Little Richard's Family Diner - Timeless North Pole Classic

My latest swim meet road trip was great for three reasons: my swimmers did well, I got to visit my parents, and I got to eat breakfast Little Richard's Family Diner.

Just off the Richardson Highway, in North Pole, is a great little restaurant that harkens back to what I think of as the classic american diner.  Stainless steel and chrome fixtures, a black and white tile floor, table seating, counter seating, period decor, super friendly service, and most of all really good food!  I love this place.

I took a seat at the counter and ordered the Meat Lover's Omelette with hash browns and sourdough toast.  It was fun to watch from the counter as my breakfast was prepared.  The counter is all that separates the kitchen from the dining area, which is great because the cooks are amiable guys and fun to watch as they work smoothly with each other and the wait staff.

The omelette was stuffed (and I mean stuffed) with bacon, ham, reindeer sausage, buffalo sausage, hot links, and cheese.  The hash browns are great, and can be ordered extra crispy.  The portions are so generous, that it would be easy to share a breakfast like this...I could only eat about two thirds of what was served.  

I loved breakfast, but I think that the charm of the restaurant augments the overall experience.  As I mentioned, the decor and service is great, there is something more.  Maybe it is the music that is being piped in (Roger Miller, Glen Campbell, etc).  Maybe it is the small town clientele.  Whatever it is, it just seems like the perfect place to take the family, or just belly up to the counter.  I look forward to going back soon.

Little Richard's Family Diner:

Address - 2698 Hurst Rd, North Pole, AK 99705

Phone - 907.488.2117

Overall Recommendation:  If you are down with a classic diner and classic diner food, then you have to give Little Richard's a try.  If you are in the greater Fairbanks/North Pole area, then this is well worth the stop.

Alaska Greek Festival - Opa!!!

For the last few years I have been curious to go to this huge event just up the street from my neighborhood.  I first took notice when I was inconvenienced by all the traffic.  This year I actually made a note in my iPhone calendar to remind me to go.

The Alaska Greek Festival is kind of like St. Patty's day.  Everyone is Irish on St Patty's day, and everyone at the Alaska Greek Festival is Greek...in spirit anyway.  There is wonderful shopping, raffles, activities, music, silent auctions, and yes...even a beer/wine garden.  There is no gate or entry fee, but the food and drink does cost.  All of the proceeds go to the church.  This is a wonderful place to bring the family, and get a bit of the Greek culture and, most importantly, some Greek flavor.

My wife, my friend, and I walked to this year's festival.  This turned out to be good for two reasons.  First, we did not have to hassle with parking.  This is a huge event, and parking is a bit of an issue...although not a major one.  Second, we didn't have to feel as guilty about indulging in the great food.

First, we all tried the Loukoumades.  These are divine!  From the [From the website "In ancient Greece, these heavenly, hot honey puffs, sprinkled with cinnamon and nuts, were awarded to top athletes at religious festivals."]  I would have worked my fanny off if these were the prizes.  Good thing I can just go to the festival and buy them.

After a couple of beers, my wife and I shared the Lamb Dinner [Roast Leg of lamb, yiouvetsi (Greek pasta in sauce), tiropita, dolma, fasolakia (green beans), Greek salad & bread] and the Moussaka Dinner [Layers of eggplant and potatoes, flavorful meat sauce and cheese, topped with bechamel sauce, served with tiropita, Greek salad and bread].

The Lamb Dinner must have come fresh off the spit (yes, they have the legs on a spit out back).  It was succulent and juicy!  The tiropita was flaky, rich, and delicious.  The dolma had the perfect citrus and olive oil balance.  All in all, the Lamb Dinnner was terrific.

The Moussaka Dinner came with same delicious tiropita.  The Moussaka itself was better than I have had in most restaurants (except Little Italy in Anchorage, read my April 2011 post).  I love eggplant, and the layers of richness in this dish are wonderful.  The meat, cheese, and beschamel all play very well together...without overwhelming the palate.

On the way out of the festival, we stopped and picked up Baklava Sundae.  If flakey file, nuts, spices, and fruity honey syrup just aren't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, try it on rich and creamy vanilla ice cream.  This may have been a bit over indulgent, but you know how the saying goes..."When in Greece!"  

