seven glaciers retaurant

The dinner I was most excited for in Alaska was the one we went to on our last night. We went to Seven Glaciers restaurant, a spot nestled 2,300 ft above sea level with panoramic views and delicious locally-sourced fare.

Up we went on the tram (with some of us having their eyes closed or looking at the floor to avoid seeing the view).

 

We started with a celebratory bottle of Veuve...

 

...while we decided on our meals ahead. T went with trusting the chef and blindly accepted the tasting menu (which I became jealous of, but we had no idea what anything was, because we never saw the menu and when it was delivered no one really explained it!).

We started with soups and salads, in order: 1. roquefort & butter lettuce salad with a roquefort vinaigrette, crispy pork belly, tomato jam, and scallion pesto. 2. tomato & watermelon gazpacho with traditional garnishes, organic olive oil, and crab. 3. artisan greens salad with radish, wilted cabbage, shaved carrots, lemon herb vinaigrette, and rye croutons. 4. good question, it was T's (but enjoyable nonetheless).

 

Next was T's surprise 2nd course, which was my favorite of the entire night. Again, I couldn't tell you what it was, especially since it's now been over a month since I was there, but it was a delicious halibut with soft noodles and black olives.

 

T then had another mystery dish, an asian salad topping a fresh hunk of salmon, again good, but nothing close to how perfect the previous dish was.

 

As an entree I had the fresh Alaskan salmon with lemon spaetzle, corn, english peas, and a fireweed honey glaze. I had no problem finishing this entire dish, with the soft and light spaetzle pairing perfectly with the crispy top of the salmon and the crunch of the peas.

 

Meim went with the Alaskan halibut with tomato, green beans, fingerling potatoes, and a tomato vinaigrette. Again, another person had no issue finishing their dish on their own.

 

My dad went with the deconstructed king crab risotto with a lemon and black pepper risotto, broccolini, grilled lemon, and a citrus butter.

 

T had a delicious chicken entree wrapped in a pork belly, which was absolutely perfectly paired...and some mystery sides, of course. He also had a wagyu beef course, which was eaten to quickly to document, but was as tender as could be and had punches of flavor, unsurprisingly.

 

We finished with dessert, of course.

 

T started with a few small treats...

 

I went with the beignets with vanilla bean, a rum caramel sauce, and a banana cardamom gelato. I was so excited, I love the sugary pillowy goodness of beignets, but I was so sad when this arrived. They were dense pillows with lackluster sugar and a sauce that was overpoweringly rum with not even a slight glimmer of caramel. On the other hand, the banana cardamom gelato was deliciously creamy and a refreshing hit of banana.

 

Meim went with the chocolate hazelnut cake with dark chocolate, hazelnut and chocolate silk cream, and a smoked mocha gelato. Overall this worked much better, and the gelato again got a rave review.

 

My dad went with their signature baked Alyeska with a chocolate cake, trio of chocolate mousses covered in bittersweet ganance and an Italian meringue. Again, no complaints, but it was quite large, and definitely made for sharing!

 

After dinner, we strolled about outside, enjoying the gorgeous setting, before heading back down.

 

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crab cakes with homemade tartar sauce

With summer food memories slipping away, I had to revisit my good friend, crab. Crab cakes with tartar sauce always brings me back to nautical vacations in warm weather, so why not make some easy healthier homemade ones on a chilly day to feel a bit warmer? 

Ingredients (makes 3 medium-sized crab cakes):
Crab cakes:
6 oz crabmeat
1 egg
3 tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp spicy mustard
1 tsp old bay spice
1 tbs chopped scallions or chives
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup panko or breadcrumbs

Tartar sauce:
4 heaping tsp nonfat Greek yogurt
2 heaping tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp sweet pickle relish
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt & pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Mix crabmeat, egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, spicy mustard, old bay, scallions, and pinches of salt & pepper until well-blended.

 

2. Add panko and mix until well-coated.

3. Form flattened patties with your hands, place onto a tin foil-lined baking sheet and top with a pinch of panko and a drizzle of olive oil. Pop in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

 

4. After 15 minutes, flip patties and return to oven for another 13 minutes.
 

5. Meanwhile, make the tartar sauce: place Greek yogurt in a paper-towel lined bowl and refrigerate for 5 minutes to absorb excess liquid. After 5 minutes, mix all tartar sauce ingredients until fully-blended and return to fridge until ready to use.

6. Once final 13 minutes are up, remove crab cakes from oven, top with tartar sauce, and serve!  

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