Dining in Alaska : Seafood at Its Finest and Freshest in 49th State

Whether visited by cruise ship, Alaska State Ferry or Alaska Airlines, the small logging and fishing towns of southeast Alaska and western British Columbia offer dining adventures.

In Smile’s Seafood Cafe in Prince Rupert, Canada, for instance, you can eat with fishermen from the adjacent docks and try such local delicacies as halibut cheeks--reputedly the best part of the fish and seldom, if ever, exported beyond the immediate vicinity. To find Smile’s, walk north of the ship dock along the railroad tracks. It’s just beyond the cannery.

“It’s got the best fish in Alaska,” said a fisherman in the Norwegian-American fishing community of Petersburg. He was speaking of the Petersburg Fish Co., a tiny dockside restaurant with picnic tables covered in blue oilcloth. Specials change daily according to the catch. Huge chunks of halibut crowded the halibut cheddar chowder ($1 a cup, $2 a bowl), and the sauteed salmon was sweet and moist ($9.95).

Fresh, Well Prepared

Accompaniments were simple--cole slaw and french fries--but fresh and well-prepared. Petersburg shrimp are famous throughout the area, and here they come deep-fried or in shrimp Louie ($7.95). For an extra 75 cents you can get a giant piece of fresh garlic bread.

Also in Petersburg, Tante’s Kitchen, on unpaved Sing Lee Alley, serves homemade Norwegian pastries, breads and candies. Greens ‘n’ Grains on Nordic Drive offers doughnuts, apple turnovers, huge croissants as rich and flaky as those of Paris, and--something you don’t often get in a bakery--fresh sushi-- maki, $4.50 a roll, inari 60 cents.

Ketchikan, known for its turn-of-the-century houses built on pilings along the creek, offers food that is simple and hearty. The Harbor Inn is an institution. We took a booth in the back and read the town gossip printed on the front of the week’s menu--there was a totem pole raising, and someone named Sandy “has an ardent fan.”

The lunch special was a Cambridge burger with grilled onions, mayonnaise and grilled mushrooms on a freshly baked sesame bun. Tomato soup thick with rice, onions and carrots was included in the price of $4.98. Anchor omelets, for $6.95, have four eggs, ham, onion, green pepper, chili and cheese.

Farther up Front Street from Ketchikan’s dock is the Gilmore Garden. Just off the lobby of the Gilmore Hotel, this small restaurant is nicely decorated in soft prints and dark rattan chairs. The sourdough pancakes are made with a 1928 starter and cost $3.95. Also available for breakfast are a fresh shrimp omelet for $8.95, and a champagne breakfast for two that includes steak, eggs, sourdough pancakes, orange juice, champagne and coffee for $15 per person.

In Sitka, Staton’s on the waterfront offers good seafood, steaks and sandwiches. But it is the fish and chips that are famous. At $6.95, the plate arrives brimming with freshly cooked french fries and large pieces of cod.

A 15-minute walk north along the Sitka waterfront, Wild Strawberry is a delight. A wide deck with low benches and large picture windows offer great views of Mt. Edgecombe across the water and the boats in Thomsen Bay Marina. Downstairs in the back, a counter offers a variety of sandwiches on homemade breads and a salad bar full of fresh vegetables. Soups are made fresh daily. The soup and sandwich special costs $5.90. Fresh raspberry, strawberry and rhubarb pies and Chocolate Sin (a rich mousse) cost $2 a slice.

Skagway, at the head of the Lynn Canal, is a gold rush town that might be at home in California’s Mother Lode. Irene’s Inn is the favorite of locals. Upstairs there are rooms to let, and downstairs in the dining room, hearty home-style food is served. Engine 52 is a grilled sandwich made with what seems like a pound of ham, turkey, and Swiss and Cheddar cheese served on thick slices of freshly made bread ($6.50). The fish and chips are curled french fries and huge pieces of fresh cod, just fried and very hot ($7.95).

Original Soda Fountain

Another good bet in Skagway is the Sweet Tooth Saloon, a tiny sandwich shop where the original marble soda fountain is still in use. They make their own doughnuts and cinnamon rolls each morning, and their own breads for the sandwiches, which run $4 to $5.

The capital city of Juneau, at the foot of Mt. Juneau, retains its frontier atmosphere but offers a variety of fine dining experiences.

“Alaskans get to the point where they would kill for a fresh tomato,” tourism information officer Bill Marchese said, and we found many Juneau restaurants popular for their abundance of fresh vegetables.

The Fiddlehead Restaurant & Bakery, around the corner from the State Museum, looks like just another motel coffee shop. But inside, its pine-paneled walls and simple decor set the background for a variety of salads ($5 to $7), steamed vegetables with peanut sauce ($12.50), and Swiss chicken--chicken, mushrooms and scallions in a creamy wine sauce ($16.95). At the bakery counter, fresh-baked specialty breads are sold each day as well as sticky buns, made with a rich yeast dough and loads of pecans.

The Silverbow Inn, a beautifully restored small hotel in the middle of town, has an excellent restaurant that offers a mingling of country French and regional American cuisines. Specialties include blackened salmon ($18.95), red snapper a la Provencale with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and herbs ($16.95), and Greek prawns--Alaska shrimp with tomatoes, mushrooms, scallions and feta cheese ($19.95). Dessert may be fresh strawberries in Champagne sagbayon or a sour cream cheesecake.

For an early morning croissant and espresso, try Le Petit Paris, a corner patisserie at 3rd and North Franklin, which offers tarts, sandwiches, and homemade ice creams, or the Heritage Coffee Co., across the street from the Red Dog Saloon. The Heritage is a small kitchenware store that serves freshly brewed coffees and rich hot chocolate, which you can sip at a front window counter while watching the crowds on Franklin Street.

The highlight of Juneau dining, however, may be the traditional salmon bake at the Thane Ore House. A short bus ride took us outside of town to a collection of gray wooden shacks that used to house a working gold mine. Native American Agnes Ballinger, the State Museum’s expert on Indian arts, brought the traditional culture to life with authentic Tlingit songs and dances. Soon after, bearded George Jefferson and members of his family served up all we could eat of alder-smoked salmon, baked beans, salad and corn bread. Total cost for the evening was $15 a person.

Recommended:

Juneau: Fiddlehead Restaurant & Bakery, 429 W. Willoughby Ave., (907) 586-3150; Heritage Coffee Co., 174 S. Franklin St., (907) 586-1088; Le Petit Paris, 3rd and North Franklin, (907) 586-4422; The Silverbow Inn, 120 2nd St., (907) 586-4146; Thane Ore House, 4400 Thane Road, (907) 586-3442.

Ketchikan: Gilmore Garden, 326 Front St., (907) 225-9423; Harbor Inn, 320 Mission, (907) 225-2850.

Petersburg: Greens ‘n’ Grains, Nordic Drive, (907) 772-4433; Petersburg Fish Co., Nordic Drive, (907) 772-3190; Tante’s Kitchen, Sing Lee Alley, (907) 772-9234.

Prince Rupert: Smile’s Seafood Cafe, George Hills Way, (604) 624-3072.

Sitka: Staton’s, Harbor Drive, (907) 747-3396; Wild Strawberry, 724 Siginaka Way, (907) 747-3463.

Skagway: Irene’s, 6th and Broadway, (907) 983-2520; Sweet Tooth Saloon, 3rd and Broadway, (907) 983-2405.