Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing: Savory seafood, a dynamite view

Published 7:36 pm Wednesday, July 14, 2010

This weekend, I found myself suffering from a serious case of Mukilteo envy.

There I was on a gloriously warm and sun-drenched Saturday night, sitting at a table with friends, sipping an Argentine Punto Final Clasico (glass $7.75/bottle $29) and watching ferry boats and gulls.

I found myself guilty of saying, out loud, “I wish Everett had more restaurants like this by the water.”

OK. I’ve confessed. Now on to dinner.

My friends and I were in old town Mukilteo at Ivar’s. But not just any old fish-and-chips Ivar’s. This was Ivar’s, Mukilteo Landing. And if you haven’t been to this Ivar’s since the big storm of October 2003 knocked the stuffing out of the place, buckling the floor and washing away most of the deck, then it’s been way too long.

And that deck I just mentioned; it provides one of the primo views in Mukilteo, especially in summer.

But whether you dine in or out, the delectable scenery is matched by the restaurant’s delectable dishes.

On this particular Saturday night, an eclectic mix of eaters — some dressed to the nines, others in sporty shorts — made the mood festive but didn’t slow down the wait staff.

Eric, our server, was top notch, knowledgeable and attentive. Shortly after we were seated, he was there with menus, including a fish-shaped kid’s menu, crayons and water in a sealed to-go cup for my son.

Eric followed that up fast, returning with a basket of warm sourdough rolls and butter.

I started our table with an appetizer of wild Alaskan salmon cakes, which came with a dried Bing cherry mayo, all atop a drizzled port syrup and surrounded by crisp fried leeks ($8). It didn’t last long.

For dinner I ordered the 6-ounce, fresh Alaskan halibut (6-ounce $25 / 8-ounce $29). I was intrigued by the Asian apple-pear relish and the spicy soy honey vinaigrette. The flaky halibut tasted fresh and the relish did not overwhelm but there was a delicate, spicy kick to the dish.

My friend ordered the Penn Cove mussels ($11) which she declared had great flavors, advertised as Thai red curry broth, sake, ginger and cilantro. She shared, though somehow I didn’t get any.

She also ordered the Oregon Bay shrimp knife and fork salad ($8). That came with “Oregonzola” blue cheese and toasted hazelnuts on a bed of romaine hearts and French bread croutons. She said it was really excellent.

My husband had the salmon saute, which he described as quite tasty and with a certain sweetness that was not overwhelming. This was the wild Alaskan salmon saute ($24) with the fish from the Quinhagak River in Bristol Bay.

The dish came with green beans and mushrooms, toasted walnuts and Walla Walla onion cream. The sweetness probably came from the port syrup.

My son, sadly, is a picky eater, though there is lots to chose from on the Ivar’s kids menu. I ordered him pasta, which came the way I like it — buttery and covered in Parmesan cheese ($4.95).

He did devour the side of French fries. All kids’ orders come with a bag of cookies and a drink.

Sadly, everyone was too full, so we didn’t get to try any desserts.

But my husband and I will certainly be back. Probably before the end of summer.