Mukilteo Ivar’s now shipshape

MUKILTEO – In November 2003, storm-driven waves sheared off the deck at Mukilteo Landing, taking Ivar’s restaurant with it. Since then, the restaurant’s been under renovation and finally opened again in mid-February.

My friend and I decided to wait a few weeks to let the celebratory crowd thin and the staff get their sea legs back after such a long lay off. On the Thursday night we visited, my dining companion waited in the bar while I negotiated traffic. The bar area has a few booths with the bar on the opposite wall and a serving bar down the middle.

Wood is the staple of the new decor – polished wood paneling, wooden boats, driftwood shaped into sequin-covered fish, wooden table tops. And the famous six-foot tall fish totem that went missing during the storm has been restored as the official greeter.

It’s beautiful but my friend, who’s been visiting the restaurant since it was Taylor’s Landing before Ivar’s purchased it, declared it to be “too generic.” Except for the newspaper accounts of the missing totem and the name on the menu, this Ivar’s could be any nice waterfront restaurant. It doesn’t have a distinctive feel like Ivar’s Salmon House in Seattle.

This made me wonder about the food. Would it also be undistinguishable?

No visit to Ivar’s is complete without a cup or bowl of Ivar’s Famous Clam Chowder. My friend ordered a cup ($2.95) and I selected the Dungeness crab bisque ($4.95). It may be a new restaurant but it still serves the familiar clam chowder chocked with clams and potatoes in a creamy stock. My crab bisque, made with a tomato-cream soup with a splash of sherry and filled with cut corn and sweet crabmeat, was just as delicious.

For our main dish, my dining companion ordered the cedar-planked Alaskan king salmon ($17.95). The aroma of fish and chips wafting past me as I studied the menu tempted me. Our accommodating server suggested the most popular menu item at Mukilteo Landing: the classic seafood saute.

The wine list includes about 20 red and 20 white wines from California, Oregon and Washington. They range from $17 to $50 with most around $30. There’s also a signature cocktail menu. I added a glass of sauvignon blanc ($5.25).

My dining companion’s salmon was served with roasted vegetables and cornbread pudding. The salmon was perfectly grilled and had that distinctive cedar-smoked flavor. The vegetables were just as tasty and the corn pudding was a creamy, crusty treat. Each part of the meal was individually a taste treat and together they were a delight.

One bite of my seafood saute and I knew why this dish is popular. It’s made with Alaskan halibut, salmon, prawns, scallops, tomatoes, zucchini and mushrooms. These fruits of the sea, the vegetables and the tarragon crab butter sauce make a wonderful combination. It was served with creamy, heart-warming garlic-laced mashed potatoes.

For dessert, which we were going to skip until our server brought us the dessert menu, we split an apple crisp a la mode ($4.95). Creamy ice cream, slightly crunchy, tart apples topped with brown sugar-laced crumble. We decided this yummy dessert was “so Washington,” as is Ivar’s.

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

Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing

710 Front St., Mukilteo; 425-742-6180

Specialty: seafood

Hours: restaurant 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; bar 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Price range: expensive

Liquor: full bar

Smoking: smoking permitted in the bar

Reservations: recommended for parties of six or more

Disabled accessibility: easy access

Credit cards: Master Card, Visa