I can't wait to go back next year and give a few more dishes a spin!  Opa!

Annual Alaska Greek Festival:

Address - Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church, 2800 O'Malley Road, Anchorage

Website -  akgreekfestival.com
Overall Recommendation:  Get ready to party Greek style.  This is a family event, so take the kids.  It only happens three days each August, so keep checking the website to find out when next year's event will be.  Don't miss it!

Terra Bella Bakery & Café

This weeks's Sunday morning breakfast started with a search on my iPhone's Yelp app.  The closest restaurant, that was open, was Terra Bella Bakery & Café.  I feel like I should have checked their website first, because it's head says Terra Bella Organic Coffee, Waking the World...Naturally.  If I were a coffee drinker, this would have further encouraged me to go, but sadly, I am not a coffee drinker.

Based on Yelp's advice, my wife, daughter, and I took off for the Dimond location.  The café is very clean and tidy, with a relaxed feel and friendly staff, and they do offer some gluten free baked goods.  Unfortunately, for this foodie, those are the nicest things I can say.

I ordered the Bacon Cheddar Egg Bagel.  The bagel made me feel good at least, as it was a sprouted grain flax bagel.  She sandwich had bacon, egg, and cheddar cheese.  Somehow there managed to be absolutely no flavor to this offering.  The bacon must have been some sort of low sodium variety, because there was little to no savory aspect in this breakfast sandwich.  Like I said, at least the sandwich made me feel good...even if it didn't taste that good.

My wife tried the Grizzly Scramble.  This blend of reindeer sausage and eggs, was inundated with too many onions and roasted red peppers for her to make a dent in the dish.  The only thing she did make a dent in was the side of potatoes...but only after they searched high and low for some ketchup...so she could stomach them.  

My wife did say that her Raspberry Mocha was okay, and my daughter really liked the whipped cream on top.  I guess I found another positive thing to say.


Terra Bella Bakery & Café:

Address - 601 E. Dimond Blvd #6 & 2932 C Street, Anchorage, AK

Website - terrabellacoffee.com

Phone - 907.562.2259 & 907.562.2229

Overall Recommendation:  I am not a coffee drinker, so this place is not really for me.  For the fanatical coffee drinker, Terra Bella may be nirvana.  But for me it's just an average café with average food.

Cafe Amsterdam - European Style in Midtown

I have been meaning to give Cafe Amsterdam a try for some time, but unfortunately, I let my impression of a restaurant be affected by who was recommending it, so I kept putting off.  Pretty stupid on my part.

A few weeks ago, my wife and I packed up our one year old and went out for breakfast.  We planned to go to one of our other favorite restaurants, but at the last second I made the decision to turn into Metro Mall parking lot (across from the Sears Mall), and pulled up to Cafe Amsterdam.  

Going to a new restaurant with a one year old can be considered brave or stupid...I'll let you decide.  Suffice it to say, that our experience at Cafe Amsterdam was positive, and the restaurant and staff were ready to accept us with our little food critic.

I love a good Eggs Benedict, so I was excited to see that Cafe Amsterdam had not one, but a variety of four different Benedict options.  I went with the Moluska Benedict: two poached eggs on English muffin with salmon lox, red onions then topped with hollandaise sauce and capers, and served with cottage potatoes.  I lox, lachs, laks...no matter how you spell it...I love it!  I am also a hollandaise sauce snob.  I was not disappointed with either component of the dish.  I wasn't sure how they would pair, but matching the richness of the lox with that of the hollandaise and yolk left me wanting more.

The only problem with going to breakfast at Cafe Amsterdam is the fact that I could not partake of my favorite Belgian beer, Chimay.  Chimay and a huge variety of other Belgian, local, and international ales and ciders are available on tap or by the bottle.  They also have a healthy variety of meads and wines on their list of beverages.

As for me, I have learned a valuable lesson.  From now on, I won't let my impression of someone else affect my opinion of a restaurant.

Cafe Amsterdam:

Address - 530 E Benson Blvd #3, Anchorage, AK 99503

Phone - 907.274.0074

Website - cafe-amsterdam.com

Overall Recommendation - This is Eurostyle cafe with a great selection of Belgian and local beers.  The food is tasty and the staff is friendly.  Perfect for a late weekend breakfast, but I look forward to going back for lunch or dinner...when I can have some Chimay!

