at tables to show off a trick or two, sometimes revealing the secret to the magic. There’s also apparently belly dancers at times.
The dining portion of Silva was the first to open up, but now the entire facility is active and can fit more than 700 people.
While there is plenty to check into at Silva, and we’ll get to some of that later, this piece is largely about the bocce ball experience at the new joint.
Playing bocce in Grand Rapids
For starters, one could take their chances and try to snag a walk-in reservation for one of the five bocce courts in a big, spacious room behind the dining area at Silva. But that would probably not be advisable, particularly on a weekend.
The reservation system is still a bit clunky as of writing, so it can take some time exploring and clicking around, or just make the phone call. That said, even on a busy night as it was on our visit in early May, there can be a back up. Our 7 p.m. Saturday reservation at first could not be located, before being pushed back to 7:30 p.m.
Courts can be reserved for a variety of group sizes, with eight being the standard amount for a game of bocce, and for a few different time periods, ranging from 30 minutes to 90 minutes. But the suggested time-to-point ratio is up to 11 points in an hour and up to 15 points in an hour-and-a-half.
And while eight is a the standard team size, some of the courts had 12-16 people enjoying the space.
As mentioned, the bocce courts at Silva are exquisite. Secchia spent $250,000 on the project, bringing in workers from Italy, the home of bocce, to complete the build out. The courts were built with fine specification so the bocce balls perform as they should. (Note: Secchia’s father, the late Peter Secchia, served as the U.S. Ambassador to Italy from 1989 to 1993, which helps explain the importance of bocce to Silva and the great lengths to ensure its a top-notch venue for the sport.)
There are three courts in the center of the room and two on the end, with the sets framed in in a nice dark wood, complete with a fancy bowling alley-like mechanical ball racking system.
Along those racking machines are drink rails to keep beverages and any food that might accumulate during the game. On the exterior of the room are large cut-out booths to watch games or retreat to following the match to eat any food that might be left. Above the courts is a private room that overlooks the bocce courts.
On a busy night, like the May Saturday of the Grand Rapids Magazine visit, service might be a touch slow compared to how the game is flowing.
Once the host takes you to the court, players are guided into the turfed areas, an employee dressed in traditional Italian bocce garb will guide the unfamiliar through the rules and how-to-play. (Note: appropriate attire is required for the playing surface, so that means no high heels.)
It does not take long to actually get playing and before you know it, the teams are in a race to win.
During the hour reservation, we were able to order two rounds of drinks, with the second showing up as we were finishing and the food roughly 10 minutes after we were finished playing, which actually lined up nicely. The entire menu, which is full of global influence, is available on the playing surface (except for red wine), but for playing bocce, it might be best to keep the orders easy and grab some beers before moving on to a full dinner experience later. They do have the all-time great Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap, after all.
After your first round, and if you really like bocce, there should be leagues shaping up soon, so be sure to keep an eye on Silva website.
Big adult playground
As mentioned, the general vibe of Silva is that of a carnival. It is an absolutely beautiful space that does a great job of fostering the vibe of adult fun.
Silva dubs itself “dinnertainment,” which is a welcome change to the overstimulating places like Dave & Buster’s and Main Event. Silva proudly serves up a “digital detox” environment to hopefully encourage real human connections.
Along with the large dining room and the bocce court room, there is also a “rec room” space with billiards and darts to keep those adult games rolling. Because of the large size and multiple rooms available throughout the giant venue, there is no doubt Silva will become a go-to spot for events, whether its birthday parties or personal celebrations to corporate gatherings.
The newest addition, the 1,500-seat The Big Room, opened up over Memorial Day weekend with a free show by Grammy Award-winning Valerie June.
There are endless possibilities for The Big Room, ranging from rock shows to theatrical and comedy performances. It has multiple bars, a full kitchen, a serious audio system and a large HD screen.
At the helm of the programming is Quinn Mathews, who prior to joining the Silva endeavor was in charge of programming the Midtown venue at Studio Park, which has hosted a variety of large national acts since opening, as well as a slew of awesome local and regional performances.
Bocce Rules
Each team has four players, two on each end of the court.
The pallino is the ball players will aim to throw the bocce balls closest to. Teams will alternate throwing the pallino after each round. The pallino has to throw past the half-court line without passing the throw line.
The team that threw the pallino throws first. It must pass the half court line and must not touch the back wall, otherwise they’re removed from play. Teams can alternate throws or throw consecutive.
Teams score one point for each ball closer than the opponent’s nearest ball. If all four balls are closer than the opponent’s nearest ball, it’s a casino, worth four points. (A tape measure is provided to measure the ball distance.)
1 hour game goes to 11
1.5 hour game goes to 15
Along with heels, no red wine is allowed on the courts at Silva, but other food and beverage is fine.
