Sky City Restaurant - A meal with a view

It is hard to compete with a restaurant that offers a 360 degree view of a major American city.  The Sky City Restaurant offers just that.  The restaurant rotates 360 degrees in about an hour.  It is definitely an experience...and the food okay too.

Sky City is in the Space Needle a floor below the observation deck.  Your meal includes an elevator ride to the restaurant and access to the observation deck after you eat.  An adult ticket to ride to the observation deck is $19, so it is a nice bonus to your meal.  The minimum food and beverage charge per guest is $35, so don't plan on just going for appetizers and skimping.

I had gotten a cheap pair of tickets to Seattle a few weeks ago, before Christmas.  I wanted to make the trip special, and thought of getting us some reservations at the Sky City.  It was a spur of the moment trip, and we were lucky to get some reservations for a late Sunday brunch.

The brunch is Prix Fix, and includes a starter, a main course, and a dessert.  I have been trying to watch my figure, so I started with a Caesar Saland and then opted for the Seasonal Vegetable Benedict:  Poached eggs over Heirloom tomato, wilted spinach, Chanterelle mushrooms.  I have had better Hollandaise, but I have also had worse.  I would just give the main course an "OK", and the salad was about the same.

The dessert was a bit better.  I had the Seasonal Cobbler (apple), which was served with Snoqualmie Gourmet Vanilla Bean ice cream.  It was difficult to stick to just a couple of bites.  In all it was a nice dessert.

By far, the star of the meal was the view.  Even though it was a bit cloudy and rainy, it was stunning to see the skyline of Seattle sweep leisurely by.  It was an excellent experience, which I recommend.


Sky City Restaurant:

Address - Space Needle, 400 Broad St, Seattle WA 98109

Phone - 206.905.2100 or toll free 800.937.9582

Website - www.spaceneedle.com/restaurant/

Reservations - A must.  Online or over the phone.  Plan well ahead of time.  I barely got a seating with 2 weeks advance notice.


Overall Recommendation - When you eat at Sky City, you are paying for decent food and an exceptional view.  I was not blown away by the meal, but it wasn't too bad.  We really enjoyed eating in a rotating restaurant.

Southside Bistro - Great Date Night Dining

I lived in Anchorage for nearly 10 years before I every ate a the Southside Bistro.  People would always tell me I should go, and I would forget to go.  I would always think of the fine dining restaurants in downtown Anchorage.  Somehow I could not get my mind to remember that there is very nice dining available south of Anchorage's Mid-town.

I have 10 years of catching up to do, because Southside Bistro is very good.  They serve lunch and dinner Tuesday - Saturday.  They are closed on Sundays and Mondays.  I have only been there for dinner.  I have been twice now, for Friday night/Date night.  I have been happy both times.  Most recently I was treated to dinner when I was given a gift card for Christmas.  Those folks are now on my "Nice" list! 

I started with the Butterleaf salad.  A wonderful salad with tender butterleaf arranged on the plate with a champaigne vinaigrette, candied pecans, grated blue cheese, and chopped grapes.  The candied pecans are the star of this salad!  They bring out the subtle flavor of the leaves, and pair perfectly with the vinaigrette.  It also went well with the Pinot Grigiot that I let the waiter pick out for me.

For my entree' I had a special of elk medallions.  They were served with asparagus spears and delicious mashed potatoes.  The elk had a savory brown sauce over it and was served medium rare.  The richness of the sauce matched the lean elk just right.  It was wonderful.

For dessert, my wife and I shared the peach and raspberry cobbler.  Served warm with brown pecan crust and vanilla ice cream, this dessert was the perfect ending to a memorable dinner.

Southside Bistro:

Address -

Phone - 907.348.0088

Website - southsidebistro.com

Reservations - Highly recommended.  I use my Open Table app on my iPhone.

Overall Recommendation - This is great place with a very good waitstaff, nice wine list, and very good food.  It isn't super intimate, but it is a nice place to go for date night.  Make a reservation, as I have never seen this place when it is not packed.

Pagoda - The Best Restaurant in North Pole and maybe all of Alaska

The Pagoda Restaurant is the "must eat at" place to go when in North Pole.  It has been featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and it is a perennial winner of the local "People's Choice" awards for the best Asian food in the Fairbanks area.

The building started out as an Arby's back in the 80's.  In the late 80's the Arby's went out of business and the Pagoda was born.  Since then it has always been a the first place I want to go to when I go home.

My wife and I went to visit my family over the holidays.  When I called my mom to let her know when we were going to arrive, she immediately offered to take us directly to Pagoda.  If she had not offered, I would have asked anyway.  We literally drove straight from the Fairbanks International Airport to Pagoda in North Pole.

My parents go to Pagoda regularly, and the waitstaff knows their orders when they walk in the door.  My father likes his Mongolian Beef with a little extra kick, and my mother has the Mongolian Chicken.  I ordered the Beef with Fresh Broccoli and my wife had Ginger Chicken.

