I live, I eat

Okay, I'm compiling a list of places that I like and recommend to people.  You may not see a place on the list.  This either means I wouldn't put it on my list of recommendations, or I haven't tried it. If you have a question about a particular restaurant here in town, just ask in the comments.  I will try to get back to you quickly.  I haven't finished the list of descriptions, but will work on it as I have time.  I will then endeavor to add links to the websites or something similar to help you find these places. ANCHORAGE Downtown Alaska Cake Studio - Cake and coffee yum. Good location for while walking around. Simon and Seaforts - Good menu, but try out the bar for quick service and the drink specials. Orso - Brewhouse's sister.  Okay mix, not as busy as Brewhouse, Still need reservations on weekends. Food is good. Nice wine list Glacier Brewhouse - Make a reservation.  Seriously. Good food, noisy. Popular year round with locals and to...

What a time!  I got back from Seattle on Sunday.  Thankfully had Monday off (Presidents Day), because I have two days at work to keep my head in the game and try to get things as much together as possible before I am back on a plane and off to Hawaii.  It was a nice breather to get away for the weekend.  My husband was already in Seattle, so I met him there on Friday (Valentine's Day). WESTIN HOTEL We stayed at the Westin hotel.  It's a fairly large hotel with two circular towers, and is located on 5th Avenue.  It is super close to the Westlake Center, and about four blocks from Pike Market.  When you walk in you are greeted firstly by the concierge desk.  The front desk is actually off to the right and further back.  The staff is super friendly and very quick to get you put together.  We were offered to join the usual hotel membership, which we did, and it gave us free internet for our room.  There is also the Relish Burger Bis...

Let's just say that I have been going to the original I Love Sushi since they opened.  Brandon, the chef/owner is very dedicated and imaginative.  It was always easy to have something made to my specifications for whatever crazy diet I was on.  I always have my favorites too.  They had expanded the original restaurant a while back and it was very upscale looking.  Recently Brandon and his wife, Min, bought the old Tempura Kitchen.  It has the same upscale flair.  It looks beautiful. It's clean and bright, and I love the updated menu. Brandon and crew pretty much had to gut the old restaurant when they got it, which it definitely needed.  The restaurant is somewhat split up.  To the left is regular seating, with a large area for large parties or private functions.  To the right are tables with hot plates with vents above, and the sushi bar is across from that. It is located on Spenard right after you turn off of Minnesota if you are c...

Here I am again at Yamaya.  One of my favorite japanese restaurants in Alaska. This place is run by Sam and Kay, and sometimes their grand daughter Jada is working there.  This is some really great food in a very small restaurant.  If you have a party of 3 or more people, I suggest you call ahead and reserve a table.  Otherwise, when it's busy, you may be turned away.  When it's slow, there are sometimes only one or two people in here.  If you are by yourself, you can sit up at the bar (not drinking bar) which is quite popular.  They open at 5 pm and close around 9, Monday through Saturday.  Closed Sunday. When you walk in you may not think much of the place.  In fact I see a lot of people open the door, look in really quick, and go back out.  98% of those people are off of the cruise ships.  Which is fine by me that they do not find this hidden gem.   When you come here, the menu is on two walls.  There's is also ...

My husband and I took our camper down to Soldotna and Homer for fourth of July weekend.  We noticed that a lot of campsites were not taking reservations, and it can be kind of hard to get a spot on the holiday weekends.  We got to Homer and my husband wanted to stay at one of the sites on the spit.  Not really my idea of a great spot.  They are close to all the boardwalk shops, and have great views, but its all rock and windy.  Not to mention how cold it gets next to the water.  The weather was extremely warm during this time of July, and unlike Soldotna and Kenai, the mosquitoes were barely noticeable. All of the lots on the spit were taken (and crammed in), so we took a look in town.  I recently review the Seaside Inn, and they have a small RV park there, but they were full.  I was looking on the Homer website and saw the Ocean View RV Park on there.  I made a call and they had two spots left.  It was $50/night with full hookup. ...

Okay, its been a while since I've been here, but I had promised a review of this place.  The  Historic Driftwood Inn  has a variety of room options, and is very reasonable in rates (I think it was 80 bucks).  We were a group of three and we go a room with a double and bunk beds.  The beds were comfortable and the rooms were clean.  The bathrooms were a good size, and we didn't feel cramped.  We got the room on the first floor, as recommended to me when I made the reservation and we could walk out on the deck and take in the waves.    The accommodations itself were modest and not fancy, but I wasn't looking for a hotel like that.  The picture on the site are pretty true to what you get. Did I mention this hotel was right by the beach?  Very cool.  It is also pretty well located in general.  It has AJ's across the street which I've already reviewed.  You can go a block away and do a mead tasting  at Ring of Fir...

I am setting up a girl trip with one of my best friends to Seattle in May.  I'm very much looking forward to it, but it will be interesting to see how this turns out.  My friend is generally in party mode when we take trips.  Last vacation I took with her, I needed an extra week for sleep, recovery, and detox. I'm not sure how much she plans on packing into this trip, but she is already sending me ideas for late night activities. We are looking at Jetblue to get us down.  I normally fly Alaska Air, but Jetblue has tickets for 300/rt!!!!!!!  That's about half the cost of Alaska Air.  I haven't flown with Jetblue before, but I have been looking it up online, and it seems pretty good.  There were a couple of unhappy reviews about delays or rescheduling, and I found a good note about seating.  I know there are seats that you can pay extra for the leg room and that gives you early seating and what not.  Apparently, if you don't state a prefere...

