I can't believe it has gotten this far into the summer without telling you about M.A.'s hot dogs! There are a lot of hot dog stands that sprout up in downtown Anchorage over the summer, but you really need to make the effort to find this particular one. Go there right now! Once you go, you will realize that I am right. M.A.'s Gourmet Hot Dogs, owned by Mike Anderson, is located on 4th Ave and F Street, on the northwest corner in front of the entrance to the federal building and the Public Lands Information Center. He is there Monday through Saturday, starting in late March. He takes the winter off, opening up only for big downtown events like Fur Rendezvous and the Iditarod Dog Sled Race start. He has a green umbrella, a green chalkboard menu, a large bobblehead of James Brown, and the longest line of any hot dog stand in sight.
Hopefully you watch "Seinfeld," or else the title of this article will make no sense. Basically, the "Soup Nazi" is an episode about a man who sells the most amazing soup ever, but he is very particular about how you behave, otherwise he may send you away with no soup. "No soup for you!" was his cry as he booted Elaine out. M.A. presents himself the same way. There is a list of rules posted on the front of his stand, which includes things like being ready to state your order when asked, about talking on your cell phone while in line, and about moving to the right after you order to pay and await your hot dog. There are other signs, too, including a disparaging one about our former governor, Sarah Palin. I have never actually seen anyone be run off for violating the rules, or for telling M.A. that Sarah Palin was the greatest governor we ever had, but I wouldn't be surprised if others have. M.A. is a character, but he is allowed because he absolutely makes the best hot dogs around, and he knows it. Locals know it, too. The lines can be long, so be prepared: when I was in college and worked downtown in the summer, we would poke our heads out as it came close to lunchtime, checking on the line to see if we would have time to get one- I have spent my entire lunch half-hour standing in that line. Sometimes I'd be ready to run over, and then the fire engine would pull up and ten firefighters would get in line. Or the courthouse let out, and the line was packed with lawyers.
The standard, most Alaskan thing to get is the Alaskan reindeer sausage hot dog, but he also has other dogs, including Italian sausage, Louisiana hot links, Polish sausage, and beef hot dogs. He also has chicken, and I think he has turkey, but I forgot to look last time I was there. They are all roughly $5, give or take, and for $6.50 you can get a bag of chips and a can of soda or bottle of water (this might vary with the type of hot dog, I can't remember). They're pretty big hot dogs, definitely a satisfying lunch. And it's cash only, so stop by the ATM in the 5th Ave Mall before you go if necessary. M.A. or one of his employees will ask if you want onions on your hot dog. Say yes. He makes the most delicious carmelized onions on his grill, and I've seem him use a can of Coke to help them carmelize. They are perfect on top of your grilled hot dog, that you will get when it is perfectly done, crispy on the outside, and atomically hot on the inside, so give it a few minutes to cool off so you don't burn the roof of your mouth. He has a large condiment bar with which to embellish your hot dog and onions, with relish, several kinds of mustard, ketchup, sauerkraut, cheese, and jalapenos. And of course, napkins. You will need a couple of napkins.
So now you have the scoop on the best hot dog in Anchorage. Tourists who stumble upon it don't realize how lucky they are. Luckily I don't work downtown these days, because I would spend a lot of time standing in line at M.A.'s.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Summit Spice and Tea Company
Today I went to Summit Spice & Tea Company's new midtown store, which has been open about a month. Summit Spices have had a store for several years in south Anchorage on Huffman, but they just opened this new location at Benson and Denali, for those of us who don't live in south Anchorage and find it a pain to go all the way down to Huffman.
Summit Spices is basically a gourmet food store, but the bulk of their stock is devoted to spices and teas. They have shelves and shelves of spices, from a section containing several different kinds of cinnamon, to star anise and whole cloves and nutmeg, to their own spice blends and rubs for all your cooking needs. They also have things like pepper grinders, spice grinders, and those planes that Food Network chefs use to grate nutmeg and zest citrus. They also have big jars of some spices behind the counter, so you can have them weigh things out for you, or I assume you can create your own blend. The spices can be expensive, but one of the things I like is that they carry most in very small jars which are only a few dollars. They know that you are probably not going to use a lot of sumac or tumeric in your kitchen, so why not sell little jars so you don't have 4 ounces of unused spices five years from now.
Their tea section is also really amazing, and probably the best selection of tea in town. They have all kinds of loose leaf teas. Popular ones are available in little one or two ounce tins, or they have a counter where you can pick from a wall of tea caddies arranged by general types (black teas, chinese green teas, herbal teas, etc), and someone will weigh out what you want. I got the Jasmine Pearl tea- I love jasmine tea, and pearl tea means they've rolled up whole tea leaves, instead of the little shreds you usually get, into tight little balls that unroll when you brew the tea. I just loved the smell of this tea, and I'd never had it before, so I'm excited. They also have a tea room next to the store, if you would like to sit and try some new teas with your friends. I need to come back so I can try out this aspect of the store.
They also have a great selection of teapots and teacups. Most of their teapots are a Japanese brand called Bee House, and they have a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. My husband bought me a little one in which to brew my new jasmine tea. They also carry Bee House tea cups, as well as many other kinds of tea cups, including lots of nice, fancy English bone china ones with flowers painted on them.
