LYNNWOOD – Valet parking. Two words more magical than the sound of reindeer hooves. I vowed to spend the $4 for valet parking on my recent Wednesday visit if I didn’t find a space in time to make my 7:15 p.m. reservation.
It was, after all, a few days before Christmas but the mall parking gods were with me. Up one row, down the next and into a space, which happened to be next to the white-chained area where valets hustled to cars with keys in hand.
McGrath’s Fish House is an imposing addition to the Alderwood mall and the restaurant’s interior is just as striking. It imitates a cold storage-fish processing warehouse with rugged wooden beams and gleaming bolt heads. The old photos of the day’s catch and crab pots add a period touch to this large restaurant with numerous dining rooms. At some time during the wait after ordering, almost everyone spotted the ceiling fans pulled by a belt.
They’re a charming addition to the fish-house-themed decor.
And, there’s no doubt about it: This is a restaurant for seafood lovers.
Think of a way to prepare seafood and it’s on the menu, from raw and in the shell to steamed, pan-fried, grilled or wood-fired. Seafood appears in chowders and salads, appetizers and main-dish combinations. Also, the Chef’s Menu features fresh selections that are updated daily. For those who want something other than fish, selections include steak, chicken, pasta and burgers. Vegetarians are limited to deep-fried mozzarella cheese sticks ($5.99) and the Oregon pear, blue cheese and walnut salad ($8.99).
On my visit, the daily selections included grilled razor clams, rainbow trout topped with Dungeness crab, asparagus and hollandaise, honey Dijon mustard-glazed salmon, swordfish, marlin and two types of tuna ($14.99 to $15.99).
With all these choices, I felt a little overwhelmed and took the easy way out by starting with an order of deep-fried calamari rings ($5.99). My attentive server, who’s also a calamari lover, recommended it. The lightly breaded rings were straight-from-the-fryer hot, tender and tasty.
About halfway through my appetizer, I selected that night’s special, wood-fired ono (a mackerellike fish) topped with a blood orange salsa over curried rice. I added a glass of Ravenswood Zinfandel ($6.25). Whole cashews and raisins sprinkled in the curry-laced rice added a counterpoint of texture and sweetness. The ono was perfectly grilled and the salsa, with its sweet-spicy flavor, tied everything together.
Main dishes like this are one reason I enjoy dining out. I’d never make this at home.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations to review, but readers’ suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced, and The Herald pays their tabs.
Anna Poole: features@heraldnet.com.
McGrath’s Fish House
3000 184th St., Lynnwood; 425-670-9050; www.mcgrathsfishhouse.comSpecialty: Seafood
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Price range: moderate to expensive
Liquor: full bar
Smoking: nonsmoking
Reservations: recommended
Disabled accessibility: no apparent barriers
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa
OY SY Japanese restaurant
1606 Hewitt Ave., Everett
425-252-2515
Specialty: Japanese food
Hours: lunch, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner served beginning at 3 p.m. Monday-Friday
Price range: inexpensive to expensive
Liquor: none
Smoking: nonsmoking
Reservations: not necessary
Disabled accessibility: barriers
Credit cards: MasterCard, Visa
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