Emory's on Silver Lake | Why stick to one genre when you can do so many well?

Just north of Murphy's Corner where the newly widened Bothell-Everett Highway curves around Silver Lake, Emory's sits hugging the shore, its parking lot frequently packed with cars.

What makes Emory's so popular? Could be the eclectic menu grounded in American comfort food or the warm and caring staff. Could be the lake view from the two-tiered dining room or "Everett's largest outdoor deck."

Perhaps it's the generously poured glasses of wine, or dry martinis served in silver shakers that hold enough to fill the glass twice. It might be the sushi bar, the daily happy hour or weekend jazz. Or maybe it's the alternative gluten-free menu, the healthy choices on the kids menu, or the $16.95 three-course early dinner option.

Most likely it's all of the above. Emory's is an all-purpose, any-occasion, family-friendly restaurant, a genre now dominated by corporate chains. But there is only one Emory's and there really is an Emory running the show.

Seasoned restaurateurs Emory and Molly Cole owned The Seahorse in Mukilteo before they built this lakefront restaurant and lounge in 1994. She is responsible for the nautical knickknacks that embellish this big, boisterous boathouse, and her Christmas decorations would make Martha envious. He's a hands-on proprietor who works closely with chef Jeff Richards as well as with general manager Alison Bumgardner, a longtime employee who began her career waiting tables at The Seahorse.

Meals start with a basket of warm, crusty bread and a bowl of garlic and herb-seasoned olive oil. From there it's a multicultural romp through a menu that wanders from French onion soup to Thai lettuce wraps and Kalbi beef skewers to pulled-pork sandwiches and fettuccine alfredo.

As if these choices aren't enough, you can segue to the sushi menu, which offers a short list of nigiri sushi and sashimi, as well as a variety of sushi rolls. Some, like the cucumber-stuffed "Rookie Roll," are fish-free.

A changing roster of "chef's special features" augments the steaks, chicken, seafood and pasta dishes on the dinner menu — and the burgers, sandwiches, wraps and salads at lunch. A person could eat here every day for a month and never have the same thing twice.

With the stamina and the budget to sample only a fraction of the fare, here's what I would gladly have again.

Start with soup. The spunky clam chowder, a standard from the Seahorse days, is enriched with cream and spiked with sherry. The French onion soup reveals a light-bodied beef broth thick with onions under its lid of mild Gruyère melted over a thick slice of bread.

Steamed clams are a lighter option, though there's no shortage of butter in the wine broth that moistens these meaty mollusks. Tiny, tender rings of panko-breaded fried calamari are golden and crisp.

Salads are nice, too. Traditionalists will like the tangy Caesar, or the romaine salad tossed with blue cheese with bacon. My favorite combined fresh pear, spiced pecans, gorgonzola and a mix of lettuces in a maple-kissed vinaigrette.

I loved the zesty pulled-pork sandwich at lunch, topped with creamy coleslaw on a soft seeded roll. Even better were tempura-battered halibut cheeks, crispy, hot and meltingly tender, served with a pile of skinny fast-food-style fries.

Emory's seafood fettuccine is as good as it gets, neither overcooked nor swimming in sauce. The Parmesan, garlic and cream are all in the right proportion, and it's loaded with fresh mushrooms and seafood: scallops, bay shrimp and salmon.

Tuscan chicken could easily be bland banquet fare. But there's a whiff of sage in the cream sauce, and the moist breast is rolled around a slice of prosciutto and an herby cream-cheese filling studded with pine nuts.

Rich mushroom gravy smothers both a double-cut pork chop and Mediterranean meatloaf. This gilds the lily in the meatloaf, but the chop needs the sauce: It's a trifle dry despite its size and having been brined. The mini-loaf is split in half, revealing the herbs, onion and garlic that deftly season this moist, pungent mix of lamb and beef.

The "baseball cut" top sirloin ($21.95), perfectly cooked to rosy medium rare, was tough and too cool to melt the coin of gorgonzola butter teetering on top of the fist-size portion. It's worth a few dollars more for the New York cut or filet.

A baked potato accompanies the steaks, but most dinner entrees come with a chef's choice of potatoes and vegetables. That turned out to be buttery whipped potatoes and steamed rounds of zucchini and carrots every time.

The pretty confections on the dessert tray are tempting, but I'd stick to the ones they make in-house, like the apple tart, a warm and flaky triangular pastry topped with vanilla ice cream.

If you leave with leftovers, they will sail out the door disguised as silver foil swans — another reminder that there aren't many places like Emory's left anymore.

Providence Cicero: providencecicero@aol.com

Sample menu

Maple pear salad $6.95

Steamed clams $11.95

Mediterranean meatloaf $16.95

Tuscan stuffed chicken $17.95

Seafood fettuccine $21.75