Bear Tooth Grill - Tex-Mex in Spenard

The Bear Tooth Grill is the restaurant on the other end of the Bear Tooth Theatre Pub building, but don't be fooled, it offers a completely different menu than the theatre pub.  Think of Tex-Mex meets gourmet pub grub, meets tequila bar.  This is one of the hot spots in the Spenard dining scene, and it has yet to disappoint.

I recently made it in for brunch.  I didn't even now they had a brunch, but boy do they ever.  I was looking for comfort food, and I got it...with a kick.  

I am a biscuit and gravy snob.  A good biscuit and gravy has a special biscuit and a gravy with layers of complex flavors.  The Bear Tooth Grill's biscuit is house made and fluffy.  The sausage gravy has a hint of smoked paprika and, what I suspect is, a pinch of cayenne.  The flavors are subtle, and I would recommend the dish, however, it was just an appetizer for me.

For my brunch main course, I ordered the Spenard Starter.  It is a huge meal served in an oversized bowl.  The polenta is cut in about 1.5" cubes and drenched in a lightly spices shrimp and chorizo cream sauce.  On top of it all are two over easy eggs.  It is massive, and very satisfying.  The cream sauce is light and not too rich.  The shrimp and chorizo give just the right amount of kick to the bowl, and the polenta makes it filling.  Just cutting into the eggs, and letting that yolk run over the rest of the ingredients...it just gives the meal that wholesome mouth feel.

The flavors were all spot on, although the polenta was a little tough, and some of the shrimp were a little gritty.  That said, this is a dynamite dish!  There is so much, that combined with my "appetizer", I had to get a to go box.  In case you are wondering, the Spenard Starter, when reheated at home, makes a great dinner too.

Bear Tooth Grill :

Address - 1230 West 27th Avenue


Phone - 907.276.4200


Website - beartooththeatre.net

Reservations - Walk-ins only.  It can get busy on Friday and Saturday nights.  If you show up for brunch, around 10a, you should get seated pretty quickly (if not immediately).


Overall Recommendation:  The Bear Tooth Grill fills a special niche in Anchorage.  It's menu is unique, and it is one of the nicest casual dining restaurants in town.  It is a great compliment to their theatre pub.  The Bear Tooth Grill is part of the Spenard Renaissance, check it out!

Brewster's - Pub Grub in Fairbanks

As someone who was born and raised the the Fairbanks area, I pay attention to the recommendations of my family and friends when it comes to the restaurants.  One of the restaurants that has become popular in Fairbanks (since I left in 1998) is Brewster's.  It has two locations, and it is offers a pub food menu and a variety of brews on tap.

I recently visited the Old Steese location with my family.  I was a bit hesitant because I had heard mixed reviews.  Some said that it was too slow, and others raved about the food.  Some enjoyed the sports pub atmosphere, and others frowned on the food.  Since my parents had no worries about Brewster's I decided to go in with an open mind.

I ordered the Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich.  Ordering chicken is a risky proposition, as it is easy to over cook and serve dry.  My sandwich was tender and juicy.  It had some roasted peppers, pepper jack cheese, and lettuce.  The combination was mildly spicy, but deliciously savory.

I was quite satisfied with my lunch and would definitely go again.  There are some burgers that look like they need the Alaska Foodie to review :)


Locations and Phone -
Brewster's:  3578 Airport Way, Fairbanks, AK - 907.456.2538
Brewster's Northgate: 354 Old Steese Highway, Fairbanks, AK - 907.374.9663

Website - brewstersalaska.com/

Reservations - Nope.

Overall Recommendation - I have heard mixed reviews, but I would have to say on my visit, the food was good, and service was fast and friendly.  I recommend giving it a try and making your own choice.

Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse

Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse is a downtown institution.  It is the brew pub that all other brew pubs want to be someday.  The combination of food and beer offerings make it one of Anchorage's top choices for a night out with your friends.

As a former downtown resident, I have to admit to that I have probably been to Humpy's at least 100 times over the years.  I can always find a beer that suits my "needs" and the hot wings are a staple...and maybe the best hot wings I have ever had (sorry Anchor Bar of Buffalo).

