It was nearing the end of May; the usual time the Missus and I head off on a trip. This year, we had only a week or so and nothing else until the end of the year. The Missus wanted to scratch something off Her bucket list, so we headed off to Alaska to see if we could get it done.
Landing in Anchorage and picking up a cup of coffee on the way out of town….well, it seemed like just another city in the states.
I was shocked to see that I could get an Ethiopian pour over for $3.50!
Not a great cup, but with the typical acidic-sweet-floral tones of African beans, pretty good. The place seemed pretty popular with hipsters and folks on their laptops and such.
Black Cup
341 E Benson Blvd
Anchorage, AK 99503
A few minutes down the road and we realized that we were definitely not down in the "Lower 48" as the locals call it, anymore.
Even though the weather was quite gloomy and there was a slight chill in the air, we couldn't help but keep stopping at places like Beluga Point along the way.
We'd often stop and other folks would start talking to us. Asking us where we were from, where we were headed, all quite friendly. It's definitely something we aren't used to here in SoCal. We also ran into a transplanted Californian, one of many we'd meet along the way. He was a very cheerful person, I ended up volunteering to take a photo of him and visiting family…..I guess I was getting into that mode as well.
At milepost 90….those green milepost signs are how you find many of the directions in the 49th state, I took a left and headed toward, then past, the town of Girdwood and up the road, finally taking a left on Arlberg Avenue and arriving at the Alyeska Resort. The Missus had recently had a birthday and I wanted to make our first night in Alaska a nice one. So I chose the Alyeska Resort because of the well regarded location, accommodations, and restaurant. Indeed, check-in was friendly, professional, and smooth. We had a Junior Suite, which was comfortable and huge, and the Missus's favorite room of the entire trip. Oh, and the really nice young man who worked the front desk was from….you guessed it, California! The view from our room wasn't too shabby either.
Of course, once we checked in, the Missus was just rarin' to go. So off we went, making the two plus change mile walk to the town of Girdwood. Even though it drizzled off and on during our walk the scenery was lovely.
The view while crossing over the river was amazing.
While Girdwood is described as a resort town……it bore no resemblance to the mental picture I had of a resort village. It looked like a charming little town with a single street with a general store on the corner.
There are a couple of restaurants/bars, a post office, what looked like a yoga place, and other services along the single street.
We stopped for a caffeine fix at a coffee shop cum curio store called The Grind.
The collection was indeed "eclectic"……I was sorely tempted to get that "Freeloader Fork"…but settled for an Americano instead.
We sat on the porch of the coffee shop and watch time slowly flow by the quiet street. On occasion someone on a bike would pass….you'd see a couple of dogs frolicking in the park; folks dropping the Post Office to pick up their mail.
The Grind
236 Hightower Rd
Girdwood, AK 99587
We headed on back to the resort and took the trail alongside Arlberg Avenue back.
And noticed a few things we had missed on the walk down.
We also took some time to walk around the grounds of the resort as well.
I'd made dinner reservations at the resorts Seven Glaciers Restaurant. We got ready and decided to head up to the restaurant. And I do mean "head up". You see, the restaurant is located at the top of Mount Alyeska.
And the only way to get there is by tram.
You can pick up your complimentary tram tickets an hour before your reservations. We went up about a half hour before. We had the entire tram to ourselves and our tram operator was from….you guessed it; California….the Bay Area to be precise. He was a friendly, chatty fellow and described the surrounding area like a tour guide. The restaurant is named for the Seven Glaciers you can view from the place. The crazy steep slopes are Black Diamond rated and the view, well, that's priceless.
Funny coincidence, the young man lived in Girdwood and had actually seen us having our coffee on the porch of The Grind earlier in the day. He was one of the fellows who rode past us on a bike.
At the top there's a shop, a bar, the restaurant, and ski runs. Even though it was mid-May, it was still snowing in Denali and had just snowed here a few days earlier.
After having a bit of fun in the snow and ice we headed into the restaurant which was quite well done. What struck us the most; other than the million dollar view was how well the tables were spaced and placed to maximize the view while dining.
While waiting for our table we both had cocktails….which were really low on the booze and way too sweet.
