Lynnwood’s 196th Street seems to be dominated by two things: those unnerving red-light cameras and one of the highest concentrations of national chain restaurants in the county.
Enter Celtic Bayou, a new restaurant across the street from Fred Meyer.
Don’t worry: It’s not an attempt at Irish-Creole fusion, thank goodness, but, rather, a locally owned and operated bar and grill that offers a great selection of beers, plus Irish, Cajun and American food.
And it’s not even the first of its kind. This location, which opened in August, is a sister restaurant to the original Celtic Bayou, founded in 2001 in Redmond.
Why do we need this here?
Two words: Hush puppies.
Crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, Celtic Bayou’s signature cornbread nuggets, served with honey butter, are a must-try appetizer ($6).
Even without the hush puppies, however, Celtic Bayou, now occupying the space that long ago housed a Hooters, won me over pretty easily.
I was immediately impressed with the fast, focused and friendly service. Our server knew her way around the microbrews as well as the nuances of house-made jambalaya, etouffee and gumbo.
I ordered the latter, available with either seafood or chicken ($11) and found it to be excellent, full of flavor and spicy sass. Note: They are not shy with the cayenne here.
Studded heavily with andouille and small bits of chicken, it was hot enough to clear my sinuses, but not so fiery that I couldn’t taste its complex mix of seasonings.
Compared to my husband’s blackened chicken dinner ($15), however, the gumbo wasn’t that hot. His two heavily spiced cutlets were juicy and tender, but I couldn’t eat more than one bite. I had smoke coming out of my ears.
He, on the other hand, found the heat to be a refreshing change from so much typically mild restaurant fare. I dived into the dinner’s side dishes, sauteed chunks of bell pepper, onion and squash, plus a mound of garlic mashed potatoes.
Irish options here include classic pub dishes to go with the always-on-tap beers such as Guinness, Boddingtons and Arrogant Bastard Ale. You’ll find fish and chips, bangers and mash, corned beef and cabbage, and Shepherd’s pie.
I tried the Irish stew ($12), a comforting mix of tender, stout-simmered beef, carrots, potatoes and herbs. It was a thick, rich, balanced broth, and the vegetables and beef were cooked just right.
I did not like the Cajun garlic shrimp appetizer ($10). Though billed as prawns sauteed in garlic, herbs, spices, barbecue sauce and blonde ale, this dish looked and tasted like defrosted, precooked prawns covered in sickly sweet barbecue sauce.
Celtic Bayou, however, redeemed its shellfish reputation on a second visit when I stopped in to grab two sandwiches to go for lunch.
That lunch included the fried shrimp po’ boy ($10), a winning combination of breaded, small-but-not-tiny fried shrimp, chopped tomatoes and lettuce, plus a spicy aioli spread.
The lettuce was green, not iceberg white, as you so often see on sandwiches. And the shrimp, which I could have eaten by the bucketful, were just plain delicious.
I’d ask for extra aioli next time, however, because it was spicy and so very good, but there wasn’t enough of it.
I consoled myself with another house specialty, cheesy Irish tater tots instead of the regular side of fries. Yum.
The other sandwich I ordered — a muffaletta ($9) for a co-worker — could have done with more goo, too.
My co-worker liked the sandwich, served, like mine, on a tasty, toasted hoagie roll. But she said it seemed more like a really well-made submarine sandwich. Muffalettas, she said, usually come on special muffaletta bread.
“It gives a nod to the traditional New Orleans muffaletta with a slight smearing of olive tapenade instead of the layer of olive salad found in the French Quarter classic,” she said, adding that the seasoned fries, despite a drive to Everett in a foam to-go container, held up remarkably well.
Though the restaurant is spread across a large, long space, it offers a warm atmosphere with wood paneling everywhere, plus numerous big, wide booths, flat-screen TVs, a separate three-pool table game room and live music on select nights.
Celtic Bayou, though not an authentic Irish pub or a soul food bistro, is a treat in Lynnwood.
Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037; sjackson@heraldnet.com.
Celtic Bayou Irish Pub &Cajun Cafe
19800 44th Ave. W., Suite H, Lynnwood; 425-776-7404; www.celticbayou.com
Specialties: Cajun classics, Irish pub food, microbrews
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays
Alcohol: Full bar
Prices: Moderate
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