They also have lots of other random gourmet foods, including several Alaskan brands, which I appreciated. They had an Alaskan brand of salsas, and Alaskan birch syrup. They had a section of curry pastes and sauces I would like to try, including thai curry pastes from an Oregon company, and a line of Indian curry pastes and other things like tamarind paste. I would like to try both the Thai and Indian curry pastes, although what I'd really like to do is put together a list of spices I need from this store, and then try grinding my own spices and making my own Indian curry paste. They also carry Tonia's biscotti, which is popular and also carried by places like Cafe del Mundo, and things like Nikki's cookies, which makes real shortbread cookies, in plain, Meyer lemon, and key lime. I bought a box of the Meyer lemon. They carry several fancy kinds of oils and vinegars, including Chardonnay vinegar and raspberry champagne vinegar, fancy European olive oils, truffle oil, avocado oil, and things like that. Other foods they carry include popcorn and a brand of curds called "Elizabethan Kitchen" that makes apple curd and key lime curd.
They also have a good sized chocolate section which will take me another visit to explore thoroughly and report on, but I will say that they have a good variety of single-source and fair trade bars. I hope you're not too disappointed that I didn't buy a bunch of chocolate to try, but frankly the chocolate section was a victim of just how much great stuff they carry. The chocolate section is right by the front door, so I saw it and thought I'd come back after I did a once-over of the store, but I got so absorbed in the spices and teas that I never did. It will just have to be an ongoing project, as chocolate always is.
The last thing I need to mention is that they seem to host a lot of tutorial/tasting classes. The flyer on the counter had several scheduled just for July and August. Most are small and cost between $10 and $20, and include an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting, beginner and advanced tea tastings, chocolate tastings, and a class on how to blend your own herbal tea. I am totally going to take a couple of these so I can learn more about all these things, and so I can taste things like super fancy olive oil and vinegar that I probably won't ever actually buy.
As you can see, this is not your cheap, everyday ingredient kind of store. But, if you are really into tea, this is your kind of store. And when you decide to try your hand at making Ethiopian stews, they have a spice blend ready-made for you. And when you decide to finally try and make some delicious Middle Eastern dish or to make your own vindaloo paste, you can get everything you need here. There are a lot of things to try out, so I am sure that I for one will become a regular customer.
Summit Spices is basically a gourmet food store, but the bulk of their stock is devoted to spices and teas. They have shelves and shelves of spices, from a section containing several different kinds of cinnamon, to star anise and whole cloves and nutmeg, to their own spice blends and rubs for all your cooking needs. They also have things like pepper grinders, spice grinders, and those planes that Food Network chefs use to grate nutmeg and zest citrus. They also have big jars of some spices behind the counter, so you can have them weigh things out for you, or I assume you can create your own blend. The spices can be expensive, but one of the things I like is that they carry most in very small jars which are only a few dollars. They know that you are probably not going to use a lot of sumac or tumeric in your kitchen, so why not sell little jars so you don't have 4 ounces of unused spices five years from now.
Their tea section is also really amazing, and probably the best selection of tea in town. They have all kinds of loose leaf teas. Popular ones are available in little one or two ounce tins, or they have a counter where you can pick from a wall of tea caddies arranged by general types (black teas, chinese green teas, herbal teas, etc), and someone will weigh out what you want. I got the Jasmine Pearl tea- I love jasmine tea, and pearl tea means they've rolled up whole tea leaves, instead of the little shreds you usually get, into tight little balls that unroll when you brew the tea. I just loved the smell of this tea, and I'd never had it before, so I'm excited. They also have a tea room next to the store, if you would like to sit and try some new teas with your friends. I need to come back so I can try out this aspect of the store.
They also have a great selection of teapots and teacups. Most of their teapots are a Japanese brand called Bee House, and they have a wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. My husband bought me a little one in which to brew my new jasmine tea. They also carry Bee House tea cups, as well as many other kinds of tea cups, including lots of nice, fancy English bone china ones with flowers painted on them.
They also have lots of other random gourmet foods, including several Alaskan brands, which I appreciated. They had an Alaskan brand of salsas, and Alaskan birch syrup. They had a section of curry pastes and sauces I would like to try, including thai curry pastes from an Oregon company, and a line of Indian curry pastes and other things like tamarind paste. I would like to try both the Thai and Indian curry pastes, although what I'd really like to do is put together a list of spices I need from this store, and then try grinding my own spices and making my own Indian curry paste. They also carry Tonia's biscotti, which is popular and also carried by places like Cafe del Mundo, and things like Nikki's cookies, which makes real shortbread cookies, in plain, Meyer lemon, and key lime. I bought a box of the Meyer lemon. They carry several fancy kinds of oils and vinegars, including Chardonnay vinegar and raspberry champagne vinegar, fancy European olive oils, truffle oil, avocado oil, and things like that. Other foods they carry include popcorn and a brand of curds called "Elizabethan Kitchen" that makes apple curd and key lime curd.
