CampoBello Bistro - Mediterranean in Midtown

I have said it before, but it bears repeating :  It is amazing the number of great restaurants in Anchorage that are in strip malls!  CampoBello Bistro is one of those strip mall gems, and it is in the heart of midtown Anchorage.  My wife enjoy the service, wine list, and food at this small restaurant.  We just recently made it back and were not disappointed.

We started with the Bruschetta Pomodora.  Savory grilled seasoned bread with fresh Roma marinara, basil, mozzarella, and parmesan.  Warm, savory, tangy, this appetizer sings on your palate.  This is a great way to start your meal...give it a shot.

Next we had the house caesar.  This is not a bad caesar salad, but it is no stand out, especially when compared to the rest of the meal.  I recommend going with the soup.

For my main course, I chose the Calamari Scallopini.  I have to respect the chef who can cook a fillet of calamari just right.  The calamari are so tender and mild.  They pair perfectly with the lemony caper picatta sauce.  It would be easy to overcook the calamari, or to have the picatta overpower the delicate calamari.  This presentation is just right.  Served with CampoBello's layered scalloped potatoes.  What a combination.

To cleanse our palate we chose a dessert of lemon ice cream.  Scratch made in the restaurant, this is a perfect little bite to share with someone special, and not feel over stuffed.

All in all, another nice meal in one of the best kept secrets in Anchorage.

CampoBello Bistro:

Address - 601 W. 36th, Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503

Phone - 907.563.2040

Website - www.campobellobistro.com

Reservations - Walk-ins are welcome, but I recommend calling ahead.

Overall Recommendation - This is a nice little restaurant with a tasty menu, nice wine list, and reasonable prices.  I recommend giving CampoBello's a try.

Snow City Cafe - Community Minded with a Dash of Politics

Snow City Cafe has quite a following among a certain cross section of my friends.  These friends are heavy on things like organic food, vegan recipes, locally grown ingredient, etc.  If this sounds like your kind of place, then you need to go...now!

Regardless of your socio-political leanings, Snow City is the downtown spot for breakfast, brunch, and lunch.  Hmmm, I guess I could have just said brunch.  The food is fresh and very good.  I have been twice in the last couple of weeks, once for breakfast, and once for lunch.

For breakfast I had the B.O.B. (aka The Best of Both Benedicts).  It features a blend of their traditional Eggs Benedict and their Eggs Florentine.  Two poached eggs, fresh spinach, Roma tomato slices, English muffin, and Hollandaise comprise the B.O.B.  While I found the Hollandaise to be a little watery and flabby, the rest of the B.O.B. to be perfect.  The spinach and Roma slices bring a freshness to the plate and are quite tasty.

Snow City's Cowboy Meatloaf Sandwich

For lunch I had the very hearty Cowboy Meatloaf sandwich.  Made with hormone and antibiotic free beef, this sandwich is great!  Served on marble rye with bacon, cheddar, Roma tomatos, and crispy onion straws, you just know this sandwich will be delicious, and then bam!  You get the homemade BBQ dipping sauce.  I get a nice zing in the layers of flavor in that sauce...perhaps something fruity?  I have to say, it is a very good sandwich.

The only drawback to Snow City Cafe is that they may alienate some potential clientele, with the open display of politics in the restaurant, and even at your table.  Table cards and posters abound, and there is no question which side of the aisle the owners are on.

Politics aside, this is a good restaurant with an above average menu.

Snow City Cafe:

Address - The corner of W 4th Ave and L Street in downtown Anchorage

Phone - 907.727.2489

Website - www.snowcitycafe.com

Reservations - First come, first serve.

Overall Recommendation - If you are the kind of person who would be unable to enjoy some great food because of the kind of politics espoused in Snow City, then I would not go.  If, on the other hand, you aren't bothered by such things...then don't miss it.

Olive Garden - The Italian Sensation Arrives in the Last Frontier

For years rumors of Anchorage getting it's very own Olive Garden have circulated.  When the latest rumors started, I was dubious.  However, with the announcement for the opening of Olive Garden at Tikahtnu Commons, in north Anchorage, my doubts were erased.  Anchorage has finally arrived!

OK, maybe that is a bit dramatic, and I'll be honest, I am not much of a chain restaurant diner.  I lean toward the local eateries, as opposed to the national institutions.  What do you expect, I am just a boy from North Pole with a love of food.  We never had much in the way of national franchise restaurants when I was growing up.

I have been to Olive Garden before, in the Seattle area, on trips with swimmers (I am a swim coach too).  As a result, I have never really been able to relax and enjoy myself while dining at an Olive Garden.  That changed tonight, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

My wife and I started with the Stuffed Mushroom appetizer.  These tender mushrooms were stuffed with clams, herb breadcrumbs, and a blend of parmesan, romano, and mozzarella cheeses.  What can I say?  They were delicious!  I am lucky there were only 6 of them, or I could have gone on eating those decadent starters.

We moved on to soup and salad...I had both.  The Garden-Fresh Salad is popular for very good reasons: it is very tasty, and it is bottomless.  The house Italian dressing is bright with flavor, and quite rich.  The tomatoes, lettuce, etc are all fresh and flavorful.  It is not the lightest salad around, but it hits the spot.

For soup, I chose the Pasta e Fagioli.  Now, I love soup.  In fact, I am a bit of a soup snob.  Again, I have to say, that Olive Garden has a nice zuppe.  The fagioli has white and red beans, a bit of ground beef, and tomatoes, all served up with some tender pasta in a nicely seasoned broth.  It is full of savory goodness, and very wholesome.  I had to hold back on getting a refill.

Olive Garden's Venetian Apricot Chicken

With such a rich and delicious start to the meal, I new I had better watch myself on the entree'.  I chose the Venetian Apricot Chicken.  The plate comes with grilled chicken breast in an apricot citrus sauce.  It also comes with asparagus, broccoli, and diced tomatoes.  If you are looking to watch your calories, this is an excellent choice.

The entree' was probably the weakest part of the meal, but it was still pretty good.  The grilled chicken breasts weren't the most tender I have had, but they were cooked properly and were not dried out.  The broccoli and tomatoes were a bit limp and mushy, but the asparagus was just right.  The apricot citrus sauce is a bit on the sweet side, but not cloyingly sweet.  If the sauce were just a bit more savory than sweet, I would say it was perfect.

Speaking of sweet, we decided to share a dessert.  We were both pretty full, so it is nice that Olive Garden has Dolcini.  These little desserts offer up 2-3 bites, but are great way to finish a meal.  We had the Strawberry & White Chocolate Cream Cake.  It was a nice little cake with strawberry syrup, whipped cream, and white chocolate chips.  A pretty nice ending to a very nice meal.


Olive Garden:

Address - 1186 N Muldoon Road, Anchorage, AK 99504 & locations across the country.

Phone - 907.333.1300

Website - www.olivegarden.com

Reservations - None taken.  It is first come, first serve.  The Anchorage Olive Garden is the hottest place in town right now, so expect a wait.  I have heard that, on a Friday night, you could expect up to two and a half hour wait.  If you go earlier in the week, and go after 8p, you will have a much shorter wait.  They also have a Take Out menu, so that is an option as well.

Overall Recommendation - I enjoyed my dinner.  The appetizers, soup, salad (and breadsticks) are very good!  My server was friendly and very attentive.  If you don't like to wait more than an hour for a table, consider a less popular dining time....or their Take Out menu.