Frankie visited F Street Station almost 3 years ago and it hasn’t changed much. We saw the same chef in the kitchen and the place is very popular. They have a number of beers, cocktails and wines by the glass and bottle. The cheese hunk was back after having disappeared during the height of Covid, but it still wasn’t getting much action. They offer lots of seafood and had our favorite fried halibut during our last trip and I’m here to tell you it is still excellent. Continue reading
Chugiak Cafe is about 20 miles outside of Anchorage and worth the drive. It started about 7 years ago (by my best information) in what was an old WWII barracks. After about 3 years owner Trig Bjorklund had to expand to 2 more rooms to accommodate guests. Then Covid 19 hit and they changed the system to drive-through only. Tables outdoors are now set up, each set with a box of napkins, utensils and other needs and the front door is open if you want to eat inside. However there is no staff to clean up after you or take orders, just put your trash in the convenient cans or take your food to another location. To expedite the process a person is out front to take your order and hand it in to the kitchen who will then give it to the pick-up window. The system works well and there are beautiful flowers and fun decorations for you to look at as you drive through the line. Inside is a treasure trove of a lifetime’s memorabilia that is not to be missed. Particularly the 1910 coffee roaster that roasts their coffee in small batches. But the best part is the honest, wonderful food. Continue reading
Altura Bistro opened in 2019 and serves New American cuisine in a less casual atmosphere. Located in a strip shopping center outside of the downtown area they were still very much practicing Covid separation of guests. Along one side of the room was bench seating for 2-top tables and opposite were booths. A couple tables were in the middle of the room. The tables were bare wood and set with black cloth napkins. Windows to the outside were partially shaded but the sun streamed in for a good part of the evening, defeating the low light chandeliers. The other room had the bar and a few stools facing the bar and a couple small tables along the wall. It was not clear if these tables were for walk-ins. Music was in the background. Service was so-so, with timing issues, not clearing or wiping between courses and less than good advice on ordering. Continue reading
Denali Brewpub is in the center of the small town of Talkeetna, nestled at the base of Denali. It is a large place with guests being those arriving by train, outdoor enthusiasts and families. Dogs are welcome on the large outdoor patio. Inside there is a log cabin feel with wood ceiling, walls and floor along with a large fireplace. A bar dominates one of the several rooms and the kitchen is in back. Lots of decorations adorn the walls, including some of the things for sale. There is free wi-fi and music is in the background. A large number of beers are from their brewery that is close by. Service was good and very friendly but lunch does start at 11:00 not at 10:00 which was on the website. Continue reading
Spinach Bread has been available in Alaska for 20 years. We found it in the small town of Talkeetna where the Airstream trailer is parked and open for business every day but Tuesday. There are tables set up out front and a small menu to chose from. The spinach bread is made with a spent grain bread base and then covered with a mix of cheese, garlic and spinach. Hot sauce is optional and I advise adding it. They heat it while you wait at the window and you can see the server cut it into strips for easy eating. It had a wonderful bread base and just the right amount of toppings. Full of flavor and texture it was a perfect snack or meal, depending on how much you order. With it we had the Brazilian limeade which is made with fresh limes, organic sugar, a touch of sweetened condensed milk and water. It was slightly thick and cool with a perfect blend of sweet and tart. There’s some good food coming out of this food truck! Continue reading
We last visited the Marx Bros. Cafe in 2018 and gave lots of history in the that write up. The two rooms now seem to have less tables, probably to do with Covid. Otherwise it looked very similar with music in the background and the front door open for ventilation. It is a more elegant spot on the Anchorage dining scene and lots of special occasions were being celebrated the night we were there. The food is good but seemed more tired this visit. Continue reading
The White Spot is in downtown Anchorage and even though the street out front was closed for repair the place was still packed with customers eating in and picking up to go orders. There are several tables but the best seats are at the counter overlooking the small kitchen show. They are known for the halibut sandwich but you’ll find lots of house made, fresh options here. The current owners have had the place five and a half years but it obviously goes way back. An interim owner was an Italian lady that brought the place to notoriety according to the current owner. The cook, Frank, was an amazing show to watch as he freshly breaded mushrooms, onion and the famed halibut for the sandwich all while grilling whatever. The staff were all super friendly and it was such a fun tasty spot to have on our agenda, I recommend you try it when you’re in the area. They are only open for lunch and breakfast (for which I could find no menu). Continue reading
The Colony Kitchen started in 1985 in downtown Palmer as the Frontier Café and moved to the present location in 1989 and became the Colony Kitchen but is more often referred to as the Noisy Goose Cafe. The name is representative of the casual and conversational nature of the guests and staff. Portions of the home-style cuisine are large and service is efficient. The food is well prepared but on the bland side for me but nevertheless, even with Covid the place was incredibly busy. Large groups, couples and families from all walks of life found it the place to go. The walls are covered with stuffed birds, antlers, photos of animals and signs. Several wooden bears are also placed around as well as a stuffed real bear and faint music is in the background. Many windows add to the light level inside. Outside there is a wrap around deck and a combination of booths and tables fill the inside. A scrambler option was offered as a daily special. Continue reading