They also have a good sized chocolate section which will take me another visit to explore thoroughly and report on, but I will say that they have a good variety of single-source and fair trade bars. I hope you're not too disappointed that I didn't buy a bunch of chocolate to try, but frankly the chocolate section was a victim of just how much great stuff they carry. The chocolate section is right by the front door, so I saw it and thought I'd come back after I did a once-over of the store, but I got so absorbed in the spices and teas that I never did. It will just have to be an ongoing project, as chocolate always is.
The last thing I need to mention is that they seem to host a lot of tutorial/tasting classes. The flyer on the counter had several scheduled just for July and August. Most are small and cost between $10 and $20, and include an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting, beginner and advanced tea tastings, chocolate tastings, and a class on how to blend your own herbal tea. I am totally going to take a couple of these so I can learn more about all these things, and so I can taste things like super fancy olive oil and vinegar that I probably won't ever actually buy.
As you can see, this is not your cheap, everyday ingredient kind of store. But, if you are really into tea, this is your kind of store. And when you decide to try your hand at making Ethiopian stews, they have a spice blend ready-made for you. And when you decide to finally try and make some delicious Middle Eastern dish or to make your own vindaloo paste, you can get everything you need here. There are a lot of things to try out, so I am sure that I for one will become a regular customer.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Moose's Tooth:The Great Pizza Quest
The Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria is one of the most popular places in town. If you are from out of town, or are living in a cave in Anchorage and have never been there, they are on the Old Seward Highway just north of 36th, on a leftover little spur that they cut off in order to build the New Seward Highway. It is named after a mountain in the Alaska Range near Mt. McKinley that looks just like a moose's tooth, and if you don't believe me they have a photo of it in the front of the restaurant. They make their own beer, which is great and comes in many many varieties, and new ones with clever names are being constantly invented. You can take some home in either a keg or a growler. If I have to tell you what a growler is, you need to upgrade the type of beer you have been drinking. As you can probably guess from the name of the place and the title of this post, they also make many delicious kinds of pizza. They also host a lot of concerts, and their First Tap parties are especially popular. Posters from previous First Taps and other concerts line the walls of the restaurant.
My husband and I are on a quest to eat every pizza on the menu at the Moose's Tooth. Arguably a less noble quest than, say, the search for the Holy Grail or the Fountain of Youth, but far more satisfying. The first problem with this quest is that the place is so popular that it can be pretty hard to get in. They don't take reservations, and they're so busy that you pretty much always have to wait for a table. If you're with a small group you get there between 2 and 4 pm on a weekday, you're pretty good. Later than 4:00 on any night, though, and it's a matter of how long you will have to wait, not if you will have to wait. This weekend we went for lunch at 1:00, and only had to wait ten minutes. If you have to wait and the weather is good, you can order a beer at the bar and go sit in the beer garden. There have been many occasions when we drive up to the Moose's Tooth, see the crowd (mob) of people waiting outside, and turn around and start thinking of somewhere else to go. If we could have gotten a table all those Friday nights at 6:00 when we had a craving for pizza, we would be much farther along on our quest.
The second problem is that they have so many kinds of pizza to choose from, and every week they have a new special pizza, which is usually pretty good, so we can go a few times in a row and never make any headway on the main menu. There are currently 39 pizzas on the menu. The problem of agreeing on a pizza has been solved by a family rule: my husband and I alternate choosing the pizza with 100% discretion. The person who doesn't get to choose the pizza gets to choose the appetizer or salad. They have several great, fresh salads (no iceberg lettuce here), and they have other good appetizers, too, including hummus, mozzarella breadsticks, chips and salsa, smoked salmon pate, and roasted garlic, which comes with bread, a head of roasted garlic, and with this creamy cheese spread that is super delicious. They also have really good soups, which also rotate. They always have Hungarian Mushroom plus a couple of other kinds. On our last visit we had the tomato and roasted garlic soup, which was fantastic.
We have currently only tried 12 of the pizzas on the menu, plus all the specials we get distracted by. I don't think I could ever pick a favorite, but some of the amazing pizzas they have are the Wild Mushroom pizza (portabella mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, mozzarella, provolone, and Denali Sauce (spinach and ricotta puree)), the Solstice pizza (roasted chicken, portabella mushrooms, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, oregano, mozzarella, provolone, parsley, and marinara sauce), and the Five Cheese pizza (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, gruyere, and gorgonzola).
For two people, if you get a salad or appetizer and beer, you really only need a small pizza. If you eat a lot or you want leftovers, get the medium. The other great thing about the Moose's Tooth is that it is cheap. Two people can get an appetizer, small pizza, and dessert for under $30, so it's a great place to go with your family or a big group of friends and not spend a lot of money.
They have also recently overhauled their dessert menu, if you have any room left after your pizza and beer. They have a cheesecake of the month, and a pie called "Death by Peanut Butter," which is so amazingly creamy and peanut-buttery you won't believe it. They also have a couple of chocolate options, including a delicious "melt away brownie," a flourless chocolate cake which is only average, and my favorite, the Pipeline Stout Chocolate cake. I think they make it like a coca-cola cake, so that the bubbles and the moisture give the cake a little extra something, but I really don't know. I just know that it is ever so good. When we get desserts we usually end up taking part home.
