That Food Guy
Friday, September 02, 2016
Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant
Anchorage, Alaska
It was a long and tiring trip northward, back to Alaska. My
good buddy Larry met me at the airport. That’s right! There are two Larrys and
when you get the two of us together there is bound to be trouble so beware. It
was an arrival in the wee hours of the morning so it was off to his place to
crash for the little that was left of the night. After a welcome sleep I was up
early for Alaska but late for the East Coast. Over coffee we caught up on the
news of the day. There were lots of things to do that day. I needed to get a
new battery for the pickup so I would have wheels and I needed get some
groceries to stock the pantry. But before any of that it was time for
breakfast.
If you have been in the greater Anchorage area very long
then you must have heard about Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant. It is located
in Spenard, an area a bit removed from downtown Anchorage during the rough and
ready days of the Alaska Pipeline construction. Spenard was where the oil field
workers would go to seek female companionship. The unofficial rumor is that the
upper floors of Gweenie’s saw a lot of action back then. Those wild frontier
days are long gone and the area has mellowed and is now busy with tourism and
general commerce. But Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant is still there.
The décor of Gwennie’s features rock walls, stuffed bears, a
wishing well in the middle of the dining room; all the Alaska kitsch you can
think of. It is also know for tasty food at Alaska prices. It was off to
Gweenie’s for breakfast.
Our server was named Sparky. It was a good name for her. She
was always busy but always there when you needed her. She brought our coffee
quickly and left a carafe with more coffee. Sipping our coffee we studied the
menu. The other Larry decided on a broccoli and mushroom omelet (Broccoli and Mushroom Omelet $11.75 Omelets served with melted cheese sauce: All
omelets served with choice of home fries or grits, toast or biscuits.) with
the home fries and toast. It was large and filling meal, an omelet filled with
mushrooms and bright green broccoli covered with melted cheese. It was well
cooked without any crispy edges. Larry enjoyed his omelet saying that it tasted
very good, had loads of mushrooms and broccoli. The home fries are primitive in
nature consisting of various sizes and shape of potato. Apparently cooked in
masse on a griddle, there are many textures that make for an interesting
dish. Some are golden brown all over and
some have darker crispy edges. 
This Larry was going to order eggs and the potatoes I just
couldn’t decide on what breakfast meat. It had been a long time since I had
corned beef hash and I finally decided on that. (Breakfast served anytime: Corned beef hash or ham or sausage or bacon
and eggs.$8.75 Served with a choice of home fries or grits, toast or biscuit.) I also ordered the home fries and toast. The
eggs were cooked to order and I had a good-sized serving of the same potatoes
the other Larry had. There was a very large serving of corned beef hash. This
hash wasn’t made in the kitchen; it came ready to heat and serve in a large
container form a supplier. That’s not to say it wasn’t good. A bit of a salty
tang as normal, it was fully equal to the premium canned corned beef hash you
would get at your local super market. There was lots of corned beef and a small
amount of diced potato. The toast was thick slices of bread toasted golden
brown. It was a big and filling meal, one that I fully enjoyed.
If you are ever fortunate enough to be in anchorage, Alaska,
seek out Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant for one of your meals. It is Alaska
however and where else could you say that you had breakfast in a bawdy house? Labels: Alaska, Anchorage, bawdy house, broccoli, cheese, corned beef hash, eggs, Gwennie's, home fries, ill repute, medium, Old, omelet, over, restaurant, toast
¶ 5:09 PM 0 Comments
Monday, July 29, 2013
The Bear Den – Haines, Alaska 10/14/2012
Just up the street from the RV park where I was staying is
the Bear Den. And up the street here has two meanings, both direction and
elevation. It is located on a very steep slope of road going from the main town
level to the much lower waterfront. I
had passed it several times on my walking tours of the city. Each time I read
over the large menus poste in the window and wondered just what a bear-ritto
was like. Early one morning, a blustery morning where the rain could turn to
snow at any time, I decided a hearty breakfast was needed to steel me for the
day’s adventures. It was a three minute walk
to the Bear Den. It is sort of eerie to be the only customer. The young lady
took my order for a Classic Breakfast Bear-itto ($9.95 Bacon, home fries, eggs and cheese smothered in country gravy) and I took a seat. It was a rather lengthy wait; I suppose they
don’t precook a lot when the business is so slow. I took the patient view that
cooking from scratch was better and would make for a better bear-itto. The
store is very clean, very neat, decorated in an amusing combination of southwestern
and Alaskana kitsch.
At last the young lady brought me my order in a Styrofoam to-go
container inside a brown paper bag. When I picked it up I was almost startled
by the weight. It seemed to weigh several pounds. I hurried back to the RV to
enjoy my breakfast. I opened the container and saw a very large, very full
burrito-style tortilla wrap. Once I could have eaten the entirety of the
lumberjack portion without problem. These days a lower activity level, despite
the calories for the cold weather, meant that I would split it, half today and
half tomorrow. Actually, that’s not bad as I got effect of two bear-ittos for
the price of one.
