The steakhouse at the Lynden, Wash., delivers a menu full of innovative, Asian-fusion dishes, ample appetizers, seafood and sandwiches.
Steakhouse 9 at Homestead Golf & Country Club in Lynden, Wash., is not your ordinary steakhouse, reports Lauren Kramer of the Bellingham, Wash.-based Cascadia Weekly. Executive Chef Joseph Merkling has put together a menu of oriental fusion dishes, fabulous salads, a great assortment of seafood and sandwiches mixed in with fun innovative detail.
The restaurant is a relaxing place, whether it’s for a social meal with friends or a business meeting. Steakhouse 9 opened in 2013 with a complete renovation that eradicated any traces of the previous restaurant. Outside are sweeping views of the golf course and a sunny patio. Inside, an onyx, under-lit bar forms the centerpiece of the eatery, and in the corner is a semi-open kitchen where the flames from Merkling’s 1,800-degree steakhouse broiler are just visible, the Weekly reported.
Merkling is a 25-year industry veteran with an impressive portfolio of experience. He opened Hotel Bellwether’s Harborside Bistro in 2000 and Scotty Browns in Barkley Village in 2008. Originally from California, he worked at the Ritz Carlton in Maui before moving to the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s. According to the Weekly, it’s clear he knows how to create an attractive menu: one that fills the needs of those who want a satisfying but light meal, as well as meat aficionados who crave a hefty slab of steak. The menu offers loads of choices, and much of it is affordable.
The build-your-own burger is a great example. A lunch offering for just $5, you get a quarter-pound kobe burger as the main feature, but can add one of four cheeses, a dressing such as guacamole or caramelized onion, and a side such as soup, Caesar salad or pomme frites (French fries). The additions cost a bit extra, but you’re still getting a gourmet burger for about $10, the Weekly reported.
Kramer tried the Asian crusted tuna with ponzu and wasabi aioli, a delicate, delicious appetizer served on a slaw and delivering a fusion of flavors. “This is the kind of dish you wouldn’t expect at a steakhouse, but Merkling and his team deliver it beautifully,” Kramer detailed. She also tried the Northwest salmon roll with coho salmon, cream cheese, cucumber and green onion, and declared it to be as good as any sushi restaurant.
You could easily make a meal just of appetizers, as they’re good-sized portions great for a shared lunch. The appetizer menu is varied including halibut fish tacos, or fried squid ribbons, seared, tossed in salsa and served with cucumber yogurt sauce.
Merkling’s power fusion and creativity really shine in the large selection of lunch entrees. Popular choices include Thai chicken pizza, with peanut sauce, Asian slaw and cilantro pesto, and the French Dip sandwich, consisting of prime rib, caramelized onions and Swiss cheese on a homemade roll. Kramer tasted the 10-ounce sirloin, with gruyere potatoes au gratin, grilled asparagus and fresh horseradish sauce. “The steak was cooked to perfection and the entire dish was one of those meals that leaves you deeply satisfied and glad you ate out,” Kramer reported.
Steakhouse 9 also has a good assortment of libations such as a Godiva chocolate martini to enjoy during the winter months or a black raspberry mojito to sip on the patio on a hot summer’s day.
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