This review is for the Summer Solstice Festival held by the Anchorage Downtown Partnership. I came down on Saturday to take in the events that were being held on 4th Ave. between C and L St. The place was jam-packed with people who brought their families as well as tourists from other states and countries. To avoid issues with parking, my friend and I decided to park away from the crowds over by the Delaney Park Strip on 10th Ave. There were numerous spaces available and it provides a free, safe area for your car next to a quiet residential area just a couple of blocks away.
They had a number of contests and activities lined down the street which includes the Solstice Skate Jam (professional skateboarders and local competitors showcasing their skills on the ramps), the Beard and Moustache Contest (guys doing their best impression of Ernest Hemingway to characters from the Game of Thrones TV show), the Kids Zones (activities for kids that include a giant man-made sandbox in the middle of the street, a gigantic kayak pool, a petting zoo, and rides), and the Antique Auto Mushers (auto enthusiasts showing off their classic cars from 1900 Fords to 1950's T-Birds to 1960's Mustangs).
In addition to the contests, they also had several beer gardens with live music playing throughout the day by local musicians taking the stage by the Hard Rock Café, Darwin's Theory Pub, and the Gaslight Lounge. However, the main reason why I came here is an annual event that has been going on for years since Anchorage first held this at the Park Strip many years ago: the Taste of Anchorage! This is an annual event when a large number of eateries and local restaurants join together to make one big line-up of tents serving some awesome dishes by local chefs and State Fair-style food from the food trucks throughout town. This event was held between Noon to 6PM over the weekend.
We decided to take a conservative approach by sampling foods from as many different vendors that we could without becoming prematurely stuffed. The first item we tried were the Reindeer Hot Dogs from Smokehouse BBQ. I had mine piled with onions, sauerkraut, and mustard and my friend had hers topped off with onion, mustard and ketchup. The dogs were plump and juicy, fresh off the large BBQ grill. We easily finished these off and washed them down with a bottled water. The next stand we hit was a vendor that served Stuffed Bananas! A very unique dish and I was curious to see how they made this. Apparently they use a pastry tube to squeeze the ingredients into the banana. Very creative!
I ordered one stuffed with Nutella and Cheesecake. This was very delicious. It was like holding a dessert like a banana split or Southern-style banana cream pudding in your hands but inside the banana itself. Other toppings they offered were Peanut Butter, Heath Bar, Chocolate, and fruit fillings like Blueberry. They also offered these in a frozen banana version with the same choices available. My friend ordered a fudge cupcake from AK Cake Studios next door. She said they were rich with thick chocolate icing and this was gone after a couple of minutes. (Can't blame her. I wanted a bite but I was too late.)
Other food trucks and tents that were there include the Boom Ba Laddy, a regular at the Spenard Food Truck Carnival on Thursdays with offerings like the Georgie Dog (all beef hot dog with jalapenos, cheese sauce, and buffalo sauce topped with shredded cheese) and the Boomba Works Fries (fries with cheese sauce, bacon, green peppers, jalapenos, broccoli, and steak topped with sour cream....Wow!) and Kastle Kreations, a food truck that specializes in cupcakes with flavors like the Turtle (chocolate pecan filled with caramel, topped with vanilla buttercream, dipped in chocolate ganache, and garnished with a pecan), the Oatmeal Cream Pie (oatmeal spice cake filled with marshmallow, topped with cream cheese frosting sprinkled with cinnamon and oats, then garnished with a gummy worm), and the Peanut Butter Pie (chocolate on top of an Oreo crust filled with peanut butter marshmallow cream topped with buttercream, garnished with crushed Butterfingers, and drizzled with chocolate ganache and peanut butter sauce).
This is just a very tiny fraction of what I can describe to you when I was down there. The Taste of Anchorage is my favorite annual food event and this was one of the ideas I submitted earlier this year to Andrew H., our Community Ambassador for a UYE event. Speaking to so many people on Yelp, it seems like the common thing that brings everyone together on here is a passion for food. This is undoubtedly one of the best events if not THE best event in town to organize a meet and greet for fellow Yelpers. Games, rides, activities for the kids if you have children, a beer garden, live music, and yes, FOOD, lots of it! This place has it all for just such a thing. read more
