EVERETT — I just want to make one thing clear: Somehow, Emory’s pulled the rabbit fricassee out of the hat and, with a kind of magic, made their new restaurant better than before.
The former Emory’s burned down in an arson in 2009. This reborn restaurant, now Emory’s Lakefront Bistro & Bar,
shines with delicious delight on the shore of Silver Lake in Everett.
That said, our dinner the other night started out with a bump. I’ll get to that in a bit.
A friend and I were lucky to get a table on a Friday night and entered the new restaurant admiring what we saw: a lodgelike style with lots of stone, natural wood beams placed high up and things like shiny canoes hanging from the ceiling.
The place was nearly full and pulsed with energy. Sports palookas packed the bar watching big-screen TVs. Later in the evening, a jazz ensemble entertained diners. Apparently, this new Emory’s can convert the entire restaurant to a night club after 9 p.m. and feature a late happy hour.
My friend and I were quickly led to our table and the attentive, not doting, service began. (I actually have to give a few extra points for service because at one point my lipstick fell in the space between my seat and the wall and one of the wait staff arrived with a flashlight and fished it out for me.)
Soon, our bread arrived in ADORABLE little wicker cases that looked like miniature picnic baskets. Olive oil with garlic and chives accompanied.
Then came the bump.
We ordered an appetizer of gluten-free Panang lettuce wraps with marinated grilled chicken, cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, cannellini beans and parmesan cheese along with lemon-oregano aioli ($9.50).
The mixture was mediciny-tasting without the aioli. In addition, the lettuce pieces were either torn or too small and quite challenging to use as wrappers. The chicken pieces were few and far between.
This caused me a moment of concern but things picked up fast — and wonderfully — once the entrees arrived.
The aromas hit the table first, a sign that improvement was just around the bend.
My friend had ordered the portabella mushroom ravioli that combined mushroom, ricotta and parmesan cheese sauteed in a parmesan cream sauce, garnished with grilled portabellas and drizzled with vinegar ($16).
The dish was rich yet light. My friend joked she could have done with two less ravioli because those last two put her over the top on the gauge.
I ordered the gluten-free Lake House bistro steak (Emory’s menu includes several gluten- free selections including pizza) with an onion and mushroom red wine sauce, mashed potatoes and crunchy and fresh vegetables ($19.50).
The steak was cooked to perfection; in fact, if you ever wondered what medium rare should actually look and taste like, go to Emory’s and you’ll know.
The mashed potatoes were simple and buttery.
For dessert, my friend ordered the extremely minty — in a good way — Lake House mud pie ($5.95). I had the raspberry charlotte, a candle-shaped chocolate mousse wrapped in some sort of chiffon chocolate cake with a disc of dark chocolate on top and, on top of that, tiny waves of whipped cream ($6.50).
The disappointing thing at the end of this meal turned out not to be the lettuce wraps but the fact that this was our first trip back to Emory’s since it reopened in November.
Emory’s extensive menu provides fish, entree salads and casual menu offerings.
They’ve also added a new wood stone oven to cook a variety of hand-formed pizzas at 600 degrees to a finish that is described on the menu as having a “light, fluffy crust with a patina of crunch, flame blackened blisters, and a soft, credit card thin center.”
I know I’ll be making a return visit to this reborn Emory’s.
Emory’s Lakefront Bistro & Bar
11830 19th Ave. SE, Everett; 425-337-7772; www.emorys.com.
Specialty: American with Mediterranean and Asian influences; wood stone oven for pizzas and calzones
Hours: Lunch: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday; Dinner: 4 p.m. nightly; Sunday brunch: 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; happy hours: 2 to 6 p.m. daily and 8:30 p.m. to close Sunday through Thursday
Price range: Moderate to high
Liquor: full bar
Vegetarian options: Yes, and gluten-free choices
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