Club Paris was visited by Frankie in 2018 for lunch so this visit we decided to have dinner. It is an old school place but the interior has been changed quite a bit to deal with the Covid pandemic. Tables are now separated by dividers and so room shots are difficult. The building dates back 100 years and the current restaurant to the 1950s when I understand the owner married a French woman and he decorated the place with lots of Paris images to make her feel at home. The Selman family bought it in the 1970s with many of the staff having worked there for more than 25 years. They are known for their steaks and seafood as well as their pink neon sign out front featuring an Eiffel Tower. It is a long space with a curved bar taking up most of the front room. Music is in the background, the lights are low and they did have one nightly special to add to the menu. Their wine selection was not as appealing as their cocktails so we enjoyed martinis with dinner. Continue reading
Ray’s Waterfront is a seafood restaurant that offers views of the Seward small boat harbor and mountains beyond. It is a large place on a couple levels, to afford everyone a view. The walls are decorated with lots of mounted fish in between the numerous windows that overlook the water. Seward is the sight for many day cruises to go see wildlife, icebergs, etc. They take no reservations and are fairly popular so you can expect a line to get a seat, especially now that they are short staffed due to Covid. Music is in the background and it seemed to be a place for gatherings. In addition to seafood they also offer chicken and beef items and there were a couple of daily specials. The food here is good but fairly ordinary however it is made up for with the fun view of the active harbor. Continue reading
F Street Station Bar and Grill opened the bar an hour before the grill. It was established in 1944 as the Mur-Mac Lounge and is the “oldest downtown Anchorage bar still in its original location.” Apparently it was a favorite of aviators serving the bush community as well as workers in the federal building across the street. After the 1964 earthquake the building it was in had to be replaced with the F Building. The current owners bought it in 1983 and renamed it the F Street Station and added the grill. It was still a favorite with pilots, of which there are many in Anchorage. There are 2 bar areas and several high top tables all appointed with padded stools that swiveled. The walls were filled with patches and other airline things. They feature a number of locally brewed beers on tap as well as a full bar. The people were very friendly. Continue reading
Marx Bros. Café is in a small 102 year old house with two of the rooms set up with 14 small tables. The restaurant originally was a wine club run by 4 guys who moved it into this house in 1979. Apparently the moving night was reminiscent of a Marx Brothers movie and thus the name changed to Marx Bros. Café from the Wednesday Night Gourmet Wine Tasting Society. The tables are nicely spaced and set with white tableclothes and napkins. Music played in the background and the walls are filled with photos and paintings. A staircase divided the two dining rooms and those walls were lined with awards and certificates, which you can study, as it led to the bathroom. They left the back and front doors open because they didn’t seem to have air conditioning. The many windows on the wall of the house didn’t appear to be operational. The menu was small but did offer a couple nightly specials. The general manager also served as the sommelier and while they have an adequate wine list they offer no hard liquor. Service was scattered but pleasant. Continue reading
Club Paris is a long narrow dark place with tons of stuff on the walls. The walls are lined with booths sized for 2 or 4 people and closely placed tables running down the middle. The tables were set with “office chairs” complete with rolling wheels. The low ceiling had fans and 60’s rock played in the background. A large bar took up a lot of the front of the restaurant and it looked like you could eat there too. It was full of people so a reservation is a good idea but with a carpeted floor the noise level was not too bad. The floor did seem to be hollow underneath so you could feel/hear the staff running back and forth. Service was friendly and efficient but there wasn’t much time for chatting with so many people. It did die down some while we were there so I’m guessing a lot of the crowd was there for lunch during the workday where time was of the essence. There was a great vibe to the place and many renditions of the Eiffel Tower as well as Paris references. Outside was a wonderful sign that looked like it dated back quite a ways. Continue reading
El Green-Go’s is a permanently installed food truck serving local, organic Mexican and American Cuisine. They source local and organic ingredients for their food. It is mostly breakfast and lunch, closing at 5:00 pm. Interestingly, they are located right across the street from the Snow City Cafe and we chose to eat here twice rather than go back and stand in line across the street. A friendly young couple run the place with Tyler doing the cooking and Crystal taking orders, bringing out food and taking your money. The menu had few ingredients combined in a number of different ways. Many include a choice of protein which were pork, chicken, tofu or halibut (for an additional $6). In the back he had a grill/smoker set up where he cooked the meat and it also provided a wonderful aroma for your dining experience. They offer to make any of their items vegan or gluten free for no additional charge. Continue reading
The Crow’s Nest is on the 20th floor of the Captain Cook Hotel, which are the 3 tall buildings in the downtown area. It was built around 1976-77 and offers a wonderful view of the city. The restaurant faces the water while the bar area faces downtown. The ceiling of the entire area is carved to resemble the skeleton of an inverted boat bottom. As you got off the elevator the large bar is in front of you, finished with lots of wood and low lighting. To one side is the medium sized dining room. Widely spaced tables are set into deep booths or against the floor to ceiling windows. Tables are draped in beautiful embossed linens with matching napkins. Service was exemplary – friendly and helpful – and very polished. They offered probably the biggest wine list we found in town. Continue reading