Speaking of taking things home, the Moose's Tooth is also relatively eco-friendly, packing all leftovers in 100% recycled paper boxes and never styrofoam, and only selling beer to take away in reusable growlers or kegs. Oh, and you can also get any of the pizzas with whole wheat crust or a gluten-free crust. Don't ask me how they make a gluten-free pizza crust, since I thought that the whole reason pizza dough becomes pizza dough is, you know, because of gluten.
So basically, everyone in town will tell you how great the Moose's Tooth is, but a lot of them also don't go there very often because there are usually a hundred people in front of them in line when they get there. But it is the best pizza in town, and a contender for the best beer, so really, Anchorage residents just have good taste.
My husband and I are on a quest to eat every pizza on the menu at the Moose's Tooth. Arguably a less noble quest than, say, the search for the Holy Grail or the Fountain of Youth, but far more satisfying. The first problem with this quest is that the place is so popular that it can be pretty hard to get in. They don't take reservations, and they're so busy that you pretty much always have to wait for a table. If you're with a small group you get there between 2 and 4 pm on a weekday, you're pretty good. Later than 4:00 on any night, though, and it's a matter of how long you will have to wait, not if you will have to wait. This weekend we went for lunch at 1:00, and only had to wait ten minutes. If you have to wait and the weather is good, you can order a beer at the bar and go sit in the beer garden. There have been many occasions when we drive up to the Moose's Tooth, see the crowd (mob) of people waiting outside, and turn around and start thinking of somewhere else to go. If we could have gotten a table all those Friday nights at 6:00 when we had a craving for pizza, we would be much farther along on our quest.
The second problem is that they have so many kinds of pizza to choose from, and every week they have a new special pizza, which is usually pretty good, so we can go a few times in a row and never make any headway on the main menu. There are currently 39 pizzas on the menu. The problem of agreeing on a pizza has been solved by a family rule: my husband and I alternate choosing the pizza with 100% discretion. The person who doesn't get to choose the pizza gets to choose the appetizer or salad. They have several great, fresh salads (no iceberg lettuce here), and they have other good appetizers, too, including hummus, mozzarella breadsticks, chips and salsa, smoked salmon pate, and roasted garlic, which comes with bread, a head of roasted garlic, and with this creamy cheese spread that is super delicious. They also have really good soups, which also rotate. They always have Hungarian Mushroom plus a couple of other kinds. On our last visit we had the tomato and roasted garlic soup, which was fantastic.
We have currently only tried 12 of the pizzas on the menu, plus all the specials we get distracted by. I don't think I could ever pick a favorite, but some of the amazing pizzas they have are the Wild Mushroom pizza (portabella mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, mozzarella, provolone, and Denali Sauce (spinach and ricotta puree)), the Solstice pizza (roasted chicken, portabella mushrooms, roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, oregano, mozzarella, provolone, parsley, and marinara sauce), and the Five Cheese pizza (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan, gruyere, and gorgonzola).
For two people, if you get a salad or appetizer and beer, you really only need a small pizza. If you eat a lot or you want leftovers, get the medium. The other great thing about the Moose's Tooth is that it is cheap. Two people can get an appetizer, small pizza, and dessert for under $30, so it's a great place to go with your family or a big group of friends and not spend a lot of money.
They have also recently overhauled their dessert menu, if you have any room left after your pizza and beer. They have a cheesecake of the month, and a pie called "Death by Peanut Butter," which is so amazingly creamy and peanut-buttery you won't believe it. They also have a couple of chocolate options, including a delicious "melt away brownie," a flourless chocolate cake which is only average, and my favorite, the Pipeline Stout Chocolate cake. I think they make it like a coca-cola cake, so that the bubbles and the moisture give the cake a little extra something, but I really don't know. I just know that it is ever so good. When we get desserts we usually end up taking part home.
Speaking of taking things home, the Moose's Tooth is also relatively eco-friendly, packing all leftovers in 100% recycled paper boxes and never styrofoam, and only selling beer to take away in reusable growlers or kegs. Oh, and you can also get any of the pizzas with whole wheat crust or a gluten-free crust. Don't ask me how they make a gluten-free pizza crust, since I thought that the whole reason pizza dough becomes pizza dough is, you know, because of gluten.
So basically, everyone in town will tell you how great the Moose's Tooth is, but a lot of them also don't go there very often because there are usually a hundred people in front of them in line when they get there. But it is the best pizza in town, and a contender for the best beer, so really, Anchorage residents just have good taste.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Road Trip: Glennallen and Copper Center
Last week, I went to Glennallen for work, so I wanted to give you some ideas for the next time you happen to be driving the Al-Can or heading for Valdez. Glennallen is a small town at the junction of the Glenn Highway and the Richardson Highway. It is in a beautiful part of Alaska, at the edge of the Copper River Valley, home to one of Alaska's great salmon fisheries, and also sits next to the Wrangell Mountains and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Everything I discuss below is located on the Glenn Highway, unless I say otherwise.