I'm back from Puerto Vallarta.  We stayed at the Secrets resort there.  It's a newer one towards the north end of the hotel strip.  It's a really great resort and I ate and drank way too much.  We had a preferred king jr. suite, and it was worth it.  We first reserved a king swimout, and we are so glad we didn't.  The pool is shared by four suites, so that's not private.  And everyone walking by pretty much is watching you.  I constantly caught myself looking over at them when walking to our preferred lobby. We ate at almost all of the restaurants. They were very good about making things the way that I needed them, and lots of vegetarian options.  Alcohol was abundant, and I drank quite a bit.  So, not a trip that I maintained my weight.  On the other hand, pretty much all the ladies were about my size (some vary), and it made me a lot less conscious of myself. We made it down to the pedestrian area a couple times to b...

We were staying at the Driftwood Inn in Homer for our girls trip, and they were so super nice and accommodating.  I will put in a separate review for them, but it is to note that right across the street was AJ's Old Town Steakhouse and Tavern.  Now, after a 4 hour drive with a bunch of crazy girls, a beer is just what we all needed to wind down. So......we cross the street to the tavern. Upon entry we are greeted enthusiastically.  There are two regular patrons at the bar and then the three of us.  The bar is much bigger than how it appears on the outside.  There is a dance floor to the back with a stage.  All weekend they had bands playing with a very good turnout. If any Alaska bands are looking to play somewhere, you might want to head this direction.  The bar is long with a curve at the end.  We figured the end of the bar has some bad juju, because everyone that sat there got into an argument with each other. For every night we came to thi...

I took a recent trip to Homer for an extended weekend with the girls.  We had a blast and while there tried out a couple of treats. I am going to break this up into separate reviews, with this one being on Wasabi. Wasabi is Homer's fine dining restaurant.  It obviously has Japanese food, including sushi.  As far as I know, it's the only sushi place in Homer.  That made it a must see for us. The decor is upscale and the view is fantastic, so get a window seat.  The bar is very central, with chairs around if you only want to come in for a cocktail.  The parking lot is small, but did not seem to be much of a hassle to get in and out. My meal started with a screwdriver.  I was impressed by the excellent pour (which you get all over Homer).  We ordered a plate of sushi to share, and I got the Mac n' Cheese ($30.00) that so many reviewers rave about.  The service was quick and attentive, even thought she had to list the specials (which there ...

Lest I say, this is my most favorite sushi place to go.  Brandon, chef/owner, is so imaginative and willing to alter anything to your needs.  The menu has some excellent choices for cooked and non cooked items.  If I'm in the mood for something hot I like the sauteed mushrooms.  Yummy! Prior to this most recent trip, one of my friends and I were talking about meeting up for sukiyaki at another local place downtown called Kumogoro.  (We had previously been there for shabu shabu.)  I mentioned this when I stopped off for sushi to Brandon, and he said that he would make it for us.  What a treat.  I mentioned it to my friend and it was a no brainer decision. I started this trip right after work.  One of my girlfriends was going to meet me and was already there, but Cody and I were planning on going a bit later.  So I met up with the girls for an appetizer.  Normally this would have been sushi roll happy hour but Min (Brandon's wife)...

I've been eating out like a mad man.  This last adventure is a place close by to my work, Bangkok Cafe.  I've been here many times yet stopped going after they messed it up that last time too many.  After my hiatus I return with low expectations. My order:  Hot tea with sugar, fresh rolls, and mild chicken Kow Pad (Thai style fried rice). Service was swift yet seemed that the two were not synched yet which makes me think that the one at my table was new.  I ordered my dishes, which were some of my usual fav's and made sure to order mild (which is usually hot and I am not weak).  The tea tasted like Lipton.  Not one of my favorite's but was nice to have on a colder day while warming up, and apparently their heat was not really working well. The fresh rolls arrived and looked fresh.  The sauce was thin, but tasty.  Most places around here give you a honey based sauce, which just leaves me with sticky hands no matter how hard I try.  Th...

Crush in downtown Anchorage is generally one of my favorite places to go to hang out with a glass of wine or to get a small nibble (especially when going to a show at the PAC).  This time around I went in for lunch, which is rare for me, but I was at Nordstrom on a Saturday and was trying to figure out where to go. Lest it be said, parking downtown can be a nightmare.  Spaces are limited on the street and there are pay lots, but instead of being the ones that you pay a dollar and hour, it's five dollars for 0-2 hours.  Another option is to park in the JCPenny parking garage, which I tend to do in winter.  Crush is attached to the 5th Avenue mall, so if you are shopping, there is also the B street parking garage. Crush is owned by a group of guys that are very knowledgeable and you can see them variably every day you come in to the place.  The decor is sleek and they are part of the Friday art walk so you can check out the new work every month.  The tabl...