While I have gotten by on just the hot wings, I have to say that the rest of the menu is also quite good.  On the top of my list of menu favorite are:

• Halibut and Chips
• Smoked Salmon Caesar Salad
• Portobello Mushroom Burger
• Garden Burger
• Humpy Burger
• Halibut Tacos
• Italian Fetuccini
• Almost any of the Gourmet Pizzas (avoid the smoke salmon pizza)
• ...and for dessert, the Berry Crisp

Humpy's is a social hotspot with great food and beer on the evenings.  Check out the Bloody Mary bar on the weekends.  With televisions throughout the bar, it is not a bad place to watch the college or NFL games during football season.  All in all, a great place to go with your friends.

Humpy's:

Address - 610 W 6th Avenue, Anchorage

Phone - 907.276.BEER

Website - www.humpys.com/anc

Reservations - none taken.

Overall Recommendation:  Humpy's can be very crowded and loud, but the pub food is almost always very good, the beer selection is phenomenal, and you will almost always see a friend or two while you are there.

Peanut Farm - Drives me nuts

The Peanut Farm is immensely popular among Anchorage sports fans.  With at least 2 screens within view from every seat in the restaurant, it is not hard to figure out why.  In fact, in the newest part of this large sports bar, each of the tables has it's own small television.

Saturday and Sunday mornings, during football season, you can find clusters of fans throughout the place.  The fans of each college/university or pro team will stake out real estate and claim the screen for their game.  You can get there pretty early since the Peanut Farm opens at 6a for breakfast.  I have personally had the biscuits and gravy as well as the Huevos Farmcheros and enjoyed watching the Sunday morning game.  Did it feel a little weird having a beer at ten in the morning...with my breakfast?    sure, but that is all part of the charm of the Farm.

Things can get pretty hectic during lunch and dinner with staff running around.  During my most recent visit, my friend and I sat for over 20 minutes before we finally anyone's attention.  Once we did get our order we were happy, but it was a bit frustrating during the wait.

I enjoy a good order of hot wings and the Peanut Farm has a wide variety of wings to choose from.  The 4 alarm chicken wings seem to be just the right combination of heat and flavor for me, but to each his own.  There are 12 different flavors available for your wings, and you can even get the Farm's Pork Wild Wings.  The pork wings are actually tender pork shanks flavored to order.  I have had them, and they are not bad.

During my last visit, my buddy and I shared the Pastrami Dip and the Hot Farm Sub.  The Pastrami Dip is a french dip sandwich with pastrami instead of roast beef.  I love pastrami, and the sandwich was okay, but I think I prefer a good roast beef instead.  The Hot Farm Sub has ham, roast beef, tomato, American cheese, and with 1000 Island dressing on the side.  The sub was also, okay, but both sandwiches just had too much bread.  In fact, my friend made his sandwiches open face by removing the top bun.  My philosophy on sandwiches is:  more fillings/meat...less bread.

The highlight of any meal at the Peanut Farm, besides the televisions everywhere, are the 25oz "Pounder" beers you can get.  They always have one of my favorites on tap, and I usually go to there when I have a good thirst going on.  One or two pounders will help wash away your bar food tears.

If you are looking for great pub food, this is not really the place to go.  There are at least a couple of other places in Anchorage that will blow your socks off when it comes to pub food.  Having said that, if you are looking for decent okay to good bar food, the Peanut Farm will suffice.  After all, you can always ignore the food (and sometimes bad service) and glue yourself to whatever sporting event is on the nearest television.


Peanut Farm:

Address - 5227 Old Seward Hwy, Anchorage, AK

Phone - 907-563-3283

Website - www.wemustbenuts.com

Reservations:  none needed.  There is plenty of seating, but the Peanut Farm is very popular, especially when the Aces are playing...parking can get tight.

Overall Recommendation:  Service and food can be kind of hit or miss.  I have had great service with so, so food.  I have had bad service with good food.  I think the Peanut Farm is mostly about the ok service, ok food, but plenty of televisions with sports on them.