Glennallen is on the highway and so technically isn't in the Bush, but because they depend on seasonal business like tourism, fishing, and hunting, they have a limited selection of services. The only real grocery store is Omni Park's Place. This is a pretty decent grocery store, and like most stores in rural Alaska the most expensive items are perishables like dairy and produce. The bananas, for example, were not in good shape, and were over twice the price of the Anchorage Fred Meyer. The only caution I would give regarding this store would be to check the expiration dates of what you buy. A lot of things have been sitting on those shelves for a while, and several of the canned and frozen items I looked at expired in 2010. Other stores that carry food, like the Hub at the intersection of the Glenn and Richardson, are really gas stations that carry snacks and basics like you find at your typical quickie-mart.
There are two places that many locals and people I know who go through Glennallen a lot warned me against: the Chuck Wagon and the Caribou. The Chuck Wagon is a food truck made from a converted school bus, and the Caribou Cafe is one of the main places in town and has an adjacent hotel. I have been told that both of these places may cause, how do I say this....intestinal distress. I have also never been to the Tastee Freeze, which has burgers and ice cream. I have been told that the food is decent, but is expensive for what it is.
I have been to the Copper Center Lodge, but not on this trip. It is located on the Richardson Highway south of the junction at Glennallen. They have a little hotel and a restaurant, and serve typical rural Alaskan food: large portions, and tons of meat. Which is great if you are a construction worker or are going out fishing. They have large, traditional breakfasts, and dinners like burgers and prime rib. Besides having decent food, they are also open year round, which is important in Alaska. There are lots of towns in Alaska that depend on tourism, and most of the businesses in these towns are only open in the summer, so it is important to support those businesses that are open all year to serve, and employ, the local population.
One of the places I ate was at Tok Thai Food. This food truck is parked next to the Hub at the highway intersection on the east end of town. It is bright purple, so you should be able to spot it. Since it is a food truck, my local friends usually call ahead and then go pick it up. All their entrees are $10, and if you want shrimp instead of the normal choice of beef, chicken, or pork, that's $2 extra. They also have Thai ice tea and canned soda. For an appetizer, they have large orders of fresh spring rolls and egg rolls (also $10, but you get a lot). The portions are huge, and the locals I know generally get something and either split it with someone, or eat it for two meals. They have things like Tom Yum Soup, Tom Kha Gai, Pad Thai, and fried rice. The special the day we went was chicken larb. I got the green curry with chicken, which was good, but not very spicy. Among my local friends the Pad Roum Mid with beef seems to be popular, which is basically mixed vegetables and beef, although they like pretty much everything, except the cashew chicken, which is too salty, and the sweet and sour, which is too strong. There are so many choices for Thai Food in Anchorage, that Tok Thai seems pretty average by comparison, but it is the only Asian food for at least 150 miles, so you should stop by if you're in the neighborhood.
The other place I ate while I was in town was at the Princess Copper River Lodge Two Rivers Restaurant. Princess cruise ships bring thousands of tourists up to Alaska every summer, and a local I know said that they like the Copper River Lodge because, while it is seasonal, it employs a ton of locals, so they want them to do well. The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was the view of the Copper River Valley and the Wrangell Mountains on the other side. Even though the tops of the mountains were covered in rain clouds, it was still beautiful. They had a pretty typical wine list, with a variety of grapes but not any really good wines, but it didn't really matter because I had to drive back to Glennallen afterwards. Of course, being so near the Copper River, which is widely known for its salmon, and not far from PRince William Sound and its abundant seafood, fresh Alaskan seafood dominated the menu. Alaskan appetizers include Alaskan crab cakes and smoked salmon spread. Other appetizers included Tiger Prawn cocktail, baked brie, and sausage stuffed mushrooms. For soups they had Alaskan salmon chowder and the beef noodle soup of the day, and for salads they had a mixed green salad and a caesar salad. They also had some tasty warm rolls- one good plain one and a great kalamata olive roll. I got the salmon cakes, which were the appetizer special, and a casear salad, in my attempt to keep it light. You'll see later how that turned out. I got the side caesar salad, which was small, and made me think at the time that I should have gotten the entree size. It was fine, but wasn't the best salad I've had. The salmon cakes were great though. They were amazingly light were really flaky. I'm kind of amazed they actually stayed in cakes long enough to be cooked and served, because they totally fell apart and melted in my mouth when I ate them. They were coated in a very light later of bread crumbs, and came with a light herb aioli.
Entrees were also mostly Alaskan seafood, and made me wish I could come back, this time with lots of people so I could try things. They had Alaskan halibut, Alaskan salmon (done a couple of ways), Alaskan caribou, Alaskan scallops, and Alaskan crab legs. Other entrees to round out the field included sirloin, New York strip steak, prime rib, lasagna, and chicken.
And of course, there was dessert. This was really the reason I wished I could have eaten there again before I left. Naturally, I went for the chocolate option, but I really wished I could have tried some of the other things. They had a raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, key lime pie, vanilla creme brulee, green tea creme brulee (whaaaa??), Alaskan blueberry pie, or vanilla or blueberry ice cream from Matanuska Creamery. I got the "chocolate lovin' spoon cake."While the menu described it as "chocolate pudding" between two layers of cake, it was basically a really dense chocolate cake, into which they have crammed an amazing amount of dense chocolate frosting. I seriously think there was at least as much frosting as cake. And it was good frosting, not some crazy sweet store bought frosting. The only problem was that it didn't come with ice cream, so after two bites I ordered some of the vanilla ice cream so that I could actually finish it. By the end of that cake, I wasn't sorry at all that I'd just gotten the appetizer and small salad. It would be a minimum of $50 for two people to eat here - most of the entrees were around $25 - but it was good and it was really great to see so many fresh, seasonal Alaskan foods on the menu.
