Lahn Pad Thai - A Neighborhood Star

In Anchorage, we are lucky to have several very good Thai restaurants.  I am lucky, because the best Thai restaurant in Anchorage is a 2 minute drive from my front door.

Lahn Pad Thai is a small, strip mall, restaurant with powerful flavors in every dish.  My wife and I recently went for an evening out...when we did not want to drive too far.  We were treated to a great meal and friendly service.

In typical Thai restaurant style, dishes have designated spice levels based on little stars next to the name of the dish.  No stars, flavorful, but not too spicy.  Three stars, and find some water!  What is great about Thai food, is that you can ask that a no star dish get the three star treatment.  I love spice and I love curry flavors, so I ordered the Kang Karie.  It is a muslim style chicken yellow curry with coconut milk, potatos, and onions.  It is a one star dish, but I asked for the 3 star upgrade.  My server gave me the amused (silly man) look, but it was exactly what I wanted.

I love asian food that has hot spice.  It is not hot for the sake of hot.  It is a rich and flavorful heat.  The Kang Karie did not disappoint, in fact I loved it.  It is the best curry I have had in Anchorage.  Served over a mound of steams rice, and bam!  Top notch.

My wife had the beef Pad Broccoli.  This is your typical asian style broccoli beef, but it was also very good.

As I said earlier, Anchorage has a lot to choose from in Thai restaurants.  I recommend taking the extra time to go to Lahn Pad Thai.

Lahn Pad Thai:

Address - 2101 Abbott Road

Phone - 907.272.8424

Website - lahnpadthai.com

Reservations - None.  Lahn Pad Thai has a small dining area and limited seating.  It is a popular place and can get full in a hurry.  Call your order in to go, or call in for delivery, if the dining area is full.  You will be glad you did.

Overall Recommendation - Anchorage is blessed with many good Thai restaurants.  Lahn Pad Thai is the crown jewel of Anchorage Thai cuisine.

Harley's Old Thyme Cafe - Southern Comfort Food in Anchorage

Harley's is close to my Chiropractor.  This gives me yet one more excuse to get regular adjustments!  While the dining room is small, there is a huge amount of flavor packed into the food.  I may have found Harley's by accident, but I have been there three times in as many weeks.

• I have had the Chicken 'n Dumplings.  The chicken was tender and juicy, and the dumplings brought a smile to my face.
• I have had the Brisket Dip.  A french dip style sandwich with brisket and a barbecue style jus.  This is very good.  The brisket is tender and the jus is perfect.
• I have had the Harley Bennie.  This is the Harley's "manly" benedict, with chicken fried pork loin and two eggs any style atop a toasted english muffin and smothered in country sausage gravy.  The pork loin is tender and succulent.  Try it with the eggs over easy and experience the blending of flavors as the yolk, pork, and gravy do their magic on your taste buds.
• Try the okra!  There are not too many places you can get good fried okra in Alaska.  Harley's is the place in Anchorage.
• Don't pass on the Fried Pickles.  I have often heard the lore of how tasty a fried pickle can be.  I have searched high and low at fairs, food carts, etc.  Harley's has them, and I am hooked.  You have to try them!

I can't wait for my next Chiropractic visit.

Harley's Old Thyme Cafe:

Address - 7550 Old Seward Hwy

Phone - 907.349.8878

Website - harleysotcafe.com

Reservations - None taken.  The dining area is small, and the place gets crowded on a Sunday morning.  Take the time to wait.  You will be rewarded with some good eats.

Overall Recommendation - This is southern style comfort food, and it is pretty good.  The waitstaff is friendly, the service is fast, and the prices are reasonable.  Give it a try.

The Crow's Nest - The Crown Atop the Hotel Captain Cook

The Crow's Nest Restaurant offers much more than beautiful views of Downtown Anchorage, the Chugach, and Cook Inlet.  It is Anchorage's only AAA Four Diamond fine dining restaurant, and boasts a 10,000 bottle wine cellar.  I must say, that the food matches the view and the wine list...it is stunningly good.

Setting atop Tower 3 of the Hotel Captain Cook, it is no wonder that the Crow's Nest is so popular.  The hotel is right in the heart of Downtown Anchorage, and the restaurant pulls out all the stops to make your dining experience a great one.

On Halloween, my wife and I like to avoid the rush of trick-or-treaters by treating ourselves to dinner out. This year I pulled out my iPhone and activated my handy Open Table app.  There it was, the Crow's Nest, calling me.  On a nearly annual basis, I take my coaching staff for cocktails at the bar, but it has been quite a while since I have had a meal there, and it was about time my wife shared the experience.  By using the Open Table app, I was able to request a table with a view.  During the winter I prefer a view of Downtown, so I requested a table with a South/East view.  In the dark of night, and during this evening's snow storm, it is always beautiful.

Upon being seated, we were treated to an amuse consisting of a butternut squash soup, and a kalamata olive dinner roll.  The soup was rich and full of flavor.  The two or three spoonfuls were perfect and wett the appetite.  The olive roll was the perfect compliment to the soup; fresh, and with just the right amount of olives.

We chose to start with the Sweet and Spicy Sausage Stuffed Quail and the Tabby's Crabby Patties.  The quail was succulent in and of itself, but it was also stuffed with sautéd grapes and wild mushrooms, and served on a bed of fresh greens that had a delightful porcini vinaigrette and saffron pear reduction.  The crab cakes were a combination of King and Dungeness and were served over a citrus and horseradish vinaigrette.  The crab cake was delicious, but the stuffed quail was superb.

It was tough to choose, but my wife chose the Duck Two Ways A'Lorange and I chose the Ras el Hanout Rubbed Lamb Loin.  My wife loved the duck, her first ever duck as it turns out.  I tried a bite, and it was very tender and moist.  It was served with a croissant bread pudding over a berry gastrique and Grand Marnier jus.  The gastrique is what brought the dish from the merely good to great.

Before tonight, I did not know what Ras el Hanout meant, but Wikipedia has a great explanation, and now I know that it is a Moroccan blend of spices that means "top of the shop", or the best the shop has to offer.  My lamb loin was perfectly seasons, and I supplemented the flavor by ordering it with foie gras.  The flavors blended just as I had hoped.  The savory flavors of the Ras el Hanout and the richness of the foie gras made my taste buds dance and swoon.  The lamb was served over a lemon verbena jus, and accompanied by port poached cherries, root vegetables, crispy sweet potatoes.  A truly satisfying dish.

For desert, I went with the crème brûlée and a glass of Blandy's Alvada Medeira.  It may have been a decadent choice, but I was already having a decadent meal, it needed the right finish.  The crème brûlée was served with some fresh berries and white chocolate.  It paired perfectly with the Blandy's.  My wife chose the carmel apple tart.  I tried it, and it too was delicious.  The apples were fresh and tangy.

The Crow's Nest is a place to treat yourself.  Don't be tricked into going somewhere else.


Crow's Nest:

Address - 939 W. 5th Avenue, Anchorage, 20th Floor of Tower 3

Phone - 907.276.6000 or 800.843.1950

Website - captaincook.com/dining/crows-nest

Reservations - Make them.  I like using my Open Table app on my iPhone.  I recommend the Southeast corner of the dining room.  Dress is casual smart.  Don't go looking like a rugby hooligan.

Overall Recommendation - The food is very good, and the waitstaff is courteous and professional.  You will not find a finer wine cellar in all of Alaska.