Cutting it open I found the tortilla wrapper full of the
promised bacon, home fries, eggs and cheese. There was a goodly portion of country
gravy, a sawmill type with large chunks of meat, possibly sausage. I ate the
first half for breakfast. It was very good – a bacon, egg and fried potato
breakfast with country gravy. In this case it was wrapped in a flour tortilla
with some cheese. It all went together very well, the tortilla making a flavor
and texture addition to the already familiar contents. By the time I had
finished the first portion I was sure that I had made a good decision for the
day’s breakfast. I put the remainder in
the ‘fridge for tomorrow’s breakfast.
The next morning, while the coffee was perking, I eagerly
reheated the remainder of my bear-itto in the microwave. When I opened the
container, I saw the rest of my bear-itto but it looked different somehow. It
was drier, the moister in the gravy having been absorbed by the potatoes and
flour tortilla. That also changed the texture. I started out and it tasted
pretty good, very much like it did yesterday. By the time I finished, however,
it had become tiresome and I ended thinking it was just okay at best. I though it sad that such a good and filling
meal couldn’t maintain its vibrancy overnight. The choices would eat it all now
or share. Sharing would be a good option but in this instance I was traveling
alone. I am glad I had this bear-itto. The question is whether I would do it again;
all things being equal, probably not. But, it has occurred to me that if I asked
for a small side of gravy to slather the left over portion the next day it
might coalesce the ingredients that had become disjointed overnight, returning
the remaining bear-itto to its original state. I don’t know for sure but it is
food for thought.
The Bear Den – Haines, Alaska 10/14/12
8
Main St Haines, AK 99827
(907) 766-2117 http://www.alaskabearden.com/
I was in Haines, Alaska waiting for the Alaska State Ferry.
The ferry would be my ride to the Lower Forty Eight States; my destination,
Bellingham, Washington. It was after the regular tourist season and only the
viewing of the gathering of eagles along nearby Chilkat River a bit later in
the month was left before the city would close shop for the winter. The last of
the season’s cruise ships was long gone and it would be weeks before the air,
ferry and road passengers would arrive for the viewing of the eagles festival, the
largest gathering of bald eagles in the world. I had several days to wait before
the ferry so I had an opportunity to sight see the tiny community and sample
some of the food at the local shops that cater to the tourist trade; all in uncrowded
conditions.
Just up the street from the RV park where I was staying is
the Bear Den. And up the street here has two meanings, both direction and
elevation. It is located on a very steep slope of road going from the main town
level to the much lower waterfront. I
had passed it several times on my walking tours of the city. Each time I read
over the large menus poste in the window and wondered just what a bear-ritto
was like. Early one morning, a blustery morning where the rain could turn to
snow at any time, I decided a hearty breakfast was needed to steel me for the
day’s adventures. It was a three minute walk
to the Bear Den. It is sort of eerie to be the only customer. The young lady
took my order for a Classic Breakfast Bear-itto ($9.95 Bacon, home fries, eggs and cheese smothered in country gravy) and I took a seat. It was a rather lengthy wait; I suppose they
don’t precook a lot when the business is so slow. I took the patient view that
cooking from scratch was better and would make for a better bear-itto. The
store is very clean, very neat, decorated in an amusing combination of southwestern
and Alaskana kitsch.
At last the young lady brought me my order in a Styrofoam to-go
container inside a brown paper bag. When I picked it up I was almost startled
by the weight. It seemed to weigh several pounds. I hurried back to the RV to
enjoy my breakfast. I opened the container and saw a very large, very full
burrito-style tortilla wrap. Once I could have eaten the entirety of the
lumberjack portion without problem. These days a lower activity level, despite
the calories for the cold weather, meant that I would split it, half today and
half tomorrow. Actually, that’s not bad as I got effect of two bear-ittos for
the price of one.
Cutting it open I found the tortilla wrapper full of the
promised bacon, home fries, eggs and cheese. There was a goodly portion of country
gravy, a sawmill type with large chunks of meat, possibly sausage. I ate the
first half for breakfast. It was very good – a bacon, egg and fried potato
breakfast with country gravy. In this case it was wrapped in a flour tortilla
with some cheese. It all went together very well, the tortilla making a flavor
and texture addition to the already familiar contents. By the time I had
finished the first portion I was sure that I had made a good decision for the
day’s breakfast. I put the remainder in
the ‘fridge for tomorrow’s breakfast.
The next morning, while the coffee was perking, I eagerly
reheated the remainder of my bear-itto in the microwave. When I opened the
container, I saw the rest of my bear-itto but it looked different somehow. It
was drier, the moister in the gravy having been absorbed by the potatoes and
flour tortilla. That also changed the texture. I started out and it tasted
pretty good, very much like it did yesterday. By the time I finished, however,
it had become tiresome and I ended thinking it was just okay at best. I though it sad that such a good and filling
meal couldn’t maintain its vibrancy overnight. The choices would eat it all now
or share. Sharing would be a good option but in this instance I was traveling
alone. I am glad I had this bear-itto. The question is whether I would do it again;
all things being equal, probably not. But, it has occurred to me that if I asked
for a small side of gravy to slather the left over portion the next day it
might coalesce the ingredients that had become disjointed overnight, returning
the remaining bear-itto to its original state. I don’t know for sure but it is
food for thought.Labels: Alaska, bacon, bald eagle, bear-itto, country gravy, ferry, Haines, home fries, to go, tortilla
¶ 1:40 PM 0 Comments