So if you go to Glennallen, especially in the summer, you have a pretty great selection of places to eat, considering that you are passing through a town of only 500 people. I would recommend going to Tok Thai or the Princess Lodge in the summer, and to the Copper Center Lodge in the winter for a good meal on your road trip.
Glennallen is on the highway and so technically isn't in the Bush, but because they depend on seasonal business like tourism, fishing, and hunting, they have a limited selection of services. The only real grocery store is Omni Park's Place. This is a pretty decent grocery store, and like most stores in rural Alaska the most expensive items are perishables like dairy and produce. The bananas, for example, were not in good shape, and were over twice the price of the Anchorage Fred Meyer. The only caution I would give regarding this store would be to check the expiration dates of what you buy. A lot of things have been sitting on those shelves for a while, and several of the canned and frozen items I looked at expired in 2010. Other stores that carry food, like the Hub at the intersection of the Glenn and Richardson, are really gas stations that carry snacks and basics like you find at your typical quickie-mart.
There are two places that many locals and people I know who go through Glennallen a lot warned me against: the Chuck Wagon and the Caribou. The Chuck Wagon is a food truck made from a converted school bus, and the Caribou Cafe is one of the main places in town and has an adjacent hotel. I have been told that both of these places may cause, how do I say this....intestinal distress. I have also never been to the Tastee Freeze, which has burgers and ice cream. I have been told that the food is decent, but is expensive for what it is.
I have been to the Copper Center Lodge, but not on this trip. It is located on the Richardson Highway south of the junction at Glennallen. They have a little hotel and a restaurant, and serve typical rural Alaskan food: large portions, and tons of meat. Which is great if you are a construction worker or are going out fishing. They have large, traditional breakfasts, and dinners like burgers and prime rib. Besides having decent food, they are also open year round, which is important in Alaska. There are lots of towns in Alaska that depend on tourism, and most of the businesses in these towns are only open in the summer, so it is important to support those businesses that are open all year to serve, and employ, the local population.
One of the places I ate was at Tok Thai Food. This food truck is parked next to the Hub at the highway intersection on the east end of town. It is bright purple, so you should be able to spot it. Since it is a food truck, my local friends usually call ahead and then go pick it up. All their entrees are $10, and if you want shrimp instead of the normal choice of beef, chicken, or pork, that's $2 extra. They also have Thai ice tea and canned soda. For an appetizer, they have large orders of fresh spring rolls and egg rolls (also $10, but you get a lot). The portions are huge, and the locals I know generally get something and either split it with someone, or eat it for two meals. They have things like Tom Yum Soup, Tom Kha Gai, Pad Thai, and fried rice. The special the day we went was chicken larb. I got the green curry with chicken, which was good, but not very spicy. Among my local friends the Pad Roum Mid with beef seems to be popular, which is basically mixed vegetables and beef, although they like pretty much everything, except the cashew chicken, which is too salty, and the sweet and sour, which is too strong. There are so many choices for Thai Food in Anchorage, that Tok Thai seems pretty average by comparison, but it is the only Asian food for at least 150 miles, so you should stop by if you're in the neighborhood.
The other place I ate while I was in town was at the Princess Copper River Lodge Two Rivers Restaurant. Princess cruise ships bring thousands of tourists up to Alaska every summer, and a local I know said that they like the Copper River Lodge because, while it is seasonal, it employs a ton of locals, so they want them to do well. The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was the view of the Copper River Valley and the Wrangell Mountains on the other side. Even though the tops of the mountains were covered in rain clouds, it was still beautiful. They had a pretty typical wine list, with a variety of grapes but not any really good wines, but it didn't really matter because I had to drive back to Glennallen afterwards. Of course, being so near the Copper River, which is widely known for its salmon, and not far from PRince William Sound and its abundant seafood, fresh Alaskan seafood dominated the menu. Alaskan appetizers include Alaskan crab cakes and smoked salmon spread. Other appetizers included Tiger Prawn cocktail, baked brie, and sausage stuffed mushrooms. For soups they had Alaskan salmon chowder and the beef noodle soup of the day, and for salads they had a mixed green salad and a caesar salad. They also had some tasty warm rolls- one good plain one and a great kalamata olive roll. I got the salmon cakes, which were the appetizer special, and a casear salad, in my attempt to keep it light. You'll see later how that turned out. I got the side caesar salad, which was small, and made me think at the time that I should have gotten the entree size. It was fine, but wasn't the best salad I've had. The salmon cakes were great though. They were amazingly light were really flaky. I'm kind of amazed they actually stayed in cakes long enough to be cooked and served, because they totally fell apart and melted in my mouth when I ate them. They were coated in a very light later of bread crumbs, and came with a light herb aioli.
