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!

Turkey Red - Sophistication with a Mission...in the Mat-Su

I was in the Mat-Su with my in laws and used my Yelp iPhone app to discover my current Mat-Su favorite...Turkey Red.  Until Turkey Red, I had no idea that Palmer had an upscale restaurant, let alone one with such a great mission:

Turkey Red is dedicated to serving fresh, high quality, local and organic ingredients prepared in traditional ways with care and creativity. We purchase and employ locally to: 

• Retain money in the community

• Promote Local Agriculture

• Increase flavor and nutrition of food

• Lower energy use

 The well-trained staff will provide the most thorough and caring service. Our top priority is happy customers. Turkey Red is the inspiration of local cook, caterer and gardener, Alex Papasavas.

Let me say up front...Mission Accomplished!

That said, let me write about my dinner at Turkey Red.  We started with the Hummus and Crostini ai Funghi appetizers.  The Hummus could have used a bit more salt, but it was unrivaled in rich creaminess.  The Crostini ai funghi was simple and delicious, with sautéed Portobello served over the bread.  We combined the appetizers with a biodynamic Maryhill, Sangiovese from Washington state...perfect!

For an entree, I went with the light and fresh Chicken brushetta.  The thin slices of grilled chicken breast were incredibly tender, and topped with fresh tomato and basil.  I could tasted the garden freshness of the topping, as well as the fresh sautéed side of vegetables.  This dish was a wonderful light option to what could be an overfilling meal.

The four of us shared a couple of desserts.  We tried the yogurt cheesecake with raspberries, and the chocolate flourless cake...also with raspberries.  Besides going perfectly with our choice of wine, these two desserts each satisfied palate in different ways.  The cheesecake was both light and fruity on the palate, while the chocolate cake satisfied the need for richness and sweetness.  Alternating bites of each, along with sips of the Sangiovese, was an amazing way to finish the meal.  Our group was all smiles!

The food was great, but the best part of the meal may have been the friendly waitstaff!  So friendly and pleasant, it was an absolute pleasure to be waited on by our server and the support staff.  It has been a while since I was so happy with a restaurant's service.  A huge thumbs up from the diners in my group.

Turkey Red:

Address - 550 S Alaska St, Suite 100, Palmer, AK 99645

Phone - 907.746.5544

Website - www.turkeyredak.com

Overall Recommendation:  Turkey Red is a wonderful little restaurant with the freshest variety of locally inspired dishes.  I would recommend this restaurant on it's commitment to keep money local alone.  The tasty food is just a bonus.

Noisy Goose Cafe

I started going to the Noisy Goose Cafe several years ago as a breakfast as a place to conduct staff meetings.  We would meet in the mornings which meant I got to have a lot of breakfasts (maybe my favorite meal of the day).  It was not until after I began dating my wife (a Mat-Su Valley native) that I had a dinner at the "the Goose".  I have never been disappointed with any of my meals.

For breakfast I recommend the Eggs Benedict, Biscuits and Gravy, or an omelet.  I almost always have the Eggs Benedict, unless I am there more than once or twice a month....then I mix it up a bit.  For dinner I like the meatloaf or a gilled ham and cheese sandwich with tomato soup.

I would describe the menu as homestyle comfort food.  And I have to say, it is very comforting.  Be sure to stop by the next time you drive through Palmer, or the next time you head out to the Alaska State Fair.

Noisy Goose Cafe:

Address - 1890 Glenn Hwy, Palmer (across from the fairgrounds)

Phone - 907.746.4600

Website - on Facebook

Reservations - None taken, but I have seen a waiting list go up on the whiteboard.  It can be very busy around breakfast time.

Overall Recommendation:  This is my favorite Mat-Su restaurant.  Excellent breakfasts and very good lunch and dinner menu.