Southside Grill Restaurant - My Neighborhood Diner

If you have read through my blog, you know that I enjoy breakfast...a lot!  To my dismay, I have been unable to find a breakfast joint (that I can stomach) on the south side of Anchorage.  Either the food is bad, the service horrible, or both.  No more!  I have finally found the Southside Grill Restaurant.

Not to be confused with the Southside Bistro (read my review from December 2011), the Southside Grill Restaurant serves breakfast and lunch diner style meals.  My wife and I went for breakfast recently, and the food was very good and service was fast and friendly.

I went with the Hungry Man Breakfast featuring: ham, bacon, or sausage, 3 eggs served to order, choice of potatoes or pancakes, and biscuits and gravy.  They had me at the biscuits and gravy :)

I went with the sausage, eggs over easy, and hash-browns.  The sausage and hash-browns were typical, and the eggs cooked correctly (something that seems to be difficult for some cooks), and the biscuits and gravy were better pretty good.

What makes me happiest, is that I no longer have to drive across town to any of my other favorite breakfast eateries.  Southside Grill is just a short drive for those of us who live south of Dimond.  Spacious, clean, and friendly...our little south side gem!

Southside Grill Restaurant:

Address - 12870 Old Seward Hwy Anchorage, AK 99515

Phone - 907.297.0597

Overall Recommendation:  Good diner food and friendly service.  I have finally found a breakfast place on the south side of Anchorage that I can enjoy.

Humdinger's Gourmet Pizza Co. - Wood Fired and Gluten Free Friendly

I don't always feel like eating pizza with several hundred of my fellow Alaskans.  So, while there are some great pizza options in Anchorage, I don't often get to enjoy them.  Fortunately, we have a new choice for a humdinger of a pizza.


Humdinger's Gourmet Pizza Co. features a creative line-up of delicious appetizers, salads, desserts, and wood fired pizzas.  Additionally, they have plenty of gluten free options, including a very good gluten free pizza crust.  My wife brought home a piece of their Tour de Wisconsin; a garlic butter based pizza, featuring parmesan, mozzarella, colby jack, feta, and cream cheese.  I had my slice after it had been sitting in the box, in the refrigerator,  and then microwaved...and it was delicious.  I made a mental note that I had to go the next time I was in Palmer to visit the in-laws.  

My wife, my in-laws, and I started with two appetizers.  The Buffalo Tenders were tasty, but typical, so I won't waste too much time describing it, other than to say that the breaded tenders were tender and well seasoned.  On the other hand, the Queso and Flat Bread appetizer was a stand out!  Humdinger's own gourmet flat bread is very tasty on it's own, but when served with the cream cheese dip, it is over the top.  We all loved the thick, creamy, and dip.  You can get the flat bread gluten free, so this is a great dish for nearly everyone.
I love wood fired pizza and the crispier crusts that result from them.  Our group was excited to give the pizzas from the birch-fired oven a taste.  We tried the Shovin' Off to Buffalo with a wheat crust, and the T-Rex with a gluten free crust.

The Shovin' Off to Buffalo is built on a garlic butter sauce, and has mozzarella, breaded chicken breast and blue cheese crumbles.  All of these ingredients were great, but what brought the pizza together, in my opinion, were the french fried onion crumbles...what a combination!

I have been making an effort to make gluten free choices, so I know how hard it is to find gluten free products that taste good.  I was a little dubious that a gluten free crust was going to taste good, and I had kind of resigned myself to a crust that would tasted a little better than cardboard.  I was way of base, and very pleased with the crust that the T-Rex came on.  The T-Rex is Humdinger's offering to the real carnivores among us.  Built atop marinara and mozzarella, this pizza comes loaded with pepperoni, sausage, hame, bacon, and hamburger.  It was very good and tasted great on the gluten free crust.

Humdinger's Gourmet Pizza:

Address - 173 S. Valley Way, Palmer, AK 99645

Phone - (907) 745-7499

Website - www.humdingerspizza.com

Overall Recommendation:  Wood fired flavor, creative combinations, and gluten free options make Humdinger's some of the greatest pizza in Alaska.  Give it a toss!