Entrees were also mostly Alaskan seafood, and made me wish I could come back, this time with lots of people so I could try things. They had Alaskan halibut, Alaskan salmon (done a couple of ways), Alaskan caribou, Alaskan scallops, and Alaskan crab legs. Other entrees to round out the field included sirloin, New York strip steak, prime rib, lasagna, and chicken.
And of course, there was dessert. This was really the reason I wished I could have eaten there again before I left. Naturally, I went for the chocolate option, but I really wished I could have tried some of the other things. They had a raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, key lime pie, vanilla creme brulee, green tea creme brulee (whaaaa??), Alaskan blueberry pie, or vanilla or blueberry ice cream from Matanuska Creamery. I got the "chocolate lovin' spoon cake."While the menu described it as "chocolate pudding" between two layers of cake, it was basically a really dense chocolate cake, into which they have crammed an amazing amount of dense chocolate frosting. I seriously think there was at least as much frosting as cake. And it was good frosting, not some crazy sweet store bought frosting. The only problem was that it didn't come with ice cream, so after two bites I ordered some of the vanilla ice cream so that I could actually finish it. By the end of that cake, I wasn't sorry at all that I'd just gotten the appetizer and small salad. It would be a minimum of $50 for two people to eat here - most of the entrees were around $25 - but it was good and it was really great to see so many fresh, seasonal Alaskan foods on the menu.
So if you go to Glennallen, especially in the summer, you have a pretty great selection of places to eat, considering that you are passing through a town of only 500 people. I would recommend going to Tok Thai or the Princess Lodge in the summer, and to the Copper Center Lodge in the winter for a good meal on your road trip.
Buying Wine in Anchorage: The Warehouse and the Boutique
Let me preface this article by saying that the wine selection in Anchorage is very good, relatively speaking. I have lived in towns Outside where the only places to buy wine at all were Safeway and Costco. And that is not to say that you cannot get perfectly decent wine at Costco. This article is not about that. If what you need is a bottle of Tin Roof or Menage a Trois or Root 1, by all means, go to Costco. This is an attempt to go a little deeper.
This is about a lesson I learned on BBC America, watching "James May's Road Trip," a wine show hosted by James May, one of the hosts of the British car show "Top Gear," and by wine expert Oz Clarke. James' goal is to learn how to pick a decent bottle of wine out of the corner store for under 10 pounds (roughly $15, depending on how the dollar and pound are doing), and Oz's goal is to teach James to appreciate good wine. The lesson that stuck with me from the show came when they were touring California's wine country, and were visiting a big industrial winery. Oz said that large American industrial operations like this tend to make a homogeneous wine that can be good, but is not ever particularly subtle or interesting, and that the great thing about wine is exploring all the stranger, more eccentric wines that are made by the small wineries that can go so much further in developing the flavors of their wines. Smaller wineries produce more unique, unusual wines. And therefore, by definition, any wine that is produced in quantities such that it is carried at your local supermarket chain or at Costco, cannot be that wine. So, faced with that, what's a wine loving girl to do?
The Warehouse
The first of my top two Anchorage wine sources is the Brown Jug Warehouse, on Tudor and the Old Seward Highway. Brown Jug is an Alaskan chain of liquor stores, and this location is far and away the largest one in town. Most of the stores are small and near grocery stores, and they have about the same variety of wines that you would find in your supermarket liquor section: the Yellowtail, the Menage a Trois, the Beringer, and a couple European wines to round out the field. The warehouse location, on the other hand, has everything. The wine section is huge and is organized by country, and then by grape, and they have an impressive selection. There are a fair number of wines from Italy and France; they also have Spanish and German sections which include the varieties most popular in those countries which are less common in the US, like Albarino from Spain, for example. They have a big South American section where you can pick out a Malbec or cabernet or other varieties common there. Their biggest section by far is for US wines, which is almost as large as all the wines from other countries combined. All their wines are from California, Washington, and Oregon. I asked about wines from other, less dominant states, like Missouri and Virginia, but so far they haven't been able to get any. The diversity is not just in the number of wines they carry, but in the price range. There are a huge number of wines for under $20, and many for around $10. So if what you want is a good bottle of Rex Goliath for under $10, Brown Jug has you covered. If you want a $35 bottle of Rex Hill King's Ridge pinot noir from Oregon, one of my favorites, they have that, too. Or if you are the kind of person who wants to take home a $219 bottle of 2006 Estate cabernet sauvignon from Stag's Leap in California, one of the wineries that beat out France in the Judgement of Paris in 1976, they have what you need.
The Boutique
For the other end of the spectrum, you can go to the store that wants to be the "boutique" wine store. Wine Styles is a franchise, and the Anchorage location is located on the Old Seward Highway and O'Malley Road. This is a store for those who call themselves "wine people," or, as the British James May would say, a "wine ponce." Besides wine, the store sells other things that cater to this crowd: cute wine bottle holders, blown glass wine glass charms, aerators, and cheese boards.