I ordered my Beef and Broccoli spicy, and then started in on the Hot and Sour soup.  It really hit the spot, and it definitely has a kick.  I love this soup.  The meal comes with your choice of soup (hot and sour, egg drop, or won ton), pork fried rice, and an egg roll.

I can tell you that the egg rolls are very good and so is the rice, but the portion of Beef and Broccoli is so large, and delicious, that I did not have any room for the sides.  The savory sauce and extra spice balanced perfectly and the broccoli and carrots had the perfect tenderness.  I highly recommend this dish, but I like everything on the menu.

I think you would be hard pressed to find something on this menu that you will not like.  I can't wait to visit my family again, just so that I can go to Pagoda for dinner or lunch!


Pagoda Restaurant:

Address - 431 Santa Claus Lane, North Pole, AK 99705

Phone - 907.488.3338

Website - pagodanorthpole.com

Reservations - None. First come, first serve.

Overall Recommendation - Go!  Right now!  This is good stuff.  The waitstaff is super friendly.  The portions are generous.  The food is great.

Ivory Jacks - The Goldstream Hangout

I am in the Fairbanks area visiting my family for the holidays.  I also had some time to visit with some close friends.  One of our friends that we wanted to see works at Ivory Jacks, so we went their so that we could see her and her family.  The food and libations have always been good, so nobody had to twist my arm to go.

Ivory Jacks is the Cheers of the Goldstream Valley, just outside of Fairbanks.  The weather is cold, but Ivory Jacks is warm, comfortable, and the kind of place where there is no pretense.  In other words, this is my kind of place.

There is Yankees baseball memorabilia all over the bar/restaurant.  There  is darts, shuffle board, and even a pac-man game.  There are even photographs of the greatest Ivory Jacks drinkers.  This place is great!

The menu is a great blend of fine dining and pub style food.  I was in the mood for martinis and pub grub, so I opted away from the fine dining part of the menu.  We started with some nice crab stuffed mushrooms.  They were delectable and really whet my appetite.  Next was pizza loaded with meat and pepperoncinis.  It was great, and a perfect pairing for my dirty martinis.

At some point during the meal, a Christmas carol started up in the bar.  I would like to think that it was the spirit of the bar and season that made me join in....but maybe it was the martinis.

Ivory Jacks:

Address - 2581 Goldstream Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709

Phone - 907.455.6665

Website - ivoryjacks.alaskansavvy.com/

Reservations - I have been to Ivory Jacks for dates, wakes, and just dropped in.  You can make a reservation, but usually a table is open.


Overall Recommendation - This is a wonderful place to go when you visit (or live in) Fairbanks.  I love the atmosphere and the people.  Give it a try!

P.F. Chang's - Good enough to look past the trendy

I am one of those guys who fights the "trendy" restaurant chains.  Give me a great local restaurant over a chain any day.  That said, P.F. Chang's ain't too shabby.  It offers fresh asian flavors...even if it is to the masses.  During our trip to Seattle, we needed some sustenance after some mall shopping.  Right there in the mall was a P.F. Chang's, so we through caution to the wind and went for it.

We started with the Spring Rolls.  They have a nice blend of hot mustard, sweet, and savory sauces that they blend for dipping that is dyn-O-mite.  For my main dish I went with the Chang's Spicy Chicken.  It was also tasty.  The chicken was tender and savory with just a hint of spice.  I actually save the dip from the spring rolls and dipped my chicken....pow!

The dining area has nice mood lighting, but it is definitely not a quiet space.  The wait staff is working hard and fast, but our server was friendly and did a great job tending to our table.  All in all, not bad for a chain.

P.F. Changs:

Website - www.pfchangs.com

Reservations - Can be made online, or you can sit and wait.  Tables seem to turn over quickly, and there is usually plenty of seating.

Overall Recommendation - I still like to frequent the "local" restaurant, but if you want decent chinese food, P.F. Chang's will do.

Cafe Campagne - French Cuisine at the Market

On my recent trip to Seattle, my wife and I got up on Saturday morning, and wandered from our hotel down toward the Pike's Place Market.  We were a bit peckish, and stopped in, less than a block from the market, at Cafe Campagne for some breakfast.

Outside of my visit to Tahiti, last December, I don't have much experience ordering food in French, so I was a little appréhensive.  I decide to go with the Oefs en Meurette: poached eggs served on garlic routons with pearl onions, bacon and champignons in a red wine/foi gras sauce, and served with fries.  The eggs were poached perfectly, and the savory flavor of the croutons and bacon was good.  Unfortunately, there was a lingering vinegar-like flavor from the red wine sauce.

I wouldn't say that it was a bad dish, and I think I would go again and give the menu another try.  Maybe my palet is just not sophisticated for French breakfast...we will have to see.

Cafe Campagne:

Address - 1600 Post Alley, Seattle, Washington 98101

Phone - 206.728.2233

Website - www.campagnerestaurant.com

Reservations - We didn't need any, but reservations are accepted.

Overall Recommendation - I would not remove this restaurant because of my disappointment in the red wine sauce in my breakfast.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.