Just as we took the first sips of our drinks, our table was ready and we were seated. The view was fantastic.
One of the reasons I chose Seven Glaciers is that the menu; while priced on the high end, is locally focused. Our Server was great; genial, yet a total pro, and did a good job of describing each dish.
The butter, so creamy and milky was fantastic, the bread not so much, as the marbled rye was dry and crumbly and the lavash just passable.
The amuse was a "ceviche", very nice seafood, a delicious cilantro cream (I need to make this), and a very "corny" flavored "tortilla".
I'd read some good things about the Scallop Bisque ($12) so we started with that; our Server totally got the idea that we'd be dining "family style" and was awesome at setting up the dishes and setting for us.
The wonderfully mildly sweet-oceany flavor of the bisque was good, though it was on the thin side for my tastes and lacking that nice tongue coating texture I enjoy. The chive oil, while on the mild side in flavor was a nice accompaniment. But that scallop, the most amazingly sweet scallop, seared perfectly, the interior rare, just melted away on your tongue……it was fantastic.
The "Tartare of the Day" ($18) was Yak. And let me tell you, it was also delicious.
Very tender, clean tasting, not overly seasoned or gamey, this was nicely put together. The pickled onions were perfect; just sour enough, with distinct clove-herbal tones.
The Missus has never enjoyed King Crab, saying that it "lacked the deep crab flavor" and isn't a big fan of drawn butter either. I did mention that Bering Sea Red King Crab was supposedly the best so why not try it here (1/2 pound $35). I was shocked at how much crab this was.
Well, while meaty, and without an overly brined flavor, this still wasn't the Missus's cup of tea. Not sweet enough, too dry, on the bland side is how She described it. No regrets in trying it here though.
Our entrée, the special of the day is without doubt the best thing we had on the entire trip. It was something both that Missus and I are familiar with; black chicken, but served in a totally different manner; roasted. Traditionally served in a medicinal soup in Asia; I've found it to be terribly tough and while the Missus loves it, I'm not a fan…though it's mostly because of the medicinal flavor of the broth. Seeing Black Silkie Chicken on the menu ($42), we just had to try it.
Along with some very tasty fried artichokes, local asparagus, and tender fiddlehead ferns, on top of a nicely prepared barley risotto, perhaps the best version I've had, the chicken was so good. While toothsome and bony…hey this is free-range black chicken here, nothing out of the ordinary there; the deep poultry flavor was amazing. This is what chicken tasted like when I was a kid! It reminded me of the chicken that my grandparents raised. Sadly, I think folks aren't used to the flavor as the folks on the table next to us sent theirs back saying it was too "tough and gamey" for their liking. We on the other hand just loved this dish.
We also enjoyed the seasonal roasted vegetables ($8). The Missus loves broccolini and asparagus anyway.
The gig surprise was the roasted kale stems which had a nice acidic touch to it. It was surprisingly tender, something you don't associate with kale stems.
While we were rather stuffed, the Missus decided to order the restaurant's signature dessert; the Baked Alyeska, the classic browned meringue topped ice cream and cake.
I went with an Alaskan Brewery White Ale.
Man, that dessert was so rich and dense….I had one bite and went "no mas"……..the Missus did finish it off.
Boy, this was some meal.
The service was excellent and the food quite good.
It wasn't cheap by any means, but a wonderful special occasion meal.
It was a nice way to celebrate both the Missus's Birthday and our first night in Alaska.
Seven Glaciers Restaurant
(In the Alyeska Resort – sort of. It's on top of a mountain)
1000 Arlberg Ave
Girdwood, AK 99587
We enjoyed the ride down in the tram.
On the good side; this was a great first meal and the best meal we had on our trip.
On the bad side, this was the best meal of our trip and we had 7 more nights to go…..
Thanks for stopping by!
Meanwhile, it seems that folks online rave about the chilaquiles. So on our first visit I got the Chilaquiles "Divorciados", that would be, with two different sauces; the mole and the green salsa.
Now this was much better. Especially the beans, which were perfectly seasoned….enough salt, a touch of heat….both creamy and rustic, very nice.