They don't have a particularly large selection of wines here, but the wines they have are interesting. They also have a great staff to help steer you to wines you might like, no matter how well you can actually articulate what you like about wines. They also have a wine club. For $35 a month, you get two of their monthly selections (usually four choices), which usually have a regional theme, and you also get 10% off the price of all their wines, and 15% off former wine club selections. They also do charitable food and wine tastings. They have one coming up at the Alaska Zoo, and in the summer they usually have at least one at the farmer's market for the Alaska Farmland Trust (see previous post). And I really like that the wines they have are not from giant wineries, so you can reap the benefits of the smaller, more creative winemakers. The other great thing about this store is that almost all the wines are about $15, so they still fulfill James May's goal, while also fulfilling Oz Clarke's goal of drinking unusual wines from small wineries. They carry a few wines, I'd say 10% or less of their inventory, that are $20-$60, but most are very affordable, including the sparkling wine and prosecco. I have a membership here, and it definitely helps me to try wines I might not normally go for.
So, whether you want a big selection and huge variety of wines from all over the world that cost from $8 to $200, or if you want a smaller selection of wines from smaller wineries for about $15, Anchorage has what you need to find a great wine to go with a great Alaskan meal.
This is about a lesson I learned on BBC America, watching "James May's Road Trip," a wine show hosted by James May, one of the hosts of the British car show "Top Gear," and by wine expert Oz Clarke. James' goal is to learn how to pick a decent bottle of wine out of the corner store for under 10 pounds (roughly $15, depending on how the dollar and pound are doing), and Oz's goal is to teach James to appreciate good wine. The lesson that stuck with me from the show came when they were touring California's wine country, and were visiting a big industrial winery. Oz said that large American industrial operations like this tend to make a homogeneous wine that can be good, but is not ever particularly subtle or interesting, and that the great thing about wine is exploring all the stranger, more eccentric wines that are made by the small wineries that can go so much further in developing the flavors of their wines. Smaller wineries produce more unique, unusual wines. And therefore, by definition, any wine that is produced in quantities such that it is carried at your local supermarket chain or at Costco, cannot be that wine. So, faced with that, what's a wine loving girl to do?
The Warehouse
The first of my top two Anchorage wine sources is the Brown Jug Warehouse, on Tudor and the Old Seward Highway. Brown Jug is an Alaskan chain of liquor stores, and this location is far and away the largest one in town. Most of the stores are small and near grocery stores, and they have about the same variety of wines that you would find in your supermarket liquor section: the Yellowtail, the Menage a Trois, the Beringer, and a couple European wines to round out the field. The warehouse location, on the other hand, has everything. The wine section is huge and is organized by country, and then by grape, and they have an impressive selection. There are a fair number of wines from Italy and France; they also have Spanish and German sections which include the varieties most popular in those countries which are less common in the US, like Albarino from Spain, for example. They have a big South American section where you can pick out a Malbec or cabernet or other varieties common there. Their biggest section by far is for US wines, which is almost as large as all the wines from other countries combined. All their wines are from California, Washington, and Oregon. I asked about wines from other, less dominant states, like Missouri and Virginia, but so far they haven't been able to get any. The diversity is not just in the number of wines they carry, but in the price range. There are a huge number of wines for under $20, and many for around $10. So if what you want is a good bottle of Rex Goliath for under $10, Brown Jug has you covered. If you want a $35 bottle of Rex Hill King's Ridge pinot noir from Oregon, one of my favorites, they have that, too. Or if you are the kind of person who wants to take home a $219 bottle of 2006 Estate cabernet sauvignon from Stag's Leap in California, one of the wineries that beat out France in the Judgement of Paris in 1976, they have what you need.
The Boutique
For the other end of the spectrum, you can go to the store that wants to be the "boutique" wine store. Wine Styles is a franchise, and the Anchorage location is located on the Old Seward Highway and O'Malley Road. This is a store for those who call themselves "wine people," or, as the British James May would say, a "wine ponce." Besides wine, the store sells other things that cater to this crowd: cute wine bottle holders, blown glass wine glass charms, aerators, and cheese boards.
They don't have a particularly large selection of wines here, but the wines they have are interesting. They also have a great staff to help steer you to wines you might like, no matter how well you can actually articulate what you like about wines. They also have a wine club. For $35 a month, you get two of their monthly selections (usually four choices), which usually have a regional theme, and you also get 10% off the price of all their wines, and 15% off former wine club selections. They also do charitable food and wine tastings. They have one coming up at the Alaska Zoo, and in the summer they usually have at least one at the farmer's market for the Alaska Farmland Trust (see previous post). And I really like that the wines they have are not from giant wineries, so you can reap the benefits of the smaller, more creative winemakers. The other great thing about this store is that almost all the wines are about $15, so they still fulfill James May's goal, while also fulfilling Oz Clarke's goal of drinking unusual wines from small wineries. They carry a few wines, I'd say 10% or less of their inventory, that are $20-$60, but most are very affordable, including the sparkling wine and prosecco. I have a membership here, and it definitely helps me to try wines I might not normally go for.
So, whether you want a big selection and huge variety of wines from all over the world that cost from $8 to $200, or if you want a smaller selection of wines from smaller wineries for about $15, Anchorage has what you need to find a great wine to go with a great Alaskan meal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)