Dining in Lynnwood, WA and Northbound

[jlo mein]

I am heading down to Seattle next Thursday to watch a Seattle Symphony Pops concert. Thinking of maybe hitting Union or something else for a fancy dinner that evening. I will be staying over night and spending the latter half of Friday shopping at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood.

I was wondering if there are any good dinner places around the Alderwood Mall area, or anywhere relatively close to an I-5 Highway exit heading northbound back to Vancouver, BC.

[MGLloyd]

Not knowing anything about what type of cuisine you are looking for, Zinnia's, in Mill Creek, a short distance off of I-5 at exit 183, may be on point. This is about 5-10 minutes from Alderwood, depending on the traffic and route. http://www.zinniawa.com/Page1.html is the website.

If you have a particular type of cuisine that you are seeking, please let me know and I may have some other recommendations. I live in the area and am pretty familiar with the local restaurant scene. As with most malls, chain restaurants predominate in the immediate Alderwood area.

[Mr. Bill]

There's a several good Japanese restaurants nearby (196th & 44th). Lately, I've been spending my northend sushi dollars at Edina. It's fairly new, the owner moved here from Colorado. He creates some pretty plates and is a nice, amiable fellow. Sit at the bar. Open till 3pm for lunch! Kind off diagonally across the intersection, in another small strip mall, is Sushi Matsu. It's the only place I know that plays traditional Japanese music in the background. Nice! It's a small family run place, friendly waitresses, but chef/dad stays behind a wall of sushi boats. Lot's of cooked choices, great lunch deals. Really good straightforward sushi. Zen Garden in Mill Creek, just north of 164th, has one of the most beautiful rooms around. Set in/over a Chinese garden. Pretty good dim sum and good service.

[jlo mein]

If you have a particular type of cuisine that you are seeking, please let me know and I may have some other recommendations.  I live in the area and am pretty familiar with the local restaurant scene.  As with most malls, chain restaurants predominate in the immediate Alderwood area.

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Is there anything decent in the way of Italian or seafood? Being Canadian, I have never been to Red Lobster, but as a chain restaurant I can't imagine it being great.

[jlo mein]

If you have a particular type of cuisine that you are seeking, please let me know and I may have some other recommendations.  I live in the area and am pretty familiar with the local restaurant scene.  As with most malls, chain restaurants predominate in the immediate Alderwood area.

←

Is there anything decent in the way of Italian or seafood? Being Canadian, I have never been to Red Lobster, but as a chain restaurant I can't imagine it being great.

[MGLloyd]

For Italian, and bearing in mind the restriction of keeping it near Alderwood or close to the freeway there, I have some suggestions;

Romano's Macaroni Grill at Alderwood (my SO loves it)

Bucca de Beppo in Lynnwood

Amici Bistro in Mukilteo

Stella Mia in Bothell

Nana Carmela's in Monroe is too far for you

Lombardi's at the Everett Marina

il Bistro Vino in Everett

My first two choices would be Amici Bistro or Stella Mia. I cannot recommend Capri in Mill Creek. Grazie in Bothell is merely adequate. If driving was no object, I would go to Nana's in Monroe.

Edited January 21, 2008 by MGLloyd (log)

[MGLloyd]

For seafood, and bearing in mind keeping it near Alderwood or close to the freeway there, I have some suggestions:

T&T Seafood restaurant in Edmonds, if you like Chinese/Asian seafood

Anthony's in Edmonds or Everett on the waterfront

Arnie's in Edmonds or Mukilteo on the waterfront

Bonefish Grill in Bothell

Tin Fish in Mukilteo

I cannot recommend McGrath's Fish House at Alderwood.

Edited January 21, 2008 by MGLloyd (log)

[jlo mein]

That Stella Mia place looks decent from the look of their website here. The pastas sound pretty tasty, and it seems like a classic italian kind of place that isn't a family restaurant. They also have some great coupons on their website like 1/2 price bottle of wine with two entrees. On Friday we'll be heading from Bellevue to Lynnwood in the afternoon, and if traffic is bad on the 405, it may work better to get off the highway and have a really early dinner at Stella Mia.

What do you personally think of the place in terms of food/atmosphere/service? Is it also rather formal there? We would be going there after recreational activity, probably dressed very casual.

BTW thanks for the heads up on McGrath's Fish House. I've heard several friends and relatives recommend it, but none of them really eat out much. I'd imagine it being something like Red Lobster or a similar chain family seafood place.

Edited January 21, 2008 by jlo mein (log)

[MGLloyd]

Stella Mia is not a formal restaurant. Casual is perfectly appropriate. It is very good food and attentive service. The owner of the restaurant is a local teacher who is a foster parent for many children from Africa. Many of the children work in the restaurant as their first introduction to the American workforce. They do a great job.

From northbound 405, you will want to take exit 26 (Bothell/Mill Creek) and turn left at the top of the exit. This will put you on the Bothell-Everett Highway. Go south for just about a mile, and you will see the Country Village complex on your right. Look for the big chicken. Stella Mia is within this complex. They have an upstairs and a downstairs; downstairs is open for dinner. Upstairs is open for lunch. They have very good specials, and in the fall and winter, often have an excellent pumpkin ravioli with gorgonzola cream sauce.

PS: I think McGrath's would be fine, if you lived in Kansas or the middle of Saskatchewan, where fresh seafood may not be as readily available as it is here. But for people who live on a coast, I am not impressed.

Edited January 21, 2008 by MGLloyd (log)

[jlo mein]

Thanks a lot for the step by step driving directions! I'll be sure to check this place out.

[jlo mein]

I'd like to say thanks again for this excellent recommendation. I really wish we could have gone to Country Village (the complex Stella Mia is located in) during the day as it seems like a lovely throwback to old town shops and atmosphere. The restaurant itself feels cozy with a friendly atmosphere. Service was great and the food better than I expected from a little town traditional Italian place.

Started with polenta gorgonzola and a bottle of Chianti wine. The wine was only $10 with a coupon from their website. The polenta was fantastic with a crusty outside and a wonderful soft inside. The gorgonzola sauce was smooth with a strong flavour and paired well with the polenta.

My girlfriend had a fettucine bolognese. Pretty standard stuff, but it was exactly what she wanted that night and really hit the spot for her.

I had the fettucine di mare. It had all sorts of seafood: mussels, prawns, clams, scallops, and calamari. It was just what I needed after a long and hungry day of driving.

I didn't take a picture, but we ended with an excellent creme caramel. If I ever find myself in the Bothell area again I would definitely eat there, unfortunately there really isn't much to do in Bothell. I'm sure I'll do the same next time and go to Bellevue and make a stop at Stella Mia on the way back. It's nothing fancy, but it has a great small town appeal to it with familiar Italian favourites.

[vanbao]

Try Black Angus on 44th. Great restaurant.