Restaurant review
Snow Goose
717 West 3rd Avenue
277-7727
Reviewed by Crystal Hutchens
A few years ago, I had a bad experience at the SnowGoose Restaurant. My companion and I had gone for an intimate dinner and the accompanying view. I ordered a seafood pasta dish. When it arrived I was dismayed that most of the seafood was still in the shell, including the crab. Tearing into a pile of fresh shell fish and shelling it yourself is one thing. Digging unshelled shell fish out of a saucy pasta dish is something else; I was not impressed. I told the waitress I wanted to send it back rather than dig shells out of my pasta. She said she completely understood and took the dish back to the kitchen without issue. However, because of the way the restaurant is designed with an open kitchen nestled off to the side of the seating area, I overheard the cook yelling at her, “Does she have any idea how much that seafood cost?” The waitress was kind and did not make the slightest reveal of the reaming she was getting in the kitchen, though the whole restaurant knew it. I didn’t go back there for a long time, even though the rest of the meal was good, if not memorable.
When the SnowGoose opened their expansive deck I decided to give them another try on one beautiful sunny day when I was strolling my young daughter around downtown. This time, I enjoyed my meal very much--a delicious curried shrimp pasta, no shells--especially with the added outdoor view and nice weather. SnowGoose is perched on the inlet at 3rd Avenue and G street. There is an great view of the Anchorage coastline from both the upstairs and downstairs seating areas, and of course the deck, which is only open in summer months.
The food offered at SnowGoose dangles on a line between fine dining and homestyle Alaskan cooking. When I want seafood that’s a little adventurous I think of the SnowGoose. They experiment with non-traditional flavors like one of my favorites, the Small-Batch Bourbon BBQ Salmon ($20.25). The Salmon is grilled and smothered with an Old Whiskey River Bourbon-Peach BBQ sauce. Sweet and tangy, it’s served with mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. I’m also a big fan of the coconut prawns from the appetizer menu ($12.50), cooked crunchy and perfect and served with tangy marmalade sauce. Also on my list of things to try are the pizzas which sound anything but typical. Choices like the “Mat-Su BBQ Chicken,” “Sitka Salmon Cheese” and the “Moose Mexican” evoke imagery and flavors for an adventurous spirit.
On a recent visit with a friend, I opted to try something from the “El Specials” section, which might also be referred to as the meat menu. I ordered the Bandera Pork Loins ($15.95), which boasted of jerk seasonings, one of my favorite cooking styles and something I have perfected at home myself. Jerk is a special kind of spicing because it mixes the incredible heat of scotch bonnet or habanero peppers with “sweet” spices including cinnamon, allspice and thyme. The menu describes the pork loins as “marinated with our award winning Urban Pale Ale and Caribbean jerk seasonings, then twice glazed with our original apple-ale sauce.” I was impressed that the meat itself was tender, in a town where most restaurants serve pork up dry. But there wasn’t even a hint of jerk seasoning anywhere in the dish. Fortunately, I had prepared myself for that all too common disappointment. We seem to be a town lacking in Caribbean cooking ability and anything described as jerk is usually a paltry imitation. I was more disappointed that the pork tasted strongly of the ale the menu bragged about. The sweetness of the apple in the sauce did little to temper the impression that my meat had spent a great deal of time soaking in beer. The loins were served resting on a scoop of lightly seasoned and tasty red-skinned potatoes and a generous portion of sautéed vegetables--broccoli, zucchini, carrots.
My friend ordered the Fisherman’s Cioppino ($23.95), a seafood stew stock full of Alaskan halibut, scallops, shrimp and clams. I giggled a little to myself that the clams were served on the shell, but that’s fairly typical; they slid easily out of the shell with a fork. The sauce was rich with tomatoes and seasonings. A touch of salt for my over-seasoned taste buds brought it to life for me. The seafood, especially the halibut, was very tender. My friend said he loved it. Then, “for research purposes,” he ordered a mixed berry cobbler a la mode. Not generally a fan of fruit in my desert, I found this delectable. The crunchy, buttery crumb-baked crust melted in my mouth and I kept tasting it even though I was full from my meal.
SnowGoose, in operation for the past nine years, is Alaskan owned. They get produce and seafood locally where possible, and supplement with Cisco and Food Services of America. In summer months they buy produce from Charlie’s and Alaska Grown. Their seafood is from 10th and M Seafoods and New Sagaya, and some of the crab comes from small fisheries. That’s good news for the little guy.
Employees have the option to sign up for an I.R.A at certain times of the year, and to which they can choose their own contribution. The employer matches their contribution up to 3%. Operations Manager Daniel Raymer told me they have some teachers who work during the summer months and contribute their entire paycheck to the account. This type of benefit is not often offered to food service employees. It is not just limited to full time employees, which is typical of other types of companies. This is the kind of “setting the bar” practice I hope other local restaurants will take note of.
Raymer also books local musicians for their upstairs bar area on weekends. Great local folk artists like Jared Woods, Mike Gorder and Evan Phillips perform regularly, as well as the occasional band. Musicians are compensated well, which is important from an artist standpoint. Some venues will take advantage of the fact that musicians are anxious to get their work out and often compromise their own value. SnowGoose also had a great open-mic going on Thursday nights, which Raymer hopes to start back up this winter. Open-mics are especially conducive to building the music community, giving beginning musicians a place to get their feet wet, and seasoned musicians a chance to be helpful to their peers. Overall, the SnowGoose has a welcoming atmosphere, good food and entertainment. In addition to housing their own brewery, they serve up a mean root beer, sharp and heavy on the sarsaparilla. That’s a lot to offer under one roof. Having put my one bad experience in the past, I will continue to enjoy the SnowGoose for years to come.
The norm: 2 suns
Spirit 2 suns
Justice: 2 suns
Community: 3 suns
(out of 3 suns)