Double Musky Inn - Girdwood, Alaska

Double Musky Girdwood, Alaska
Mile .3 Crow Creek Rd
Phone: (907) 783-2822
http://www.doublemuskyinn.com/
October 25, 2009

Alaska can boast of a world-class ski resort. Located in Girdwood, Alaska, Alyeska’s winter slopes are filled with skiers. In the off season the streets are quieter, the hustle and bustle of a ski resort is replaced with the staid, quiet tempo of a country village. But it was not the skiing that brought us to Girdwood this day. We were on our way to the Double Musky Restaurant.
The old mantra of location, location, seems not to apply here. Anchorage, the only city of any size is an hour’s drive away. The double Musky must be doing a whole lot right to earn the “Alaska’s favorite restaurant” accolade from the Anchorage Daily News. The original Musky came into being in the early 1960s. Back then it was an after-ski bar. Customers grilled their own steaks over coals in the dining room. There were several owners over the years with varying degrees of success. The new Musky came into being in 1979 when it was purchased by Bob and Deanna Persons. Through trial and error, they developed a unique persona that brought in the customers. For a time they called themselves a Cajun restaurant but now specialize in classic New Orleans dishes featuring Alaska seafood. Their effort has paid dividends and has earned them accolades from many newspapers, magazines and TV cooking show personalities.

It is great to have friends on whom you can always rely. Among others, one stands out as rather exceptional. His name is Larry just like I am and that sometimes can be confusing. During this particular summer he was of particular help with projects around the home. To say thanks I treated him to dinner at the Double Musky. This was not an adventure, seeking new and untested foods. We have been to the Double Musky before and we knew what to expect. Although they are known for their Alaskan seafood dishes, they are equally famous for their French Pepper Steak (16-20 oz. New York Steak, crusty with cracked pepper and covered with a spicy burgundy sauce). Of course we would study the menu but we already knew what we would order.

If you are unfamiliar with the Double Musky, call ahead to make sure they are not on vacation, booked for a private event, and to be sure of their hours of operation. Once we did make the two-hour drive from Chugiak only to find that the restaurant was booked for a private function. We usually try to arrive there a bit before their opening for the dinner hour. There will always be a few people already in line at the front door. When the doors are opened, customers pass through the arctic entry and then past the viewing window to their extensive wine collection. The Double Musky has grown over the years and has collected décor items so that it may now best be described as eclectic. It does add quirky warmth to the dining salon.

Some of the Cajun and New Orleans dishes can be inherently spicy. The serving staff will take your order including just how spicy you do or don’t want your food to be prepared. For beef, they post the following to help you decide just how you want your beef cooked: Rare - cool red center - Medium-rare - warm red center Medium - hot pink center - Medium-well-well - takes time. Most dinners are served with vegetables, salad and rolls. You can view entrees offered in their extensive menu at http://www.doublemuskyinn.com/ .

Our salads were mixed greens with croutons and dressing of choice. The greens were fresh and crisp. With a nice freshly baked roll and butter, it was a nice opening to the meal. Arriving early has the advantage of earning you a window table. After our salad, we chatted and watched the darkening shadows of evening in the forest across the street. It was summer time and it doesn’t get really dark except for a few hours in the wee hours of the morning. But the shadows in the forest were deep and dark adding to the allure and magic of the Alaska wilderness just on the other side of the window glass.

Anticipation makes the wait seem longer but in this case well worth the effort. I enjoyed my pepper steak on my last visit very much. Sometime, though, I thought the burgundy sauce to be a little overbearing. This time I ordered the sauce on the side so I can add as much or as little as I liked. They had no problem with the request. The meat was cooked to order, tender but the thickness required a little pressure from the knife. The other Larry knows at the start that about half of his steak will be taken home in a container. I, on the other hand, looked at the huge steak sitting in front of me and considered it a challenge. Suffice it to say that with the salad, roll, steak and large baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives, there was ample to eat, perhaps even a bit of excess. I passed on dessert that night because I did indeed have more than enough to eat.

It was a very pleasant evening. Good food, amazing ambiance and good friendship made for a time well remembered. I thank the people at the Double Musky for their courteous service, good food and most of all to say thank you to the other Larry for being a friend in need.