Imagine Mukilteo 100 years ago when it was thick with trees, and the occasional fishing lodge was nestled in the woods.

 

The forest is mostly gone, but Mukilteans can still enjoy the atmosphere of yesteryear when they visit the Mukilteo Lodge Sports Grille at 7928 Mukilteo Speedway.

 

Owners Shawn Roten and Beth Stewart-Roten, along with partner David Louthain, are building a restaurant they believe captures that Northwest character, with a robust menu designed to please the palate of the entire family.

 

In fact, while the Lodge is a sports bar on the one hand, it’s very much family oriented on the other.

“It’s a family place,” Beth said, “where I can bring my 14 year old, watch a game and have a nice time.”

 

The design of the large central room kindles memories of visits to national park lodges, complete with giant stone fireplace, hickory plank floor, custom-cut beams with dowels, African mahogany and maple tabletops, and more.

 

“Everything was built from scratch,” Shawn said. “We wanted it to be like an old lodge in the mountains where they built everything on their own.”

 

A waist-high partition separates the dining area from the bar. Both rustic and polished at the same time, the bar top was carved out of ponderosa pine and is full of character.

 

Chef Marshall Fuller is putting together a menu that meat lovers will relish, including prime rib, filet mignon and, he promises, “the best burgers in the area.”

That will include a Waygu Kobe burger, made from cows that are prized for their meat. In fact, Fuller said, it’s more like “a steak on a bun.”

 

This being the Northwest, there will of course be seafood, including applewood bacon-wrapped prawns and salmon, as well as soups and salads.

 

Open for lunch and dinner, prices will range from around $10 for burgers to $25 for steaks.

 

The proprietors also are planning a mouth-watering appetizer menu and “a great happy hour,” Shawn promises.

 

He’s making sure the bar will cater to everyone from premium beer aficionados to single malt scotch devotees.

 

And, sensing an opportunity in a town that generally rolls up its sidewalks early, the folks at the Lodge plan to keep kitchen and bar open late.

 

They’ll be open from 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

 

“I think it’s going to work,” Beth said. “When people come back to town late, where is there to go?

 

“Plus there are industry people getting off work; they have no place to go either, so there needs to be something open.”

 

Sports enthusiasts will love the flat screen TVs, 11 of them, which will air different sports for different fans.

 

The booths are wired with “Firedog” wireless systems that permit diners to tune into the TV of their choice for sound, and the high-backed seats and sound-dampening ceiling ensure easy listening even when the customers in the next booth are listening to a different channel.

 

Larger parties of up to 16 can be seated in a private dining room that’s available at no extra charge and is wired for laptop hookup for PowerPoint presentations.

 

Diners may be pleased to learn that the Lodge is providing jobs for about a dozen former employees of Emory’s Lakehouse, which was destroyed in an early morning fire last fall. Ryan Zawisza, a former assistant manager at Emory’s, takes over as manager at the Lodge.

 

For Shawn, the Lodge is the culmination of a life-long dream. His grandparents owned a restaurant in Oregon called the Homestead, and he has been itching to get into the business himself.

 

Beth did a stint in catering, but many locals know her best as a girls’ soccer coach at Kamiak.

 

David Louthain, Beth’s brother, brings restaurant expertise to the enterprise, too, having helped open the Pints & Quarts Pub and Restaurant in Olympia. A landscape architect who designs golf courses, David also is an avid sports fan.

 

Together, they believe the combination of restaurant acumen and sports savvy will create a dining experience for all tastes.

 

Carpenters and inspectors willing, the trio plan a “soft” opening on Monday, Feb. 15, followed by a grand opening later.