Wild Scoops is a local ice cream maker (all made in Anchorage) and wildly popular, if the line was any indication. Their ice cream is made in small batches and tries to feature local flavors. They offered enough flavors to choose from but not so many that it got confusing. The hand dipped creamy flavors came in a cup or cone, some of which were made on site. The waffle cone is made with cinnamon and their baked Alaska cone is topped with marshmallow fluff that is torched. The place smells divine while you wait for your turn. They also had lots of products for sale as well as souvenirs. We tried the Sitka Swirl which was sweet cream with homemade salted caramel made with sea salt. It was a lovely sweet, smooth ice cream that was nicely swirled with rich flavorful caramel. The Alaska Birch almond was sweet cream and toasted almonds with Bridge Creek Birch Syrup. Also, perfectly creamy and wonderfully flavored with the almonds which also added a little texture. Stop by if you’re in the area. Continue reading
Holly Dogs is a gourmet sausage stand next to the PAC in Town Square. She usually opens in the afternoon and sells anything from reindeer sausage to bratwurst. She has an on site grill where they are readied and then she splits them and fills it with sautéed onions. There are other topping too as well as chips, drinks and a grilled cheese for sale. If you’re walking around downtown Anchorage and want a quick lunch or just a fun snack this one is a winner. We tried the reindeer sausage, which actually included some pork in the sausage, with onions and mustard on a rainy downtown stroll. It was wonderful, juicy and full of flavor. Also the proprietor of the stand, Holly Shirk, is very friendly and knowledgable about Anchorage. In fact she recommended another place where we had a fabulous lunch. Continue reading
Jens’ Restaurant was a large place in a strip shopping center. Jens Hansen was the original owner and his photo hangs in one room. He passed away in 2012 and in 2016 his Executive Chef Nancy Alip bought the place and still continues as chef. As you entered there was a large bar area set up with dining places on the counter and an additional large dining room with walls accented with wine paraphenalia and art that mostly was for sale. There were two really interesting ceiling fixtures with colored glass pieces in the room, some music in the background and white tableclothes and napkins on the nicely spaced tables. The walls were accented by a strip of corks that were where a waincot might have ended. They offered a large menu that featured some Danish dishes as well as crepes, pasta, seafood, meat and a daily special. The waiter told us that all the seafood was fresh, never frozen, thus you would find no crab on their menu. Service was friendly and helpful. They did charge a split fee for a pasta entree they divided for us in the kitchen. Continue reading
Kincaid Grill was in a strip mall location, a short ride from downtown. It was made up of 2 good sized rooms filled with widely spaced white draped tables and a bar with some seating. Lights were lowered and there was a hum of crowd noise, but conversation was easy. Windows were on several walls so natural light came in but the view was minimal. However, once inside you forgot you were in a strip shopping center. It offered a tasting menu in the winter but was only a la carte in the summer. They also had a couple specials for the evening featuring rockfish or halibut. Service was efficient and friendly, in fact we connected with the server and later in our trip visited her sausage stand. Continue reading
Artic Roadrunner was started by Richard Sanchis in the mid-1960’s. He recently passed away and one of his last wishes was to have the location on Arctic Blvd. to close. However the location on Old Seward Hwy. would continue, so even if you can’t go to the location where we did you can still get the food. It was a funky place with a drive-through window and indoor eating area. It was a ‘line up and order’ and then they call your number when your food is ready for you to pick up, system. There was a condiment bar where you could dress up what you get as you wish and I bet the system is similar at the other location. They offer a variety of burgers, specialty sandwiches, fried foods and ice cream drinks. No checks or credit cards were accepted. Continue reading
Snow City Cafe was a large place that had a line to get in every time we walked by. I overheard the greeter say they do take a few reservations and those folks were able to get seated promptly but if you don’t call ahead and get one expect to wait at least 45 minutes. They did have coffee urns and cups for you to use while you wait and a supply of toys to keep the kids occupied. They also had shelves and racks of named goods that you can purchase as a souvenir. There was a take out counter with some pre-packaged salads, sandwiches, etc. and a counter of baked goods. These were of particular note because when President Obama visited Anchorage in 2015, he went to the Snow City Cafe and purchased all the cinnamon buns they had in the counter. They did look delicious but I would have called them a pecan roll, so maybe this was something else. Continue reading
Haute Quarter Grill was a a fairly large rectangular place where you entered into a good sized bar and the other end was the kitchen. The dining area was divided by a low wall that anchored partitions for booth seating on both sides. A large wine storage area was on one wall and that also accommodated larger tables and was not divided into cubicles. An interesting lighting system brought lights over to each table with some being brighter than others. It felt nicely private at our table but it was a tad strange to not see many of the other customers. Service was friendly but not overly so with pacing of the meal being on the rapid side and explanations of what you had, non-existent. Continue reading
